A local chimney sweep and firewood seller are overwhelmed by how much business there's been so far this winter.

Dampier Street Wood Yard owner Kerry Bruce said with quite a few wet days recently, she suspected people had their fires burning consistently, and were churning through wood.

"There's demand for quality wood, they're trying to get onto good quality wood that burns hot and long," Mrs Bruce said.

"Tamworth people do like their ironbark or box wood, it's known to burn hot and good for overnight burning."

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Mrs Bruce and her husband Steve source wood from a supplier near Bundarra, and both are lovers of traditional wood fire heating.

She believed the demand was still there for wood heaters, even though more modern options were available.

"The woodfire heating is more continuous, it heats your whole home whereas your gas, electric heaters and reverse cycle tend to heat the air and that's it," Mrs Bruce said.

"It's still a very popular heating method, people like the feeling of what a wood heater provides, the ambience. It's kind of like a dual purpose."

Tamworth chimney sweep, Kevin Howe, said it had been "stupidity" how many homes he'd already tended to this winter.

"It hit a few weeks ago, all things like gas heaters, right through to flues and brick fireplaces," he said.

But he said there had been many instances recently where he'd discovered homeowners doing the wrong thing with their woodfires.

"I was called to one Tuesday morning, they wanted the flue done straight away. It was totally blocked. Unblocking a flue isn't a five minute job, it takes a bit of doing," Mr Howe said.

"People are burning green wood, which is a no-no. It lets up a lot of smoke ... and it goes up like oil and sets like popcorn.

"This is where you get chimney fires from, excess amount of heat on that acts like fuel."

He describes green wood as any wood that has excess moisture.

Mr Howe also gets "cranky" with people who have used their fire as an incinerator by burning incorrect materials.

"Burning leftover containers or drink bottles is a no-no," he said.

"You'd be surprised what they burn in them. It's okay if they burn pallets, but burning plastics is forbidden, you just can't do it."

Mr Howe said locals also needed to ensure their family was safe by keeping drying clothes at least one metre away, keeping an eye on woodfires at all times, and to have their chimneys/flues cleaned at least once a year.

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