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Tip for
optimal firing!

Wood burning is a source of both heat and coziness, but how you fire has a lot to say both for optimal utilization, safety and the environment.
 

So what can you do to achieve optimal firing?
Here are some great tips!

Hvordan vi fyrer har mye å si for optimal utnyttelse av ved som er en viktig fornybar ressurs, men det er også av betydning for sikkerhet og miljø. Mange piper overopphetes og soter langt mer enn nødvendig grunnet uriktig fyring. Dette kan oppdages ved hjelp av skorsteinsmonitorering som gir brannforebyggerne innsikt i statistisk fyringsmønster og eventuelle tempraturendringer i den enkelte pipe. Dette er nyttig kunnskap som kan brukes til målrettet veiledning for trygg og effektiv vedfyring.

Nysgjerrig på hva kan du gjøre for å oppnå optimal fyring? Her er noen gode tips! 

Hjelp til mer optimal fyring!

Finn ut mer

Få de beste fyringstipsene!

Hvert år opplever mange hus- og hytteeiere at det begynner å brenne i pipa . Antall pipebranner er stigende, og tall fra DSB viser en kraftig økning på 38 prosent i 2021, sett opp mot perioden 2016-2020. 

Redusert risiko for utvikling av pipebrann gir økt sikkerhet til deg og din familie, og for materielle verdier. En målsetning med pipesensor, utover å varsle når det inntreffer, er å forebygge og forhindre at pipebrann oppstår.

En renere pipe reduserer risiko for sotbrann!

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Dry logs are the first choice when you need to start a fire! When the tree is cut, there is around 50% moisture in the wood. If you want to fire optimally, the humidity must be down to 15 - 20%. If you use wood with more than 20% moisture, soot and particle emissions are 10 to 30 times more than with dry wood. Soot settles on the windows of the stove and in the chimney.
 

Dry wood weighs less and has deep drying cracks. If you hit two dry logs hard against each other, they make a sharp sound, while wet wood makes a dull sound. Always use dry wood

Always use dry wood

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The ovens determine the length of the logs, and whether you should choose 30, 40 or 50 cm long logs. But it is rarely a good idea to have firewood that is stronger than an adult forearm. The larger the surface you have on the wood, the better it burns.

Fit the size of the blocks

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Good draft is necessary. Open all valves in the oven, and leave the door ajar for up to 5 minutes until it burns well. Only when the hearth is really hot after approx. 15 minutes, the valves are regulated down. It is important not to close the damper(s) so much that the flames die out. If you have too little draft, the temperature in the oven will be too low, the wood will burn more poorly, and there will be more soot. The wood must always burn with visible flames. When the wood emits blue flames, it is a sign of optimal combustion. Yellow flames contain more soot and particles, while bonfires without a flame double the emissions of coal ash and particles!

​When the chimney gets hot, you will notice that the draft increases. It can therefore be good to reduce the supply of air when it is burning fresh, but there will be more smoke if you close it too much.

God trekk

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In newer, modern houses, it can quickly become very stuffy, so make sure there is enough fresh air in the room, so that the fireplace gets air. In order to get enough oxygen for the combustion, it may therefore be a good idea to put up a window or a door just when you light the fire. Then you also avoid negative pressure, which makes it draw poorly.

Open the window

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Avoid putting too much wood in the oven at once. If the fire is too strong, the temperature in the chimney can become unnecessarily high.

Fire moderately

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Never burn pressure-treated or painted wood, chlorine-containing plastic or PVC, as this emits highly toxic gases. Also, do not use driftwood from the sea as fuel, as it contains salt that turns into chlorine when burned. To wash out driftwood, it should be left out in the elements for at least two years.

Avoid toxins

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It is beneficial to leave a layer of ash behind. The ash insulates and protects the bottom of the hearth and the floor below against the strong heat from the fire. Because ash insulates well, small, glowing pieces of coal are often found many hours after the fire has gone out. Use a metal bucket with a lid when emptying the ashes, and leave it until you are absolutely sure that there are no embers left.

Empty the ash, but not too often

Environmental benefit
If you fire correctly, you reduce soot and particle emissions, which contribute to less local air pollution.

Climate gain

Firewood is a renewable energy source and a climate-friendly alternative to fossil heating. Soot from wood burning in Northern Europe contributes to faster warming in the Arctic. The soot settles on snow and ice, and attracts heat. Correct wood burning will therefore reduce the negative climate effects.

 

Profitable and efficient

With the right kindling, the wood is used better and you achieve up to twice as much heat.

 

Safe and fireproof

If you fire correctly, the hearth will be treated more gently. This means less maintenance, clean glass and a reduced risk of soot fire.

Four good reasons to fire correctly!

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You should not fire up with newspaper or empty packaging such as milk and egg cartons. It creates emissions into the air that we don't want. If you burn milk or juice cartons, the heat may be higher than what your oven can handle. The cartons also have a plastic coating. This turns into soot on the inside of the chimney, which in turn increases the risk of a soot fire.

Use fire briquettes

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Always use kindling to start the fire, but fire from the top! Place some dry logs at the bottom with some space, then kindling wood/tiles and finally 2-3 kindling briquettes at the top. Then you halve the particulate emissions from the chimney, and you use the energy in the wood more efficiently. When the logs start to heat up, they give off organic gases. Half of the energy is in these gases. If you light it from the top, the gases from the lowermost blocks will rise, meet the flames and ignite.


There are many who do the opposite, so-called "bottom up". It usually also works well, but "top down" lighting produces less soot and ash, ensures a better air supply and means that the first supply of wood lasts longer.

Fire from the top

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