Matrix
Insert
Installation
and
Operation
Manual
14
______________________________________________________________________________
only
hardwoods
are
good
to
burn
is
outdated.
Old,
leaky
cast
iron
stoves
wouldn’t
hold
a
fire
overnight
unless
they
were
fed
large
pieces
of
hardwood.
That
is
no
longer
true.
You
can
successfully
heat
your
home
by
using
the
less
desirable
tree
species
and
give
the
forest
a
break
at
the
same
time.
3.2.3
LOG
LENGTH
Logs
should
be
cut
at
least
1”
(25
mm)
shorter
than
the
firebox
so
they
fit
in
easily.
Pieces
that
are
even
slightly
too
long
make
loading
the
insert
very
difficult.
The
most
common
standard
length
of
firewood
is
16”
(400
mm).
The
pieces
should
be
a
consistent
length,
with
a
maximum
of
1”
(25
mm)
variation
from
piece
to
piece.
3.2.4
PIECE
SIZE
Firewood
dries
more
quickly
when
it
is
split.
Large
unsplit
rounds
can
take
years
to
dry
enough
to
burn.
Even
when
dried,
unsplit
logs
are
difficult
to
ignite
because
they
don’t
have
the
sharp
edges
where
the
flames
first
catch.
Logs
as
small
as
3”
(75
mm)
should
be
split
to
encourage
drying.
Wood
should
be
split
to
a
range
of
sizes,
from
about
3”
to
6”
(75
mm
to
150
mm)
in
cross
section.
Having
a
range
of
sizes
makes
starting
and
rekindling
fires
much
easier.
Often,
the
firewood
purchased
from
commercial
suppliers
is
not
split
finely
enough
for
convenient
stoking.
It
is
sometimes
advisable
to
resplit
the
wood
before
stacking
to
dry.
