Published on 23 December 2022
Posted in
Log burning isn’t as simple as just popping some wood on the fire and hoping for the best. You should have a good understanding of what wood works best so you can make the most out of your fire. Seasoned firewood is the best type of wood to use on open fires to ensure the best heat and longest burn, while still remaining safe.
Seasoned firewood is wood that has been cut to size, split and dried inside and out of the damp weather for a period of 2 years. This helps to remove as much moisture as possible, leaving a less than 20% moisture content. Fresh cut wood typically has a 60% water content, vastly reducing its burning efficiency. The longer it is left to dry, the better it will be for your fire.
So, why season firewood for open fires?
The first reason is simply that seasoned fire wood is easier to light than non-seasoned wood. Moisture means that more energy is needed to ignite a flame, so it will take longer to get your fire going, and possibly burn out faster too.
Wood with moisture will also produce a cooler flame, so you won’t get the heat you were expecting.
Creosote is produced when burning wood. However, the amount of creosote released into the air dramatically increases when you try to burn moist wood. This also increases the amount of smoke produced and the chances that a fire could get out of control.
For those that struggle with the smoke from fires if it gets onto your chest or in your eyes, seasoned firewood actually reduces the soot output. This reduces the harmful pollutants being emitted and is better for you and the environment.
Because the fire burns for longer, you’re likely to need much less wood to keep it going. The energy created from dry wood is also much more than that from moist wood, meaning you’ll save on the amount of wood you require and won’t have to stoke it quite so often.
Overall, burning seasoned wood is much safer than fresh wood. There’s less chance that the fire will get out of control because less wood is needed. You are also less likely to breathe in harmful pollutants through soot.
For high quality seasoned wood at an affordable price, The Log Dog has just the thing. We provide sustainable seasoned wood, perfect for your open log fires to make winter special. Contact The Log Dog now for seasoned logs in all shapes, sizes and quantities to give you the best possible results for your fire.
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