Have you started seasoning your firewood yet? Properly seasoning firewood will make a huge difference in efficiency and safety with your wood boiler. We recommend a moisture level under 25%.
Wood is a natural material of cellulose fibers that hold moisture. When wood is unseasoned, or “green”, it will burn poorly and create excessive amounts of smoke. This smoke contains tar and creosote that build up on the inside of your stove and chimney, potentially causing a chimney fire.
To properly season your firewood be sure to cut and split firewood to the right length and width for your wood boiler and stack it up off the ground in a place where the sun and wind can warm and dry it and season for a season. Most firewood properly split and stacked takes at least a season to dry.
To check if your wood is properly seasoned, we recommend using a moisture meter. Additional options are to look for cracks, loose bark, a hollow sound when banging two pieces of wood together and a faded yellow or gray color.
The most important thing when storing seasoned firewood is keeping it dry. Protect your wood by storing it in a woodshed and away from the elements, i.e. rain, sleet, snow, etc. Constant and prolonged contact with moisture can cause the wood to rot.
