In South Africa firewood is readily available thanks to the fact that it is naturally abundant and because of the initiative of many roadside informal vendors. But when you stop to buy a load of wood on the side of the road (or even purchase it from a reputable outlet) what should you look for to ensure you get the best firewood? What makes good firewood? The truth is the best wood to burn is always well seasoned wood. This is even more so if you prefer to burn hardwoods. Well seasoned wood creates less creosote build-up and makes for a better cleaning cycle. In fireplaces that require very little cleaning, such as a Designer fireplace, well seasoned wood means that the fireplace will only ever have to be cleaned at the end of every heating season in South Africa.This is because both a BioFire fireplace and good seasoned wood burn hot and clean!

Did you know? It is the moisture in wood which causes creosote to build up at an accelerated rate! Well seasoned wood is therefore always best to burn.

Can you buy well seasoned wood in South Africa? The fact is, most wood sold in South Africa is fairly “fresh” and can do with a fair amount of seasoning time. This means that if possible one should buy your firewood before the winter season to ensure that your wood is ready to burn come the first cold snap. If you want to check to see if your wood is seasoned before you burn it you will need to check for the following:

• Seasoned wood must always look dark, or gray when compared to green wood
• If you split a piece of seasoned wood it should always be WHITE on the inside
• Well seasoned split firewood should always be reasonably brittle and have cracks running through it
• There should also be a lot of little cracks on the inner rings

Try our wood seasoning tip! When storing wood for seasoning NEVER cover it with a tarpaulin or canvas. This prevents proper evaporation and hinders the wood seasoning process.

Next week we will provide you with a list of some provider that we have had good experiences with in the past!

Firewood in South Africa

Did you know that in most countries bulk firewood is sold by a measurement called a cord? The measurement is defined as:

1 cord = 128 cubic feet of wood neatly stacked in a row

This means that a standard cord of wood would be 8 feet long by 4 feet wide by 4 feet high.

The definition of firewood

In South Africa firewood can be defined as any kindling logs, timber, wooden boards or other types of wood that is used as a fuel source. However, when purchased it is best to buy a cord of logs that are pre-split otherwise you will have to split them yourself.

Firewood in South Africa can be purchased seasoned (dried) or fresh-cut, but it must be remembered that when buying green or fresh cut wood it will need to be dried for a period of 8-12 months to get the most out of it as a fuel source.

Know your wood seller

It is a good idea to get to know your wood seller. Get a single supplier who you trust to service you regularly and you will normally get a better quality wood from him at a good price. Also always stack the wood yourself, or be there when the supplier stacks it at your home to ensure that you get what you pay for.

Wood pellets are compressed wood particles that are used as fuel.They are considered carbon neutral, as the tree sucks up the same amount of carbon as the pellets emit, when burnt. Wood pellets replace coal in power plants and gas or heating oil in residential central heating installations or stoves. Continue reading →

In South Africa firewood is readily available thanks to the fact that it is naturally abundant and because of the initiative of many roadside informal vendors. But when you stop to buy a load of wood on the side of the road (or even purchase it from a reputable outlet) what should you look for to ensure you get the best firewood? What makes good firewood?

Continue reading →

Do you often hear people talking about seasoned and unseasoned wood and have not the faintest idea what the difference is?

What is seasoned wood?

Seasoned wood has been dried for about 1-2 years. It should have a moisture content of 20%. The moisture content of firewood determines how it burns and how much heat is released. Wood should be as dry as possible to ensure the cleanest burning.

The higher the moisture content, the more energy must be used to evaporate the water in the wood before it will burn. This means that less heat is produced and more condensation occurs in your chimney. This could lead to creosote build up and chimney fires.

If you take a look at the photo above, you will see that the seasoned firewood is below( darker in colour and cracked). The unseasoned wood is lying on top, it still looks freshly cut and “green”.

What is unseasoned wood

Unseasoned wood is “green wood”. The moisture content varies by the species; green wood may weigh 70 to 100 percent more than seasoned wood due to water content.

What would can you use in a BioFire fireplace?

A BioFire Fireplace is a wood burning fireplace and requires the use of DRY WOOD. If you use wood with a high moisture content, your fireplace will not only smoke, bit it will fog up your fireplace door.

Watch this video for a better understanding: Know your firewood - Seasoned or unseasoned part 1

Winter Wood Supplier

For all your braaiwood/braai wood, firewood/fire wood, charcoal, coal, anthracite, briquettes, fire starters, firelighters and more, contact Reliable Wood Suppliers in Cape Town. Continue reading →

Wood pellets are compressed wood particles that are used as fuel.They are considered carbon neutral, as the tree sucks up the same amount of carbon as the pellets emit, when burnt. Wood pellets replace coal in power plants and gas or heating oil in residential central heating installations or stoves. Continue reading →

When buying wood for your BioFire fireplace, it is beneficial to know the different species of wood as this will determine the heating value. Wood is generally characterized as “HARD WOOD” and “SOFT WOOD”. Let’s look at the difference between the two:

The hardwood and softwood trees in South Africa’s tree farms occupy 5,405 square miles, 1 or 2 percent of the country’s total land area. Continue reading →

Today, the Wattle, Eucalyptus and Rooikraans are defined as “invasive alien trees.” They share this label with approximately 198 of the almost 750 tree species and 9,000 shrubby and herbaceous species that were brought into South Africa from countries as far afield as North America, South and Central America, Australia, Europe, and Asia. Many of these alien species adjusted well, conforming both to the natural environment and the purpose for which they were introduced — as crop species, garden ornaments, barrier and hedge plants; to stabilize sand dunes; and for timber and firewood. Continue reading →

In South Africa firewood is readily available thanks to the fact that it is naturally abundant and because of the initiative of many roadside informal vendors. But when you stop to buy a load of wood on the side of the road (or even purchase it from a reputable outlet) what should you look for to ensure you get the best firewood? What makes good firewood?

Continue reading →