What Can I Burn in My Fireplace or Wood Stove? (2024)

FAQs

What else can you burn in a wood stove? ›

Eco-Friendly Alternative Options to Burning Wood

Eco Logs: Compressed wood chips, sawdust, and excess products such as grape seeds make up eco logs. They give off fewer emissions, burn longer, and often burn hotter. Soy and Switchgrass Logs: An eco-friendly option that doesn't leave much of a mess.

The one and only thing you should be burning in your fireplace is dry, seasoned firewood! Seasoned wood means that the wood has been left out for a long period to dry, and all moisture has been removed. Hardwoods such as maple, oak, and ash are often recommended as firewood.

In reality, there are no materials that are safe to burn. Everything emits a wide range of toxins, some more directly lethal than others. Even plain, untreated wood contains over 100 different chemicals or compounds when burned.

On top of that, hardwoods such as ash, oak, birch, or beech are generally the best wood for burning and are recommended over softwoods like pine. This is because hardwoods typically produce more energy per log and ensure a high to moderate heat output for a longer period of time.

Here is a list of items you should NOT burn in your fireplace this winter. Cardboard – Cardboard is often treated with or contains man-made chemicals. When these chemicals are burned, it can release hazardous fumes into the air that are harmful to breathe in.

Magazines and paper

The inks used to print in bright colors on paper of all kinds—junk mail, newspaper inserts, magazines, catalogs, gift wrap—can produce toxic fumes when ignited. Small bits of lightweight paper can float up and out of the chimney putting your roof and surrounding structures at risk of fire.

Secondly, don't be tempted to burn scrap wood i.e. old fence panels, pallets, etc.; these are likely to have been treated with wood preserver when they were made, which can give off harmful fumes when burnt in any kind of volume.

Duraflame firelogs should not be burned in wood stoves or fireplace inserts that have doors that will affect airflow.

Softwoods like fir, pine and cedar make more smoke, and therefore more creosote.

What 4 things should you not apply to a burn? ›

Do not use cream, lotion, oil, cortisone, butter, or egg white. If needed, protect the burn from rubbing and pressure with a sterile non-stick gauze (petrolatum or Adaptic-type) lightly taped or wrapped over it. Do not use a dressing that can shed fibers, because they can get caught in the burn.

Generally, seasoned wood is seen as the most environmentally-friendly fuel and therefore the one that is the most widely-reccommended. However, it's important to use only dry wood, which should contain 20% moisture or less. Smokeless coal fuels will produce much less air pollution than regular “house coal”.

Anthracite – Clean burning & efficient

It has a high carbon content and few impurities, which means it burns far cleaner than softer, dirtier coals too. It also produces less smoke and pollutants when burnt, making it ideal for multi fuel stoves in our homes.

Watch out for any wood covered with vines. Burning poison ivy, poison sumac, poison oak, or pretty much anything else with "poison" in the name releases the irritant oil urushiol into the smoke. Breathing it in can cause lung irritation and severe allergic respiratory problems, the Centers for Disease Control state.

A fuel is a material that can be burned to produce heat, light or power. Examples of fuel include wood, coal, natural gas, and oil.

Cardboard is often treated with chemicals. Burning it could release hazardous fumes. Also, once ignited, cardboard tends to float up with the flames. That's not only a fire hazard in your house, should it get past your screen, but outdoors as well — that burning cardboard could travel up the flue and out the chimney.

Paper Products

If you've been piling up newspapers, magazines, junk mail, gift-wrapping paper, cereal boxes, or old cardboard to light fires in your fireplace, you're making a mistake. Any type of paper with colored print will release toxic gasses when burned, putting your family's health at risk.

You should never leave your fireplace burning and unattended overnight while you sleep. This represents a major safety hazard. A fireplace should never be left burning if it is going to be unattended in any capacity. This includes during the night while you sleep.

What do you do to put the fireplace to bed at night? If the fire is still producing heat, the damper has to be left open. And if the damper is open, the heat inside the house finds a fast exit to the outside. The answer is to make a cover to close off the entire fireplace, just as our ancestors did.

Not only does fir and pine smell like Christmas trees, these types of logs create a pleasant crackle and pop in your fire. These are softwoods which dry quickly, are easy to split, and create lovely crackling fires. Before burning fir or pine, be aware that the popping throws a lot more sparks than other firewood.

Can you leave a wood-burning fireplace on overnight? ›

Overnight heating: When using an open fireplace, Do not burn overnight unattended - it's a major fire hazard. This can also lead to a back draft of the smoke into your own home, causing very hazardous indoor air pollution. Build a small, hot fire and let it burn out completely.

Because of the health and environmental risks of burning, plywood and treated lumber are illegal to burn in all 50 states. Whether open burning, in a fireplace, wood stove, or barrel, burning building supplies is illegal. This includes burning plywood in a fire pit.

The tighter you pack your lint into the roll the slower it will burn. However, if you stuff it too tight, the roll will just smolder and not burn. To get a better burn, use two rolls for your fire.

Your home fireplace does not have the appropriate tools needed to prevent this so you should not burn pine needles in your fireplace. It's dangerous not only to you and your family, but to the environment overall.

Over the years, people have asked why CHEP pallets are blue? The answer is that CHEP paints its pallets blue. CHEP uses blue as a pallet color coding aid as well as a marketing advantage. The blue color makes its pallets easier to identify.

Burning wet wood has two negative consequences:

Your fire will smoke more, causing creosote build up in your stove and chimney. Your wood will burn less efficiently, costing you more to create the same amount of heat.

It is generally safest to burn pallet wood outside, but it's essential to check whether the pallets have been chemically treated before using as firewood. Any pallets that have been chemically treated or painted are not safe to burn.

Use Fire Starters...

To start your fire, you will need to have some newspapers and kindling on hand. Fatwood, fire starter squares, and cedar fire starters are all great kindling replacements to aid you in getting the fire going. If there are leftover ashes in the wood stove don't clean them out just yet.

Duraflame firelogs light faster and burn more completely than firewood, and because far less material is consumed when burning a firelog, significantly fewer pollutants are emitted than a comparable wood fire. Compared to a similar duration wood fire, a duraflame firelog emits: 80% less fine particles.

Do not use in a gas burning fireplace or wood stove. If you're not as concerned about the aesthetics of your wax fire starters, you can use all items recycled from your candle making.

Do potato peels clean chimneys? ›

There is another version of this myth involving potato peels instead, and, like with oranges, burning them in the fireplace has no cleaning effect on your chimney whatsoever. Freshly cut wood has high moisture levels. This means they produce more smoke when burned.

Third degree creosote buildup in a chimney. Hot fires kill creosote. If you have little to no creosote built up in your chimney, keep burning your fires hot! If you keep your chimney temperature above 250º F, you are far less likely to have problematic amounts of creosote accumulate between yearly cleanings.

Chimney cleaning logs or creosote logs work by chemically changing creosote in the fireplace flue. And while these logs can make creosote flake off, they don't eliminate creosote and soot. All they do is make it easier for a chimney sweep to get in there and clean everything out.

yes! You can leave your wood burning stove on overnight, and in most cases, this is actually safer than trying to extinguish the flames manually.

Don't shut off the air vents completely but close them right down as this will limit the amount of air that gets into the chamber so the fire will slowly die out. Once the embers in the fire start to go orange then you then it will start to die and you can sleep without worrying.

Cool the burn under cold running water for at least 20 minutes. Cooling the burn will reduce pain, swelling and the risk of scarring. The sooner and longer a burn is cooled with cold running water, the less the impact of the injury.

Most Read Life Stories. We caution that a severe burn always requires medical attention. That said, many people have found that cold yellow mustard is helpful for taking away the pain and preventing a blister from a common household burn.

Do apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly over the burn up to three times per day. The jelly creates a waterproof layer that protects the skin as it heals. Don't pop blisters, if any appear.

Geothermal Heating – An Efficient & Green Solution

According to Energy Star reports, geothermal heating is the most environmentally friendly and efficient way to heat your home.

What are the 2 cleanest burning fossil fuels? ›

In terms of emissions from power plant sources, natural gas is the cleanest fossil fuel. Using data collected from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) division of the Department of Energy (DOE), the emissions of several stack gasses are compared for natural gas, oil, and coal.

Birch makes excellent firewood for burning on a wood burner, stove or in an open fire. This wood produces a good heat, although it burns relatively quickly, so in a fire, it's best to use it in a mix of slower-burning woods, such as elm or oak.

Don't burn plastic, polystyrene, aerosols, tyres, canisters, painted or treated wood, or anything containing foam or paint. Doing so can create fumes and pollutants that can harm people, as well as pets and any nearby wildlife.

All burns require immediate first aid treatment. Partial and full thickness burns require urgent medical attention. Full thickness burns often require skin graft surgery.

Cool the burn with cool or lukewarm running water for 20 minutes as soon as possible after the injury. Never use ice, iced water, or any creams or greasy substances like butter. Keep yourself or the person warm. Use a blanket or layers of clothing, but avoid putting them on the injured area.

Magazines and treated paper, like coated, and colored paper, may seem harmless, but they should never be used to start a fire in your fireplace or woodstove. Burning many of these specialty paper stocks will release noxious fumes increasing the risk of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning.

So, is it safe to burn charcoal on my stove? First things first: if it's a wood-burning stove, the answer is definitely 'no', as it is with any fuel other than wood. A wood-burning stove is designed to burn wood and wood alone.

CAN YOU BURN BRIQUETTES IN A WOOD BURNING STOVE? Yes, briquettes are a fantastic fuel for a wood burning stove and are an alternative to high quality logs. Similar to logs, some briquettes can also be broken up to provide a kindling option when lighting a fire.

Chemically Treated Wood

Any kind of wood you may find at a construction site is not fit for your fire pit. This includes wooden pallets, painted or stained wood, driftwood, and chemically treated wood. These treatments contain chemicals that will become noxious fumes. Steer clear at all costs.

It's tempting to just toss items like bubble wrap, paper cups, plates, egg cartons and other trash into the fireplace just to get rid of it quickly. Stop. Just stop doing that. You could be releasing dioxins, which can lead to respiratory problems, headaches, even cancer when inhaled in a closed environment.

Can you burn junk mail? ›

Magazines, junk mail and colored gift-wrapping paper may seem like harmless items to burn in a backyard fire pit. But the ink printed on the paper releases toxic fumes when burned. Recycle magazines and junk mail instead. If you need a better system to organize magazines, check out this easy project.

Heat logs, Hotties, Hot Blocks and Blazers are all man made wood based fuels. Wood Coal, Peat, Olive Briquettes and Brackettes all burn on a wood stove or multi-fuel stove.

A high pet co*ke content will overheat the internal components of your stove and wil cause premature damage. Modern stoves are not really designed to be an incinerator so it is best to recycle your rubbish rather than burn it on the stove.

Charcoal is a fuel that burns hotter than the wood that it's made from. This happens because the initial energy-consuming steps of combustion take place while making the charcoal – driving off volatile parts of the wood like water and sap. Charcoal gets very hot and burns for a long time.

Don't use your fireplace for burning charcoal or coal. Use those products in your outdoor barbeque grill. These fuels burn far hotter than firewood, and the safe temperature levels in your chimney and fireplace can be exceeded. These materials also produce a lot more deadly carbon monoxide than wood produces.

To operate correctly all stoves require a supply of air for combustion, and the ability to then evacuate the flue gases; otherwise they will not work. A wood burner is unable to light without an air supply, and subsequently smoke will then pour out into the room it is installed, not what you want to happen.

Under circ*mstances of incomplete combustion and poorly ventilated spaces, charcoal briquettes can generate toxic concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO). The amount of charcoal briquettes required to produce toxic concentrations of CO is quite small — about the amount normally used in conventional barbecues.

Can you use duraflame in Solo stove? The Duraflame site states that, “…they only burn with flames and do not generate adequate coals for cooking. I would not use a Duraflame-type log in a Solo stove. The Solo stoves are all double-walled to perform the gasifier function - burn quick and hot.

Pinecones are excellent kindling, and will keep a fire lit for a few minutes. Plus, there are probably tons of them lying around wishing they could do something cool. Spare sticks and twigs will be your stove's best friend on an adventure. They're easy to gather, and will keep a fire lit for a few minutes each.

It's-not-a-big-deal. Rainwater will not melt your Solo Stove .