Why Dry Firewood Is Important For Your Wood Fireplace

Dry fire wood is one of the most important tools for starting a fire. Dry fire wood is crucial if you hope to light a fire that burns, rather than smolders. While it may seem obvious, many people don't understand why dry firewood is so important for a wood fireplace or wood fire pit. So, in this article, we will take a few paragraphs and tell you why that is.

To make sure your wood is as dry as possible you will need to buy it pre-seasoned at a hardware store, arborist, or season it at your home. Seasoning is a process where you let the wood sit covered, off the ground for about six months or until it has around 20% moisture content. You can use a wood moisture meter to figure out how much moisture it has in it. Some people think it doesn't matter if you throw wet firewood into a fireplace or fire pit. That couldn't be farther from the truth.

Wet firewood causes excess smoke and soot. When you use wet firewood outside, the smoke harms the environment and your fuel will burn much faster. When you use it in an indoor fireplace, a similar issue happens but it affects your fireplace in a different way. With an indoor fireplace, you have to consider the chimney. A buildup of soot in your chimney is not a good thing. If you don't stay on top of it it can lead to chimney damage or a house fire. Many high efficiency fireplaces and stoves will simply not "take off" and burn correctly with green or wet firewood, rendering them useless.

Not to mention, dry firewood burns hotter than "new" or wet firewood. Burning hot ensures it's a clean, even burn that gives you the most heat from your wood. Dry firewood is probably more important than you realize. We hope this article has helped you understand that. If you have any other questions, please feel free to call our NFI certified techs at 800.203.1642