WARM AND SNUG
Cosy up by the fireside this winter:
ANYONE who has trekked to a country pub on a cold winter’s day will understand the delights of finding a roaring fire there – but how realistic are they for most homes? And what about eco concerns, or safety? We spoke to Vincent Thurkettle, author of The Wood Fire Handbook, now in its second edition, about the comfort, care and controversy surrounding the modern wood fire...
AN ANCIENT AFFINITY
FOR many, a wood fire isn’t just a household amenity, it’s a way of life. Vincent says: “We had wood fire before we were even human and I sometimes wonder whether they’re in our DNA.
“The earliest fires are almost a million years old, and even until fairly recently if you were cold, wet and hungry, the smell of wood smoke meant you were getting near home. I’ve never known someone to get the same feeling snuggling up with their radiator.”
A BUYER’S GUIDE
THE first rule of fire club, according to Vincent, is to pick a modern, wood-burning stove. “An open fire is roughly 13-15% efficient,” he says, “Modern wood-burners operate at 70-85%, so you’re getting at least four times the heat for the logs you burn.”
Most new stoves have ‘secondary air’ – pre-heated air sustaining flames above the main fire, which burn off much of the smoke.
Otherwise, individual units are mostly distinguished by size, and the heft you need depends on the space you need to heat. “I always buy something slightly bigger than the numbers say – then you can open the door and let the heat permeate the house,” says Vincent.
“I’ve got a cousin who had an engineer install a tiny stove, and can’t get logs small enough, so she’s always having to cut wood in half.”
And selecting your stove is not the right moment to be miserly.
“Don’t buy cheaply,” he adds. “A good one, it should last more or less the rest of your life.”
TENDER BURNING CARE
IT’S the raw materials that decide whether you sputter or spark. “In a stove, the species of wood doesn’t really matter,” says Vincent. “But make sure it’s dry – moisture content of 20% or less.”
The Government recently introduced the ‘Ready to Burn’ scheme, a quality label marking timber dry enough to go straight on the flames.
If you have room for storage, Vincent suggests getting wood from a woodsman or firewood supplier and buying a moisture meter – just jab it into the log and look at the reading.”
When it comes to lighting, there’s a knack to ensuring your fire gets lit and stays lit. When introducing new wood, do so from the side, letting it warm and dry before it lights.
Wood fires can be aesthetically, physically and emotionally satisfying, but Vincent accepts they’re never going to be for everyone. “If you don’t want to gather and store and nurse and clean, it’s probably not for you.”
For the best of both worlds, timepoor consumers should set their sights on stoves. “An open fire takes real skill,” says Vincent. “You’ve got to light it, manage the embers, and manage the smoke. So long as you avoid dirty wood – wood with paint, creosote or preservatives – stoves are much easier to manage.”
SNUG BUT SAFE
THERE are some specific rules to follow to ensure you’re only burning what you intend – and always putting safety first.
“Some people take pride in keeping their fires on overnight, but they do so by restricting airflow, limiting the burn off of tar, creosote, and so on,” warns Vincent. Over time this can result in stalactites of tar, and even an explosive chimney fire.
Even the most responsibly fuelled flue needs the odd deep clean, and the usual rule is to have your chimney swept once a year.
Be aware that there are strict regulations on how close fires can be to flammable materials, and ensure rooms with wood stoves are always fitted with carbon monoxide detectors – it’s good practice to have one.
THERE’S no doubt wood-burning has been under fire in recent years. Wood is one of the ultimate renewables, but it also produces pollutants, mostly particulates. Some, generally urban, parts of the UK are now ‘smoke control areas’, with rules regarding what you can burn and how you can burn it (contact your local council to find out more).
It’s a complex issue on which not everyone agrees, but for ardent wood fire advocates, it’s not all bad news.
“This year’s update to the handbook was done to include clean burning techniques,” says Vincent. “It’s so topical and rightly so – nobody wants smoky old buses and lorries on the road, and nobody wants smoky old fires in our cities.”
Step one is an efficient, modern wood-burner; step two is to burn clean, dry timber; step three is all about technique.
“There was research recently,” says Vincent, “that found that almost all the smoke produced by wood fires was produced in the first 20-30 minutes. If people stick to good fire-lighting practice, and follow these principles, we’ll have good, efficient, moral fires.
“Clean air is important – of course it is – but we mustn’t take the joy away. It’s such a wonderful way to heat your home.”
■ The Wood Fire Handbook by Vincent Thurkettle is published by Mitchell Beazley, priced £15.99.