Kiln dried firewood vs. Seasoned firewood

Due to COVID-19 and social distancing we cannot currently provide stacking services we will resume when closer contact is safe.

The pictures above show some well seasoned firewood. We wanted to make a point concerning what makes a high quality "seasoned" firewood. In looking for seasoned firewood we understand that the qualities that a customer wants in the firewood they are buying is wood that is dried, easy to light and provides you with a lot of warmth. You may want to consider our kiln dried firewood.

Dry Wood

Seasoned Firewood with bark that is tight to the wood so you can tell it is not kiln dried Click on the image for a larger view

Some of the advantages are;

• Easy to light
• Less hissing and popping
• Even burning since low moisture
• Reduced creosote
• Burns warmer since not driving off water in the wood
• Bug free
• Cleaner since all dirt is dried off
• Higher BTU output

What we do differently;

• We take care of parking to unload
• We stack the wood for you; first floor placement is included in the price.
• We do stairs willingly
• Our wood is wrapped for easy handling
• We do not include short pieces
• Our wood is the by-product of the lumber industry
• Moisture content is consistently low
• Our measurements are correct
• Our source is consistent since not dependent on time and weather to dry
• We have it when you want it.Indoor wood storage

If you have trouble starting your fire, or if you have trouble keeping your fire going, you are probably using recently cut green wood meaning that it is neither kiln dried or seasoned. If firewood is not properly dry enough it will be hard to light. The moisture content of freshly cut wood can be in the range of 70% in oak and Sycamore has been tested to be 114%. Compared to Kiln dried wood is in the range of 20% moisture. Quantifying it like this you can image how unseasoned or kiln dried wood will keep going out. It will smolder. It won't put out heat. It just burns poorly and inefficiently. The heat of the fire is taken up by drying out the water in the wood. The species of wood also affects how it burns. Trees that are classified as hardwoods are very dense and they have more BTU's (= heat) per volume as compared to softwoods. They tend to be more difficult to start but will burn longer and release a good amount of heat. For all practical purposes kiln dried hardwoods are the best choice for firewood. Try a third of a cord as a sample so you can see the difference for yourself.

How to tell if your firewood is dry

Seasoned and kiln dried fire wood has a dark color, or gray when compared to freshly cut green wood. To test the difference split a piece of seasoned wood. You will see that it is a white color inside. The wood splinters are less flexible or brittle compared to fresh cut firewood since the moisture content is reduced. The wood will cracks running through each piece, and a lot of little cracks on the inner rings. These cracks are caused by the drying creating shrinkage in the wood itself. Unseasoned wood has a wet, fresh looking center, with lighter than the dried wood near the edges or ends which have been exposed since cutting. Comparing the same species of wood will make the differences between dry wood and green wood very clear. Another fast way to spot if firewood is very fresh, the bark will be very tightly attached. With drying the two different layers pull apart. Our kiln dried firewood has also been cleaned after drying

Testing for Dry Wood

There are ways to if the firewood is dry. Some of it is covered  above by looking for the right things. There are battery operated testers that give a digital read out after you put the prongs in the wood. For a home owner this probably does not make a lot of sense. Buy from a reputable company that handles quality wood. A very accurate test is to take two pieces of wood and bang them together. The sound it makes tells you if the wood is dry. A wood with high moisture content will have a dull thud. Dry wood knocked together will have more of a ring to it. The concept is simple but very effective.

Avoid these hassles at all costs! When you get cold, you'll be miserable if your firewood does not produce the heat you need. Well-seasoned kiln dried wood produces pleasant, trouble free heat. Call the wood valet at 1-781-254-2773 to get yours. We both take the water out of the wood and the hassle out of getting the amount you want placed right were you want it when you want it.

Creosote

Firewood with high moisture content has been proved to cause creosote to build up at an accelerated rate in the chimney. So buying less expensive wood will be heavier to carry and handle burn poorly and be a cause of chimney fires. One fresh-cut cord of oak may contain enough water to nearly fill six, 55 gallon drums. This water content in the wood determines how much heat the fire puts out, and how much creosote will build up in your chimney. Our uniformly dry firewood produces less creosote