By Johnathan Mason, Ace Chimney Service.
A fireplace is not a way to get rid of things. Most of what gets thrown on a fire out of convenience either damages the chimney, poisons the air in the room, or both. This is the list we would hand every Woodstock homeowner at the start of the season.
Wet or unseasoned wood
The most common mistake and the most damaging. Green wood spends its energy boiling off water instead of producing heat, burns cool and smoky, and coats the flue with creosote at a rate that dry wood never approaches. If it hisses at the end grain, it is not ready.
Treated, painted, or stained wood
Never. Pressure-treated lumber, old decking, painted trim, plywood, particleboard, and pallets release chemicals and heavy metals when burned. Those go into your room, your neighbourhood, and your ash bucket. Construction offcuts are not free firewood.
Cardboard, wrapping paper, and glossy print
Light material burns fast and hot, throws flaming fragments up the flue, and can start a chimney fire in a flue that already has creosote in it. Coated and coloured papers add their own emissions. Cardboard in particular tends to lift while burning — exactly what you do not want happening inside a chimney.
Christmas trees and evergreen boughs
A dried conifer contains resin and burns explosively. It is a spectacular, brief, and genuinely dangerous fire. Take the tree to the municipal collection instead.
Accelerants
No petrol, no lighter fluid, no kerosene, no charcoal starter, ever, under any circumstances. Fires are started with kindling and paper or a purpose-made starter, and nothing else.
Charcoal, and anything you are not sure about
Charcoal produces carbon monoxide at levels an indoor fireplace flue is not intended to handle. Driftwood carries salt that corrodes metal components. Manufactured logs are made for open fireplaces in limited quantity and should not be stacked or used in a stove unless the label says so. Plastics of any kind, obviously, never.
What does belong
Seasoned hardwood, split, stacked off the ground and under cover for at least six months and preferably a full year. Oak, hickory, maple, ash, and birch all burn well once dry. Build hot, bright fires rather than damping one down to smoulder overnight — smouldering is what lines a chimney with creosote. Our DIY chimney care page has more on fuel and burning habits.
Whatever you burn, the flue still needs its annual look. Book a sweep and inspection before the cold sets in. Ace Chimney Service has 29 years in the trade, is insured and bonded, quotes the price up front, and works seven days a week from 7 AM to 7 PM across Crystal Lake and McHenry County. Call (815) 320-0883.
Frequently asked questions
Why is burning wet wood so bad?
Energy goes into evaporating water rather than heating the room, and the cool, smoky exhaust condenses as creosote in the flue.
Can I burn pine?
Well-seasoned softwood burns fine but produces less heat per log and more ash. The resin concern applies mostly to green conifer and fresh boughs.
Is it safe to burn cardboard boxes?
No. They burn fast, throw embers up the flue, and can ignite existing creosote.
What about manufactured or wax logs?
Use them one at a time in an open fireplace as the packaging directs, and do not put them in an appliance unless it is listed for them.
Can I burn my Christmas tree in the fireplace?
No. Dried resinous conifer burns violently and is a known chimney fire cause.
Why is driftwood a problem?
Salt content corrodes metal parts and produces undesirable emissions when burned.
Is charcoal ever acceptable indoors?
No. It is an outdoor fuel because of the carbon monoxide it produces.
Does burning correctly mean I can skip the sweep?
It slows creosote considerably, but the annual inspection also covers water damage, animals, and structural condition.
Published September 10, 2026