Wood stoves are fired up and burning strong at this time of the year. Most of you have had your wood  burning fireplace inserts burning full time the last few months.  We have had some very cold weather in different parts of the country!  And of course, the colder it is, the more wood required to keep that fire burning hot.

Unfortunately, not everyone has planned ahead for this kind of cold weather.  Some of you may be running low on seasoned wood.  You know that if you buy wood during the cold season, you are going to pay premium price.  So, you may start looking around to see what else you can burn.

Don’t!

Your wood burning insert is designed to burn wood.  Attempting to burn newspaper, office paper, or other scrap paper will just fill your flue with all the nasty stuff that can potentially lead to a devastating fire in the chimney.  Burning paper results in a lot of ash.

If you have a catalytic burner in your wood stove, burning paper will clog it up.  A non-cat stove won’t get as plugged up, but you will be cleaning your flue quite often during the winter.

Cardboard is also a bad idea for burning. Cardboard is made with glue.  Again, you will end up with tons of gunk in your flue.

Burning old pallets can be ok, but only if you are using it sparingly as kindling.  Just make sure the pallet wood is not pressure treated.

If you do try to just burn pallet wood, you have two big problems.

First, you will end up with nails and other debris in your wood stove ashes.  Not good.  Especially if you spread your ashes in the driveway for wintertime traction.  Second, and more serious,  is that the pallet wood burns way too hot for your stove if burned alone.

Be smart and be prepared for long winters.  Make sure you have plenty of seasoned wood on hand before the burning season starts.  You will be much happier with your wood stove insert!

Be prepared for next season by properly storing and seasoning your wood.

Osburn OB02401 2400 High Efficiency EPA Wood Insert 2400 High Efficiency EPA Wood Burning Insert – OB02401 The 2400 insert has the same firebox as its freestanding counterpart and will transform any conventional decorative fireplace into a highly efficient heating system. Its 100,000 BTU hr combined with a 3.2 cubic foot firebox will help you to rest easy during those long winter nights. And its large glass window offers a perfect view of the fire! Faceplate required for installation not included – see related items Product Features: 100 000 BTU h Heating capacity 800 to 2 700 sq ft Firebox volume 3.2 pi cu Maximum log length 21 Adjustable handle Self-cleaning glass system Heavy duty cast iron door 130 cfm blower Product Specifications: Width 32 in Depth 16-1 4 in Height 22-3 4 in Flue Size 6 in Net Weight 545 lbs Important Notes: Faceplate required for installation not included – see related items Product Documents Click here for product Owner s Manual