Sufficiently dry wood is vital to a long-lasting and safe fire. To reach the low moisture results you need, you will need to remove a lot of the moisture from the logs before burning them, and there are different ways to do this.
Therefore, is it better to burn seasoned or kiln-dried logs? Homefire will answer this question to help you identify the best wood to use at home.
Why Unseasoned Logs Should be Avoided
Unseasoned wood often has a considerably high moisture content when the logs are first cut, making them unsafe to burn, and they would perform inefficiently. When burned, the logs produce too much smoke and emit harmful Particulate Matter linked to respiratory conditions.
To reduce your carbon footprint and keep everybody near the flames safe, you must ensure the moisture content has been vastly reduced.
Kiln-Dried Wood
The most effective way to remove the most moisture from your logs is to kiln-dry them. After using a furnace, these kiln-dried logs will be warmed to such heat that the moisture content will decrease. Home furnaces are rare; therefore, you will almost always need to purchase kiln-dried wood from an approved vendor like Homefire. The kiln-drying process aims to get the moisture level below 20%, making them safe to burn.
When you purchase from Homefire, your logs will have been kiln-dried in advance and are Ready To Burn certified. Kiln-drying is the quickest way to ensure logs are safe to burn, which takes far less time than other methods.
Seasoned Wood
Seasoning wood means leaving it in the appropriate storage conditions so the moisture can be removed from the logs naturally, without using a kiln. It can be challenging to season wood naturally because you need the right space, room, and shelter to undertake this. Some logs can take up to two years to thoroughly season, so patience and continuous space are required.
A garden shed is ideal for seasoning logs because it is sheltered and airy. Stack the logs on a pallet so none touch the ground in case any moisture creeps onto the shed floor and so the air from outside can flow beneath the logs. Assemble the logs in a pyramid shape so as many of them as possible are exposed to the outside air to season them better.
The Verdict: Kiln-Dried vs Seasoned Wood
The difference between kiln-dried and seasoned logs is in the moisture removal process. Overall, purchasing kiln-dried wood from Homefire is the better choice as it is far more convenient, you won't need to take up prolonged storage space, and you can burn the logs whenever you like after purchasing them. If you already possess logs that need to be seasoned, there is no harm in doing so, but it can take an extremely long time for the moisture to dry sufficiently, so buy kiln-dried firewood from Homefire instead.