Choosing the Right Firewood
Believe it or not, but the type of wood you use to build fires makes a big difference in the performance of your fireplace and chimney. Choosing the right firewood provides convenience, efficiency, and safety when the time comes to light a fire, but what exactly are the qualities of excellent firewood? Once you have found good wood, how do you properly store it to ensure it remains effective? How do you know if your wood truly is the right kind for a safe and beautiful fire? At Santa’s Friend Chimney Service, we are often asked these questions about selecting the most successful firewood. To help you purchase the best wood for your money, we would like to share some tips with you to ensure a great wood-burning season.
Seasoned or Unseasoned Wood?
While all firewood has a certain amount of moisture content, seasoned wood has been dried to contain less water than freshly-cut, unseasoned wood. Dried wood burns easier and cleaner, and it also provides more heat because the fire does not have to waste energy on burning up a large amount of water content. Unseasoned or “green” wood can be responsible for smoke and odor issues, and using this type of firewood poses a hazardous risk of causing a chimney fire due to rapid accumulations of creosote deposits. Even though some species of wood are recommended for burning fires because of their density, the seasoning aspect makes much more of a difference on the quality of the firewood, according to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA).
Properly Storing Firewood
You could purchase a wood moisture meter to be sure your firewood is sufficiently dry; however, you do not have to use an expensive tool when you can follow these natural guidelines to test your wood:
- Seasoned wood is lighter in weight.
- Seasoned wood will have cracks in its end grain.
- Hit two pieces of firewood together, and if properly dried, you should hear a hollow sound. Wet wood will make a dull, thudding noise.
- Firewood darkens from white or cream to yellow or gray as it seasons.
- Unseasoned wood makes a sizzling sound when burned.
- Split a piece of your firewood, and if its exposed face feels warm and dry, it is well-seasoned. If it feels cool and damp, the wood is unseasoned.
For more advice on choosing the right firewood, contact us today. Our staff loves sharing knowledge on the secrets to building the best fires.