Here is our list of the best woods to burn in a fireplace. Out of the 9 common woods fireplace owners ignite, only 4 stand out as clean and hot. The type of wood you use in the fire place or stove will keep your chimney cleaner and safe.
So, let’s chat about what’s the cleanest wood to supply your fire place. Number one wood is CEDAR. This is the cleanest, best woods for maximum heat and little soot in your chimney.
Number 2 is the OAK family. White oak, pin oak and red oak wood is fantastic for burning in fireplaces or stoves. This wood is also clean and hot compared with other woods to use.
A cord of hot, clean wood.
Only the other side, these are not the best wood to burn in your fireplace if at all possible
Unless you are in a bad situation and will freeze, avoid these woods if at all possible. First, NEVER burn any wood that is not dry. Trees are best cut down in the winter time as the sap has drained out of the tree. It should be cut and stored for a year if possible. Wet wood will not burn correctly and is the leading cause of creosote build up and dangerous clogging in your chimney.
From worst to not so good – PINE. Bad wood to burn over time. Sappy and hardly worth the risk. Second, HICKORY is great for smoking meat but not so good for heating your home.
Completing the list of not so good woods to use is BLACK OAK, GUM TREE AND POPULAR. Popular is known as a weed tree. It grows very quickly but is terrible to use to heat your home.
If you have questions, call your reliable chimney sweep company before you buy the wood. Ask them if they have a reliable source of wood. Most companies will deal with several suppliers of firewood.
The companies share customers all of the time. Especially in the winter time, it can be hard to find good, dry clean wood. Some suppliers keep a low profile so they can service their long time customers in the winter. Our Knoxville chimney sweep companyhas several suppliers and each of us have a stack of business cards to hand out.
Try this little known trick to get firewood
Use the search engines to see who supplies the oak and cedar wood around your area. Ask neighbors and friends about firewood suppliers. Everyone has an opinion, right? Don’t overlook the groups and forums on social media. They are full of folks like you that will gladly point you to a source for oak and cedar wood. Remember, these are the best woods for your fireplace.
Often times, someone will be clearing land and cutting trees. They may reach out to you just to have a place to take the wood. If not, they will have to burn it or put it in a landfill. That is simply a waste of resources. They would much rather deliver the firewood to you and get a little extra money for their time.
We are the best gas chimney repair in Knoxville TN because we show up, provide an honest opinion of your system and quote a fair price. So often, the biggest challenge in serving the gas chimney is having someone SHOW UP.
There are many times that homeowners told us no one answered a call or showed up after 6 or more calls! That is not right. For many, a gas fireplace is the sole source of heat for their home. With temperatures in east Tennessee routinely in the teens overnight, we must help everyone keep their gas chimney systems working.
See what many of our customers have to say about us on our testimonial page (click on the review below)
Best gas chimney repair Knoxville Testimonial
We are not showing you this to brag. Actually, we are so frustrated at the lack of service by so many others in the industry. Many won’t travel over 30 miles outside of Knoxville TN. Really? With all of the homes in the Great Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, this is not right.
Clear Chimney travels from Cookeville TN to Morristown TN and down to Chattanooga TN. We even go up into Kentucky for special services. We view this as a service to our fellow families. Heating in your home can mean the difference in surviving the winter.
Depending on the type of burner and logs, the propane gas that a fireplace will use is around a gallon per 100,000 BTUs. Many folks will install a 50,000 BTU burner with logs so therefore, it will equal 1 gallon for every 2 hours of use.
The typical outside propane tank of most homes is 500 gallons. Propane is used for stoves, clothes dryers and hot water on top of the fireplace. This means the tank will last around 6 to 7 months with average use.
How much propane gas does a fireplace use?
Propane does not have as much energy as natural gas. Therefore, it takes different orifices to burn propane. When you buy a stove or instantaneous water heater, be sure to specify propane. The two different gases do not use the same orifices.
Another common service issue we see is the size of the gas line from the propane tank. Often, changes over time will have different pipe sizes inside the house. This can starve the gas leading to the fireplace. The amount of heat a propane fireplace provides depends on the right amount of gas.
We will provide a free estimate on the installation of the log set. If you do not have a propane tank or natural gas, we will help coordinate the installation from the suppliers. Clear Chimney is able to install the black pipe necessary to get the gas logs working quickly.
