Burn Seasoned Dry Logs or Kiln Dried Logs
The Premium fuel for Woodburners
burning dry seasoned wood means:
- more heat
- Cleaner door glass
- cleaner chimney
Why Burn DRY Wood?
All firewood is not created equal! When it comes to choosing logs for firing up your woodburning stove quality is key for keeping it working cleanly and efficiently. The main thing to know is that the dirty word for woodburner logs is “moisture”.
Wet wood is a big no-no for woodburning stoves – the wetter the wood the worse it is. Burning logs with a high moisture content will produce a heavy black smoke that contains soot and creosote, which not only creates an ugly black void in your burner but will very quickly cover the glass with a black residue that is also deposited in the chimney and flue, increasing the risk of a chimney fire.
For optimum heat output and a good clean burn you need logs with a moisture content of less than 20% – between 10% and 20% is ideal (less than 10% and the log will burn away rapidly).
Considering that a log from a recently felled tree would naturally have a moisture content of 60% (nearly a pint of water in every kilo of wood) that means it would have a lot of drying out to do before being suitable fuel for a woodburner.
Kiln Dried?
The traditional way to dry out logs for firewood is to stack them out in the open, under cover but in a way that allows air to circulate to extract the moisture. That’s all well and good if you’re willing to wait for up to two years before you use the logs, which will then be considered “seasoned” and suitable to burn in your woodburner.
Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for your wood though, because there is now a plethora of kiln dried firewood available that can be readied for efficient burning in only a week or even less from harvesting. Not only does kiln drying remove the moisture, it also removes any impurities that may have been absorbed by the wood while it was growing, and any insects that may have made the timber their home.
Kiln dried logs are commercially produced at a sawmill, where the timber is de-limbed, de-barked and cut into equal sized logs. They are then loaded in batches into a large specialised drying kiln – an appliance similar to an oven that can reach very high temperatures. Either a conventional kiln with a chamber heated by a gas-fired boiler, or a dehumidification kiln, which uses an electric-powered heat pump to generate the heat, can be used. We have successfully used kiln dried Dalby Kiln Dried Ash: www.dalbyfirewood.com. Enter the code DINGHAMS to get 10% off your first order.
Cost of Kiln Dried Logs
You will find that kiln dried firewood is slightly more expensive to buy than seasoned firewood, because of the production process it has been put through.
There are several advantages, however, to paying the extra for quality kiln dried logs:
- Kiln dried logs are guaranteed to be consistently dry and ready to burn immediately, whereas with seasoned logs the only way to be sure they are dry enough is to store them for a period of time and then use a moisture meter to check their moisture content.
- Kiln dried logs light easily, emitting more heat and a cleaner burn than seasoned logs.
- Kiln dried logs are freely available and ready to burn, even in the middle of a wet winter.
- You don’t need to take up valuable space for a wood store to have a ready supply of kiln dried logs – just buy them by the bag or crate when you need them.
Kiln Dried logs are usually readily available in bags or nets from garden centres and even your local supermarket or convenience store. There are numerous local online retailers in all areas of the country who offer deliveries of kiln dried logs in various quantities, including crates and pallet loads. If you order a large quantity you’ll need to store them off the ground, under shelter, with free air flow. We have successfully used kiln dried Dalby Kiln Dried Ash: www.dalbyfirewood.com. Enter the code DINGHAMS to get 10% off your first order.
What Types of Wood are Kiln Dried?
Kiln Dried logs for firewood are produced from various species of trees, but hardwood species are favoured over softwood because hardwoods are more dense and therefore burn for longer.
The most common types of wood that are kiln dried for your woodburner are:
- Oak – burns hot and long giving off a pleasant aroma.
- Birch – lights and heats up very quickly, but tends to burn faster than oak or ash.
- Ash – the most popular choice that burns and stores well.
- Beech – can be difficult to light, but burns hot and cleanly when it gets going.
Many experienced woodburner devotees prefer to use a mix of kiln dried logs including all these species to ensure a smooth burning fire with consistent heat output that covers all the bases. We have successfully used kiln dried Dalby Kiln Dried Ash: www.dalbyfirewood.com. Enter the code DINGHAMS to get 10% off your first order.
If you’re looking for a woodburner or any other heating appliance in or around the Salisbury, Wiltshire area you’ll get a warm welcome and plenty of advice from Dinghams Direct who keep the home fires burning.
