| 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 from a logger or cut yourself
should be the right length for your stove, fireplace or furnace.
This is usually about two 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 longer, first because it
is no fun trying to jam pieces to long for the stove into a burning
fire, and because shorter pieces are easier to handle and
quicker to dry.
The wood you have purchased from a logger or cut yourself
should be the right length for your stove, fireplace or furnace.
This is usually about two 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 longer, first because it
is no fun trying to jam pieces to long for the stove into a burning
fire, and 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 stove. 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. 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 stove. 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. 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.
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. Pile your wood in a single row about four feet high.
• 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.
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.
the sun and wind.
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. Pile your wood in a single row about four feet high.
• 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.
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.
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 such as here in
Mid-coast Maine and/or use very dense wood like oak, which is
notorious for taking a long time to dry. In fact I discourage the
burning of Oak. The wood has an acid to it the can corrode
chiney linings and metal components very fast.
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.
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 such as here in
Mid-coast Maine and/or use very dense wood like oak, which is
notorious for taking a long time to dry. In fact I discourage the
burning of Oak. The wood has an acid to it the can corrode
chiney linings and metal components very fast.
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.
5. Always adhere to strict code
enforcement rules regarding
stoves, chimneys, fireplaces and
furnaces
In 2005 my parents and my small siblings managed to survive
a house fire brought on by a improperly placed woodburning
furnace. It nearly cost them their lives. No mater the system you
use, please adhere to all safety standards regarding the
installation of the wood burning appliance you have chosen.
Failure to do so just may cost you your home, or your lives. Stay
safe, burn the proper wood and install the appliance the right
way the first time.
enforcement rules regarding
stoves, chimneys, fireplaces and
furnaces
In 2005 my parents and my small siblings managed to survive
a house fire brought on by a improperly placed woodburning
furnace. It nearly cost them their lives. No mater the system you
use, please adhere to all safety standards regarding the
installation of the wood burning appliance you have chosen.
Failure to do so just may cost you your home, or your lives. Stay
safe, burn the proper wood and install the appliance the right
way the first time.