How Seasoned Are Your Logs? Seasoned vs Kiln Dried Firewood

When it comes to buying firewood, you need to pay close attention to the moisture content of the wood. Wood for burning in your wood burner or fireplace should have a moisture content of less than twenty percent. As a result, most home owners will buy either seasoned wood or kiln dried wood.

The Importance of Dry Firewood

When it comes to burning wood, you want the wood as dry as possible, otherwise all the energy produced will be used to evaporate the moisture, rather than heating your home. Wet wood produces less heat, while causing condensation and creosote in your chimney or flue. Creosote can increase the risk of chimney fires..

It is very important to ensure any wood you purchase has been dried properly, lowering the moisture content, providing you with a consistent burn with little smoke. Wet wood, also known as green wood, can have a moisture content of fifty percent, if not more.

Can I Burn Wet Wood?

In order for a tree to thrive, it is filled with water and nutrients, as a rest, when you burn wet wood, you will struggle to get it to light. Wet wood can also cause damage to your chimney or flue, while creating a lot of pollution and smoke. Wet wood also doesn’t burn consistently and it will not provide you with the heat output you need to warm your home. Wet wood is damaging to the environment, therefore you should always choose dry wood with a moisture of no more than twenty percent to achieve an optimal burn.

Seasoned vs Kiln Dried Firewood

There are two common ways that firewood is dried. Seasoning wood has been around for many years, while the past few years we have been introduced to kiln dried logs.

Seasoned Wood

Seasoned wood is allowed to dry naturally. It is split into smaller logs just after it is cut. The logs are then stored under cover with plenty of air flow, allowing the wood to dry. Firewood can take up to eighteen months to dry enough that you can use it as firewood.

Seasoned logs do offer some benefits, including:

  • You can cut and dry seasoned firewood on your own
  • If dried well, it can achieve the heat output similar to that of kiln dried wood

Of course, there are some disadvantages, you also need to be aware of, including:

  • It can take more than twelve months before wood is properly seasoned
  • If you buy green wood and season it yourself, you need ample storage space
  • Seasoned wood usually dried to around twenty five percent moisture, it does not dry consistently, so the sides may be drier than the middle of the wood
  • Due to the long drying time, there are times, especially during winter, where seasoned wood is in short supply.

Kiln Dried Wood

Kiln dried wood goes through a drying process in a kiln. Depending on the company drying the wood, it may take anywhere from four to six days for the drying process to be complete. The kiln usually is set to a temperature of 70ª Celsius, so it doesn’t burn the wood.

The green wood is placed in metal cages inside the kiln. With the heat and constant air flow, the logs are allowed to dry quickly. Being thoroughly dry, kiln dried logs always perform well, lighting with ease, burning consistently, and producing very little smoke, while producing a lot of heat.

Kiln dried logs offer a range of excellent benefits, including:

  • Logs are ready to burn when you receive them
  • They provide an excellent heat output with a cleaner burn
  • Easily sourced, so you don’t have to buy large quantities and find storage space
  • Less ash
  • Long burn time

Kiln dried logs do have a few disadvantages, you need to be aware of.

Some companies only sell pallets of logs, therefore you will need some storage area where you can provide your dry logs with excellent air flow and minimum moisture
Kiln dried logs tend to be slightly more expensive, but remember, they offer a long burn time with logs often burning for a good few hours, so you will use less logs over an evening, than you would if you were using seasoned logs.

Conclusion

If you are looking for well-seasoned logs that are easy to light, provide a good heat output, produce less smoke and offer a clean burn, then kiln dried logs are the best option. With only twenty percent moisture or less, these logs outperform seasoned wood.