Bonfire night is over and for many, this means the fire-making gloves are hung up until next year’s celebration. For others who simply aren’t ready for the fun to be over, bonfire season is just beginning.
Bonfires are great for many things. They offer a way to unplug from the busy world by leaving the devices indoors, going outside, and enjoying the evening uninterrupted. They promote social behavior by bringing family and friends together to enjoy catching up around a warm fire (with hot chocolates of course!). The warmth, comfort, and relaxing sounds even significantly help reduce blood pressure, a study by the University of Alabama discovered. The benefits are endless!
It’s no surprise that bonfires start to make more of an appearance as the days get shorter and the nights get colder. Unfortunately, if bonfires are not built and conducted safely, this nostalgic seasonal tradition can very quickly end in disaster.
County Logs and Coal, the best supplier of kiln dried logs Essex has to offer, is here to help. Here’s our expert guide on how to build a bonfire in your garden, the safe way.
Permission
Before you can even start to think about building your bonfire, it’s essential to make sure you have the right to. The first step is to check if you need to hold a permit for a bonfire, and if not, you can easily get one.
Next, you want to make sure bonfires are legal in your area as many councils have restrictions on what times and days you can burn a bonfire. You can do this by getting in touch with your local council. Alternatively, visit this page for information.
Lastly, get in touch with your local fire department and ask them if there is any additional information you need before you get to work on your bonfire (this could be bonfire requirements and rules). Once you’ve done a quick weather forecast check and ruled heavy winds out of the equation, you’re ready to begin planning your bonfire.
Preparation
You will need to choose a suitable place for your bonfire. Next to the wooden fence is a big no, amongst dry grass is also off the list. Try to find the most open spot in your garden, as far away from anything flammable as possible. Fires travel fast. The slightest gust of wind could carry sparks from your bonfire to nearby structures, cars, and even people. As a rule of thumb, anything within 7 feet of the burning hot mass is at risk.
Once you’ve found a suitable area, you now need to decide how much you care about that one piece of ground. Fire burns all in its path, including the ground it’s on. If you can stand a bald patch in your garden (for quite some time) then you are ready to proceed.
However, if you take pride in your lawn, you have options to protect it. By laying down tarp and layering it with lots (and lots) of soil, you do have a chance at saving your grass from becoming patchy.
Material
A bonfire’s success is heavily dependent upon the materials you choose to burn it with. Collecting the correct materials to provide a warm, long-burning and safe bonfire is next on the County Logs and Coal safe bonfire list.
Picking the logs you are going to burn can seem like a simple enough task, but once you put some thought and consideration into what you’ll be burning and why, you’ll begin to understand the science behind a good bonfire and a bad one.
County Logs and Coal, the best supplier of seasoned logs Essex has to offer, knows a thing or two about good quality firewood. The first and most simple rule to follow – hardwoods only!
Any hardwood you buy is instantly going to be 10x better than any softwood when it comes to a bonfire. Firs, Pine, and Cedar are all types of softwood. This type of wood contains a large amount of resin – which means more soot and mess to clear up after – and burns incredibly fast. When it comes to a bonfire, you want logs that are not going to cut your evening short.
Hardwoods – such as Oak, Beech, and Birch – are ideal bonfire materials. Hardwood reaches high temperatures and burns for much longer, keeping you toasty and warm steadily throughout the night.
In our opinion, Beech logs are the best quality hardwood you can buy. With such a low resin ratio and high wood density, you really can’t beat this supreme hardwood choice when it comes to your bonfire wood.
County Logs and Coal, with the best quality logs Essex has to offer, has a range of Beech logs for sale. Take a look at our exceptional range of Beech logs here.
Construction
You’ve got your chosen area and now you have your material (hopefully the best logs Essex has to offer from yours truly) now all that’s left is to build!
A bonfire that is thrown together by dumping logs in a pile is at risk of changing, spreading, and separating as the wood burns.
A safe bonfire is contained, stable, and controlled. There are many ways to build a safe structured bonfire, one of the best examples being the pyramid.
The pyramid structure aims to layer logs on top of each other, perpendicular to the previous layer to create a pyramid-like shape. By laying larger logs at the bottom and slowly working your way up with smaller logs, you’ll achieve a wide base and small surface area on top.
This structure is one of the safest there is. The weight and pressure of this build keep logs stable and in place, decreasing the change of runaway logs. The shape of the pyramid acts as a fountain where the fire will slowly trickle down from the top to the bottom, allowing for a longer burning time compared to other structures. The way these logs are laid allows for oxygen to enter all parts of the pyramid, which as many know, is a key ingredient to a good bonfire.
Fire, baby!
Ignite the match, set it to your bonfire, relax and enjoy the show. You’ve successfully built a safe bonfire using a stable structure, the highest-quality logs available, and followed all rules and restrictions! We guarantee that creating such an impressive bonfire (and making it look so easy) is enough to impress the in-laws.
Don’t wait to order the best logs Essex has to offer!
You’ve got the determination, we’ve got the best logs Essex can offer. If you’re ready to start building your safest bonfire yet, County Logs and Coal has everything you need.
Not only do we have the highest-quality firewood on the market, but also have a dedicated and passionate team who want nothing more than to provide you with the best service possible. County Logs and Coal will happily transport your log delivery to your shed, log shelter, or garden to save you the heavy lifting – what more could you need?
Get in contact with the best supplier of seasoned logs Essex has to offer here, we can’t wait to hear from you!