Wood Heating 101: The Complete Beginner’s Guide

Want to start heating your home with firewood or briquettes, but don’t know where to start? Then you're in luck!

Why trust this guide? It was written by the wood fuel experts at Lekto, the UK's most trusted wood fuel supplier. We're known as a market disruptor thanks to such innovative products as our ultra-economical, 8-hour Night Briquetttes, our ultra-hot-burning Hardwood Heat Logs, and our universally-compatible next-generation Fire Logs. And as over 12,000 positive TrustPilot reviews will attest, our product quality and customer service is second to none.

In this expert-written article, we will teach you everything you need to know about wood heating, from choosing the right wood fuel to starting a fire to wood stove maintenance.

Let's begin!

How to Choose the Right Wood Fuel

Choosing the right wood fuel for your use case at a large supplier like Lekto can be daunting. Thankfully, our wood fuel experts are here to help! Listed below are all of the commonly available wood fuel types and their ideal use cases.

Should I Choose Firewood Logs or Wood Briquettes?

Before we go any further, you'll need to decide whether to use firewood or briquettes are right for you.

Pros and Cons of Firewood Logs

If you're a complete beginner to wood fuels, your first instinct will be to gravitate to firewood. If you've ever camped or rented a log cabin, chances are you already know how to use this type of wood fuel.

The main pros of firewood logs are that they are easy to light, intuitive to use, and do not require your stove to be preheated before they can be added to the fire. All you need to get a firewood fire started are some firelighters, some kindling, and a lighter/match. The rest will happen on its own.

This being said, even the most premium firewood logs can't hold a candle to wood briquettes in terms of energy density, heat output, and burn time. Being less energy dense, a winter's worth of firewood will take up a lot more space in your wood store than an equivalent amount of briquettes. During the coldest days of the year, you'll need to add additional logs to your fire to combat the cold. And you'll have to regularly add new logs to the fire to keep the fire going.

This being said, firewood logs are still by far the most popular type of wood fuel in the UK.

KIln-Dried Firewood vs Seasoned Firewood

If you choose firewood, we recommend going the kiln-dried log route. There are many reasons for this. Being baked in an industrial oven for several days, this type of firewood has a lower moisture content than seasoned logs and is 100% safe to store indoors (compared to seasoned logs, which may become a home for insects, rodents, and mould). On average, kiln-dried firewood is about 10-15% more expensive than seasoned logs.

Firewood Type	Kiln-Dried Logs	Seasoned Logs
Safe to Store Indoors	Yes, due to the kiln-drying process	No, since the longs can house insects, rodents, and mould
Moisture Content	±10%	>20% (if Ready to Burn certified)
Quality	High	Variable
Ease of Lighting	High	Low to Moderate
Creosote Production	Low	Variable

Hardwood vs Softwood Firewood

Due to their higher energy density, longer burn time, and lack of sap, hardwood logs are universally better than softwood logs. Unless you're really struggling and don't have access to hardwood firewood, we recommend steering away from softwood logs. The best hardwood logs in the UK are made from birch and oak, although alder and beech are also acceptable options.

Category	Hardwood Trees	Softwood Trees
Growth speed	Slow	Fast
Density	Moderate-High	Low-Moderate
Burn time	Up to 2 hours	Up to 40 minutes
Heat output	Moderate-High	Low-Moderate
Good for manufacturing logs?	Yes	No
Good for briquettes manufacture?	Yes	Yes
Popular species	Birch, oak, alder	Spruce, pine
Also used for	Construction, furniture	Paper, cardboard, furniture, Christmas trees

Oak Logs vs Birch Logs

Both birch and oak logs make for great firewood. Birch is the more popular option. It is less expensive, easier to light, and burns with beautiful flames. Oak, on the other hand, is considered to be a more luxurious fuel. Thanks to its higher heat output and longer burn, it is the perfect fuel for cold nights. It is also often used by restaurants for cooking pizzas and searing steaks.

Read our Ultimate Guide to Firewood For More Information.

Log Type	Oak	Birch
Density	High	Moderate
Ease of Lighting	Moderate	High
Flame Size	Moderate	High
Burn Length	High	Moderate
Burn Temperature	High	Moderate
Good For Heating?	Yes	Yes
Good For Pizza Ovens?	Yes	No
Good For Steak Searing?	Yes	No

Pros and Cons of Wood Briquettes

More experienced users of wood heat tend to gravitate towards briquettes. This is because briquettes are a lot more cost-effective than traditional logs, albeit at the cost of requiring a certain amount of forethought.

Wood briquettes can run laps around firewood when it comes to energy density, heat output, and burn time. They require a lot less space to store, which makes them perfect for people who have limited storage space or don't have their own wood shed. They provide a lot more heat, so you'll need fewer of them to get the same heat output. And they burn longer, so you can focus on the things in life that truly matter, rather than stressing about your wood stove.

This being said, briquettes aren't perfect. In general, they're not as easy to light as traditional firewood. For example, Night Briquettes and Fire Logs should only be used in a preheated stove. Other fuels, such as Heat Logs and Nestro Softwood Logs, burn at such a high temperature that putting in too many of them at a time can crack the glass of your wood-burning stove, so you should only use them in accordance with the provided instructions.

How to Choose the Right Wood Briquette

Here's everything you need to know about choosing the right briquette for your household's unique needs.

Briquette Type	Sawdust Briquette	Hardwood Heat Logs	Nestro Softwood Logs	Fire Logs	Night Briquettes
Burn Time	2 hours	1-1.5 hours	1-1.5 hours	3 hours	8 hours
Heat Output	Moderate	High	High	Medium-High	Low
Moisture (%)	<9%	<9%	<9%	<9%	<9%
Ready to Burn Certification	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sawdust Type	Hardwood	Hardwood	Softwood	Softwood	Softwood
Optimal Use Case	Universal	Cold Weather, Heat Boost	Cold Weather, Heat Boost	Universal, Long Lasting	Economising, Stretching Other Fuels

Product Profile: Sawdust Briquettes

The perfect wood fuel for someone new to wood briquettes, Sawdust Briquettes have been warming homes as far back as 1865. They're easy to light, do not require stove pre-heating, give off a lot of heat, and burn longer than regular firewood logs.

Sawdust Briquettes Perfect Use Case

Sawdust Briquettes are the perfect briquette fuel for someone who is comfortable with using regular logs but wants to get the energy density, heat output, and burn time benefits of briquettes.

Product Profile: Hardwood Heat Logs

Thanks to their high energy density and special, chimney-effect producing hollow log shape, Hardwood Heat Logs are the UK's fastest-heating and hottest-burning wood briquettes.

They can heat up any room in just 5 minutes and they produce so much heat that they will be able to keep rooms toasty even in Arctic cold. And thanks to their easy-to-portion shape, you can use as much (or as little) of them as you need, helping you eliminate wood fuel waste.

Hardwood Heat Logs Perfect Use Case

Hardwood Heat Logs are the perfect wood fuel for times when you want to boost the heat output of your regular firewood logs or wood briquettes. They also make for a great standalone fuel for cold climates or particularly cold days.

Product Profile: Night Briquettes

Made from a proprietary mixture of 100% softwood bark, Lekto's ultra-economical Night Briquettes are the longest-burning wood fuel available on the UK market.

When used according to the provided instructions, they can burn for as long as 8 hours (an entire night), which is up to 4 times longer than regular logs or other briquettes. This makes them perfect for lowering your overall wood fuel consumption. As an added benefit, the fact that they have such a long burn time means you don't have to worry about adding logs to your wood stove as often.

Night Briquettes Perfect Use Case

Night Briquettes have a long, consistent, and moderate heat output. This makes them perfect for use as your main wood fuel during milder weather and as a way to stretch your regular firewood or briquettes during colder weather.

Product Profile: Fire Logs

Designed to offer the perfect balance between the high heat output of Hardwood Heat Logs and the ultra-long burn time of Night Briquettes, Fire Logs are a hot-burning briquette fuel that will last you for 3 hours.

Fire Logs Perfect Use Case

Fire Logs make for a perfect daily use wood fuel. Simply heat up your stove with regular briquettes or firewood logs and then transition to using Fire Logs.

Product Profile: Nestro Softwood Logs

Nestro Softwood Logs are very similar to Hardwood Heat Logs, only they are made of softwood sawdust, as a result of which they release a lovely pine aroma that many people associate with the holiday season.

Just like Hardwood Heat Logs, they can heat up any room in just 5 minutes and they produce more heat than any other type of wood fuel. They also have an easy-to-portion design that helps you avoid wood fuel waste.

Nestro Softwood Logs Perfect Use Case

Nestro Softwood Logs are the perfect wood fuel for times when you want to boost the heat output of your regular firewood logs or wood briquettes. They also make for a great standalone fuel for cold climates or particularly cold days.

Expert Recommendation: Use a Mix of Firewood and Briquettes

Our expert recommendation is to use a mix of logs and briquettes. Kiln-Dried Birch Logs are a perfect wood fuel for starting a fire. We recommend you use the top-down lighting method (see below) to light them. For ultimate lighting ease, we recommend using our Kiln-Dried Wood Kindling and our Natural Firelighters. Once your wood stove is pre-heated sufficiently, you can transition to your Sawdust Briquettes of Fire Logs. Use Night Briquettes during milder weather or when you want to economise. And use Hardwood Heat Logs or Nestro Softwood Logs when you feel that your main fuel needs a heat boost.

How to Start a Fire: The Top-Down Method

As decades of experience show, the top-down method is the best and easiest way to start a fire. Learning it takes just a few minutes. All you need to do is repeat these simple steps.

1. Open your appliance's airflow controls. This will provide your fire with an adequate amount of air, which will help it grow faster.
2. Place firewood at the lowest level. Place your firewood logs at the bottom of your log burner or wood stove. If your wood burner is big enough, you can build a second level of wood fuel on top of the first one. This will help you avoid having to add extra logs to the fire for longer.
3. Stack your kindling on top of the logs. You can do so in a grid or pyramid shape. Make sure to leave a bit of space between the pieces to allow for proper airflow.
4. Place a firelighter on top of the kindling. Place a Lekto Natural Firelighter on top of the kindling and set it on fire using a fireplace match or a fireplace lighter.
5. Lower your airflow settings. When your logs are burning nicely, you can set your airflow controls to your preferred setting.

Wood Stove Maintenance 101

If you want your log burner to last you for many years, you'll need to maintain it properly. This isn't complicated, nor is it time-consuming. Here's everything you need to know about wood stove maintenance.

Wood Stove Maintenance 101: Avoid Burning Scrap Wood 

First and foremost, never should you burn unseasoned firewood, driftwood, trash, treated wood, or scrap furniture in your stove. Doing so will not only hurt your appliance, but it will also release highly toxic chemicals into the air you and your loved ones breathe.

Wood Stove Maintenance 101: How to Clean Your Glass Door

Black soot can accumulate on the glass door of your wood stove if you throw in dense briquettes (e.g. Night Briquettes or Fire Logs) into a log burner that hasn't been sufficiently pre-heated. To clean the glass door of your stove, simply mix some of your leftover ash with water until you achieve a liquid paste consistency. Use this mixture and a paper towel to wipe off the soot.

Wood Stove Maintenance 101: Cleaning Your Stove and Flue

Why clean your wood stove? Whenever the natural moisture of wood comes into contact with flames, hundreds of chemicals are released, including creosote. Creosote is a toxic, cancerogenic substance that is hazardous to human health and its accumulation can result in a fire hazard.

To preserve your health and the health of your appliance, you need to clean your stove regularly. For the most part, this can be achieved with a cheap and cheeful £15 - £20 stove cleaning kit from Amazon.

Wood Stove Maintenance 101: How Often to Hire a Chimney Sweep?

If you're burning high quality, low moisture firewood logs and briquettes, then a yearly visit from a chimney sweep is more than enough to keep your chimney nice and healthy. If you burn low quality wood or improperly stored briquettes, you may need to hire a chimney sweep two to four times a year.

Read our Ultimate Guide to Hiring a Chimney Sweep to learn more.