3 tips for winter warmth

1 super easy way to find out how far heat travels

This isn’t exact science, but if you’re trying to figure out the best spot to put a wood burner, light an incense stick and see how far the smell goes. It can give you a basic idea of how far heat will spread when carried by natural air flow through your home.

Source: www.solidfuelheating.co.nz

Know what an efficient fire looks like

Sitting in front of your wood burner or fireplace, you should be looking at bright, swirling flames and glowing embers. Outside, you should see little or no smoke coming out of your chimney or ideally just a heat ‘haze’ – wait 10 minutes after first lighting a fire or adding wood to it before checking it. The key to creating this kind of fire is well-seasoned, dry wood, split into relatively small pieces – not big, chunky logs – and a good working knowledge of the features of your heating system. Read the instruction book, and/or ask for a run-through when you buy it so you know the best way to control vents and load the firebox.

Source: Environment Southland

Don’t load and leave

In the old days, it was common to load a firebox up overnight, turn it down and leave it to burn overnight. However, this creates large amounts of damaging air particle pollution and is very inefficient, creating little heat and a lot of soot which will build up in your flue and require cleaning out.

Source: www.consumer.co.nz