What's best to burn in my new(ish) chiminea?

[PeteXXX]

What's best to burn in my new(ish) chiminea?

I have access 'by hook or by crook' to an abundance of different types of wood, some seasoned, some a bit fresher, in my locality.

Hardwood, I presume will burn steadier and for longer..

What is best to use?

 

[TVC]

See you've found a use for election flyers. The UKIP ones burn best, they are quite inflamatory.



Coat, sorry.

 

[PeteXXX]

I presently start the fire with election waffle, and anticipate pizza and burger leaflets after May 7th...

 

[Hyslop]

Any of the current crop of MAMIL centred,aspirant Cycling magazines.Bit expensive as fuel though I suppose.Best left to those with money to burn.

 

[TissoT]

I find £50 notes burns the best ... Especially when they are rolled up together
Timber with no additive in them.

 

[slowmotion]

If it's pottery, well seasoned dry hardwood is best. It's a good idea to keep the bed of the fire off the base of the chiminea to reduce the risk of cracking it by excessive heat. Some people use stones for this.

 

[Drago]

Incriminating evidence.

 

[PeteXXX]

If it's pottery, well seasoned dry hardwood is best. It's a good idea to keep the bed of the fire off the base of the chiminea to reduce the risk of cracking it by excessive heat. Some people use stones for this.

It is a pottery one. I have a 3" layer of sand in the base to avoid cracking.

 

[vernon]

I find £50 notes burns the best ... Especially when they are rolled up together
Timber with no additive in them.

They are made from cotton and possible linen. No wood content at all but plenty of additives.

 

[screenman]

Any of the current crop of MAMIL centred,aspirant Cycling magazines.Bit expensive as fuel though I suppose.Best left to those with money to burn.

Or those with enough money to choose what they want to spend it on.

 

[jim55]

Do not burn old laminate flooring , it smokes like a good un and no doubt it's carcinogenic or something , it's really bad

 

[Andy_R]

Also, make sure the first few fires are relatively small, to dry out any absorbed moisture from the winter. Big, hot fires will make the moisture evaporate to quickly and the terracotta will crack. Seasoned hard wood is good, but also, have a rummage around in your local woodland for any dead wood (we get a couple of carrier bags full each time we take the dog out) and put it in the shed/garage/cupboard to dry out. Dead wood doesn't need to be seasoned as all the sap has already dried up. Don't burn "green" wood as it will just give off smoke and very little heat, and don't be tempted to burn bits of old railway sleepers!

 

[PeteXXX]

Do not burn old laminate flooring , it smokes like a good un and no doubt it's carcinogenic or something , it's really bad

I'd not thought about laminate flooring even though I have odd bits in the shed. As it's more plastic than wood, I reckon it would smoke nastily!

Also, make sure the first few fires are relatively small, to dry out any absorbed moisture from the winter. Big, hot fires will make the moisture evaporate to quickly and the terracotta will crack. Seasoned hard wood is good, but also, have a rummage around in your local woodland for any dead wood (we get a couple of carrier bags full each time we take the dog out) and put it in the shed/garage/cupboard to dry out. Dead wood doesn't need to be seasoned as all the sap has already dried up. Don't burn "green" wood as it will just give off smoke and very little heat, and don't be tempted to burn bits of old railway sleepers!

Yep, first few fires were gentle ones.. I've taken my old rucksack to the nearby woods and gathered a fair bit of dead wood so far and will arrange pick up some hardwood from a local carpenter/builder when I see him.
And as for railway sleepers, I imagine the creosote in them would cause yet more EU legislation to be passed...

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Guinea pigs.

 

[Andy_R]

From our Scout campfires: Thornwood (hawthorn, blackthorn, etc) burns cleanest and hottest. Fruitwood (apple, cherry, chestnut) burns well and the smoke is aromatic and quite pleasant. Hardwood burns well, but slowly, and the smoke can be quite acrid. Sycamore burns very fast with lots of smoke, as does spruce and pine, and it tends to "spit".

When we have campfires, we use thornwood and sycamore to get it started, fruitwood during the fire, and hardwood (especially oak) when we want to get the kids to go to their tents (oakwood smoke is very acrid and unpleasant and tends to drive the scouts away!)

This is from one of the other forums I regularly visit and is very true