Ideal Moisture Content For Logs

Ideal Moisture Content and sourcing your wood for the next season.

To make sure you get the most out of your wood-burning stove, and don’t create additional pollution to the atmosphere. It’s important to use the right kind of wood.

Now is the time to source the logs. Stack them correctly and get prepared for the next season. When storing your wood ensure air can flow around. Also this will aid the drying process and produce more heat when burning.

First and foremost.

You need to burn wood that is as dry as possible. It should only contain less than 20% moisture.

Important – You can reduce the moisture content of freshly cut wood by drying it yourself. This is called seasoning. To do this, it’s best to store the wood in a dry place for at least a year, preferably two. To help you work out how dry your wood is, you can also buy a moisture meter. These cost around £20 and are readily available.

For the best results, the wood should be left on a dry surface protected from rain. Leave the sides exposed to air and wind, as it will speed up the drying process. Additionally can buy dedicated wood stores to help with this.

Wood stoves and the environment.

One very important question our fitters are always asked is how environmentally friendly are they?  As such the green benefits of burning wood are gaining wider and wider support. Burning wood cleanly only releases the same amount of CO2 into the atmosphere as from a tree. This is when it is left to rot naturally as it would do at the end of its lifecycle. Furthermore, harvested trees are replaced with new trees, which in turn absorb CO2 in the process of photosynthesis as they grow.

Can we help?

When thinking of installing a wood burning stove, please contact us. One of our fully qualified (HETAS Registered) advisers will be happy to assist and discuss ideal moisture content.