Learn About Seasoned Wood

Most people are unaware that firewood harvested from a tree retains around 50% of its moisture. This poses several issues when attempting to utilize it in your fireplace. Individuals must instead season the firewood so that it dries out and moisture departs the premises. At the end of the day, dried wood burns better and cleaner. Under 20% water content in the wood is ideal for any fire. However, many individuals believe that they may burn anything in a fire to keep the flames burning.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Inadequately seasoned wood will create creosote buildup in a chimney or liner. Creosote buildup may be extremely dangerous since it can cause a fire to start and devour an entire room or residence. When utilizing a wood-burning fireplace indoors, knowing how to properly season fuel is essential.

Storage Suggestions
When stacking wood, use stapled bases to hold it off the ground. Pallet wood can also be used as an alternative. To keep the wood from collapsing all at once, add side supports to the pile. Another clever technique is to stack the ends of the wood at a 90-degree angle for each layer, allowing your pile to sustain itself.

Circulation of Air in Wood Pile
Seasoning wood works best when air can circulate around and through the wood pile. When air is introduced into the drying process, the wood dries more faster. A tarp or sheet can be placed beneath the wood to function as a moisture barrier. Another approach to help season your wood through air circulation is to keep the wood above the ground so that air can circulate beneath the stack. If you employ this approach, treat the area to keep termites and carpenter ants at bay.

Finally, keep the wood away from any walls so that air may flow freely. A decent rule of thumb is to keep your wood at least 20 feet away from any structure.

Wood Protection against the Elements
Because air flow is required to properly season your wood, you should not keep your wood pile outside in the cold. Rain and snow may be damaging to your seasoning when it comes to the elements.

Instead, a tarp may be used to divert rain and snow away from your wood. Leave the ends of your wood pieces exposed so that air may do its job. If your wood still has bark on it, you have two alternatives for preserving it from rain and snow. To make the most of the bark, stack the wood with the bark facing up. This will assist prevent rain from entering your pile.

The alternative option is to pile it with the barked side facing down. This will aid with the seasoning process, but remember to tarp the pile when the weather becomes bad. When weather and seasoning conflict, as previously indicated, there are two choices. Some firewood experts feel that soaking the wood is part of the natural seasoning process. Sure, it will take longer, but it will be all-natural.

The Dryness Test
Many folks are curious as to when the seasoned wood will be finished. There are several methods for determining whether your wood is ready for use. First, take two pieces of freshly seasoned wood and pound them together. Check to see whether the wood sounds like it’s “ringing” rather than “banging.” Also, start a fire using your wood. Is it ready in 15 minutes or less? If this is the case, your wood is ready to burn. Finally, inspect the wood for cracks. This indicates that moisture is no longer present inside the wood and that it is beginning to crack due to dryness.

If you suspect that your chimney or fireplace is having some issues, have an expert inspect it. Call Local Chimney Sweep Cleaning today. We also offer Chimney Cleaning Grizzly Flats and other affordable services.

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