A lot of people ask the question “Why does firewood hiss?” The answer is that it’s because there are gasses in the wood. These gasses, mostly methane and carbon dioxide, form when the wood is heated. The pressure builds up until they escape out of tiny cracks in the bark or between knots in the wood. This process can be sped up by drilling holes into pieces of firewood before they are burned to make them burn more quickly.
Have you ever noticed that when you are burning firewood, the wood often makes a hissing noise? This is because of steam. When the water inside the logs starts to boil it creates steam which comes out of the cracks in between the logs. The sound can be quite loud if there are enough cracks or gaps in between them.
Why Does Firewood Hiss?
Wood is made of cellulose, water, and minerals. When the wood burns, it goes through a chemical change called combustion or burning. During this process, oxygen reacts with carbon in the wood to produce heat and energy which we see as fire, smoke, and ash residue. Carbon particles become so hot they create plasma that emits light (fire).
They also combust to form gases including hydrogen gas—which are flammable under certain conditions but not always present when you are dealing with real-life situations where building fires for survival purposes take place.
The hydrogen gas produced by the burning wood is what makes it hiss. The sound of a fire being started with smokeless powder or even sparks from an ignition source such as flint and steel can be attributed to this whooshing, sizzling noise made by the escaping hydrogen.
This phenomenon occurs because hydrogen atoms are so small they can slip through gaps in your fuel’s surface area where oxygen molecules reside without meeting any resistance, whereas larger particles must interact with other atoms before entering open spaces between them. This characteristic allows smaller elements to escape more easily into surrounding air that doesn’t contain enough oxygen for combustion which results in a popping or fizzing sound when you burn something—such as a log on a campfire.
Understanding Whether Your Firewood Will Hiss
Your firewood may hiss if it contains a lot of sap or moisture. This can be attributed to the fact that hydrogen atoms are so small they slip through gaps in your fuel’s surface area where oxygen molecules reside without meeting any resistance, whereas larger particles need to interact with other atoms before entering open spaces between them and these interactions create more friction than smaller elements which results in less popping when burning wet wood because there is still enough water present for combustion.
What this means is you will hear no sizzling sound when building fires using bundles of kindling comprised primarily of dry twigs but not when burning logs made from fresh-cut branches soaked by rain during harvesting season. These types of situations should also caution campers and hikers not to build fires under conditions where wet wood will be exposed to heat from the sun such as during camping trips or mountaineering expeditions. This is because sunlight can quickly dry damp firewood and make it pop like a regular log after only one day of exposure, which may startle you if you aren’t expecting loud noises while enjoying campfires at night!
Should Seasoned Firewood Hiss?
Another factor to consider is the fact that seasoned wood tends to have less sap than green-cut firewood. This makes sense because sap actually contains water, so it’s not surprising that you’ll find more of it in wetter logs. One thing all this discussion on bark and moisture brings up is why we’re even talking about “seasoning” at all if there’s no issue with fresh-cut firewood?
It turns out that dryer (less moist) wood has fewer issues like mold or fungus compared to freshly chopped trees since they contain less free water which can act as a breeding ground for spores. So basically any time your fresh-cut tree sits around long enough for its natural protective coating (the bark) to wear off before being burned, you’re more likely to have some problems.
The main objective of this blog post is to answer the question: why does firewood hiss? In order to do that we’ve broken it down into a few different topics including bark and moisture content. We’ll conclude with a summary of what matters most when choosing your next load of wood for heating purposes!
Environmental Protection
Firewood is a wonderful product. It heats our homes, sears our food, and provides warmth in the cold months of winter. However, firewood also emits harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that can lead to global warming over time. As the global temperatures rise, so does the amount of emissions. What can we do to reduce these harmful gases? One option is burning more firewood with higher environmental standards in place for companies producing it.
This helps us stay warm and enjoy what nature has provided for us – without harming our environment in the process!
Safety Tips for Storing Firewood
- If you are using a cord or more of wood, be sure to keep it stacked off the ground. The ideal height should allow for 12 inches above and below. If your cords have different lengths, stack them so that they are taller than wider. Using this method will ensure proper drying time as each piece is exposed equally on all sides.
- Don’t forget about any bark, mosses, or other materials that may be present on the outside of your firewood logs! All these things can cause creosote buildup if left in contact with heat sources such as chimneys or stoves over long periods of time. Be sure to remove any foreign objects before beginning fires inside! To prevent smell or other problems, do not burn firewood that is wet or has been treated with chemicals.
- Storing your wood off the ground and out of direct contact with soil will help to ensure proper drying time for each piece! This should prevent any “hissing” sounds you may be hearing as a result of the steam being released from moisture trapped in between pieces.
- Other common causes include bugs living inside your logs (not likely if they are stored outside!), sap making its way into cracks on the surface, or creosote buildup within chimneys due to burning unseasoned wood over long periods of time. All these things can lead to popping noises that sound similar but actually have very different root causes than hissing. When in doubt, it’s always better to be safe than sorry!
- You can prevent this by keeping your wood off the ground and out of direct contact with soil. This should ensure proper drying time for each piece! If you are still hearing hissing sounds after taking these precautions, there may be bugs living inside your logs or sap making its way into cracks on the surface. You could also have creosote buildup in your chimney due to burning unseasoned firewood over long periods of time; either way, all three problems will lead to popping noises that sound similar but actually have very different root causes than hissing. Always remember that it is better to be safe than sorry when dealing with any sort of noise coming from a source you don’t recognize!
- If this is the case, then it’s likely that either bug is living inside your logs (unlikely if they’re stored outside), sap making its way into cracks on the surface, or creosote buildup in your chimney due to burning unseasoned wood over long periods of time. All three problems will lead to popping noises that sound similar but actually have very different root causes than hissing. When in doubt, always remember: it’s better to be safe than sorry when dealing with a noise coming from an unknown source!
- This should prevent any “hissing” sounds you may be hearing as a result of the steam being released from moisture trapped between pieces. If after taking these precautions you are still hearing hissing sounds, then there may be bugs living inside your logs or sap making its way into cracks on the surface. You could also have creosote buildup in your chimney due to burning unseasoned firewood over long periods of time; either way, all three problems will lead to popping noises that sound similar but actually have very different root causes than hissing.
- If this is happening, it’s likely that either bugs are living inside your logs (unlikely if they’re stored outside), sap making its way into cracks on the surface, or creosote build up in your chimney because of burning unseasoned wood for a long period of time. All three problems will lead to popping noises that sound similar but actually have very different root causes than hissing. It is always better to be safe than sorry when dealing with a noise coming from an unknown source!
FAQs
Why does firewood hiss?
Firewood is full of water. When the wood heats up, it turns into steam and makes a noise that sounds like “hiss” or “shhhhhhh.”
Is there anything else I need to know about why firewood sometimes pops in my fireplace?
It's not really popping – just burning with some extra drama! If you want your logs to burn safely without flying out of your fireplace, then stack them right-side-up so they can dry out. Firewood sounds like it's hissing or popping in the fireplace when there is moisture inside of it and then while it's being burned, water evaporates to create steam which creates noise that sounds like “hiss” or “shhhhhhh.” It's not really popping – just burning with some extra drama! If you want your logs to burn safely without flying out of your fireplace, then stack them right-side-up so they can dry out.
How do I get rid of the smell after someone lights a candle near my fireplace?
If your house smells like smoke, learn how to remove that odor here. If it's too late for that and you want to make sure nobody experiences the same thing in your home again, consider switching out candles with an electric one instead. This way there will be no flame or heat around which could potentially set off another smoky experience! Or perhaps try lighting scented oils next time instead.
Conclusion
Firewood is combustible. When it burns, the sap and resin in the wood give off gases that can cause noise or hissing when they pass through an opening such as a fireplace throat insert. The size of the openings also affects how much gas escapes from firewood.