What kind of firewood is best for the stove? Calorific value of firewood from different types of wood. Firewood for the fireplace: types of solid fuel and inexpensive alternative solutions. Is it possible to burn a fireplace with aspen?

Home fireplace designed to bring warmth and comfort into the home, creating a unique atmosphere of comfort. Today, most owners of private houses strive to install a personal hearth in their home, in which one can observe a real, living flame. If we have at our disposal a system that runs on solid fuel, a reasonable question arises - what kind of firewood to use for the fireplace, what is the best way to heat it.

In this article we will try to tell you what kind of firewood to use for an open and closed fireplace, how different types of wood differ, we will consider Alternative option fireplace and firewood for it.

Open fireplace with a nice fire inside

Open option

When choosing which wood is best to burn a fireplace, you should consider both deciduous and coniferous species trees, since each variety has its own strengths and weak sides. Considering the characteristics of wood, you can choose suitable options for both open and closed fireplaces and stoves.

In particular, for fireplaces with an open firebox, you should select wood with a long burning time, a pleasant smell and a smooth fire without sparks or flares. You should not choose pine, spruce, larch or other coniferous firewood for a fireplace of this type, since when this type of wood burns, a lot of smoke, sparks, and crackling appear, and the fire quickly burns the wood placed in the firebox. Despite all its shortcomings, pine needles have a wonderful smell that fits perfectly into the atmosphere of the bathhouse.

Beautifully designed home fireplace

Strong and harsh oak. The optimal solution oak wood will be used for the open fireplace. This type of wood, when burned, releases a large amount of heat, which will allow you to heat the room well. The duration of combustion of logs in the firebox is long, which allows you to take your time adding new firewood and save raw materials. At the same time, a pleasant and healing aroma floats in the air, appearing during combustion. essential oils, contained in oak firewood.

Advice from experienced people: to make oak logs sparkle less in the firebox, remove the bark from them before loading them into the firebox.

The main disadvantage of oak wood is its cost and scarcity. Finding such firewood is often quite problematic, and their cost is high. But answering the question, what is the best way to light a fireplace? open type, oak firewood is always first on the list.

Useless poplar. One of the cheapest firewood is poplar wood. The fact is that this firewood burns very quickly and produces very little heat. The relevance of their use in the fireplace is controversial, but in the warm season, if you need a short cozy pastime, such firewood can be thrown into the fireplace. Fuel briquettes for fireplaces and stoves, general information about modern fuel

Regardless of what kind of wood you use for burning fireplaces and stoves, you should try to dry it as much as possible. In this case, its characteristics will be optimal. For normal drying of the forest, it should be stored, placing it in a well-thought-out design.

Alternative option

In city apartments, unfortunately, we cannot install a full-fledged fireplace, either open or closed, since it is technically almost impossible to do this. At the same time, running on alternative fuel.

To create a complete ambiance, you should use ceramic firewood for a biofireplace, which are sold together in the appropriate stores. Made from ceramics and properly painted, decorative firewood, logs or coals will perfectly complement the live fire of a bio-fireplace, and you will receive a full-fledged aura of comfort, coziness and warmth.

We hope that after reading of this material, you have no questions left about what kind of firewood is best to use to light the fireplace. Use dry and high-quality wood to get maximum results.

It's not just the elements beautiful decor, widely used in modern interiors, and, first of all, reliable source heat generated when wood is burned. Choosing fuel for the fireplace or wood stove, affects not only work efficiency heating device, as well as on its appearance, service life and heat dissipation. Therefore, the issue of choosing fuel for a stove or fireplace should be approached responsibly. We will try to tell you in detail what types of fuel can be used to heat a stove or fireplace, and what it is better not to use.

WHAT CAN YOU LIGHT A FIREPLACE, STOVE?

Of course it's real classic fireplace, is not associated with anything other than firewood. But, modern conditions life makes its own adjustments and in addition aesthetic beauty living flame, the consumer also requires that when fuel burns, it releases maximum amount heat, and the period of operation of the stove from one stack of firewood was as long as possible. All this has led to the fact that for fireplaces and stoves long burning Manufacturers began to produce long-burning firewood - compressed fuel, the structure of which resembles pellets, but has larger dimensions. This raises the question: “Is it possible to heat a wood-burning stove with briquettes?”Pressed logs, euro-firewood, briquettes - all this is the name of one type of fuel produced from chopped wood different breeds, coal, peat and characterized by good heat transfer and long combustion life. However, tThe flask of a stove or fireplace using European wood has several features. Let's take a closer look at them: drSpring briquettes ignite well and maintain stable combustion for 8 hours when the fireplace is fully filled. TOrff briquettes will need to be lit in batches, first you need to light a small amount of wood to allow the pressed logs to burn well, and then add a new batch of briquettes. The burning time of European peat firewood reaches 6 hours.Heat when burning any kind of briquettes, be it fuel briquettes or wood briquettes, is released almost 30-50% more than when burning ordinary firewood, while the burning time of Eurowood is almost twice as long. How is such a long burning time achieved?When comparing briquettes for combustion and firewood, you need to understand the principle of the process of producing compressed fuel. During processing, moisture is completely removed from the crushed raw materials (specific humidity does not exceed 11%). Then, small particles are pressed so that there are no voids left between them, which ensures a high density of briquettes and guarantees uniform combustion without sparks, with minimal smoke emission, which is important for open fireplaces.During the production process, resinous inclusions are also removed, therefore, fireplaces and fireplaces can be heated with briquettes even from coniferous wood. However, it is worth considering that the heat transfer of compressed fuel made from coniferous wood is less than that of analogues made from hard wood. However, inWhen choosing what to heat the fireplace with, real wood or briquettes, keep in mind that the characteristic smell of burning wood and the soothing crackling sound is only possible when burning chopped wood.

WHAT WOOD SHOULD I USE FOR A FIREPLACE?

The best firewood, which has high efficiency and the greatest heat capacity, is prepared from hardwood. Beech and oak are optimally suited for fireplace or stove inserts; acacia, aspen or any fruit tree can be used. Beech and oak are rightfully considered “elite firewood”. These rocks burn evenly and brightly, pleasing to the eye. During combustion, a pleasant and even crackle is observed.Beech firewood, in terms of its heat output, has practically no equal.Oak firewood also has similar characteristics. Oak firewood burns for a long time, practically does not emit smoke and does not spark. The only disadvantage of these types of wood for lighting a fireplace or stove is their high cost.

The advantage of fruit wood is the unique aroma that enters the room when burning. Firewood fruit trees, such as yalon, pear, and plum trees are used to heat living rooms. Over time, with constant use of “fruit firewood”, a persistent aroma of wood appears in the room.

Alder and aspen firewood have a truly unique feature. When they burn, neither smoke nor soot is formed. Moreover, the fire generated when burning alder burns away the soot inside the chimney, which helps clean the internal surface chimney and subsequent soot deposition. If you constantly use a stove or fireplace, it is recommended to heat it with alder or aspen at least once every few weeks to prevent contamination of the chimney. Don't forget, most fires occur precisely because of excessive soot formation inside the chimney!

Despite the variety of wood, the most popular and in demand type of fuel is hardwood. The most practical way to heat a stove or fireplace is with hazel, acacia, cherry, birch, and maple. Thanks to the simple and inexpensive procurement of raw materials and the relatively inexpensive cost of the wood itself, these types of wood are the most suitable for heating stoves, wood-burning fireplaces and boilers. All this firewood splits well. Acacia is distinguished by the most intense heat emanating from the coals. Birch firewood burns well even when damp, but it requires monitoring a constant influx fresh air and draft characteristics, since the lack of oxygen when burning birch firewood leads to the formation of birch tar in large quantities, which contributes to the rapid contamination of the combustion chamber and glass surface.

Less suitable firewood for burning is poplar and linden. Firewood has a low density, burns quickly, and the heat release is minimal.

Regardless of the type of wood, all firewood meets the necessary requirements: it must be dry and not rotten.

WHAT NOT TO BURN A FIREPLACE?

The service life of the fireplace, its durability and the appearance of the fireplace insert with glass are significantly influenced by the type of firewood chosen. In addition to the recommended types of wood described above, there are types of fuel that are strictly not recommended to be burned in a fireplace or wood stove - this is coniferous wood.
Coniferous wood is not dense; inside it there are cavities filled with resinous deposits. When another pocket of resinous substance ignites, a so-called “micro-explosion” occurs. That is why, when burning spruce or pine wood, sparks and coals jump out of the fireplace. In addition to this, with mola burns with release large quantity soot that settles on the walls of the combustion chamber and contaminates the sight glass.
You shouldn’t burn a fireplace with pine-spruce firewood for one more reason. When burning spruce or pine, in the flue gases released, in addition to resin, there is a large amount of soot, which has an oily structure. Soot settles on the inner surface of the pipe, which leads to the gradual growth of a dense layer on the inner cavity of the chimney pipe. Under the influence of temperature, the resinous layer compacts and hardens, making its removal almost impossible. Thus, the initial cross-section of the chimney becomes narrower, which will subsequently negatively affect the draft. However, the main danger is that spontaneous combustion of soot inside the chimney is very often observed, which can not only render the pipe unusable, but also cause a fire.
It is not recommended to light a fireplace or stove with raw wood. Damp wood is a source of soot, smoke and soot that settles on the walls of the chimney. All this reduces the service life of the fireplace itself and the smoke removal system as a whole.

Using a fireplace to heat your home heating season You can use from 5 to 15 m3 of wood, depending on the volume of heated premises, the frequency of combustion and weather conditions. This is a lot, so before buying firewood for the fireplace, think about choosing the type of wood, the place of purchase and storage. Make sure the wood has good value calorie content and smells good while burning.

When designing a fireplace, it is worth remembering the place for storing logs. After drying for a few days, they will burn better.

Coniferous wood is not recommended for burning in fireplaces. Since it has a lot of resin, which shoots out when burning, which is why difficult-to-remove stains appear in the surroundings of the fireplace. In addition, a lot of smoke and soot is generated, which settles on the walls of the fireplace and chimney system.

Wood does not have these disadvantages deciduous trees. It contains little resin, burns quietly, and generally does not produce much smoke, so the fireplace stays clean for a long time. Hard wood (hornbeam, oak, beech) is especially valuable, as it produces more heat when burned. It’s worse in the case of soft wood (linden, poplar). It is lighter, which means it has fewer calories, for example, 1 m3 of dry poplar weighs the same as 0.54 m3 of hornbeam, which means that it will need approximately twice as much to get the same amount of heat. If you buy high-energy wood, you'll have to put wood on the fire less often. This means that less fuel is required to heat the house, which also saves space needed for storing it.

Oak firewood

Birch, beech, or maybe ash?

Note! Not suitable for burning in fireplaces wooden elements that have been impregnated, varnished or painted with any other chemical.

Why does wood need to be cut?

In the forest, immediately after felling, the wood has up to 50-70% moisture. Much depends on the type of plant and the time of year (trees have reduced sap flow in winter). Such wood has a low calorific value - it burns poorly, produces little heat, and the gases released have a high content of water vapor, which easily settles on the walls and in the chimney pipes, which shortens their service life.

There is also more heat loss, because in order to be able to burn wet wood, you need to increase air draft. Therefore, before use, firewood must be properly chopped and also dried. They need two or three months to dry completely, depending on the wood chosen. It is best to buy and harvest wood in late spring or early summer, then it is cheaper and has time to dry well by the beginning of the heating season.

Beech firewood

The purchased wood is cut and chopped, then stored under a shed, while you can buy yourself firewood for two or even three years in advance, since it becomes more expensive every year, however, if you have a room in which you can store it.

The success of a winter holiday at the dacha depends on the choice of firewood

Not all country property owners put their houses into winter conservation. Staying at the dacha in autumn and winter largely depends on the quality of firewood, so special attention should be paid to their selection.

The harder the better

For centuries, people have heated their stoves with wood; many country property owners have remained faithful to this habit to this day. So what kind of firewood is best to choose for heating a country house?

If you have a traditional stove installed in your dacha, and not an open fireplace, then you can heat it with any kind of wood; it’s just that the use of certain types of wood requires increased attention to the chimney. Today, there are 4 main types of firewood on the market in our region: oak, birch, pine and mixed.

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Oak firewood has the highest calorie content. Oak burns slowly, but at the same time gives off a lot of heat. Oak wood contains almost no resin, so soot hardly settles inside the chimney. But oak firewood produces a lot carbon monoxide, That's why increased attention should be given to the chimney damper. When burning a stove with oak wood, the chimney must always be open.

Birch firewood is a bestseller. This is due to the prevalence of this tree in our latitudes; moreover, birch grows much faster than oak, so such firewood costs less than oak. Birch wood is excellent for heating stoves. Such firewood burns faster than oak wood and releases heat very quickly. But birch, especially its bark, contains a lot of resin, so soot is deposited in the chimney, and it needs to be cleaned much more often than when using oak firewood. True, if you rarely visit your dacha in winter, then you don’t have to worry about the cleanliness of the chimney. Soot will not clog it even in several years.

Pine firewood can only be used out of desperation. Pine wood contains a lot of resin, which has a detrimental effect on the condition of the chimney. On the market, they mainly sell waste to sawmills, which consists mainly of bark, which means that the resin content in this firewood is even higher, and the chimney will clog even faster. So you should refrain from using such firewood.

Mixed firewood consists of different types of wood, such firewood is obtained as a result of pruning urban green spaces. When purchasing such firewood, you should pay attention to which species predominate in the total mass. If it’s aspen, then you can buy it, but it’s better to refrain from buying poplar. Poplar burns poorly and produces a bitter odor that can ruin your weekend. In addition, such firewood burns poorly and produces little heat.

Aspen is more suitable as firewood. Although it does not produce as much heat as birch, it contains almost no resin, and its use does not lead to soot settling on the walls of the chimney.

Food for the fireplace

If you are the happy owner of a fireplace, then you should be more careful when choosing firewood. Pine and birch are not suitable; this wood “shoots” sparks and throws burning chips out of the flame. In addition, such firewood burns out very quickly - given the gluttony of the fireplace, your vacation can turn into a fireman's work shift.

It is best to use oak firewood without bark. The ideal option would be the wood of fruit trees. Such firewood emits a pleasant aroma when burning and creates a particularly pleasant atmosphere in the room. You can use apple, pear, and cherry as firewood for the fireplace. You should avoid plums; when burned, its wood gives off a slightly bitter odor, which not everyone likes.

Firewood for the fireplace should not be thin; logs with a diameter of 6-8 centimeters are best. Fireplace wood should not be too dry, otherwise you will get a blazing fire instead of a calm, even flame. Firewood for such a heat source should be stored outside under a canopy; this storage method will provide it with optimal humidity.

Painting the flame

The flame in the fireplace can be given different shades; for this, the firewood must be soaked in special solutions. There are many recipes for such solutions, but most of the components for their manufacture are almost impossible to purchase. Only three recipes for such compositions are quite accessible. A strong aqueous solution of table salt gives the flame a beautiful yellow. To achieve this effect, the firewood needs to be soaked in a salt solution for 2-3 days and then dried. The strength of the salt solution is determined chicken egg, salt must be dissolved in water until the egg floats on the surface.

An aqueous solution of potassium permanganate will color the flame blue or green color. The color of the flame is determined by the concentration of the solution: the higher it is, the more the flame turns blue. The procedure for preparing this solution is the same as with salt. But the concentration has to be determined experimentally.

Solution copper sulfate gives the tips of the flames a bluish glow. The concentration of the solution also needs to be selected empirically. Much depends on the density of the wood, its porosity, and humidity.

To achieve a color effect, you don’t need to fill the entire firebox with soaked wood. 2-3 logs in one stack is quite enough.

Chimney cleaning

There are many ways to clean your chimney. The safest and most correct is the classic one. To do this, you need to climb onto the roof, remove the umbrella from the pipe and clean it with a brush. The soot will fall inside the fireplace or stove and can be removed with a dustpan. You can make a chimney brush yourself from steel cable with a diameter of at least 6 millimeters, to which you need to attach a disk with wire brush. Such discs are installed on an angle grinder and are sold in a tool store. The cost of the brush will be several times lower special device for cleaning pipes, and its efficiency is just as high.

There are a lot folk recipes for cleaning the chimney without mechanical cleaning. For example, you can heat the stove with aspen wood or add it to coals potato peelings. Also on sale now special means for cleaning chimneys.

All these products clean the chimney by burning soot in it. And this is their main drawback and danger. Soot is coal dust that, when burned, releases a huge amount of heat, and not every chimney can handle such heat. When you burn off soot, it’s not smoke that comes out of the chimney, it’s flames that come out of it. Moreover, the combustion intensity is so high that the pipe looks like the nozzles of a space rocket. Chimneys cannot withstand such heat load and burn out. Through the burnout, the flame spreads to the roof and a fire begins. So it’s better not to be lazy, but once a year to climb onto the roof and clean the chimney using the traditional mechanical method.

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A fireplace is not only a beautiful decorative detail, but also a good source of heat. It is very important to maintain its appearance over time with effective use.

The best types of firewood for fireplaces

Any wood has certain properties. Many firewoods have a beautiful flame, but do not emit good warmth. Other types are dense, burn for a long time and allow you to spend less resources. And some even have a unique aroma and antiseptic properties.

The choice should be made based on your own preferences. In this case, you should adhere to several parameters and the specifics of wood.

First of all, it is important to consider heat transfer. It is also calorie content. In most cases, heat transfer is the decisive factor. This indicator depends on the density of the wood, the presence of lignin and resins. Therefore, you should initially pay attention to the type of wood.

Deciduous trees have the highest density, so it is better to heat the fireplace with wood from this category. Costs are much lower than when using coniferous wood due to high heat transfer.

Of course, coniferous wood is much cheaper and is available to almost everyone. But it is absolutely not suitable for fireplaces. Pine, spruce and larch firewood burns well, but quickly. At the same time, due to the presence of resins, a lot of smoke is released, soot is formed and embers often “shoot”, which is very dangerous, especially in open fireplaces.

The best firewood for a fireplace is:

• aspen;
• alder;
• birch.

You should also pay attention to the age and condition of the firewood. With proper storage, many breeds can retain their properties for up to several years. Young and too old wood is not suitable. The first one burns poorly, and the second one saturates the air with mustiness, heaviness and is unlikely to have a beneficial effect on the respiratory organs.

Rotten and rotten firewood is absolutely not suitable. Their density is significantly reduced, so they also burn quickly and give off very little heat.

What humidity is better

The priority indicator when choosing wood for a fireplace is humidity. Smooth and neat logs may burn poorly and smoke if they are not dried properly. It is not uncommon to find up to 40% moisture in fresh firewood.

It’s just as bad to buy over-dried firewood. They emit a lot of resin, which settles on the walls of the chimney in the form of soot and clogs the entire fireplace. It does not matter whether the tree is deciduous or coniferous. Quality wood has no more than 20% moisture from its own weight. With such indicators, heat transfer significantly increases and there are no unpleasant moments in the form of smoke and poor combustion.

Optimal firewood size

Be sure to pay attention that the size of the firewood is slightly less than or equal to the capacity of the fireplace. In this case, not only the length, but also the thickness of the logs is important.

You can burn a huge amount of alder branches in a short time or use a significantly smaller volume of properly prepared firewood. Logs that are too large are also inconvenient and burn poorly, this is also worth taking into account.

Firewood for closed fireplaces with glass

Fireplaces with panoramic glass require the door to remain clean and transparent long time. Sometimes cleaning is required after the first few kindlings. The transparency of glass directly depends on what wood is chosen as fuel.

To avoid contamination of the glass, it is necessary to use rocks that emit as little smoke as possible. Perfect option- these are alder, aspen and oak. Of course, birch is the cheapest. Even if the fireplace and the glass itself are smoked, this can be easily eliminated with the help of aspen. A couple of good kindlings are enough and most of the soot will disappear.

For fireplaces with glass, it is better to exclude poorly dried wood. The maximum humidity level is 20%. Otherwise, when burning, soot will settle on the glass, which is quickly eaten away and difficult to remove.

The use of coniferous firewood is excluded. They contain a lot of resin, and also “shoot” embers in different directions when burning. Although this wood is much cheaper, it does not provide as much heat as hardwood.

What kind of wood should you not use for burning a fireplace?

The durability of a fireplace directly depends on its operation, the same applies to it appearance. Heat-resistant glass often becomes contaminated due to improper use, especially if the firewood is incorrectly selected. It is strictly forbidden to burn the following in a fireplace:

1. Coniferous firewood - spruce, pine and larch logs - are characterized by low density, produce little heat and emit a lot of soot, especially with poor draft. Over time, a large layer of soot appears that can burst into flames at any moment. Thus, the glass and chimney quickly become clogged and cause inconvenience. It is also common for small coals to bounce off in large quantities. This is primarily a fire hazard. The low heat transfer of wood does not bring any benefit and the room does not warm up at all.
2. Various debris - fireplaces differ from ordinary fireplaces in their design and directly interact with the room. When burning garbage, the entire smell enters the house and this can lead to poor health and even poisoning. For example, when using painted boards. It is better to dispose of all garbage in more acceptable ways.
3. Wet wood - this option is acceptable, but only in case of emergency. Wet firewood smokes, produces a lot of soot and little heat. The result is almost the same as when using coniferous species. It is better to light the fireplace in the house only with high-quality and suitable wood.

Fireplace safety

Don't forget about safety and follow a few rules that will protect you from fire hazards. Periodically check the chimney and the fireplace itself for contamination levels. Soot must be removed regularly to avoid poor draft and accidental combustion. This will also prevent smoke from entering the room.

The fire should be lit gradually using dry wood chips or paper. Only after a while add fuel little by little. Do not forget to open the damper slightly, otherwise smoke will begin to enter the room, and this can lead to carbon dioxide poisoning.

Do not throw garbage into the fireplace or use various liquids. This is also extremely dangerous and will not benefit the fireplace design itself.