As we come out of the colder season and head into the summer months, many people have left over fuel from the winter. Although solid fuels don’t have an expiry date, here are some ideas as to how you can use your fuel throughout the summer.
Fire Pits:
Fire pits are becoming an increasingly popular garden feature, not only do they look nice, they are a great way to take away the chill of an evening spent outside. If you are planning on having a BBQ, or entertaining friends on a summer’s day, a fire pit allows you to make the most of your outside space while heading into the evening.
The best fuels to use on a fire pit are ones that emit the least smoke. This includes; kiln dried logs, smokeless coal, charcoal, and wood briquettes. All fuels give off smoke when they are first lit, however, fuels with a low moisture content stop smoking as much when they are burning properly. Therefore, not smoking out your guests!
Click here to browse our fuels suitable for fire pits.
Chimeneas:
Similar to the above, a chimenea in the garden is a great way to take away the chill once the sun goes down. Another benefit of a chimenea is that it has a flue to direct the flow of the smoke, unlike a fire pit.
The best fuels to use in a chimenea are kiln dried logs, and charcoal. If your chimenea is made of cast iron or steel, you could also use a smokeless fuel.
Pizza Oven:
The best fuel to use on a pizza oven is one that has a high heat output and a clean burn. These qualities allow for the pizza to bake quickly and evenly. With that in mind, kiln-dried birch logs are an incredibly popular fuel to use on pizza ovens.
It is important that the logs used have a low moisture content, under 20%. Dry logs give off the high heat needed to cook a pizza, they also don’t smoke as much, meaning the taste of your pizza won’t be affected by excessive amounts of smoke.
Kiln dried birch logs light easily and give off a high heat quickly. This type of log also produces less ash and doesn’t spit as much when burning which makes it easier to maintain the fire as the pizzas are cooking.
It is important to use kiln dried logs in a pizza oven as less smoke is produced that seasoned logs.
Camping trip:
Planning on going camping this summer? Kiln dried logs are a great fuel to use on a campfire. Whilst it might be tempting to source the logs for the fire throughout the campsite, natural and untreated logs have a high moisture content. As with the above, logs with a lower moisture content emit less smoke. They also burn hotter and don’t spit as much as seasoned or wet logs.
Be sure to allow a good amount of space around the campfire, away from trees and overhanging branches. Also, make sure to put the fire out completely if leaving it unattended.
We hope this post has given you some ideas as to how to use your logs throughout the summer months, and we would love to hear your suggestions if we have missed any out!
