New to hatched house with open fire - which fuel?

labp04

Hi, I think the title about says it all. We are currently burning logs but "worry" about sparks so are playing with "hotties" and wondering if anyone has any thoughts re using a smokeless fuel or other? We have no access to gas and there is already background oil fired central heating installed. Any thoughts will be very welcome

matelodave

Has the chimney got a spark arrestor? May be worth considering but have a look at this - http://www.chimney-problems.co.uk/thatchedproperties.php for more information

bertiewhite

I take it you mean Thatched house?

Krapsite

No sparks with smokeless fuel and less mess. If you burn really well seasoned hard wood- oak and ash and beech. There is little chance of sparks. I season my wood for at least seven years in a dry windy shed. Never burn softwood especially pine which will give you sparks.I have a 24 foot high chimney and multi fuel stove and never see sparks jumping off the wood. I burn wood in autumn and spring but smokeless in November to March.Obviously an open fire is less efficient by far and burns much faster as you cannot control the burn properly.

labp04

Thanks for the replies to-date and here are a couple of observations:

Krapsite: 7 years seasoning, wow! That sounds like one heck of a big shed or a big area for a number of sheds. I'm guessing by "smokeless" you mean a mined derivative which is something we are considering

matelodave: no there isn't a spark arrestor and, to be honest, following conversations with a local thatcher and our insurance company, it's unlikely that we ever will have one given the potential for hazard they provide

bertiewhite: yes, I mean Thatched house

Again thanks for commenting