Whether you buy wood every fall and winter or choose to store your own, knowing how to select the most ideal pieces for the fires you burn is important. You want to ensure the logs you burn are properly seasoned, guaranteeing you a safer, hotter, and less smokey fire. Also, burning unseasoned wood increases the accumulation of creosote in your chimney, increasing your need for cleanings and upping your risk of experiencing a chimney fire.
Fortunately, it is possible to identify which wood is more ideal by feeling it out and observing its physical state. Learn more about this process below, then give us a call to get your annual cleaning and inspection done before the burning season begins. With help from the team at Mason’s Chimney Service, your system will be looking and running better than ever in no time.
Signs Of Seasoned Wood
One way to tell whether or not the wood you are using is properly seasoned is to observe its size and color. Shorter pieces have less water to get rid of, so they’ll dry out and become ready for use quicker. It’ll also look darker and less fresh, indicating it has been sitting out for the recommended 6 month period.
Another thing to note is whether or not it is split at the ends. This is another sign that more of the wood was exposed to the sun and wind, and that is has been given a better opportunity to thoroughly dry out.
Properly stored and seasoned wood will also be lighter in weight, due to the lower moisture content, and it will make more of a hollow sound when you smack two pieces together. Pieces with excess water still in them weigh more and make a more solid-sounding thud noise when hitting against each other.
Why Less Water Is Important
So why is low water content good and how does it create a better fire? Trees naturally hold a lot of moisture, so once they are cut down, it takes some time for them to dry out. When a homeowner puts fresh wood in their fireplace, a lot of extra energy is used burning through all of the moisture still within it. This wood is harder to start and it doesn’t burn as clean, either.
What you’ll notice is a lot of excess smoke and fumes, and in the end, a lot of acidic water will pour through your chimney, encouraging the build up and creosote to form. This smoke can also blacken the glass doors to your fireplace and it doesn’t typically bring the most pleasant odors into your home, either. All in all, burning properly seasoned wood will make your fire-burning experience much more enjoyable and it keeps your chimney in better health, too.
We Can Help You With Any Questions Or Concerns
Whether you’re buying wood, storing wood, or are simply concerned with how unseasoned wood may have negatively affected the state of your chimney, we can help you out. Our sweeps are CSIA certified experts, with a lot of knowledge and experience to back up any services and advice they offer.
If you’re ready to work with the best, count on us today!