Firewood needs to be well seasoned in order to get good heat and efficiency from your stove, newly felled trees contain up to 60% water and the seasoning process takes approximately twelve to eighteen months in order to reduce the moisture content to an acceptable level , as soon as the tree is felled seasoning begins, logs are stacked to dry on a sunny bank for about six months. They are then cut and split to size placed into crates and stored under cover in a well ventilated barn for a further six to twelve month to complete the process.
In general logs air dried in this manner will have a reduced moisture content of around 25% or less, for our kiln dried logs we select the best air dried logs which are then placed in an oven of a solar kiln for four to six weeks, in order to reduce their moisture content even lower, to where the higher temperature and extractor fans, inside the oven, will bring the moisture content down to 15 – 20 %
The standard size the logs are cut and split to is a length of 8 – 9 inches with an average diameter of 4 inches. We also hold stock in 12 – 14 inch lengths and 18 – 20inch, any size can be cut to order. The shape of the cut log is dependent on the size of stock it comes from and is supplied in various segments as shown.
Once the logs are dry and well seasoned only then they are delivered to your home , ready to burn on your stove or open fire. In order to keep them dry they should be placed straight into a log store or a well ventilated building, in order to maintain their dryness. Kiln dried logs need to be kept indoors in a dry environment such as a garage with a radiator in order to maintain their lower moisture content. If kiln dried logs are placed outside in a log store they will only re absorb the surrounding moisture from the atmosphere and on a wet rainy day this could put their moisture content back up to 25%.
We always recommend once the logs are stacked in your log store that you cover the front of the log store with vented doors or a tarpaulin to prevent any driving rain and dampness reaching the logs.
It is common practice to the take indoors a few days’ supply of logs in order for them to become house dry prior to burning on your stove.Avoid using unseasoned logs as their moisture content can be as high as 60%, trying to burn wet wood not only produces excess steam but can also contribute to excessive smoke caused by incomplete combustion, unburned fuel can result in tar like deposits, creosote, forming in the chimney and stove thus contributing to the risk of chimney fires and damaging the lining of the chimney and your appliance.
In order to get good heat and efficiency from your stove do not be tempted to overfill the chamber with too many logs as this will only produce excessive smoke tarring the chimney, In order to maintain constant heat we recomend that each time you relode the fire that you first sprinkle on two or three pieces of kindling and place only two or three logs on top, the kindling ignites immedietly thus igniteing the gasses given off by logs which prevents uncombusted smoke entering the chimney and stops the heat being intermitent.
Logs are sold by volume rather than weight and we measure this by the area the logs occupy when they are loosely thrown at random into a bulk bag or crate, this area the logs occupy in the bulk bags is reduced when the logs are neatly stacked in the log store. A solid metre cube of timber will produce about two cubic metres of loosely filled bulk bags and when carefully stacked in a log store will occupy a space of 1.4 metre cube.
i.e. a single cubic metre bag of loosely filled logs will occupy a space of 0,7 metre cube in your log store.
OUR NEW LARGER 1.2 CUBIC METRE BAGS ARE GENOURSLY FILLED AND AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE CUBIC METRE CAGE ON THE RIGHT, INTO THE CAGE WE TIPPED OUT OUR NEW LARGER 1.2 CUBIC METRE BAG, WHICH CONTAINS APPROXIMATELY 350 LOGS AT ONLY £90 A CUBIC METRE CUSTOMERS HAVE GOOD VALUE FOR THEIR MONEY,
Hardwood logs will burn longer than softwood logs on your fire but both will produce good heat when well seasoned, softwood logs are not recommended for open fires as they tend to spit and shoot out burning embers , but are fine to use in wood burning stoves.
Any details you wish to know about the logs we supply please do not hesitate to contact us and we will try to help.