How to check what you can burn on a wood-burning stove

What can you burn on a woodburner?

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Choosing what you burn on your wood-burning stove can have a huge impact on both the performance and lifespan of your appliance. Burning the right things can ensure that your stove burns stronger and for longer, reducing your fuel costs. Conversely, burning the wrong things can increase fuel costs and damage the internal parts of your appliance. In the worst cases it might even cause damage to the stove body or flue system, which creates further expense.

So, how can you check what you should be burning?

Stove manual

Nobody knows what your stove is built to burn better than the people who built it. With that in mind, your first port of call when finding a suitable fuel for your appliance should be your stove manual. You should be able to find a list of recommended fuels and perhaps a list of fuels that should not be burnt on the appliance.

If you haven’t got a stove manual, you might try phoning or emailing the manufacturer to see if you can get one or if they can offer advice over the phone.

Further evidence

If your attempt to track down a stove manual proved unsuccessful, you will have to muddle through by examining the evidence on display.

Is your stove’s grate raised? If so, and the burnt fuel empties into an ashpan, it is probably a multi-fuel stove, which means you can burn fuels other than wood. These are likely to include anthracite, smokeless fuel, peat and turf. If it has a flat grate, you should burn only wood.

Golden rules

You can also guide yourself towards using a suitable fuels by sticking to these golden rules, which apply to most, if not all, stoves:

Only burn seasoned wood. These are logs that have been cut, chopped and left to dry for a period of more than 12 months to lower their moisture content. Check this with a moisture meter.

Do not burn unseasoned wood. Freshly cut, green wood that has not gone through the process mentioned above is likely to lead to an inefficient burn and cause build-ups or tar and creosote, which can damage your stove system and increase the risk of chimney fires.

Do not burn household coal. Regular household coal is too volatile for use in a stove. It can lead to mini-explosions that can crack the stove glass. Learn more.

Do not burn pet coke. Pet coke and other petroleum-based fuels are unsuitable for use in a stove and can cause damage to internal part.

Do not burn treated wood. Wood that has been treated with varnish or paint is not suitable to burn on a stove.

Click here for more tips on which types of wood to burn.

4 thoughts on “How to check what you can burn on a wood-burning stove

    • Hi Patricia

      It’s probably not wise. It burns cooler than wood and is usually high in moisture, so it is likely to create deposits in your flue and damage the stove system over time.

      And obviously the grate is geared up for wood if it’s a woodburner.

      Thanks,

      Gr8Fires

    • Hi Sandra

      Only burn very well seasoned logs. Don’t have small fires in a big stove. Don’t allow your fire to slumber.

      Thanks,

      Gr8Fires

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