So i have a fireplace in my bedroom which is 4.5m x 4.5m (14.8' x 14.8') and i plan on using it for recreational purpose only during the winter. I will only have it going for a few hours at max and dont want it for the sake of heat that much. I was wondering what type of wood is best or should i use firelogs such as duraflame instead.
Best type of wood or fire log for recreational use
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If you don’t want to wait for coals to die down burn soft wood, pine won’t leave much for coals but sparks a lot, otherwise you can burn whatever you want as long as it is dry, keep your splits a bit small. Don’t put in a huge knotty piece of oak, even in a fireplace they can burn for a while and will produce a heaping bed of coals. Duraflames are garbage now. I used to occasionally burn Duraflames, they were pretty good. They would give a nice full fire for almost 3 hours. I bought a box to use while I was renovating the dump I bought. They light up nice then die down fairly quick and seem to smoke a lot. I remember the old ones being very bright burning and almost smokeless. I had read that they had to change them to be safe to use in the cheap prefab metal fireplaces builders were installing, supposedly the old logs burned too hot. Anyway, I never finished the box I purchased. I burn only wood. I have some tulip for this coming winter, I bet that would be good for a quick fire that doesn’t linger. I save my big chunks of oak for when I’m going to be home all day.
If this is truly just for recreational use (i.e. romantic view of the fire) I would go with well seasoned softwood . . . mainly since a lot of softwoods will result in the snapping, crackling and popping that make a fire quite enjoyable to watch. Just be sure to have a screen for the fire place and observe proper clearance requirements since it would be kinda bad if a romantic fire ended up burning down the house due to an errant spark -- that's kind of a mood killer.
I don't know about Canada but in the us you are not supposed to burn wood in a bedroom for very good reasons.
So many older homes actually century homes have fireplaces in bedrooms. I'm not really sure where one can get insurance for such a set up ?
100 plus years ago it was a valid heat source to have one in a bedroom. Nowadays most if not all have been converted to either gas logs or a gas insert. Can't get insurance otherwise in most cases. Try telling your home owners insurance you have a wood burner in your bedroom good luck. Better start shopping insurance.
I agree probably unsafe. I'd convert it to gas if budget and situation allows. Simple push button instant heat and ambiance , push button again it goes out.
At the very least make sure there is a good quality working co alarm in the room. And make sure it is loud.
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