If you are not obtaining the best results possible from your units, it is likely caused by inappropriate combustible being used. A 20% or less humidity level is indispensable when trying to achieve efficient combustion with EPA certified units.

In other words, burning wood that is too humid is unpleasant and harmful to the environment. Luckily there are several solutions to these problems. By following certain wood storage guidelines, you will obtain all the rewards that dry wood can offer as it burns.

For wood to dry properly, it is not enough to simply chop the wood and throw it into a pile. You must use good storage techniques in order to get the most benefits from your wood. Properly stored wood will avoid the creation of unwanted mold that you definitely do not want to spread throughout your home.

Whether you do the work yourself or you purchase the wood, the same rules apply. We suggest that you visit your wood supplier before committing to their services. This will also enable you to see the quality of the wood offered and observe their storage techniques.

Cut or purchase the correct size of wood required for your woodstove or fireplace. The pieces should be between 2 to 3 inches shorter in length than the width or length of the combustion chamber of your unit. This will make the loading process much easyer.

Pieces varying between 3 and 6 inches in diameter are a good size. Bigger pieces may reduce the intensity of the combustion or not allow clean combustion in your unit. Also, bigger pieces take longer to dry.

Don’t forget that bark conserves humidity within the wood and contributes to the creation of mold. This being said, the drying process is much quicker once the wood is chopped and stacked.

We advise that your wood for the season should at least be chopped and stored in the spring prior to the heating season.

The sun and the wind are your most precious allies in the drying process. Applying a few rules will assure you to obtain the maximum amount of BTU from your cords of wood. You must store your wood in spaced out rows to allow the wind and the sun to do their work. The sun will evaporate the water inside the wood and the wind will sweep the humidity away. It is preferable to keep the cords in large fields all summer and then store them in a sheltered location before the rainy season in the fall.

Bark is the natural protection of the tree. Having said this, the top row must have the bark facing upwards. This will allow you to avoid having to cover the cords with materials which may get blown away or out of place by the wind. You only have to wait a few days after a rainfall before starting to store your wood in the fall.

Certain types of dense wood require a longer drying period. We therefore recommend that you always have one year’s worth of wood ahead of time as a precaution.

A real cord of wood is 4 feet high, 4 feet wide and 8 feet long. This means that a set of 4 cords of wood measures 96 feet long, 4 feet high and 16 inches wide. However, some people use «cord» to describe 1/3 of a cord or what it’s called a face-cord. (16 inches wide, 4 feet high and 8 feet long).

Please note that no supplier will deliver a real cord of wood for 85$ or 90$ to you. Those days are long gone.

In order to further increase your knowledge and obtain better results from your heating units, we have an article entitled “Do-it right on the first try” that you may want to read.

We wish to thank woodheat.org for this source of inspiration and the photo used in the creation of this article.