Wednesday 27 July 2011

Why picking up logs may not be such a good idea...


At Westcombes, we’ve seen a huge increase in the popularity of wood-burning stoves in recent years, especially now that there’s a wider selection of fires approved by Defra to burn wood in London’s smokeless zone.

It’s not just that the stoves look attractive; with hugely increased bills for gas, electricity and oil, a wood-burning stove can make economic sense too. Now apparently in some parts of the countryside this has led to a resulting increase in timber thefts which is in turn affecting the revenue of woodland charities who rely on timber sales for income. Conservationists say the thieves are often putting their own safety at risk too as they don’t know how to fell trees properly or use the right safety equipment. They also suggest that sometimes people don’t realise that taking logs from wood stacks in forests or at roadsides is an offence.

Of course, the other point to bear in mind about these stolen logs is that they are freshly cut and usually very damp.  In order to burn successfully, logs need to be seasoned, or dried.  If you need supplies of logs, at Westcombes we stock kiln dried logs which are ideal for all wood-burning stoves.

Wednesday 20 July 2011

Our new stock of logs...

We're very excited to have just taken our first delivery of kiln-dried logs from a company called Certainly Wood. One reason many people have problems lighting fires is down to the logs they are using.  If you pick up a bag of logs from your local garage, they tend not to be properly seasoned - which means they haven't been dried out for long enough and are still retaining lots of moisture. They're not always stored properly either and are left outside in all weathers. This makes it harder to light a fire, it produces lots of smoke and it's harder to keep the fire going.

Our new stock of kiln dried logs have an average moisture content of just 20% and you can use them in all wood burning appliances - in London, of course, that means Defra-approved stoves.  Dry logs don't produce as much smoke which means they give a very clean burn with maximum heat output. 

The company we're sourcing our logs from dry them first before finishing them off in wood fired kilns. All the wood they use is hardwood, which is sourced from sustainable British woodland.  You can find them at Westcombes  showroom in Lee High Road from today - come and stock up in good time for the autumn!


  

Wednesday 6 July 2011

ITV 60 Minute Makeover

We've just provided a fire for ITV's 60 Minute Makeover - television fame for Westcombes once again!  We featured on the BBC's 'Put your money where your mouth is' a few years ago, when Max was featured buying a fireplace from TV's Mark Franks as part of a bid to raise money for charity.

As a well-established firm, we're often contacted for television and magazine items, and are always pleased to oblige where we can.  In the meantime, we'll keep you posted to let you know when you can see our lovely fire on your TV screens!