Quick Contact FormThe ultimate guide to wood briquettes
When it comes to choosing the right fuel for your home fire, there are a number of options available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. As we become aware of the environmental implications of using some traditional fuels, finding an alternative that burns effectively and efficiently, is environmentally friendly and easy to use becomes increasingly important.
One of those alternatives is the wood briquette. If you haven’t used wood briquettes as a home fuel before, you may be unaware of the many benefits they can bring, so this month we’re going to help you decide if they’re the right fuel for you with our ultimate guide to wood briquettes.
What are wood briquettes?
Wood briquettes are a great alternative to traditional home fire fuels like coal and natural firewood. They are essentially manufactured as dense and compact logs and are made out of compressed wood by-products. That compact shape makes them easy to store and ideal for use on both outdoor and indoor fires, as well as in wood burners, which are becoming an ever more popular feature in living rooms across the country where the owner is looking to create a rustic or country-style decor.
What are wood briquettes made from?
The best wood briquettes are made from 100% wood that has been shredded, dried, refined and finally placed in a machine to create the ‘briquette’ shape. Wood is the most common kind of briquette, but you can also get ones that are made out of things like peat, charcoal, straw and hay.
Another thing to look out for is the moisture content – the better briquettes will comprise no more than 5% moisture, making them easier to light and able to burn much more effectively.
Are wood briquettes easy to use?
Wood briquettes are one of the easiest to use options when it comes to home fire fuel. They’re easy to light and they tend to burn more effectively for longer. That means that you won’t have to keep topping up your fire as you would with traditional logs. You can also get different kinds of briquette that produce different types of flame – you can get some that light quickly and give out a strong heat, while others provide a longer lasting fire.
Are wood briquettes environmentally friendly?
As they are manufactured from wood by-products, briquettes are an environmentally-friendly option because they use material that might otherwise end up in landfill, while at the same time meaning that no living trees need to be cut down to provide fresh firewood.
What other benefits are there to using wood briquettes?
One wood briquette will usually be equivalent to three or four traditional logs, so you don’t need nearly as much space to store them – and, as we’ve already pointed out, their shape makes them particularly easy to store, so if you’re struggling for space, they’re a double winner. Meanwhile, unlike a lot of traditional firewood, briquettes don’t spit or spark, making them safer to use as well.
Wood briquettes are also odourless, and produce considerably less ash and smoke than other fuels. And they are extremely good value as well – some estimates suggest that for every pound you spend on fuel, wood briquettes produce 50% more heat compared to logs.
Here at KG Smith & Son (Coal Merchants UK), we are proud to be a leading supplier of ecofire wood briquettes, manufactured by one of the biggest names in the business. For more information, or to place an order for rapid home delivery, get in touch with our friendly team today.