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OPERATING & INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR STRATFORD CF ZERO CLEARANCE WOOD HEATER
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 inbuilt reacts. You can increase the number of logs
burned at a time to making sure the temperature never rises higher
than 246 °C on a magnetic thermometer for installation on wood
inbuilt flue. The thermometer should be placed about 450 mm above
the wood inbuilt. Higher temperatures can lead to overheat and
damage your wood inbuilt.
