QA

Quick Answer: What Is The Best Fuel To Burn On An Open Fire

Generally, seasoned wood is seen as the most environmentally-friendly fuel and therefore the one that is the most widely-reccommended. However, it’s important to use only dry wood, which should contain 20% moisture or less. Smokeless coal fuels will produce much less air pollution than regular “house coal”.

What fuel is best for open fire?

What Is The Best Fuel To Use For Open Fires? Hardwood. This is wood that has a high density, for example, Oak, Beech and Elm. Seasoned Logs. ‘Seasoned’ wood has been allowed to dry out for a season before it is used. A Bed of Ash. Generally, a coal fire should be cleaned every day. The Way you build your Fire.

What is the best smokeless fuel for an open fire?

Popular smokeless fuel for open fires includes: Loose Anthracite – Welsh anthracite in particular is a popular choice for open fires. Phurnacite – Phurnacite provides a long-lasting, steady release of heat. Supertherm – Supertherm is a fuel which is easy to light and creates little ash.

What’s the best coal to burn in a open fire?

From a performance and heating standpoint, anthracite is a higher quality coal for domestic, open fire heating. While harder to ignite, anthracite does burn for a longer period of time at a hotter temperature, meaning it is more effective at providing reliable warmth for your household. Both coals are fossil fuels.

What are the best logs to burn on an open fire?

Oak is considered one of the best woods to burn in a fireplace, and this is because you get a slow-burning fire that lasts longer and burns evenly. Another popular option is birch as it gives off a beautiful flame, but it does burn much faster than oak, so you’ll need to have more at your disposal.

How efficient is an open fire?

An open fire achieves an average of only 15% efficiency, because the fire loses a lot of heat through the chimney and does not reach such a high temperature. A newer wood-burning fire or stove achieves an average efficiency of around 70 to 80%. Due to the lower temperature of an open fire, combustion is less complete.

Can you have an open fire in your house?

Bonfires and barbecues are not banned by the Clean Air Act, but if you create a lot of smoke you may be causing a statutory nuisance. Burning garden waste on a bonfire is unnecessary and unpleasant for your neighbours.

Can you burn smokeless fuel on an open fire?

Can you burn smokeless coal on an open fire? More good news – of course you can. Smokeless coal, like traditional coal, is designed to be used on open fires and will burn very efficiently in a grate or fireplace. For those in smoke control areas, smokeless fuels like smokeless coal may in fact be your only option.

Will smokeless coal be banned?

Coal Ban. Plans to phase out the sale of house coal and wet wood have been confirmed as part of the Governments plans to cut pollutants and improve air quality. Cleaner fuels such as Smokeless Coal and kiln-dried wood are recommended instead.

Can you burn wood and smokeless coal at the same time?

The answer is that, even when you are using a multi-fuel stove, you should not burn coal and wood at the same time. When the two fuels are burned at the same time, the sulphur released by the coal and water from the wood combine to create a nasty solution that will stick to and corrode your stove system.

Should I burn wood or coal?

Coal burns best on a raised grate since it needs an air supply from below to burn effectively. Wood doesn’t need this additional air supply, so when you’re using wood on a multi-fuel stove you might find that it burns faster than on a wood-burning stove because of the extra oxygen around it.

What can I burn instead of coal?

Hog fuel – made up of dried waste wood material from forestry, these large chips contain around 11 per cent moisture, making them a very effective burning fuel. Briquettes – these log-shaped bricks are made from recycled waste wood which are much hotter, cleaner, and longer burning than traditional timber fuels.

What is the best coal to burn?

Anthracite coal is the hottest burning fuel in comparison to the most common ones in use. Environmentally cleaner than other fossil fuels. Due to its low sulfur content, Anthracite coal produces virtually no smoke or particulate emissions.

Should firewood be covered with a tarp?

Properly seasoned firewood has a moisture content of less than 20%. Wood loses nothing else of consequence during seasoning; just water. Leave wood stacks for at least 6 months while the wood cures. Cover the wood stacks with a tarp or shelter to prevent rain from soiling wood.

What wood should you not burn?

I think it goes without saying that you do not want to burn any woods in your fireplace that have the word “poison” in their name. Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, Poison Sumac, etc. They release an irritant oil into the smoke and can cause big problems to you especially if you are allergic to them.

How do you make logs burn slower?

Build fires using the top-down method to slow down a fire right from the start. Burn wood that is between the recommended 15% and 20% moisture content for firewood rather than really dry wood. Try to use hardwood logs in your fire instead of using softwood logs as they can burn for longer periods of time.

Will open fires be banned?

Log burners and open fires are not being banned, but the government says people will have to buy dry wood or manufactured solid fuels which produce less smoke. Defra claims burning dry wood produces more heat and less soot than wet wood and can reduce emissions by up to 50%.

Can you burn wood in an open fire?

According to the Stove Industry Alliance, an open fireplace is the wrong way to burn wood. Not only does it release up to 10 times the amount of harmful emissions as a stove, but burning wood on an open fire is far less efficient.

Are open fires bad for you?

Sitting beside an open fire at home can expose people to more air pollution than travelling to work along busy roads, a new study suggests. Air pollution particles from fires can find their way into the lungs and then the bloodstream and can negatively impact cognitive health.