Place each piece, one at a time, in an “East-West” (parallel to the front) orientation behind the coals, and pressed to the back of the wood stove firebox. Compressed firelogs grind up the wood waste into fine particles, which eliminates the alcohol pockets and allows an even quiet burn. The fire log is scented with balsam and cedar, and the wrapper said we could enjoy the scent even before, which proved true. They also have strong environmental credentials as they are made from waste wood produced as part of the furniture or other wood-related businesses – or in some cases collected from skips (see right).

Whether in a fireplace, a wood-burning stove, or a fire pit, it’s tough to beat the ambience, allure, and warmth of a fire.At the same time, they have virtually all of the benefits of heat logs, such as a strong fire and high heat output. After the war, cheap hydrocarbon fuels became available once again and briquettes fell out of favour. Briquettes are made by compressing or extruding shredded combustible biomass (such as sawdust or peat) to a desired shape and density. When stacked this way, the fire can quickly spread to engulf all of the wood, leading to faster burns.

Wood briquettes are briquettes made from wood chips, wood shavings, sawdust, parawood chunks, or bark. This loading technique allows the fire to quickly spread and engulf all of your logs, leading to large hot fires. We noted any added scents and looked for chemical-type smells (none we tested emitted chemical smells).Many wood stove users, when first learning how to keep a wood stove burning all night, will simply add large amounts of wood to their firebox, on top of a layer of coals, with the logs crossed over one another. The burn time of a briquette depends on various factors, including its composition, size, and moisture levels. The combination of aroma and steady flames creates a cozy feeling when it’s cold and blustery outside.

Due to the presence of binding agents, charcoal briquettes are also naturally more difficult to light than lump charcoal. If you want to keep things simple, then you can heat your house with sawdust briquettes all year round. Take a look at these frequently asked questions and their succinct answers for the topnotch intel you may need prior to purchasing a fire log. Before you pull out your fireplace tools, you may still have lingering inquiries about the best fire logs for your situation. Big in Europe, but still largely untried by many fire users in the UK – particularly in the south – those selling them claim that once you have tried briquettes, you’ll never go back to hauling piles of logs off your drive.However, be aware that burning anything—wood or a fire log with natural ingredients—can add pollutants, such as smoke, to the home if the fireplace is not properly vented and maintained. Having patented the “charcoal briquet” in 1897, Zwoyer began producing and selling them through his Zwoyer Fuel Company. A screw conveyor then transports the prepared material into the briquetting machine's pressing chamber. The convenience of fire logs over regular fire logs is largely due to this convenient characteristic. The longest-burning log we tested stayed lit for nearly 5 hours, but the flames were pretty small in the last 30 minutes and failed to emanate any real heat.

Logs sold in the UK generally have much higher levels of moisture – 20% in well-seasoned wood, and up to 50% in other cases, Parke says. Check the packaging before choosing to see if that particular log will aid in cleaning your chimney.Building a fire with fire logs simply involves setting the product in the hearth, opening the damper, and flicking the lighter. You’ll get more longer lasting heat, no sparks and less smoke from kiln dried logs, whereby most of the moisture has been taken out during the drying process.