Freshly cut firewood has a water content of up to 50% and will not burn in a fireplace. First, you'll need to dry the firewood, so that it loses moisture-the drier the wood, the cleaner the burn. When the water content is less than 20%, the wood is ready to be burned. Burning undried (freshly felled) or partially dry wood in your stove or fireplace will cause soot to build up in the chimney. The worst effect, a fire can occur in the chimney. The most minimal effect, the wood flame is reduced or your room is full of burning smoke. Every homeowner who uses firewood should know how to dry firewood.
Step
Step 1. Before starting the drying process, know the nature of the wood
Timber drying time depends on the type of wood. For deciduous trees (whose leaves fall off on their own), the drying time depends on when the wood was cut. In winter, the sap from deciduous trees travels to the roots, so wood that is felled in winter has a lower water content, so it dries faster. Usually pine and other softwoods take about 6 to 12 months to dry, while hardwoods such as oak take one to two years. However, this general principle has exceptions, so knowing the type of tree and its water content is very important.
- Surface water will usually evaporate more quickly. What must be considered is the water content in the wood.
- Wood species such as shagbark hickory, cherry, and black locust will not have much of an impact with natural drying (aerated) methods because they have a low moisture content. On the other hand, wood from trees such as hemlock, cottonwood, American elm and fig will do better if dried for a long time. Types of wood from other trees also vary.
- More importantly, drying the wood longer than it should is useless. Wood that is too dry has less energy because the ester compounds in the wood are volatile. The wax in wood stores a lot of heat energy, so it would be a mistake to think that the longer it is dried the better.
- You can rent or purchase a special tool to test the moisture content of wood (commonly known as a "wood moisture tester" or similar).
Step 2. Collect and stack wood at the best time of the year
Apart from collecting wood from deciduous trees when the sap is least in winter, collecting and drying wood in summer makes a lot of sense as you can take advantage of the hot weather to start drying the wood. In areas where there is little rainfall in the summer, outdoor storage is also an option. Each drop of rain usually replaces the sap and because the water evaporates faster when it's hot, the firewood will dry faster.
Step 3. Split the wood into pieces that are ready for storage
The best pieces of wood have a diameter of no more than 15-20 cm. Usually the length of the piece of wood is 45cm, although the correct length for the face cord should be 40cm. This size is also more fitting in a small furnace.
Step 4. Store the piece of wood outdoors
Do not store wood in the house. If there are termites, they can get into the house!
Step 5. Stack the wood so it doesn't stick directly to the ground or walls
If you don't have a wood shed, cut two saplings and then use them as supports so that the firewood doesn't hit the ground directly. Pallets can also be used as an alternative to the base.
If you don't have or don't want to make side supports, you can stack the pieces of wood at 90 degrees to each other so that the pile supports itself
Step 6. Leave some space between the pile of wood and the wall for air to flow through
Air circulation is an important part of the drying process, to ensure the wood is dry. Ideally, you should have a moisture barrier such as a tarp under the wood, and/or leave some space between the wood and the floor for air to flow through.
Step 7. Make sure the top of the wood is covered so that rain (or snow) can flow without wetting the wood
However, leave the bottom of the pile open so that air can circulate and the humidity will decrease.
- The bark acts as a cover for the firewood, providing natural protection. If the wood has been cut, stack the wood with the bark at the bottom to allow the wood to dry faster. If you store the wood without a cover, stacking it with the bark facing up will prevent rain from soaking the wood.
- There are two theories about covering the wood during the drying process. You have to decide for yourself which theory to follow. The first theory was mentioned earlier––a wooden cover to prevent rain and snow from entering and collecting into the center of the pile. However, in the firewood community, there is another theory that you shouldn't cover wood at all. Just leave it in the open air and the wood will be as dry as when the wood was covered. This theory is supported by many people and they are pretty sure this method is as successful as the method of covering up pieces of wood. Maybe you could try dividing the wood into two groups and try both theories.
Step 8. Check the dryness of the wood
You can use the wood moisture tester mentioned earlier, if you have one. If you don't have such a tool, try this simple test:
- 1. Choose two pieces of wood that you think are dry. Hit the two pieces. If it makes a loud thud instead of a thud, the wood is probably dry.
- 2. In addition, also check for large cracks on the ends of the wood. These cracks indicate dry wood.
- 3. Burn a piece of wood on a blazing fire. If all three sides start to burn in less than fifteen minutes, the wood is dry.
Tips
- The assumption that pine wood is dangerous if burned or creates more soot is just a myth. If pine wood is properly dried, it will produce as much soot as other types of wood. However, because pine wood contains a high resin content, it burns hotter and faster than denser hardwoods. This means that your pieces of wood will run out faster.
- Place the pile of wood where it gets the most sun throughout the day.
- Unlike many people imagine, ash wood can't be burned right away. Like other types of wood, ash wood must also be dried first. Most people think that ash wood can be burned immediately because it has a lower moisture content than other wood pieces. While other types of wood are 50% water, ash is only 30% water. Most wood is fairly dry after 8 months, if the process is correct. But of course the longer the better. Ideally, your wood should only contain 20% moisture.
- Always cover your wood pieces so they don't get wet from rain/snow.
- Store wood more than 6 meters from your home. In addition, the base of the storage area must be coated with termite and must be regularly maintained to prevent termites and worker ants from nesting in your woodpile.
Warning
- Never pile up rotten wood. There is no point in storing rotten wood because when it is burned it produces very little heat.
- Never cover all wood with a tarp. The water content in the wood will not evaporate and instead of becoming dry, the wood will actually rot. The water content in the wood pile must be able to evaporate.
- Don't stack the wood higher than you. Getting hit by wood on the head can cause serious injury.
- Do not burn freshly felled, undried, or partially dried wood in a fireplace or stove because the wood may not burn at all. Even if the wood burns, soot will build up in the chimney, which can cause a chimney fire.
- Carefully chop the wood. An ax injury is much more likely than you might think. (In fact, getting injured by an ax is one of the causes of accidents in homes where the owners provide their own firewood).
- Some wood, even after drying, tends to give off a lot of sparks. Be extra careful when burning these types of wood, lest the dry materials and the surrounding fabric catch fire due to the ignition of the fire.
- When chopping wood, wear protective goggles and shin guards (usually worn for baseball). This is to protect your bones from getting hurt if your ax swings off.
- Do not use rare trees as firewood. Also avoid using local trees whose numbers are starting to be small.
- Watch out for snakes, spiders, and/or other dangerous animals that can nest in the woodpile. Never handle wood without gloves. Buy leather gloves or some other material and then take the wood from the outside instead of sticking your hands into the pile hole.
