How to Season Firewood in Utah

November 2, 2018 9:19 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Burning firewood is an excellent way to heat your home this winter without driving up your utility costs. However, if this is your first winter heating your home with firewood, you’ll want to be sure you’re preparing it correctly.

The best firewood to use in your wood-burning stove or fireplace is dried and seasoned. If you’re attempting to burn “green” or “wet” unseasoned wood, you’ll have a harder time getting the fire to light or produce the heating results you want.

Green firewood is inexpensive and easy to season, but not a lot of people know how to do it properly. Before you purchase firewood in Utah, get prepared to season it with these tips.

Benefits of seasoning firewood

There’s no denying that unseasoned firewood just doesn’t work as well as dry, seasoned wood does. Here are a few reasons why:

  • Lights better: If you’ve ever tried to light wet firewood, you know how frustrating it can be. Unseasoned wood still retains a lot of moisture, which makes it difficult to light.
  • Burns hotter: Seasoned wood burns much hotter than unseasoned wood, meaning your home will receive more heat and you can stay warm and comfortable. When unseasoned wood burns, more energy is needed to evaporate the excess water content, resulting in less heat for your home.
  • Produces less smoke: Green, unseasoned wood tends to smoke a lot. While this isn’t always an issue, extra smoke can lead to coughing, foul odors and dirty fireplace glass.

Tips for seasoning your firewood

Thankfully, seasoning firewood in Utah is extremely easy. It just requires a little bit of extra planning. Ideally, you should season wood a year in advance. That way, the wood you prepare now will be perfect by next winter:

  • Split the wood: It’s important that you not store full logs when you purchase them. In order to allow wood to release as much moisture as quickly as possible, you should split the wood so the sides are exposed.
  • Get a firewood structure: It’s best to keep your firewood off the ground while it seasons, because it holds a lot of moisture. If you let your firewood rest on the ground throughout the year, it will absorb some of that moisture, reversing the seasoning process.
  • Cover the wood: Beyond keeping your firewood elevated, you should also cover the top of the wood. If you have a wood-holding structure, make sure it has a roof or use a tarp to cover the pile. Covering your wood will prevent rain and snow from getting it wet.
  • Store it smartly: You shouldn’t dump your firewood into a pile and expect it to be dry after a few months. For the best results, stack your firewood in rows so air can pass over it. Additionally, place your shelter in an area that receives direct sunlight. The heat from the sun can help evaporate moisture.
  • Use a moisture meter: If you’re still unsure if your wood is properly seasoned, use a moisture meter to check. These devices use electrical currents to identify the moisture content. Ideally, firewood will have a moisture level of below 20 percent.

At the Huberwoods wood yard, we carry logs of all sizes to use as firewood, teepee poles, furniture logs and more. If you’re looking for green firewood in Utah to season for next year, stop by and see what we have to offer.

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