How to Dry Wood for Burning Wood Sheds
As the price of fuel oils soars, many Americans are turning to wood as their primary source of heat. Not only is it less expensive to heat with wood, many believe it provides a cozy down-home feeling that can not be matched by oil burning furnaces or forced hot air. It does, however, involve a bit of work and planning to purchase and dry your wood before the heating season begins. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Purchasing Wood
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Check with friends and neighbors to find out who they purchase their wood from and how satisfied they are with that provider. If this is your first attempt at burning wood, you need a supplier you can count on to provide the quality they have promised you.
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Determine how much wood you will need to heat your home. The best way to do this is to talk to others in your area and find out how much wood they burn during a season. The amount you will burn will depend on your location, the size of your home, how well insulated it is, the quality of the wood you burn and whether or not you intend it to be a primary or secondary source of heat. As a basic rule, one cord of seasoned hardwood is the equivalent of 150 gallons of #2 fuel.
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Decide what length you would like to purchase. You can buy wood in tree length, four foot length, two foot length or already split for you. Be aware that you will pay much more for wood that is cut and split than for tree length. Choose the size that fits your budget and that you are able to care for.
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Be prepared to cut and split any wood that you purchase. This will require a wood splitter, or lots of hard work on your part, to split the wood into usable pieces. Renting, or better yet borrowing, a wood splitter for the day will be well worth the investment.
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Ask if the wood is seasoned or green. You can generally buy wood much cheaper if it is green, or undried. If you purchase green wood, it will need to be dried or seasoned before burning. Although green wood will burn, you will get very little heat and it will cause creosote to build up in the chimney posing the risk of chimney fires. Caution should be exercised any time you burn more than an occasional piece of green wood.
Seasoning the Wood
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Cut and split all wood to stove length. Logs that are 6 to 8 inches in diameter do not need to be split and can be dried and burned as is.
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Stack it in a well-ventilated area that is protected from rain. To stack it outside, create a wooden platform to elevate the wood off the ground. Be sure to leave room between stacks to provide room for air to circulate. Cover with a tarp to keep the wood dry. Your wood should dry within 2 to 6 months depending on the type of density of the wood. The more wind and air circulation the quicker it will dry.
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Dry wood in the shed by stacking split wood in rows with spaces between rows for circulation. Leave windows and doors open to increase circulation and to speed drying.
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Tips & Warnings
Check your chimney and flue before heating season begins and clean if necessary.
Don't forget to cut and split softwood for kindling to start your fire.
Use caution when burning green wood. It will cause creosote to build up in the chimney and can quickly cause chimney fires.
Never use a wood burning stove that is damaged or does not operate properly.
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Comments
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Which of our local trees can be used for fire wood? What about the Chinese Tallan Trees, the ones that grow wild along the fence lines?
