As the nights draw in and the air turns crisp, there’s nothing that evokes those feel good cosy vibes than gathering the family around a toasty, crackling log fire. But even experienced log burner owners often fall victim to frightful wood burning mistakes that send safety and efficiency up in smoke.

Here are 13 log-burning nightmares — and how to banish them for good — so you can keep your home cosy, safe, and ready for a treat filled Halloween – without the tricks!

💀1: The Silent Killer

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an invisible, odourless gas that can be fatal in high concentrations. It’s produced when your stove doesn’t burn efficiently — often due to blocked flues, poor ventilation, or burning wet wood. Even small leaks can make indoor air dangerous without you realising it.

The cure:

• Install a carbon monoxide detector in every room with a stove or open fire. Test it regularly and replace batteries as recommended.
• Ensure your stove and flue are properly serviced and ventilated. If your CO alarm ever sounds, open windows immediately, extinguish the fire, and call a professional before relighting it.

🧠 Expert insight: CO build-up often happens silently overnight or when air vents are closed too soon — so never shut down your stove completely until the fire is fully out.

🧛2: The Flammable Frights

Halloween should be bursting with frightfully fiendish fun — but remember, decorations such as paper pumpkins, cobweb garlands, and fancy dress costumes can easily catch fire or melt, even at low temperatures, releasing toxic fumes and spreading flames quickly.

The cure:

• Keep all decorations, fabrics, and costumes at least one metre away from your stove.

• Avoid hanging anything above your fire, including garlands or stockings.

• Use a fireguard when children or pets are around — especially during parties.

• Choose flame-retardant décor and Halloween costumes where possible.

🎃 Did you know? Fire and rescue services typically see a spike in emergency calls during the periods around Halloween and Bonfire Night. Many seasonal safety advisories also warn about candle fires, flammable decorations, and costumes — especially when left unattended — which are known risk factors during these peak nights.

☠️ 4: The Toxic Fire

We’re often asked if you can burn pallet wood or treated wood in a log burner. But while it’s tempting to burn whatever’s on hand — such as old furniture, treated offcuts, and old wooden pallets — doing so can release dangerous chemicals like arsenic and formaldehyde. These not only harm indoor air quality but can damage your stove, liner, and chimney over time.

The cure:
The answer is simple: Only burn Ready To Burn certified kiln dried logs. These logs are force dried to below 20% moisture and certified for clean, safe combustion and provide more heat, using less fuel, with low emissions.

🌿 At The Log People, our firewood is ethically sourced from sustainably managed and local woodlands, ensuring clean burning and lower carbon footprints with every burn.

🧙‍♀️ 5: The Forgotten Chimney

Your chimney or flue is your stove’s lifeline. Over time, soot and creosote build up inside, restricting airflow and creating a significant chimney fire risk. A blocked chimney not only reduces efficiency but can cause smoke to backdraft into your home — or even trigger a chimney fire.

The cure:

• Book a HETAS-registered chimney sweep at least once a year. More often if you burn daily through winter.
• Keep an eye out for reduced draw, smoky fires, or strong odours — these are warning signs that your flue needs attention.

🧹 Interesting fact: Most chimney fires occur during the colder months, when stoves are used daily. Arranging an annual chimney sweep means you can enjoy your log fires without any concerns.

A firewood moisture meter will show you if the logs are below 20% moisture content and ready for immediate use.

👻 6: The Curse Of Burning Wet Logs

Burning wet logs above 20% moisture content is the most common cause of smoky, low-heat fires. High moisture content means energy is wasted evaporating water instead of producing heat — leading to blackened glass, wasted wood, and high emissions.

The cure:

• Always choose Ready To Burn kiln dried logs with a moisture content of 20% or less. They ignite easily, burn hotter, produce cleaner flames with low emissions.
• Use a moisture meter to test any unlabelled logs before burning.

💧 Expert note: Burning damp wood can also damage your stove’s baffle plate and flue liner — leading to costly repairs over time.

💨7: The Open-Door Draft

Leaving a door or window open might seem harmless, but it can actually disrupt your stove’s airflow — drawing warm air up the chimney, cooling the flue, and even reversing the draft so smoke and fumes spill back into your room.

The cure:

• Keep doors closed while your stove is running, and make sure your home has proper ventilation vents or air bricks to balance airflow.
• In older homes, use draught excluders to keep warmth where it belongs — inside. (If you have an unused fireplace, a chimney balloon can help reduce heat loss too — just be sure to remove it before lighting a fire!)

🌬️ If your fire suddenly becomes smoky when you’re burning Ready To Burn certified kiln dried logs, poor airflow — not the logs — is usually the culprit.

🕷️8. The Overstocked Log Burner

More logs don’t necessarily mean more heat! Overloading your log burner starves the fire of oxygen – causing incomplete combustion and thick smoke. It also makes your glass blacken quickly and increases the release of harmful emissions.

The cure:

• Follow your stove’s loading guidelines and leave space between logs for airflow.
• Build fires gradually, using kindling and firelighters to start the fire, kiln dried softwood logs to build, and kiln dried hardwood logs to keep your flames lively.

🔥 Efficiency hack: You’ll actually use fewer logs overall when you avoid overfilling your stove.

Check out our range of softwood and hardwood bundles to build fires and keep them going.

FURTHER READING: Top tips if you’re struggling to light your wood burning stove

🔮9. The Phantom Draft

🪵10. The Vanishing Log Supply

You’re not alone — with life’s distractions, many stove owners forget to reorder firewood until the last  few logs are left – believing they can have a log delivery within just a few days of ordering. When winter demand peaks, delays can creep in, leaving homes chilly and their owners frustrated (and cold!).

The cure:

Plan ahead! When your log store is about three-quarters empty, place your next log order. This ensures your next log delivery arrives before you run out.

At The Log People, we make it easy to stock up smart — with bulk-buy savings (the more you buy, the more you save!) and free home delivery to your door, not just the kerb. Plus, you can choose up to three preferred delivery dates to suit your schedule.

📦 Bonus tip: Store your logs off the ground, covered, and ventilated in a purpose built log store to protect their quality between deliveries.

FURTHER READING: How to store kiln dried logs and keep them dry

🌕11. The Lost Ash Opportunity

Wood ash is a fantastic natural resource and great for gardens

Ash from your stove shouldn’t be considered as waste — it’s a natural fertiliser rich in potassium and calcium carbonate. Gardeners have used it for centuries to improve soil health. 

The cure:

• Once your ash is completely cool, sprinkle it lightly on garden beds, mix into compost, or use it to deter slugs and snails.
• Store it in a metal container and make sure it’s completely cold before handling.

🌱 Eco insight: Wood ash is rich in natural minerals, making it a simple, sustainable way to nourish your garden and complete the log-burning cycle.

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🐜12. The Uninvited Guests

Damp, unventilated log stores attract mould, woodworm, and other pests — all of which can ruin your firewood’s performance when burned.

The cure:

• Build or buy a raised, ventilated log store. Keep the roof waterproof but the sides open for airflow.
• Rotate your stock so older logs are used first.

🧹Pro Tip: Even kiln dried logs can reabsorb moisture if left on damp ground — store them smartly to preserve that Ready To Burn certified quality. After all, there’s little point buying kiln dried logs to allow them to get wet again.

🔥13. The Cold Start Catastrophe

If you’ve ever struggled to light your log burner, there’s a chance that you’re using the wrong type of wood. Hardwood logs burn long and hot, but it needs a strong flame high temperatures to combust — whereas softwood logs are better for building fires and raising appliances and flue temperatures.

The cure: Start your fire with kindling and natural firelighters, then build with kiln dried softwood logs. Once the stove temperature hits around 230–300°C, add kiln dried hardwood logs to sustain the burn.

🪄 The science behind it: Softwood lights faster because it’s less dense, while denser hardwood provides the lasting heat you need once the fire’s established. Trying to build a fire with hardwood is like trying to light a brick!

DOWNLOAD OUR FIRE LIGHTING SUCCESS GUIDE! How to light a log burner: a success guide by The Log People

READ MORE:

• Hardwood vs Softwood – what’s better for burning?
• 10 ways to to reduce the environmental impact of a log fire

Read more of our handy log burning blogs!

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