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3.2.5 How to Dry Firewood
Firewood that is not dry enough to burn is the cause of most complaints about wood inserts.
Continually burning green or unseasoned wood produces more creosote and involves lack of heat
and dirty glass door. See Section 5: Maintaining your wood heating system for concerns about
creosote.
Here are some things to consider in estimating drying time:
•
firewood takes a long time to dry
•
firewood bought from a dealer is rarely dry enough to burn, so it is advisable to buy the wood in
spring and dry it yourself
•
drying happens faster in dry weather than in damp, maritime climates
•
drying happens faster in warm summer weather than in winter weather
•
small pieces dry more quickly than large pieces
•
split pieces dry more quickly than unsplit rounds
•
softwoods take less time to dry than hardwoods
•
softwoods like pine, spruce, and poplar/aspen can be dry enough to burn after being stacked in
the open for only the summer months
•
hardwoods like oak, maple and ash can take one, or even two years to dry fully, especially if
the pieces are big
•
firewood dries more quickly when stacked in the open where it is exposed to sun and wind; it
takes much longer to dry when stacked in a wood shed
•
firewood that is ready to burn has a moisture content between15 and 20% by weight and will
allow your stove to produce its highest possible efficiency
3.2.6 Judging Firewood Moisture Content
You can find out if some firewood is dry enough to burn by using these guidelines:
•
cracks form at the ends of logs as they dry
•
as it dries in the sun, the wood turns from white or cream coloured to grey or yellow,
•
bang two pieces of wood together; seasoned wood sounds hollow and wet wood sounds dull,
•
dry wood is much lighter in weight than wet wood,
•
split a piece, and if the fresh face feels warm and dry it is dry enough to burn; if it feels damp, it
is too wet,
•
burn a piece; wet wood hisses and sizzles in the fire and dry wood does not.
Solution 1.8 Installation and Operation Manual
13
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