Stratford
Fireplace Installation and Operation Manual
16 __________________________________________________________________________
Here are some things to consider in estimating drying time:
•
Firewood takes a long time to dry;
•
Firewood bought from a dealer is rarely dry enough to
burn, so it is advisable to buy the wood in spring and dry
it yourself;
•
Drying happens faster in dry weather than in damp,
maritime climates;
•
Drying happens faster in warm summer weather than in
winter weather;
•
Small pieces dry more quickly than large pieces;
•
Split pieces dry more quickly than unsplit rounds;
•
Softwoods take less time to dry than hardwoods;
•
Softwoods like pine, spruce, and poplar/aspen can be dry enough to burn after being stacked in the
open for only the summer months;
•
Hardwoods like oak, maple and ash can take one, or even two years to dry fully, especially if the pieces
are big;
•
Firewood dries more quickly when stacked in the open where it is exposed to sun and wind; it takes
much longer to dry when stacked in a wood shed;
•
Firewood that is ready to burn has a moisture content between 15 and 20% by weight and will allow
your fireplace to produce its highest possible efficiency.
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 colored 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.
