If you rely on wood for home heating, you know how important it is to have well-seasoned firewood.
Whether planning to cut, split, and season it yourself or purchase it from a reliable source, ensuring it's well-seasoned can mean the difference between a smokey, cool fire and an efficiently warm home. Unseasoned firewood can lead to excessive smoke, poor heat output, and increased creosote buildup in your chimney, which can be a fire hazard.
Seasoning firewood involves drying the wood to reduce its moisture content. This is typically done by storing the wood in a dry, well-ventilated area for a period of time. With this in mind, we're sharing some important tips and tricks for how to season firewood.
What Does Seasoned Firewood Mean?
You'll typically want to let split firewood dry for six to twelve months before using it -- the longer, the better! If you're planning to cut, split, and season your own wood for fall and winter use, you should start in the spring to give it plenty of time to dry.
Here are some tips and tricks for how to dry firewood quickly:
- Cut and split the wood into smaller pieces for faster drying. A RuggedMade log splitter, especially one fitted with a 6-way wedge, can make this job significantly easier and quicker, allowing you to prepare your firewood properly.
- Remove the bark from the wood. It's more work upfront, but it can reduce drying time. A tool like a straight draw knife can help make short work of this job.
- Stack the firewood outside in a well-ventilated space to allow air to flow around it. Keep it off the ground using flat patio stones, concrete, or pallets as a foundation. This is important because ground contact can lead to moisture absorption, slowing drying. You can use a drying rack for up to a quarter of a cord of split firewood. Make sure your woodpile is in a covered area to keep rain and snow off it, but also where it has plenty of air circulation and exposure to direct sunlight.
- Timing is crucial. Drying wood during the months with the lowest humidity, typically in the late spring and summer, will significantly speed up the process, making you a firewood boss!
How to Tell if Firewood Is Seasoned?
When wood is dry enough to burn safely, it will look different from fresher wood. It will take on a grayer color, and you'll see splitting and cracking on the ends of the logs. Because of its lower water content, it should also feel lighter than fresh wood. If you bang two pieces together, they should make a hollow sound. For a more scientific test, a moisture meter can measure the moisture content inside a log to show if your wood is seasoned properly. Using seasoned firewood ensures a safer and more efficient burn and reduces the risk of chimney fires and creosote buildup, saving you time and money in the long run.
Now that you know how to season firewood, take your firewood game to the next level by learning which woods burn the best. Understanding the characteristics of different woods can significantly enhance your wood-burning experience. Read our Best Wood for Burning article to learn more and discover the unique qualities of various wood types.
