Jeff Green | Mar 08, 2007
Feature Article - March 8, 2007

Back toHome
Feature Article - March 8, 2007The woodpile's getting low, it's 20 below, and windy...by Wilma Kenny
On Monday March 5, one of the coldest nights this year, over 75 people turned out at a recent Wood Heat Seminar at Sydenham High School . It was coordinated by the Hearth, Patio and BBQ Association of Canada in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment: the presenter was from Perth . For those who missed it, much of the information covered can be found in CMHC’s 60-page booklet, Residential Wood Heating, or at the website www.burnitsmart.org
Not in the book, though, was the recommendation to burn in cycles in order to get maximum heat from the least amount of wood. Not for the faint-hearted, it went like this: fill it full; get it hot; don’t add more till it’s reduced to coals. In steps:
1. Start with a clean chimney!
2. Set the fire as usual, with paper and kindling but fill the stove with wood.
3. Burn it hot and bright until all the wood edges are charred and glowing.
4. Damp it halfway, wait five minutes, then damp it a bit more, but never let it smoulder. There should be very little smoke.
5. Don’t keep adding wood: that just wastes the charcoal, which is the most efficient stage of the burn.
6. Wait until the room begins to cool, before starting over again.
"If you try to have a chimney fire every time, you’ll never have one."
That’s what they said.
Other Stories this Week View RSS feedMore Stories
- Left Side of Point Beach Closed to Swimmers - Geese Related?
- SouthEast Ontario 20 Fastball Team Hosts Czech U16 Team in Sydenham
- South Frontenac Responds Over Line Spike Accusations : Jeremy Campbell Says He'll Sue
- Women Build Community Paddilng Together
- Friends of Arden Tell The Arden Story
- The Redmond Family Takes Over Sydenham Pet and Farm Supply
- Return Of Gravel Point o-op Plan rekindles Neighbours' Concerns
- Dog Days of Summer At Frontenac Farmers Market
- Lakes and Trails Features A Packed Schedule
- Rural Recruitment Made Easier With Support From Keys