If your logs hiss, smoke, blacken the glass or simply go out, the wood is almost always the problem rather than the stove. Here's how to work out what's wrong and fix it, starting tonight.
1. The logs are too wet
This is the cause nine times out of ten. Freshly felled wood can be half water by weight, and even "seasoned" logs bought off the back of a van are often well above 20% moisture. A wet log spends its first half hour boiling water out of itself: you'll hear it hiss, see steam or bubbling at the ends, and get smoke instead of flame.
The fix is dry wood. Our kiln dried logs are dried below 20% moisture and certified Ready to Burn (WS7474/00001), the standard all firewood sold in England has to meet. They catch quickly and burn hot.
2. How to tell if your wood is wet
- Knock two logs together: dry wood rings with a hollow crack, wet wood thuds.
- Look at the ends: dry logs show splits and cracks radiating from the centre.
- Feel the weight: wet logs are noticeably heavier for their size.
- Use a moisture meter on a freshly split face: under 20% is ready to burn.
3. You're building the fire the wrong way up
A big log on the bottom with a scrap of paper underneath rarely works. Build it upside down instead: two or three logs on the grate, a layer of kindling on top, then a couple of wood wool firelighters. Light the top and it burns down, warming the flue as it goes. Our guide to lighting a fire properly walks through it step by step.
4. Not enough air
A new fire needs plenty of air. Open the air controls fully when you light it and leave the door slightly ajar for the first few minutes on a cold stove. Once the logs are burning well, turn the air down gradually. Shutting it down too early is a common reason a fire smoulders and dies.
5. The logs are too big for the firebox
Logs that touch the glass or the back of the stove block the airflow. Smaller stoves work best with short logs up to 8 inches, which fit without trimming and catch faster.
6. A cold flue
On a still, cold day the chimney can push air back down, so smoke spills into the room. Warm the flue first with a small, hot kindling fire before adding logs.
7. Your wood got wet in storage
Even dry logs soak up rain if they're stored badly. Keep them off the ground, covered on top and open at the sides so the air moves through. Our guide to storing logs in winter covers it.
The quick answer
Burn dry wood, light it from the top and give it air. If you're in Staffordshire or Derbyshire, we deliver kiln dried logs, kindling and firelighters on our own trailer from Uttoxeter. See our delivery areas or ring 01889 567449.
