Wood should have no more than a 15-20% moisture content for it to burn cleanly and efficiently. Wood that is too wet will burn with little or no heat and it creates a lot of smoke, which coats the chimney in a sticky, flammable substance called creosote. Burning wet wood is a waste of money and time and it can lead to chimney fires, or needing to replace the flue.

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 1. Get your firewood cut or delivered early

The sooner you get in your firewood the better. Seasoned wood (ready to burn) may still be at around the 20% moisture content and will benefit from additional seasoning to bring it down to a lower moisture level. Semi seasoned wood definitely needs more drying time before it is burnt so getting it in well before winter ensures it's ready in time. How long it takes to dry will depend on what type of wood you are buying - soft woods such as pine take less time to dry while hard woods like Macrocarpa take quite a bit longer. Some commercial firewood suppliers speed up the drying process by using big kiln dryers. This type of wood is often very sooty, so keep in mind that you may have to have your chimney cleaned more than once a year. Check out our other tip sheet for the pros and cons of the most common types of firewood.

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2. Ventilation and sunshine

Where and how you store your firewood will also affect how it burns. Wood dries much quicker when it is exposed to lots of sunshine and ventilation. Just like drying your clothes outside on a sunny day the suns heat helps to evaporate the moisture in your firewood and the wind to whisk that moisture away. So, it’s best not to store your firewood in a fully enclosed shed or garage, as it will not get any sunshine and little ventilation. We always say don’t store your firewood anywhere you wouldn’t hang wet washing. 

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3. Store it up off the ground

Keeping your firewood up off the ground will help it to season faster and keep it dry as it allows air to circulate. You can do this by stacking your firewood on top of old pallets, or wood offcuts, to create a floor to keep it up off the ground. This way your firewood will not absorb ground moisture and the bottom layer of your stack will remain dry and ready to burn.

 

4. Buy as much as you need, not just what you can fit under cover.

Most people can only fit a certain amount of wood undercover and often run out, meaning you have to buy more mid season when prices are at a premium and the quality isn't as good. Buy what you need for the whole winter and stack the extra wood along a fence line or against the side of the house (as long as you keep it raised off the ground), or on a deck where rain will drain away. It's true that this exposed wood will become rain wet but this type of moisture evaporates much faster since it does not fully penetrate the wood. It can then be moved under cover when you have room and it will dry out in a couple of days. Another popular method of storing extra wood is Norwegian Round Stacking – here is a link that explains the method https://thisnzlife.co.nz/build-norwegian-round-stack/

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How to tell if your firewood is dry.

A moisture meter is a cheap and easy to use tool that helps to take the guess work out. Otherwise, here are some other indicators that your wood is ready to burn.

1. Dry firewood will be much lighter than wet wood, and possibly bleached in colour when compared to wood that is freshly cut, plus its bark will usually easily peel off.

2. Knocking two pieces of dry wood together will produce a hollow thud while unseasoned will sound make a dull sound.

3. There may be cracks in the grain at the ends, but this depends on the wood.

4. The cut ends will feel warm and dry, vs cold and damp when freshly cut.

5. Throw a small piece of firewood into the coals of a glowing hot fire – wet wood will sizzle, dry wood will catch on fire within 1 minute.