Frequently asked questions about kiln dried logs
Yes, you can burn kiln dried logs straight away! We kiln dry our logs to a moisture content of 20% or below and we are certified as Woodsure Ready to Burn. This means that as soon as your order is received, our logs are good to start burning straight away!
Yes, you can store kiln dried logs outside. We kiln dry our logs to a low moisture content, so they would need to re-absorb a lot of water to get them back to a moisture content that’s not burnable. That being said, if storing your logs outside, we would recommend storing them in a log store, or somewhere with an adequate cover.
All woods that are burnt should be dry and contain a moisture content below 20%. Anything above this is damaging to the environment and will also cause damage to your chimney flue. It’s important to check that the wood your purchasing is dry and ready to burn, which is why we would always recommend using kiln dried logs as opposed to seasoned logs.
Seasoned logs are logs which are left to dry on their own. As they are left to dry naturally, they’re heavily reliant on the outside atmosphere and can take many years to reach a low enough moisture content. Typically, seasoned wood will only reach a moisture content of 25% which is not the recommendation for wood burning.
As kiln dried logs have a low moisture content, they will light easier, generate a greater heat output and also produce less smoke.
Our logs are cut to 9”, and for local customers ordering a loose load from us there is the choice to have either 9”, 12”, 15” or 18”. Our 9” logs are our most popular length, so we will almost always have these available for delivery. Our 12”, 15” and 18” logs do not get cut as frequently as they are cut to demand, so small delays can occur when ordering these, depending on what stocks we have available at the time of order.
Other than the length, all of our logs are cut to the same specification, and we are unable to process any special cuts. This is because we only use three processing machines, and these are running during the week to get our stock levels where we need them to be. In order to process a special request, we would have to disrupt our cutting schedule, and this isn’t financially viable.
We kiln dry our logs to a moisture content below 20%. We do offer a money-back guarantee if our logs are not within the promised moisture content range.
We spend time sourcing our raw materials to make sure we get the best quality and most sustainable supplies within the UK. Last year we bought timber from over 70 farms, Estates and woodlands.
We are Grown In Britain accredited, which means that we get all of our timber from well-managed, sustainable woodlands within the UK! Seeing the Grown In Britain logo lets you know that the timber that we have used has been grown and legally felled within the UK in accordance with the UK Government Timber Procurement Policy. The Grown In Britain scheme carries out annual audits and checks to ensure that the companies who are accredited with the Grown In Britain scheme are following the correct measures and procedures. Always look for the Grown in Britain accreditation when purchasing wood, and always check that it hasn’t been imported! (70% of the UK’s wood is imported)
We would always recommend burning kiln dried logs. Kiln dried logs are lower in moisture content in comparison to ordinary seasoned logs. We kiln dry our logs to a moisture content below 20%. A low moisture content means that the fire will burn a lot cleaner and produce a greater heat output.
Also, when the kiln drying process takes place, any insects, and bugs (such as woodworm) that may have been present in the wood prior to drying will be removed during the kiln drying process.
As we are dealing with a natural product, the timber that we source comes in all shapes and sizes. We mainly cut tree trunks between 8 foot (2.4 meters) and 10 foot (3 meters). However, rarely the timber is exactly this length.
For example, if we are cutting 15” logs out of a 98” tree trunk, you will get 6 x 15” logs and an 8” offcut. If we were cutting 18” logs out of the same 98” tree trunk, you will get 5 x 18” logs and an 8” offcut. If, however, you were cutting 9” logs out of the same 98” tree trunk, you will get 10 x 9” logs and an 8” offcut.
This is why it can seem like you get excessive offcuts in a load of 12”/15”/18” logs. We are able to load the trucks by hand thus filtering out any offcuts and making sure the whole load is the length you ordered. However, there is a handling charge of £15.00 for a single load and £30.00 for a double load.
We hope this explains why there are shorter pieces in your load of logs. It is worth remembering that these are ideal for starting the fire and you are still getting the same volume of logs that you are paying for.
At Walker’s Logs, we only use good burning British hardwoods. We cut and dry all of our logs on-site and the species of timber we take from our suppliers do vary, so typically no two loads will be exactly the same. We also have three processing machines and our processors can have different cutting schedules. Our stocks are constantly rotating and because of this, we are not able to deliver any species-specific loads.
Frequently asked questions about Walkers and our delivery service
The products that are delivered with a pallet and bulk bags are delivered using an external delivery company. This is because with our own vehicles we do not have the equipment to move the pallets off the back of the trucks, whereas the external delivery that we use do.
As we use the external delivery company, they do not return to us once deliveries are complete. As a result of this, we are unable to offer a service where the drivers can bring back the bags or pallets.
If you’re in our local delivery area we would always recommend you have one of our loose loads delivered. As these are delivered through Walker’s Logs, the delivery is in our control, so we are able to offer more guidance on any queries you might have regarding delivery. The vehicles we use for local deliveries are a lot more accessible and tend to get into the majority of our local customers’ driveways.
We can deliver our kindling and firelighters, but these can only be delivered with a delivery of our kiln dried logs. If you need just kindling and/or firelighters, you can arrange a collection from us in Compton Abdale, or we can let you know our closest retailers to you for collections.
We can only offer our stacking service on our loose loads of logs, so if you’ve ordered a palleted product or our Kiln Dried Log Bags there will not be an option for the stacking service.
Occasionally, due to a large increase in demand, we have had to put a temporary hold on our stacking service to help relieve some pressure. When we receive a large increase in demand, our lead time will also increase. When we are stacking a loose load of our logs, we roughly plan an extra hour for a Single Load and an extra 2 hours for a Double Load. When we’re under extreme pressure, we can schedule more deliveries in when we are not stacking the loads and just tipping them instead. This helps relieve some pressure and brings our lead time back down, which allows us to be able to deliver to you as quickly as we can.
If you’re in our local area, and if you’ve ordered one of our loose loads of logs, then yes, we can stack your logs for you at an additional cost. We charge £35.00 to stack a single load of logs and £70.00 to stack a double load of logs. This price is based on the driver being able to get his vehicle relatively close to where the logs need to be stacked. We are unable to offer stacking on locations that are a long distance from the parked vehicle, or up/down lots of steps. We are also currently unable to enter and stack inside customer homes.
We can deliver our logs nationwide and we offer free delivery within England and Wales, but unfortunately, our team in the Cotswolds aren’t able to deliver our palleted products or travel nationwide. The Walker’s Logs team can deliver to all our local customers when ordering our loose loads and delivery is typically carried out on a 3.5 Tonne vehicle – These are tipper trucks. Loose loads are typically tipped at the property upon delivery or an optional stacking service can be added. We can deliver our loose, local loads to the following postcode areas; GL, OX, SN, CV & WR.
When ordering one of our palleted products, or if we are delivering to postcodes out of our local delivery range, we use an external pallet-line delivery company to deliver. Delivery is carried out on a 7.5 Tonne vehicle, and the drivers will always do their best to get the pallet onto your driveway, but sometimes this isn’t always possible and this can be left kerbside. They are also not able to move the pallets over soft grounds such as grass, or gravel driveways, and they are not able to move the pallets up any slopes as they use a hand pallet truck to move the pallets around. The drivers are not able to enter customer properties and they are unable to bring the pallets back.
When receiving a nationwide delivery, we are able to offer you a weekday that is convenient for you, however, we are unable to advise you of the time of day at the point of order. On the chosen delivery day, we can get in touch with the delivery company to provide you with a rough approximate time of arrival – however, these occasionally can be delayed if the drivers are held up at previous deliveries or for other external factors, such as vehicle issues. If you’re not home at the time of the scheduled delivery and/or the delivery isn’t able to take place a re-delivery fee will be applicable.
If you are within our local delivery range then it’s always best to order from the local products.
We do offer a collection service. Orders for our Kiln Dried Log Bags, Kindling and Firelighters can be collected from us in Compton Abdale. To arrange a collection, please give the office a call on 01285 720940.
We carry out our deliveries in all types of weather – as long as it’s safe for our drivers. If the weather isn’t very pleasant on the day of delivery, and if for example, it’s raining, we do cover the back of our local delivery trucks with a tarpaulin so your logs do not get wet along the way. Once the driver gets to you our loose loads are typically tipped, so we would always recommend having a tarpaulin ready for when our drivers arrive and they will cover the logs for you to ensure they’re kept dry until you are able to move them.
On a busy day, we can deliver the equivalent of 30 Single Loads of Kiln Dried Logs and all of our deliveries are geographically paired together. Because of this, we do have a 24-hour cancellation policy on our deliveries to allow us time to try and schedule another delivery in. Any cancellations or re-delivery requests made with less than 24 hours’ notice to the delivery date can incur a re-delivery charge of £25.00.
It is slightly harder to give you a timed window for your delivery, but with our local loads, we can try to narrow this down to an AM or PM delivery slot. We can also ask our delivery drivers to give you a call when they are on their way with your order.
If you’re having a delivery via our external delivery company, we can get in touch with the delivery office on your chosen day of delivery to provide you with a rough estimated time of arrival.
We carry out our deliveries Monday – Friday and our standard lead time is 3 – 5 working days. However, during our busier periods, our lead time can be extended.
When an online order is received, we will contact you to discuss your delivery and to schedule you in for a delivery date. We can usually always deliver on a day that is convenient for you, depending on what we already have scheduled for that day.
At certain times we are overwhelmed with orders and in order to keep the majority of our customers supplied we suspend the stacking service.
The stacking service is far less likely to be suspended in the Summer, when demand is lower.
Frequently asked questions about Walkers Logs
You can place an order through our website, or you can give the office a call on 01285 720940 to place an order.
We kiln dry all of our logs to a moisture content below 20%. As a result of the low moisture content, our logs will be lighter than seasoned/wet logs, so we sell our logs by the cubic metre.
We would always recommend purchasing by the cubic metre, as when purchasing by the weight (most typically by the tonne) you can never be too sure about the exact quantity you’re purchasing as logs with a higher moisture content will be heavier, and unless the load comes with a weighbridge ticket, you can never be too sure about what quantity you’re really getting!
This will all depend on how efficient your wood-burning stove is, how often you are lighting your fire, whether logs are your main source of heating or an added heating source and how cold the winter is. Every household varies – some customers can go through multiple double loads a season, and some customers order a single load which can also last them a season. As a rough guide, we would suggest that the equivalent of our double load of kiln dried logs would be sufficient to last a Winter season.
We are here year-round for orders and deliveries, but we would always recommend getting stocked up with logs sooner rather than later, and not ordering when you have run or are just about to run out of logs. Winter is our busiest time of the year and we will always do our best to get a delivery to you as quickly as we can, but sometimes an increase in demand can cause an increase in lead time.
To avoid any disappointment, we would always recommend scheduling a delivery before you are due to run out of logs, so that if we do have an extended lead time you have enough logs to see you through before we get to you with your next order.
