Effective methods of drying firewood: tips and recommendations.

Season

Depending on this factor, the drying time varies. In spring, summer and autumn, there is a lot of moisture in tree trunks, about 60-70%.

The optimal humidity level for a stove or fireplace is 12-15%. Therefore, drying will take quite a long time, 8-9 months. In winter, the humidity will be 40-50 percent, so the firewood will dry much faster.

Store in a pile

Regardless of when you buy the firewood, you should leave it in the same place where you piled it for about a month. When they lie in a pile, the air circulates freely and excess moisture evaporates faster.

In addition, during this time it will become clear whether everything is okay with the firewood. Are there many rotten logs, are there bark beetles. If you stack new firewood with the rest, the beetles will move on to them and the entire supply will suffer.

Chop along the grain

If you bought unfinished firewood, but in the form of logs, it is better to saw them along the grain into 3-4 parts. This creates a small surface area that is covered with bark and they release moisture faster and are stored better.

Do not stack directly on the ground

After the first points, you can move on to storing firewood. Whichever method you choose, under no circumstances should you stack the woodpile directly on the ground. The bottom row may start to rot or get moldy.

The flooring can be made of bricks or planks, about 15-20 cm high. Construction pallets are perfect.

Store in a ventilated place

It is very important that the woodpile breathes. Otherwise, the firewood may start to rot or get moldy.

There are several options for storage locations:

• outdoors under a canopy or tarpaulin. It is necessary to protect the woodpile from precipitation, and there should be ventilation on the sides;
• in a woodshed with slatted walls. The best option. There is a roof, which means precipitation is not a problem, and the woodpile is well ventilated due to the walls;
• in the house. If space allows, you can stack firewood in the space under the stairs. The main thing is to regularly ventilate the house. As needed, the logs are moved to the stove or fireplace and dry there very quickly. The downside is that there will be a lot of debris from the firewood – crumbling bark, for example;
• on the terrace. It is convenient that there are no fluctuations in humidity, precipitation is not a problem, and garbage is not brought into the house.

How to stack

Firewood is stacked along the wall of the house or a strong fence. For stability, the woodpile should be slightly tilted back. The principle of the method is that each subsequent row of logs is laid perpendicular to the previous one. In this case, the firewood is well ventilated and stored well.

You can also arrange the woodpile like a well. This will improve ventilation and dry the firewood very quickly.

Don’t overdry the firewood

It is necessary to periodically check how dry the logs are, otherwise they will burn too quickly in the stove or fireplace and will not give enough heat. In addition, the fuel consumption will be too high. To check, you can occasionally split the logs into smaller pieces and see what they are like when cut.

As you can see, proper drying is not difficult, it is enough to follow basic recommendations and avoid obvious mistakes.