Tip site usage

[dumper]

20 minutes ago, Stubby said:

I was gonna go off on one but , hey ....😊

I think you should let it all out no good keeping it in

[Witterings]

11 hours ago, Stere said:

 

Why say  only  hardwood    as  softwood will burn just fine?

 

 

I guess it's that debate which seems to be ongoing ... I'm relatively green (not "much" of a pun intended 😅)  to having a burner and because of our property we needed a twin flue which is a shed load more expensive than a standard one.

 

I've seen both sides that say ... softwood is fine, stoves originated in Scandi and they don't have hardwood so as long as it's seasoned properly there's no issue.

 

Flip side ... softwood will gunk up and destroy your flue over time ... I guess I'm being over protective to a degree especially as it's fairly new and everytime I've cut down / cut up soft wood you get covered in sap so my jury's still out.

 

Stubby .... you obviously bit your tongue ... what do you know that I don't ... please feel free to go off on one and educate me 😁

 

[rapalaman]

I burn 50-60% softwood, properly seasoned so no sap or gunk and my chimney sweep says my chimney is spot on. Gets hardly anything out of it on it’s annual clean.

Seasoning properly is the key - burn hardwood that’s not dry will gunk up your chimney just as easily 

[Stubby]

7 hours ago, Witterings said:

 

I guess it's that debate which seems to be ongoing ... I'm relatively green (not "much" of a pun intended 😅)  to having a burner and because of our property we needed a twin flue which is a shed load more expensive than a standard one.

 

I've seen both sides that say ... softwood is fine, stoves originated in Scandi and they don't have hardwood so as long as it's seasoned properly there's no issue.

 

Flip side ... softwood will gunk up and destroy your flue over time ... I guess I'm being over protective to a degree especially as it's fairly new and everytime I've cut down / cut up soft wood you get covered in sap so my jury's still out.

 

Stubby .... you obviously bit your tongue ... what do you know that I don't ... please feel free to go off on one and educate me 😁

 

Ok . Any wood will burn if its properly seasoned . Any wood will crud up your chimney if you try and burn it wet  ( be it soft or hard ) .  I burn whatever i have . Leylandii is one of my favorites .

[doobin]

Leylandii and larch are bloody brilliant firewoods.

[Stubby]

5 minutes ago, doobin said:

Leylandii and larch are bloody brilliant firewoods.

Absolutely .

[nepia]

We burn no hardwood at all - I sell it - and are in our 14th season of doing so.  No problems whatsoever.

 

As said many times - dry, dry, dry is the key.

[difflock]

About time I again stated that our chimney has NEVER been cleaned, since 1997, and servicing a stove burning purely wood, first mostly Birch, then since about 2000, pure softwood/conifer.

But always dry(ish).

The flue is still "pulling like a train", hence never cleaned.

Edited January 11, 2021 by difflock

[Rob_the_Sparky]

Yeah, don't believe the myths about softwood.  If you don't slumber the fire (over restrict the air to slow the burn) or burn wood wet then softwood is absolutely fine.  Some are less dense but more or less the same energy per unit weight.  Softwoods do tend to have higher oil content, which is why if slumbered they can fill the flue with tar but you really want to burn that oil/tar anyway before it gets to the chimney as you want the heat from it.  Maybe the "it gums up the chimney" comes from burning on an open fire?  I don't know where that all started but it is not true with a wood burner if you don't slumber.

 

Also, if you want something free though you can't expect to pick and choose.  Make it easy and convenient for the trader and they may give you some wood.  I donate wine for my arbwaste and take any type of wood hence mostly I get softwood but he often has more to drop off than I use in a year (~3.5 cube stacked).

[Witterings]

Cheers all and much appreciated .... looks like I'm a convert 😄