know your A CHIMNEY SWEEP’S GUIDE TO
THE DO'S AND DON’TS OF BURNING WOOD Did you know that some wood burns quicker than others? Or that your logs should have a moisture level of less than 20%? Here experienced sweep, Richard Bryan at Wilkins Chimney Sweep
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gives us his sweep’s guide to best burning practices.
So, let’s start with the ‘baddies’, what you absolutely shouldn’t burn on your open fire or in your wood-burning stove. Firstly, avoid any kind of fir tree e.g. pine or leylandii. Secondly, don’t be tempted to burn scrap wood i.e. old fence panels, pallets, etc.; these are likely to have been treated with wood preserver when they were made, which can give off harmful fumes when burnt in any kind of volume. Firewood, even when dry, retains large amounts of sap and it’s this sap that can then turns into creosote (tar) when burnt, which builds up on the inside of your chimney and can easily ignite causing the dreaded chimney fire. Also beware of burning, chipboard or MDF. These have been made using resin which produces
