Osburn 900 Installation and Operation Manual
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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.
You could buy a wood moisture meter to test your
firewood.
3.3
MANUFACTURED LOGS
Do not burn manufactured logs made of wax impregnated sawdust or logs with any chemical
additives. Manufactured logs made of 100% compressed sawdust can be burned, but use caution
in the number of these logs burned at one time. Start with one manufactured log and see how the
wood fire reacts. You can increase the number of logs burned at a time to making sure the
temperature never rises higher than 246 °C (475 °F) on a magnetic thermometer for installation on
wood fire flue. The thermometer should be placed about 450 mm (18”) above the wood fire.
Higher temperatures can lead to overheat and damage your wood fire.
