collected wood and open fire

[Wyandotte]

Hello :)

We need to cut down on our electric bills this year (storage heaters)

We have always used our open fire which although probably not the most efficient it does heat the downstairs and up to the bedroom. we cannot afford a woodburner so are stuck with the open fire

We cut some trees back when we moved in 7 years ago and have a stash of wood about 3-4 inches in diameter, we tried to use some of this a couple of years back but had a chimney fire so havent risked it again but there is still quite a pile

The plan this year is to use whatever wood I can find to try to maximise the use of the fire, I can get pallet wood free from work and also have land with lots of trees so can collect small branches and twigs for kindling

Are both of these safe for open fires and how long would I have to keep the branches (1-2 inches diameter) and twigs before I can use them?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, I am paranoid about starting another chimney fire

Chimney is swept in the autumn and also has a cap on to stop birds nesting

[Freeranger]

If your chimney has been swept since the fire, I think wood would be better because it would leave less residue than the tar and sulphurs of coal. If it's an open fire then it doesn't need to be as seasoned as for a stove, where the clogging of the flue and doors can be an issue. 2 yrs would be brilliant, but you can burn much sooner - a few months would be OK, and the pallets or any dead wood straight away. If you put wood on an open fire that's too dry, you're up and down all night replacing it because it burns too quickly, so you might want to use the pallet for kindling and the branches as bulk.