Special offer on our kiln-dried logs this autumn

It's not quite cold enough to put the heating on, but getting home after a day in this wet weather nothing is more welcoming than a warming fire or stove. We've had more and more of our regular customers coming over the last few days to stock up on kiln-dried logs and kindling, and we wanted to let you all know about our new offer on logs.

If you come into the shop to buy your logs and can take ten bags or more, we are now selling them at a discounted rate of £5.50 a bag. For fewer than ten bags, they are still priced at a competitive £6.

We've been selling kiln-dried logs at Westcombes for a couple of years now, and we've found that practically every customer who has come in to buy a bag has returned   for more. They really are completely different from the bags of logs you may be used to buying at your local garage which are often damp and unseasoned. Our kiln-dried logs contain very little moisture which makes them easier to light, and means a cleaner burn - which will help reduce the chance of smoking and a stained glass window in your stove.

Come and try a bag next time you're passing - we're sure you'll see the difference!

Chimney fires

The Jeremy Vine show on Radio Two had a feature earlier this week about a spate of chimney fires in Devon. They may sound innocuous but can be really frightening with flames shooting out of the top of the chimney and lots of smoke and noise - and they can cause serious damage to your home.  If your chimney is on fire, the advice is to call the fire brigade right away.

There are some things you can do to help prevent chimney fires and one of the most important is to ensure you have your chimney regularly swept - a build up of soot and deposits in the chimney is a common cause of fires.  You may also be surprised to learn that burning unseasoned (or damp) wood can be an issue.  Wood sold on garage forecourts is often unseasoned and it doesn't burn well.

At Westcombes, we recommend using a qualified chimney sweep and we have local sweeps who are members of the National Association of Chimney Sweeps to keep your chimney clear - and we sell fantastic kiln-dried wood.

Cold. cold, cold...

After a snowy weekend here in London, it's frosty again today and there were even a few snowflakes in the air this morning.  Temperatures are expected to stay low for a while, and it's just the kind of weather when you want to come in from the cold and settle down in front of a cosy fire or stove.  Of course, it's rare nowadays to find a home without central heating, but even so a fire or stove can give a warming glow to your home.

If this cold snap has made you think about getting a stove or fire, come and visit us at Westcombes to take a look at the huge selection we have on offer.  And don't forget, we sell kiln dried logs, kindling and flamer firelighters too!

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!