How long should firewood dry before burning?

+1 vote
asked Oct 24, 2018 in Do it yourself by cottoncandy333 (240 points)
How long should firewood dry before burning?

1 Answer

0 votes
answered Oct 24, 2018 by pazsde (290 points)
The amount of time that firewood needs to dry out or cure before burning it in the wood stove depends on the species of firewood you're burning in the wood stove.

Oak firewood needs at least 2 years to fully dry out, cure and season to be able to burn properly in the wood stove and produce the heat.

Oak is a very good firewood to burn to heat your home however it does take longer than other firewood to cure, dry and season.

Other species of firewood other than oak firewood can be burned as soon as 6 months after cutting and splitting however it's best to let the wood season, dry and cure for at least a year to get the optimal BTU's and heat output from the firewood.

The longer you can let the wood cure and season the better the heat output from the wood.

So in short firewood needs 6 months minimum to dry but a year is even better before burning the firewood.

And oak firewood has to dry for at least 2 years before burning.

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