Best Firewood for Your Home
When it comes to choosing firewood for your home, there are a few factors to consider and a bit of research involved.
Hardwood vs Softwood Firewood
Deciduous trees, trees that shed their leaves annually, are the traditional source of hardwood. Since they normally take longer to reach full maturity, hardwood tends to be denser, meaning it burns for longer. On the other hand, coniferous trees like pine, fir, and spruce are often the source of softwood. These trees have a less thick timber and grow rather fast.
Compared to hardwood, softwood often burns a lot quicker, therefore, is a great choice for kindling as it burns quickly and is easy to get the fire start.
Hardwoods, such as oak and ash are often seen as the best option for firewood due to their thicker structure. Each piece added into the fire has a longer burn period since the density of the hardwood allows them to burn continuously and consistently. Opposite to hardwoods, softwoods burn a lot quicker, leading to more wood needed to keep your fire going. Most softwoods contain a significant amount of resin which can cause creosote to form which can lead to chimney fires if there is a build-up.
Seasoned compared to unseasoned
Seasoned wood (air dried) produces more heat from each log as it burns more efficiently. With dry wood, your room is more likely to heat up a lot faster when burned on your stove. It also requires less logs as compared to unseasoned wood.
While burning green or damp wood, it takes much longer to produce useable heat. This is due to burning out the extra water inside the logs, which loses a lot of heat. Wet/ damp wood will also cause poor combustion, more smoke, and form tars and creosotes, which are the causes of clogged chimneys and discoloured stove glass.
Kiln Dried
Kiln dried firewood is wood that has had its moisture content decreased by drying in a special kiln, or oven. This procedure involves placing the wood in a heated room to let it gradually dry out. The end result is wood with a less than 20% moisture content which is perfect for burning.
Kiln-dried logs are considered as the best option for your fireplaces for a variety of reasons. They provide a cleaner burn overall as well as a greater heat output with longer burning duration and less smoke and ash.
Due to carefully monitored drying process, your kiln-dried firewood supply will not contain any unwanted surprises like damp or mouldy logs. This gets rid of the challenge of dealing with damp or hard-to-burn wood, allowing you to enjoy a nice fire with 0 problems.
Additionally, using kiln-dried wood reduces the chances of chimney fires occurring. Due to the low moisture content in the logs, creosote is less likely to build up, giving you some peace of mind.
How to choose the Right Kiln Dried Logs
When choosing kiln-dried logs, there are a few factors to consider before buying. Deciding on the type of wood suitable to your needs is one. Different types of wood burn differently, producing varying amounts of heat. Oak is known for its long burning abilities, where birch produces a quick burst of heat.
Choosing the correct size of logs for your stove or fireplace is also important. Consider the dimensions of your firebox and choose accordingly. Also, make sure the logs are 100% kiln-dried by checking for a moisture content label.
Choose Rathwood’s Solid Fuels for Your Kiln Dried Logs.
The RW Fuels are made from FSC-certified woods from well-managed forests, further emphasising our commitment to environmental sustainability.
Our Rathwood Kiln-Dried wood is preferred for firewood as it burns more efficiently and cleanly compared to wood with higher moisture content. It ignites easily, produces less smoke, and generates more heat, making it an ideal choice for fire-starting and heating purposes. Rathwood guarantees a moisture content of 10%-15% in our kiln-dried firewood.
