If you are new to heating with wood, you may be wondering what is the best way to dry firewood. There are some tricks and methods you can use to speed up the drying process, but there are also important factors to keep in mind. The thing firewood and wine have in common is the fact that they both get better over time. When dry or “seasoned” firewood has a moisture content of 20% or less, it is ready to burn. However, how long does it take for it to get there? Now this article is intended to give you some answers to these and other questions so that you can make optimal use of your solid fuel during the heating season.
Why you should dry firewood as a natural heat source
Drying firewood is important to ensure it burns safely and efficiently. Most firewood matures within 6 – 18 months and there are many variables that can affect this drying time. For example, hardwoods take longer to dry because they are denser than softwoods. Some of them even take up to 2 years to mature. From the type of tree species used to the climate changes that year, the length of the trunk and how you store it all play a role in the drying process. First you should be able to recognize whether and howFuel for heatingdries properly. The following instructions may help you.
Freshly cut wood has a moisture content of around 30-50%. Firewood left in wet conditions may be even wetter. There is also a significant difference between wet and green firewood. Some woods have very flammable sap and burn well even when green. These include pine and broom. Wet wood will use all of the fire's heat to dry out, and you'll be left with a smoky, cold fire that's frustrating to manage. If you've had wet and sizzling firewood instead of dry and clean burning, you'll begin to understand the importance of being able to dry your firewood properly.
How to recognize dried out logs
There are a few tried and tested methods to determine whether your firewood is ready to burn or not. Whether you cut the logs yourself or want to purchase logs from a retailer, there are important factors to consider before doing soWood in stove for heatingthrow.
- cracks– Properly seasoned wood has a gray, weathered appearance and large cracks at the ends of the logs. The larger these cracks are, the drier the wood is. It is better to purchase logs that have been split because they have more exposed surface area where moisture can be lost.
- Color– Over time the color of the wood begins to darken and fade. It goes from a bright, fresh piece of green wood to a dull, grayish piece of dry firewood. Additionally, color is perhaps one of the best indicators of whether the firewood is finished.
- Odor– Using a small hatchet or your favorite cutting tool, cut the trunk so that you can smell it. Then sniff the freshly cut piece. If there is a strong aroma, it is still too wet to use. If you can notice that the cut pieces of wood are damp, this is also a good indicator that they should not have burned yet.
- Weight– Dry wood naturally weighs less than wet fuel. At this point, you may have discovered that it is water in the wood that is stopping you from throwing freshly cut logs into the fire. When this moisture leaves the wood, it naturally becomes lighter. Fresh logs weigh almost twice as much as dry wood.
- Yield– As the wood begins to dry, its bark loosens and eventually falls off. In a whole load of seasoned logs, most logs no longer have any bark.
Use a moisture meter
The best way to check the moisture in your firewood is to use a moisture meter. These small devices are usually handheld and have an LCD display that shows the percentage of moisture in the wood. As mentioned above, firewood is ready to burn when the humidity is below 20%, with something between 15% – 20% being ideal.
- A moisture meter has two prongs at the end. To check the wood, insert these into the wood at the point to be checked.
- To get a more accurate reading, you will need to test multiple locations. The most important thing is the middle of the logs.
- Use a hatchet or small ax to split the log in half.
- When finished, test the center of the stem with the moisture meter.
- You can spend as much as you want on a moisture meter.
Is there a danger in burning wet wood?
Burning wet firewood leaves a cold room, lots of smoke, and lots of sticky creosote in your chimney that can cause a chimney fire. However, you don't have to take that risk, as you'll see below. With just a few steps it is easy to quickly and easily transform fresh or wet wood into dry wood. In addition, many types of wood can be dried out in 6-12 weeks if dried properly.
- Kiln-dried firewood can be obtained by taking green or damp wood and drying it in a kiln to a specific moisture content.
- However, it is unusual to purchase such solid fuel because kiln drying uses a lot of energy and is therefore usually reserved for drying lumber.
- You can use such wood in your wood stove or fire pit if you have access to dry pieces of wood. This provides fuel with a very low moisture content, perfect for lighting in a wood stove or fireplace. It ignites very quickly and burns hot.
This is the fastest way to dry your firewood
Now you know how to tell if your firewood is seasoned. The followingDrying tipsof wood are intended to show you how to dry firewood faster. Keep in mind that anything over 20% moisture content is not quite optimal. The fastest way to dry wood is to use a kiln. They are typically found in commercial settings where large quantities of wood are processed. However, since most of us don't have one of these, there are some second-best methods you can use to dry your firewood quickly. Also remember that the annual climate plays a big role in how long it takes for your firewood to dry. Hot, dry summers dry out a piece of wood better than a cool, humid summer.
Follow simple steps and speed up the drying process
- Increase theAir circulation– Increasing airflow to and around each piece of wood is one of the best ways to speed up the entire drying process. If possible, stack the wood on a shelf above the floor. This allows air to flow underneath. Also, don't stack the wood against a wall. No air can circulate behind the logs.
- On theSize of the logIt depends – Cutting the logs to fit your fireplace is common sense, but this actually helps with the drying process. In general, a smaller piece of wood will logically dry faster than a larger log. Not only does the size help dry each piece a little faster, but it also saves you from having to reprocess the firewood before use.
- Leave themsun do the work– Spreading your freshly cut logs on a sidewalk, driveway, or drying rack in the sun is another great way to shorten drying time. Additionally, it is helpful to expose each log to sunshine if possible. In stacks, the bottom parts don't dry as quickly because they don't get direct sunlight. Some people don't have enough space for this, which is understandable. Instead, pay close attention to the top layer of firewood as it dries faster. When this dries out, move the logs to your storage rack, which will allow you to expose the second layer of wood to the sun.
- Stack correctly– Moisture comes out of the wood mainly at the cut ends and not at the center. For this reason, it is best to expose both ends of the wood to the wind. A firewood rack stacked outdoors with exposed sides will dry faster than a rack stacked on the side of a barn.
So what’s the takeaway from everything you’ve read so far? Simple but timely and clever steps can speed up the drying process a lot. You still have to wait several months, but it will help. Use the tips above to determine if your firewood is ready for use, and if you get the chance, get a moisture meter to be on the safe side.
Which types of firewood dry and burn the fastest?
As described above, softwoods dry much faster than most hardwoods. However, they also burn significantly faster and at a lower temperature. With this in mind, it's best to find a mix of soft and hard woods to burn in your wood fire. Using a good moisture meter will help you check the moisture content of your logs. Woods like pine and willow dry the fastest, but you'll need plenty of them to keep you warm over a long winter.
Use the dehumidifier trick on firewood
If you're in a pinch and need to dry your firewood super quickly, you have the option of bringing it indoors. The hack here is to run a dehumidifier to suck out some of the moisture. This speeds up the drying time of the wood, but it is best used to remove surface rain wetness from otherwise well-seasoned wood. Also make sure to stack your stack with enough air gaps. Do not operate your dehumidifier outdoors or in places where the plug can get wet.
