Wood Burning Stoves: Wet Wood Restrictions

It is essential for wood burning stoves to burn wood that has a moisture content of 20% or less. Damp or wet wood is bad for the environment as it produces more smoke and more harmful by-products, which pollute the air.

Furthermore, damp wood can severly reduce the life span of your stove, will greatly reduce the performance and be a potential fire hazard due to a build up of creosote in your flue.

From 1st May 2021, wood burning stoves need to be fuelled by clean wood according to DEFRA, (Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This restriction has been put into place for the government’s clean air strategy and to furthermore reinforce Eco Design 2022 by the stove industry.

To improve air quality and reduce emissions/pollution.

Wet wood burning

A new certificate scheme is due to go live very soon which will guarantee products are certified and labelled by suppliers to ensure wood can be easily identified.

It comes two days after Defra released figures showing air pollution across the UK fell to its lowest levels on record in 2020 as a result of the pandemic.

What are the restrictions on wet wood?

The 1st May 2021 wet wood restrictions mean that wet wood with less than 2 cubic metres cannot be sold, and wet wood in larger volumes must be sold with advice on how to dry it before burning.

All solid fuels must have a low sulphur content so that they only emit a small percentage of smoke.

What are good fuel alternatives?

Bonfire Uber logs are birch log briquettes that are top of the range, extremely dense hardwood block. They’re made in UK from pure Birch sawdust, and one of the most densely compacted blocks we have.

Our wood briquettes are from clean recycled wood. Environmentally friendly and classed as an eco fuel. They’re guaranteed to get the optimum performance from your appliance.

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