A visitor to the website asked a very important question. The question was brought up with concerns of how to identify if firewood was ready to burn. The answer is seasoned firewood has a moisture content of 20 percent or less. Firewood with a high moisture count is considered green wood. Green wood is difficult to burn, if you’re lucky to get a fire going, the wood is going to smoke and at lower burning temperatures will cause creosote to form on your chimney walls. Creosote is a tar-like substance that ignites quickly. Once the creosote is ignited, producing an extremely hot fire within your chimney. This is a very dangerous situation and may cause a house fire. There are several ways to measure the moisture content of your firewood. One, is the use of a moisture meter. I’ve seen them advertised on Amazon.com. Spend less. Smile more. at a reasonable price range of $25.00-$50.00.The meter has two prongs which you poke into the piece of firewood you are testing. Typically if your wood is stacked allowing airflow and sunlight, your moisture levels will drop. Another method is the “drop” test. Take a piece of firewood and drop it on the ground. If the wood makes hollow clunk sound, there is a good chance your firewood is sufficiently seasoned enough to burn. Don’t stop at one piece of firewood to test,try several pieces to make certain you are seeing the same result. In my woodyard, I conduct several tests per week to ensure the wood I sell is seasoned and safe for you to burn. My target moisture content must be less than 10 percent. I set a high standard to ensure my wood exceeds quality standards.
