Wood burner fireplaces - how to make my logs last longer?

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Wood burner fireplaces - how to make my logs last longer?

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

k1w1k1d

1527 posts

Uber Geek

#3398469 30-Jul-2025 18:29

We use the white Samba fire starters.

We break the block into pieces and put them into used glass jam jars. To light the fire, we just tip a block into the fire without touching it.

Swept

45 posts

Geek

#3398488 30-Jul-2025 19:22

What kind of rubbish am I allowed to burn? :D

Toilet rolls, and paper towel rolls okay?

How can wet wood damage the flute?

Cardboard rolls and paper towels are fine. However, if you or your partner do all your shopping online and have boxes for days, don't try burn it all - the glue and resin in the cardboard can start doing weird things.

Wet wood creates a crunchy or even worse a treacle like soot that if not removed or burnt off, can become corrosive over time and start wearing out the stainless flue. Other times if there is a large deposit, there will be a chimney fire or extreme heat point on one particular part and damages it - think a section of the flue bulging out randomly.

Here's a cowl that some punisher continued to burnt wet and treated wood through for only 5 months after we installed it - it's worth $400:

hobsonlea

281 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3399174 1-Aug-2025 23:42

Interesting discussion, I’ve got a 25 year old Yunca QWEB Multi Fuel wood burner.

Considered upgrading to a newer wood burner but local fire place supplier said newer models might not produce the same heat output and are harder to dampen.. so have persisted with the yunca. Been going well for 3 years, have replaced all broken firebricks, replaced door seal and replaced the ash drawer seal, and cleaned the chimney. Using very well seasoned Douglas Fir.

Started going thru a log every 30 mins.. so knew there was an issue, contacted yunca in Dunedin and they were fantastic, asked for pics and vid’s, eventually discovered that the glass seal had gone, didn’t know about this seal, , $25 for new 20mm seal and wood burner is now going great.

Big shout out to the yunca people, fantastic service.

Peter in Queenstown