| Introduction: Many people are heating homes with wood, but wood heat is not necessarily the cheapest source of heat and it requires more work. It is less convenient than heating with fuels that are fed automatically. Wood is dirty, requires more planning to use, and wood burning systems require more frequent maintenance, however, if the cost of wood is low enough, you will save money. Also, you will enjoy the warm fire and feeling of self-sufficiency. For those who enjoy the work, cutting, splitting, and stacking can be a pleasant form of exercise. |
Fire Wood: Intro
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| Firewood storage does not have to be overly complicated or be constructed of an expensive structure. The one pictured above should suffice. |
| Five Best Burning Species Hickory - 31 to 32 mm btu/cord Oak - 30 to 31 mm btu/cord Black Locust - 28 mm btu/cord Beech - 27 mm btu/cord Elms/Maples - 21 to 26 mm btu/cord Five Worst Burning Species White Pine - 15 mm btu/cord Cottonwood/Willow - 16 mm btu/cord Hemlock - 17 mm btu/cord Sassafras - 18 mm btu/cord Yellow Poplar - 18 mm btu/cord |
| Energy content per air dried full cord, in 1000s of BTUs. The hardest species are at the top of the list. |
| Rock Elm Hickory White Oak Sugar Maple Beech Red Oak Yellow Birch Red Elm White Ash White Elm Red Maple Tamarack Black Cherry White Birch Black Ash Green Ash Silver Maple Large Tooth Aspen Hemlock Trembling Aspen |
| 32,000 30,600 30,600 29,200 26,200 25,400 25,000 24,500 24,000 22,600 22,600 22,100 21,700 19,300 18,200 17,900 17,400 16,300 16,300 16,200 15,500 |
| What is a Cord of Wood? |
| 1 Full Cord: A full cord is a large amount of wood. It measures 4 feet high by 4 feet wide by eight feet long (4' x 4' x 8') and has a volume of 128 cubic feet. |
| 1 Face Cord: A face cord or rick of wood is four feet high by eight feet long and is as wide as the individual firewood pieces, but averages 16 inches wide. A 16-inch wide face cord is equal to one-third of a full cord. |
| Full Sized Pickup It takes 2 loads of firewood in a full sized pickup to equal a cord of wood if: The wood is stacked level with the body or Is thrown in loosely roughly to the height of the cab |
| Compact Pickup It takes 4 loads of firewood in a compact sized pickup to equal a cord of wood if: The wood is stacked level with the body or Is thrown in loosely roughly to the height of the cab |
| Real World Transportation Measurements |
| Seasoning Your Firewood: |
| Seasoning wood is not just cutting your firewood and throwing it into a pile. Dry wood is the result of specific actions you take to enjoy an economical heating source throughout the winter. A commercial wood supplier may claim to have wood "cut last summer", but, if the wood has been heaped in a field or just recently split, it will prevent your woodstove from performing to its potential. |
| Burning Wet Wood: • difficulty getting a fire going • smoky fires with little flame • dirty glass • rapid creosote buildup in the chimney • low heat output • the smell of smoke in the house • short burn times • excessive fuel consumption • blue-gray smoke from the chimney. |
| The Six Main Steps To Ensure Clean Burning Firewood |
1. Cut the wood to length
The wood you have purchased or cut yourself should be the
right length for your stove, fireplace or furnace. This is usually
about three inches shorter than the firebox width or length,
depending on how you load the wood. In general it is better to
have wood a little shorter than perfect rather than longer, first
because it is no fun trying to jam too-long pieces into the stove
in January and second because shorter pieces are easier to
handle and quicker to dry.
The wood you have purchased or cut yourself should be the
right length for your stove, fireplace or furnace. This is usually
about three inches shorter than the firebox width or length,
depending on how you load the wood. In general it is better to
have wood a little shorter than perfect rather than longer, first
because it is no fun trying to jam too-long pieces into the stove
in January and second because shorter pieces are easier to
handle and quicker to dry.
2. Split it to the right size
Next, split the wood to the proper size for your burner. For most
efficient wood stoves, this is usually no more than six inches
measured at the largest cross sectional dimension. Furnaces
can use wood that is slightly larger in cross section. Even for
furnaces, though, big unsplit pieces make lousy firewood. A
range of piece sizes is best so that when kindling a fire or
reloading on a coal bed you have some smallish pieces that
will help you achieve the desirable instant ignition. A selection
of sizes from three to six inches in diameter for wood stoves
and an inch or so larger for furnaces will probably serve you
well.
Keep in mind that firewood only begins to dry seriously once it
is cut and split to the right size because in log form the
moisture is held in by the bark. So, when buying wood, ask
when the wood was cut split and properly stacked to get an
idea of how ready it is for burning. For this reason, experienced
woodburners like to get their wood in the early spring so they
can manage the drying process themselves.
Next, split the wood to the proper size for your burner. For most
efficient wood stoves, this is usually no more than six inches
measured at the largest cross sectional dimension. Furnaces
can use wood that is slightly larger in cross section. Even for
furnaces, though, big unsplit pieces make lousy firewood. A
range of piece sizes is best so that when kindling a fire or
reloading on a coal bed you have some smallish pieces that
will help you achieve the desirable instant ignition. A selection
of sizes from three to six inches in diameter for wood stoves
and an inch or so larger for furnaces will probably serve you
well.
Keep in mind that firewood only begins to dry seriously once it
is cut and split to the right size because in log form the
moisture is held in by the bark. So, when buying wood, ask
when the wood was cut split and properly stacked to get an
idea of how ready it is for burning. For this reason, experienced
woodburners like to get their wood in the early spring so they
can manage the drying process themselves.
3. Pile in a single row exposed to the sun and wind.
If wood is to be below 20% moisture content when you burn it
in the winter, it must have the moisture removed. The only
practical way homeowners can do this is to allow the sun and
wind to dry the wood for them.
With this in mind, the wood should be piled in a place where
the sun can warm it and the wind can blow through it. As the
sun heats and evaporates the water from the wood pile the
wind whisks it away. Here is a picture of my wood pile up
against the back fence curving over the hill with plenty of
exposure to the prevailing winds.
I pile my wood in a single row about four feet high. It extends
about 100 feet long and contains the four cords I usually like to
have for the winter. Here’s how I figure it:
• 1 cord is four feet wide, four feet high and eight feet long.
• 1 of my ‘face’ cords (or stove cord) is 16 inches wide.
• 3 of my face cords equals one full cord.
• 3 of my face cords is a pile four feet high and 24 feet long.
• 4 full cords, or 12 face cords is a pile 96 feet long.
I usually use a little over three cords per year so that I have a bit
left over, just in case.
If you don’t have enough space to dry your wood along a fence
row, you may be tempted to stack a few rows together, but be
sure to give some space between rows for the sun and wind to
penetrate the stacks. This photo shows some very nice rows
but they are stacked a little too close together for good
exposure to wind and sun.
If wood is to be below 20% moisture content when you burn it
in the winter, it must have the moisture removed. The only
practical way homeowners can do this is to allow the sun and
wind to dry the wood for them.
With this in mind, the wood should be piled in a place where
the sun can warm it and the wind can blow through it. As the
sun heats and evaporates the water from the wood pile the
wind whisks it away. Here is a picture of my wood pile up
against the back fence curving over the hill with plenty of
exposure to the prevailing winds.
I pile my wood in a single row about four feet high. It extends
about 100 feet long and contains the four cords I usually like to
have for the winter. Here’s how I figure it:
• 1 cord is four feet wide, four feet high and eight feet long.
• 1 of my ‘face’ cords (or stove cord) is 16 inches wide.
• 3 of my face cords equals one full cord.
• 3 of my face cords is a pile four feet high and 24 feet long.
• 4 full cords, or 12 face cords is a pile 96 feet long.
I usually use a little over three cords per year so that I have a bit
left over, just in case.
If you don’t have enough space to dry your wood along a fence
row, you may be tempted to stack a few rows together, but be
sure to give some space between rows for the sun and wind to
penetrate the stacks. This photo shows some very nice rows
but they are stacked a little too close together for good
exposure to wind and sun.
4. Let the wood dry at least six months
Most folks who split their wood and stack it in well-spaced
rows find that they can dry their wood in about six months. If you
have your wood stacked in early spring it should be ready to put
away for winter’s use by October. However, it may need longer
than that if you live in a damp maritime climate and/or use very
dense wood like oak, which is notorious for taking a long time
to dry. If you burn hardwood, it is wise to process or buy it in the
fall for use the following fall. That way you'll be sure of having
properly seasoned wood.
Most folks who split their wood and stack it in well-spaced
rows find that they can dry their wood in about six months. If you
have your wood stacked in early spring it should be ready to put
away for winter’s use by October. However, it may need longer
than that if you live in a damp maritime climate and/or use very
dense wood like oak, which is notorious for taking a long time
to dry. If you burn hardwood, it is wise to process or buy it in the
fall for use the following fall. That way you'll be sure of having
properly seasoned wood.