A lot of people ask this question, but it really all depends on the type of wood you are using. Some types need to be split in order to season them and others don’t. This article will go over when firewood needs to be split and when it doesn’t matter so much. You can use this information if you want to find out more about how your wood should be seasoned or just for general knowledge!
Some people think that firewood needs to be split in order for it to season, but this is not true. Seasoning firewood occurs over time and the best way to speed up this process is by stacking pieces of wood on top of each other and leaving them undisturbed. Firewood should also be kept away from the elements such as rain or snow.
Does Firewood Need To Be Split To Season?
Firewood needs to be seasoned before it can be used. Seasoning firewood means that the wood is allowed time to dry out and remove any excess moisture from within its structure. Firewood should not be burned when there is still a significant amount of water in the log as this will result in smoke, low heat output and possibly even create steam which could cause damage to chimneys/fireplaces or even carbon monoxide poisoning if an opening somewhere allows for exhaust gases inside the home instead of up through the chimney.
However, whether you split your logs does depend on what type of fireplace you have because different types need different things: For example, if you’re using a metal stove then splitting isn’t necessary at all – just stack your fuel neatly in the corner of the room.
On the other hand, if you’re using an open fireplace then splitting is essential to allow airflow into and around each piece of wood – this will ensure that they burn more quickly with less smoke (and therefore provide a better heat output). So for best results with any type of firewood, it’s always advisable to split before the season!
There are three main options when it comes to buying logs: You can either buy them in bulk or by weight; Alternatively, you could try subscribing to our log delivery service so we bring fresh-cut logs directly to your door every week. We deliver throughout most areas across England & Wales, including London and surrounding counties/areas*. If you need any further information about our products or services, don’t hesitate to get in touch at any time.
*Our log delivery service is currently not available in Northern Ireland and Scotland. We’re working hard to expand the areas we cover though so please keep an eye on this blog for updates! If you need logs today then why not give us a call – we also offer next-day collections from DIY stores across London & Surrey, where you can choose your own firewood from one of the largest wood stockpiles around!
Does splitting wood help its season?
When you’re starting a fire, the most important thing isn’t how much time you’ve spent seasoning your logs or whether they were split. It’s about which kind of wood you choose and what size pieces are best for burning in your fireplace. If someone tells you that splitting is essential to make sure “the bark stays on,” don’t buy into their sales pitch!
They just want to sell more expensive seasoned logs than ones that have already started drying out naturally when stacked against each other outdoors. Some woods like cedar will need shorter times because they dry at different rates yet take longer to season outside after cutting than if left in the round form before stacking up tightly together outdoors for an entire year.
Wood that is already dry doesn’t need to be split and can still ignite easily on fire, as long as it’s been cut into the right size pieces for your fireplace or wood-burning stove. Make sure you know what kind of heat source you have before buying any logs from a supplier so they’re not just selling junk! If someone tells you splitting logs will help them season faster, don’t buy their advice! Just leave them in the round form until all weather conditions are ideal for stacking up against each other outdoors without falling over. Let Mother Nature do her thing by taking care of how fast they’ll naturally season through evaporation alone.
Some types of firewood do not need to be split before they are used because it is easier for them to combust when in their round form. Firewood such as these must still be dried out, however, or else they will create more smoke than heat. Other kinds of firewood burn better if you cut them into smaller pieces first, but this does prolong the amount of time that it takes for them to dry out.
Finding a happy medium between these two factors can lead some people to purchase kiln-dried logs instead which have been processed by being put inside an industrial chamber where humidity and temperature are both carefully monitored until all excess moisture has evaporated from within each log. If you are having trouble deciding whether or not you need to split your firewood before using it, talk with someone who works at the local hardware store.
They should be able to help you figure things out by giving you a few tips and tricks regarding what kind of wood they sell where you live as well as some general information on how best to go about splitting any logs that do not burn very easily when left in their round form.
How to Split Firewood
Splitting firewood is usually a long and tiring process. Splitting large chunks of wood into smaller pieces, however, can make the task go much faster. It also ensures that your stove or fireplace can heat up properly. So if you’re looking for an easy way to speed things up without sacrificing quality then here are some helpful tips on how to split firewood efficiently:
- Decide whether it’s best for you to use an axe or maul first; there isn’t necessarily one tool better than the other but both tools have their strengths so knowing which will work best with your current situation is important.
- Make sure your cutting board has plenty of nails driven through it in order to keep everything secured while you split.
- Cut a few inches above the ground and make sure to hit it fairly hard; this will help you avoid hitting dirt instead of wood which is important when splitting for an extended period of time.
- Avoid cutting at too steep an angle or you’ll end up with notches in your firewood pieces, making them much harder to burn properly.
- Try using wedges before resorting to a sledgehammer if possible as they can really save some energy and allow both beginners and professionals alike to get things done quickly without having their hands feel like lead afterward! Just be careful that there isn’t anything behind where you plan on chopping such as rocks because even if the axe bounces off initially it could continue on and still cause some damage.
- Consider splitting firewood in a group if you can because it will allow for more socialization while also speeding up the process quite a bit whenever there’s at least one other person doing their part to split wood with an axe or maul.
There are countless of ways both beginner and professional loggers alike can get things done faster when attempting to speed up the task of splitting firewood so hopefully these tips have been helpful! If anything, they should give anyone who reads this blog post food for thought about what methods might be most efficient under certain circumstances.
Environmental Protection Agency
EPA advises burning firewood in a fireplace or woodstove. When you burn seasoned (dry) wood from your home, it is considered carbon-neutral which helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the air. When wood is first cut, it contains a large amount of water. This moisture evaporates as the firewood dries out over time which releases greenhouse gases into our air.
The best way to ensure that your home’s firewood burning appliance operates efficiently and reduces its environmental impact is by using seasoned (dry) fuel. If you live in an area where there are no trees or access to locally-cut firewood, buying kiln-dried logs made from lumber scraps may be more environmentally friendly than bringing wet logs onto land for transport elsewhere.
The downside, however, is that these types of manufactured products can cost three times as much as unseasoned green woods so only use them if you cannot find other suitable options closer to home.
If you’re not sure whether your firewood is dry enough to burn, place a few logs in the fireplace and set them on fire. If they ignite quickly and burn with even color, they are ready for use. However, if it takes longer than ten minutes or there’s a lot of smoke coming from the wood as it burns, then gives it some more time because chances are that it isn’t dry yet.
When taking into consideration how long logs will need to season before burning out completely (usually at least six months), we can see just how important splitting our own fuel really is! This way we get two benefits: better environmental impact through buying less manufactured products AND saving money by using what cut-offs we have leftover from our home renovations.
So the next time you’re splitting wood for your fireplace, remember that it doesn’t require all day! The important thing is to make sure that what we do spend our day on gets done efficiently and safely so we can get the most out of this task in a way that benefits everyone involved.
Safety Tips for Splitting Firewood
- Wear proper clothing and footwear when splitting firewood. This includes sturdy gloves, a hard hat, steel-toed boots, long pants, eye protection, and earplugs. Ensure that your work area is clear of debris or any other distractions in order to prevent injury from the heavy logs dropping on you unexpectedly.
- Ensure that the splitting device is stable and level. If you are using a sledgehammer, grip it on the end of the handle with both hands to avoid slipping or dropping it unexpectedly on your feet.
- Have a bucket of water nearby for putting out any small fires which may arise from sparks created by striking metal against wood or nails in firewood logs containing them catching onto dry bark near exposed ends as they split apart. Also have rags ready for wiping down equipment after use before storing them away to prevent rusting if some moisture happens to get inside the handles/heads without drying quickly enough first.
- Make sure there is plenty of room around you where people cannot trip over each other’s toes, especially children who might be playing around.
- Make sure that the person you are splitting firewood for has a proper place to store it, either indoors or outdoors depending on their preference and your climate.
- Make sure they know how long this type of wood needs to season before burning because different types may need anywhere from three months up to two years in order to achieve optimum heat retention which will make them burn longer than other types. Some people even believe that split pieces dry faster since the moisture is already removed from the inside of each piece while still contained within its bark shell during cutting but I have not noticed any difference between these and unsplit logs when using both at roughly similar air humidity levels after about six weeks seasoning time aside from being smaller so taking up less space to store which is an advantage.
- Make sure your firewood stacks are off the ground and away from any walls or other potential heat sources such as a wood stove so they do not dry too quickly which can create cracks, especially in softer types of logs like pine because it has a low density compared with hardwoods like oak or maple that will be much more resistant to drying out.
- At least 12 inches high and at least four feet apart should suffice for most seasons but check on them regularly throughout winter starting about three months before you plan on using them to see where their moisture content may stand after weathering each snowfall/drying period by splitting small pieces across one end from top to bottom if necessary.
- If you have cut down any fruit trees, make sure to leave at least one or two inches of the stump above ground level so that new sprouts which are called “suckers” do not begin growing out of them.
- Make sure you have a suitable place for your firewood to rest during seasoning similar to its final resting spot within reach before lighting up whenever you want to use it instead of having some split but still unsplit pieces left out in order to air dry further because this will reduce how much heat they give off when burning due their less condensed moisture content taking longer than necessary until ready since more space is required between each piece for airflow around all sides rather than on top alone where most drier wood types are situated first as they begin giving off their heat.
- If you are splitting wood with an axe, make sure that there is always a bucket of water nearby for cooling the blade if it starts to get too hot while hitting metal against wood or nails in firewood logs containing them since they can cause sparks which could catch onto dry bark near exposed ends causing them to start on fire when striking repeatedly at close range like this without stopping after each impact between sharpened metal and hard pieces of timber.
- Never place your hands anywhere near the edge of the head or handle during use because even extremely slight slips may result in injury requiring stitches from deep cuts made by either slipping off-target, being struck before swinging away from someone’s leg accidentally catching one instead when passing behind people who have been chopping for a while, or hitting the ground before rising back up to swing again which can easily happen when someone is tired after working hard.
- Make sure you wear heavy-duty gloves in order to protect your hands from blisters and splinters running along the grain during extended use of an axe splitting firewood because it’s not always easy at first to learn how best to repeatedly lay into something without losing momentum due to its weight causing unbalanced swings that will usually miss their mark by quite a bit if one tries too quickly especially since most axes are designed for right-handed people who naturally hold them with their dominant hand towards the head so this starts swinging down behind left shoulder height rather than upwards above the top of it before beginning another descent aiming slightly lower each time until it hits the ground and keeps going.
- Practice swinging an axe before actually splitting any wood to get a better feel for what you are doing by striking one of its smaller pieces first which is called “buttoning” rather than immediately trying out your full strength on larger logs since they can be quite heavy as well as dangerous if not handled properly during use with either type being more likely to split apart completely instead of just into quarters or eighths unless done so from another side closer towards their center, otherwise creating small slivers that could cause someone to trip unexpectedly when walking through them later because they may have become too sharp without noticing right away due to handling rough-edged firewood frequently over time.
FAQs
Do I have to split the firewood before it seasons?
No, splitting is not necessary. You can stack your wood out in a neat pile or even cut them into smaller pieces first if you want to make sure they are dry faster.
How many years does freshly cut wood season for?
It really depends on how much sun and wind you get where you store your firewood as well as what kind of tree species were used to cut down. Generally speaking, though fresh logs will be ready after one year but may take up to two years depending on conditions. Logs from dense trees like oak will typically need more time than say ash or poplar which are pretty fast at seasoning naturally without being chopped.
Are split logs better than whole ones for burning?
Not necessarily. Most seasoned wood is already splitting and cracking on its own as it dries out, so if you don't want to go through the trouble of chopping up some firewood then there's really no huge advantage to having splits over rounds. Both will burn just fine depending on how dry they are (which depends not only on where you store them but also what kind of tree species were used cut down). However, even though a big round log may look impressive once it's going in your fireplace or stove -and certainly heats things up more effectively-, most experts agree that smaller pieces contribute far less creosote buildup due to a reduced surface area. This means cleaner chimneys and less risk of chimney fires.
Can I burn green wood?
Yes, you can but it won't be very efficient and some people may actually advise against burning unseasoned logs in your fireplace or stove altogether -mostly because they have a higher moisture content compared to dry firewood which means that the heat produced by them will go towards evaporating this water rather than heating up your home (and also because there's no guarantee that such wet pieces are completely free from combustion hazards like fallen leaves). However, if you still want to give it a try then make sure to properly split all rounds into smaller pieces before stacking them for seasoning; stack this undercover somewhere out of direct sunlight; keep an eye on how much time is passing since you made the cut; use more dry firewood next to it on top of your pile for combustion purposes (this will help warm up the wet logs below), and make sure that at least some part is exposed above all other pieces so there's no risk of them walling their moisture content too much.
How long does splitting wood season?
Much like with whole trees, split logs typically need about one year before they are ready to burn but this depends heavily on conditions where they were stored as well as what kind of tree species was used in cutting down. However, even if these wood chips aren't completely seasoned yet -which means they still retain a lot of water-, burning only dried-out pieces can reduce creosote buildup in your chimney and reduce the risk of a dangerous chimney fire.
How long does it take to season wood?
It really depends on conditions where they were stored as well as what kind of tree species was used in cutting down but generally speaking most seasoned pieces will be ready after one year or so, depending on how much sun and wind you get where you store them. Logs from dense trees like oak typically need more time than say ash or poplar which are pretty fast at seasoning naturally without being chopped up into smaller pieces first.
Does splitting help dry out the sap inside logs?
No, that's not true -but is just something people have been claiming for years with little proof behind their claims-. Splitting wood is mainly done for easier transportation and to reduce its volume, not because it reduces moisture content.
Do I have to season my firewood outside?
No. Even if you stack your seasoned logs in the garage or inside your house with plenty of airflow around them this will still allow them to dry out slowly over time so they are ready when you need them next winter (but splitting up rounds before seasoning can dramatically speed up their drying). However, keeping logs inside an uninsulated building means that more heat from combustion will escape through cracks between pieces as well as various gaps which could cause a lot of unnecessary energy loss -and therefore money-. If possible then keep your firewood outdoors where sun and wind can help evaporate any moisture more quickly without having to worry about any of these gaps (this means you don't have to stack it on pallets, but make sure that the ground underneath is covered with a tarp or something similar).
Our firewood logs good for starting fires if they are not dry?
Wood chips need at least 30% water content before they can be used as starter material. If your wood pieces still retain too much water then place them into an airtight container and let them sit there overnight so all excess humidity will escape through evaporation -or just use some kind of paper instead-. However, even this doesn't mean that wet firewood won't burn eventually; it's just less efficient than seasoned logs would be which burn much more readily.
Conclusion
If you are wondering if firewood needs to be split, the answer is no. But splitting firewood does make it easier to burn and get a more even heat distribution. So yes, some splitting might be needed depending on your personal preference!