By Katie Conaway | Firewood
Dec. 272018
Firewood should never come from wood of a recently cut down tree. Why? Because new cut firewood contains moisture which means it is hard to burn and will produce excessive smoke when burned. This is not only unpleasant, but can lead tocreosotebuildupin a chimney, which can be very dangerous if not detected or dealt with in a timely manner.
The best firewood is dry firewood, that has been properly “seasoned”. However, there are two ways to think of seasoned firewood.
Moisture Level is Key
Good burning wood is supposed to be between 15% and 20% moisture. Above that, and burning efficiency goes significantly down, while the production of smoke goes significantly up. In this case there are two choices, seasoned and kiln dried.
Seasoned Firewood
Seasoned wood is wood that has beenthoroughlydried for a proper amount of time. It can be wood that has been cut down right on your property, stored in a dried place and allowed to dry for a minimum of six months. That’s great if you have to time to wait. However, if you need firewood sooner than six months, kiln dried is the best bet.
Kiln Dried Firewood
Kiln driedfirewood is seasoned firewood, but it is available for use much, much faster. The kiln is a type of oven that dries firewood in around75 minutes. When dried in a kiln, the internaltemperature of the woodismaintainedbetween 140 degrees to 160 degrees, reducing the amount of moistureto around 10% to 20%.
The quick trying time and the moisture level aren’t the only benefits of kiln dried wood. The drying process alsokillsbugsand fungus.Since the wood dries so fast and so completely, the formation ofmold and mildewis eliminated too. Withtraditional, time warranted seasoning, mold and mildew have a better chance of forming since the wood is slowly losing moisture over an extended period of time.
As a result, kiln dried firewoodprovides benefits to the consumer and the environment.
Consumer
- Guaranteed to Burn –due tolow moisture content (10%–15%)
- Clean– all insects, bugs or molds are eliminated
- Convenience – since it is clean, it can be always be stored inside, no need to trek outside in the cold
- Energy Efficient –gives up to 35% more heat output than seasoned wood
- Less Creosote –less chimney problems and maintenancesince it “burns clean”
Environment
Kiln dried firewood is also a benefit to the environment since the drying process rids the wood of pests and potentially harmful spores.
- It can be taken on camping trips where firewood is scarce, without fear of spreading infestations, adhering to “Don’t Move Firewood” mandates
- Helpsstop the spread ofharmfulinsects like theEmerald Ash Borer
- Emits less smoke into the air, compromising air qualityless than moisture rich firewood
So, no matter if the wood was felled in your backyard, or purchased from a kiln dried firewood dealer, seasoned wood is essential for the best wood burning fires. If you don’t believe us, try it for yourself.
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