Fireplace Logs Revisited
December 18, 2007
When I posted a piece about cleaning a chimney, I received a question about the use of "chemical" logs. Now that colder weather is here, the stores are featuring the man-made logs. They are a popular and easy way to have a cozy fire in your fireplace. The question had to do with how safe these logs might be and what effect does burning them have on the sooty deposits in your chimney. As good fortune would shine on me, there was a short article in the Sunday, December 16, 2007 San Bernardino Sun newspaper.
The article was written by Morris and James Carey and I quote it here.
"The truth about fireplace logs
Q. We burn package logs from the grocery store in the fireplace of our weekend home for more heat in addition to our electric wall heaters.
Are these man-made logs safe for the fireplace - will they cause a buildup?
A. The popular brand of man-made logs is safe, though they do contain a lot of wax that could accumulate in the chimney over time. Not only that, but they are not the best product to produce heat. The best heat will come from seasoned hardwood.
Seasoned means that it has been aged so it's dried out and burns hotter than other logs might. It takes three years to season most firewood.
Actually, in the long run, real wood not only burns hotter but it is far less expensive for the amount of heat generated."
Now you know!
When I posted a piece about cleaning a chimney, I received a question about the use of "chemical" logs. Now that colder weather is here, the stores are featuring the man-made logs. They are a popular and easy way to have a cozy fire in your fireplace. The question had to do with how safe these logs might be and what effect does burning them have on the sooty deposits in your chimney. As good fortune would shine on me, there was a short article in the Sunday, December 16, 2007 San Bernardino Sun newspaper.
The article was written by Morris and James Carey and I quote it here.
"The truth about fireplace logs
Q. We burn package logs from the grocery store in the fireplace of our weekend home for more heat in addition to our electric wall heaters.
Are these man-made logs safe for the fireplace - will they cause a buildup?
A. The popular brand of man-made logs is safe, though they do contain a lot of wax that could accumulate in the chimney over time. Not only that, but they are not the best product to produce heat. The best heat will come from seasoned hardwood.
Seasoned means that it has been aged so it's dried out and burns hotter than other logs might. It takes three years to season most firewood.
Actually, in the long run, real wood not only burns hotter but it is far less expensive for the amount of heat generated."
Now you know!
posted by shirley harry at 8:40 AM
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