Firewood is expensive, and hard work, so we want everyone to get the best from it.

Too often we have to deliver the bad news that a fire needs to be replaced because of what has been burnt. We've seen thousands of fires over our career so here are our recommendations based on our experience.

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The best woods, in our opinion, are plantation pine (radiata) and Oregon, which is also known as Douglas Fur. 

 

Plantation pine does burn faster but it can also be easily broken down into glowing coals, so you can get a lovely ember bed going. It’s a must for starting, or stoking back up a fire, as it creates heat quickly so the flue drawing nicely, and you don’t end up with smoke coming into the room. It’s lighter to move, easier to split, and it seasons faster, so you end up with a dryer product if you buy it early. It doesn't matter if you burn a bit more over a season, since its the cheapest of firewood, and doesn't cost you extra in maintenance.

 

Oregon/Douglas Fur is a hotter, longer burning wood that usually comes in ideal sized pieces for neatly stacking and for not overloading the fire. It’s one of the few harder woods that we don’t see causing problems inside the fire, or in the flue. The best mix is 50/50 with a soft wood like pine, so you can keep the temperature up and have a more efficient burn. 

 

Macrocarpa is good option for a hot, long burning wood but it does have some issues. It’s sparky, it burns out the internal parts of the fire sooner, and it can produce a very thick greasy soot, so more regular sweeping is needed. It can be added to a pine/Oregon mix for those really cold days, but we recommend it make up no more than 30% of what you burn, or you’ll have to replace the fire much sooner than you’d like. 

 

Gum/Blue gum is responsible for most of the problems that we see, and we tell people to stay away from it. It’s extremely popular because the oils/resins in it make it burn very hot, and it burns for ages because it’s very dense. Both of those things are a problem because if it’s burnt hot then it costs you a fortune in replacement parts, and eventually, it puts enough stress on the 3-5mm steel firebox to causes it to split. Which, unfortunately, means replacing the fire. If Gum is not burnt hot enough then the oils condense in the flue as creosote, which is a horrible, corrosive, flammable tar, that usually requires a flue replacement to get rid of. Other NZ natives and fruit trees are also full of oils, so they have the same potential pitfalls as Gum. 

 

Old Man Pine and kiln dried/block timber are dirty woods that produces a lot of ash, a thick soot that can land on things outside like snowflakes, and burns with a dense black smoke. It’s popular because it burns hot, but it’s quick to clog the flue up, and we see most old man pine burners at least once a year. It is also a very high emission fuel, so it contributes to air pollution more than other woods, and will stain the chimney and roof if used in large amounts. These types of woods also increase the risk of a messy sweep, as the type of soot particles are very difficult to contain.

 

Broken down pallets, crates, and building offcuts. These are not good. They have all been processed in some way, and at best they burn dirty like old man pine, or at worst they have been treated with chemicals that are known to be carcenogenic. Because of the way they have been processed, they burn too hot and usually cause the same kind of damage as Gum, with the same expensive outcome. We say there’s no such thing as free firewood, as it will cost you new parts, a new fire, or potential health issues.

 

Coal burning is still permitted in Dunedin, but there is no denying it is a very dirty fuel. The long preferred coal Ohai is no longer available, so the best option is to mix is a cheaper coal such as Kai with a more expensive bright coal to a 50/50 ratio. That helps to burn the low-grade coal a bit cleaner while not burning out the fire box too quickly, but it’s not ideal. Adding Oregon would help to offset the amount of coal burnt but don’t go for Gum, as we see horrible flue damage occur when Gum and sulphurous coal are burnt together. Coal produces a very high emissions, it's smelly, dusty, and often leaves your fireplace full of rocks. Most people notice when someone in their neighbourhood is burning coal, as it has a distinctive rotten egg smell, and a black/greenish smoke that can be detected over a wide area.

 

Knowing your fire also helps you to make the best choice of fuel. Most fires are only built for burning soft wood, and using hardwood means you are burning outside the fire's emission rating. This information can be found on labels usually located on the sill below the door, on one of the panels of the door opening, or on the back of the fire. Most people have never noticed these labels, and are shocked to find they have been burning totally the wrong type of wood for their fire. Have a look, it could save you quite a lot of money in the long run!

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