Here is a short guide to help you to decide if your firewood is seasoned and ready to burn in your open fire, wood burner or stove.
The #seven tips have been brought to you by . . .
Jim Chim-in-ey : Your Dorset Chimney Sweep Specialist.
Seasoned wood is ugly wood and will look weathered and discoloured. When you compare it to unseasoned wood. It's usually a off gray compared to its blonder prettier sister
Moisture helps keep the bark attached after she has been chopped. As you want the wood to be as dry as possible. If the bark layer peels off, it's a good sign she has been seasoned.
Freshly chopped wood may smell great but it's the moisture that your smelling which is a good sign the wood is unseasoned. Seasoned wood has no smell.
When the wood dries she will start to crack allowing more moisture to escape.
Hitting two pieces of seasoned wood together or dropping the log on concrete should sound similar to a bowling pin being knocked down.
Unseasoned wood is carrying a lot of water. This makes unseasoned wood heavier in weight.
Seasoned wood in Dorset should have a centre moisture reading of below 20%. The only exception to this rule is if you happen to live in a wet county such as Cornwall where a higher moisture content such as 25% can be seen acceptable.
A moisture meter is a great tool that takes away the guessing and will let you know the exact moisture content of your wood.
Below 20% = Ready to burn seasoned wood
Above 20% = Put the log back, shes not been seasoned enough.
There is many moisture meters on the market with prices starting from as little as £8.74 from amazon.
Here is a link to the meter I use to test my chimney sweep customers logs.
Amazon - Digital Moisture Meter
Recommended article: Why shouldn't you burn unseasoned wood in your fire?
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Moisture helps keep the bark attached after she has been chopped. As you want the wood to be as dry as possible. If the bark layer peels off, it's a good sign she has been seasoned.
Freshly chopped wood may smell great but it's the moisture that your smelling which is a good sign the wood is unseasoned. Seasoned wood has no smell.
When the wood dries she will start to crack allowing more moisture to escape.
Hitting two pieces of seasoned wood together or dropping the log on concrete should sound similar to a bowling pin being knocked down.
Unseasoned wood is carrying a lot of water. This makes unseasoned wood heavier in weight.
Seasoned wood in Dorset should have a centre moisture reading of below 20%. The only exception to this rule is if you happen to live in a wet county such as Cornwall where a higher moisture content such as 25% can be seen acceptable.
A moisture meter is a great tool that takes away the guessing and will let you know the exact moisture content of your wood.
Below 20% = Ready to burn seasoned wood
Above 20% = Put the log back, shes not been seasoned enough.
There is many moisture meters on the market with prices starting from as little as £8.74 from amazon.
Here is a link to the meter I use to test my chimney sweep customers logs.
Amazon - Digital Moisture Meter
Recommended article: Why shouldn't you burn unseasoned wood in your fire?
______________________________
This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey,
An insurance approved chimney sweep
JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.
Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.