Updated at: 14-06-2022 - By: Sienna Lewis

Do you want to learn how to dry firewood quickly? You can do it in a matter of minutes! You don’t have to stress about putting these strategies into action because they are simple. As you continue reading, you’ll find out.

Wet firewood is a certainty not to be burned. Please give it a whirl. Make sure I’m not mistaken. LOLs.

What’s the use of drying it?

The wood for a fire should be sufficiently dry, especially if it is freshly harvested.

Indeed, it may be highly useful in a variety of situations, from heating your home to keeping you warm at a tent event.

How To Dry Firewood Fast? In 4 Awesome Steps - Krostrade

The sun and the wind may be the best tools for drying firewood.

However, you must be familiar with the following methods:

Steps In Drying Firewood Fast

To ensure that your firewood burns efficiently, it must be well-seasoned.

As a result, the moisture content of the firewood should be lower.

20% or less is generally recommended; otherwise, it won’t burn (or in case it will, the energy will be used not to produce heat but to dry it out).

Avoid this by learning how to dry firewood quickly.

Step #1. Cutting the woods

There are a variety of tools that can be used to cut down trees.

Cut the wood to the desired lengths now that you have it (preferably, it should fit your fireplace or woodstove).

The wood should be stacked such that the air may circulate between the pieces.

The wood should not be buried in a shallow grave.

Place a layer of pallets, platforms, or lumber on top of the first one.

If you still have some uncut wood, keep it there for a few weeks before spitting it.

This is important:

Splitting them will be quick even in the dead of winter if the wood is dense enough.

How come?

The wood’s moisture has already been frozen.

The drying time of full rounds is also slower than that of split wood.

Step #2. Leaving the wood uncovered

The sun and wind, as previously stated, are the most efficient means of drying wood.

The sun and wind will do the rest, which is why you may leave them out in the open.

Of course, whether it’s sunny or windy is an important consideration.

If it’s raining or snowing, you need to make sure that the top of the stack is covered.

Plastic sheeting, tar paper, or tarp can be used to protect the wood from the rain and snow.

It also keeps the wood dry by keeping the dew off of it.

I recommend using a plastic cover because it’s the most impermeable barrier, but it also prevents condensation from forming.

Dry snow and light rain can also benefit from tar paper. Moisture cannot seep into the wood, and air can circulate freely as a result.

It all comes down to personal preference.

It’s important, though, to remove the covers anytime it’s windy or sunny so that the damp or green wood can quickly dry off.

Step #3. Placing the firewood indoors

You must bring the wood inside if you already require it for the fire.

A day or two before you intend to use it, perform this procedure.

Alternatively, make an effort to disperse the wood so that air can circulate freely throughout the material.

If it’s snowed or iced over, wait 30 minutes before sweeping up the melting snow (or after 15 minutes).

As a last resort, you might use dried wood or kindling to ignite the fire.

You must periodically adjust the damper to ensure that the wood burns properly and does not smolder.

Step #4. Look for firewood immediately

Firewood is needed when it’s cold outside and you’re employing a tent for your event.

So, as soon as you get at your destination, your first order of business is to locate some firewood.

In the same way as before, stack them under the Christmas tree. In no case should they be left lying about on the floor! As a result, it will be vulnerable to water damage.

Cover the wood if at all feasible (you have several options mentioned above). If pine boughs are available, use them!

For easy frying, lay the wet wood near an existing fire source such as a fireplace.

How to Season Wood | Tips for Seasoning Wood | Direct Stoves

Stacking and Storing

Step 1

Using a machete, bucksaw, or chainsaw, remove branches from trees that have been cut down. The wood should be cut into pieces that will fit in your fireplace or stove. The wood should be split and stacked in such a way that air may flow freely between the strands. Cut wood should not be placed on the ground. You can use a platform, pallets, or a few waste pieces of dimensional timber to support the bottom layer. Large rounds of green wood should be left uncut for at least a few weeks before they are broken into smaller pieces. In the winter, when the liquid in the wood has frozen, it may be simpler to split dense wood. It takes less time for split wood to dry out than it does for complete rounds.

Step 2

Allow the sun and wind to speed up the drying process by leaving the wood exposed. When it’s raining or snowing, use a tarp, plastic sheet, or tar paper to cover the top of the stack to prevent rain and snow from getting to the wood and condensing. There are advantages and disadvantages to using plastic as a barrier, but it will also prevent humidity from escaping. Tarpaper protects the wood from moisture while also allowing it to breathe. Remove the covering on bright or windy days so that wet or green wood can dry.

Step 3

One or two days before you need to use the firewood, bring it indoors. Spread it out so that the wood is exposed to the elements on all sides. The floor should be checked every 15 to 30 minutes to see if the snow or ice has melted. Stand the wood on end or flip it over. Dry kindling and wood can be used to start a fire. Once the fire is going strong, even wet wood will dry up and be able to be used as fuel. In order to prevent the wood from smoldering, raise the damper as necessary.

Step 4

Get started building a fire as soon as you get to camp. Stow away the wood in a tree, rock, or other position that provides the most protection from the elements. The wood should be stacked such that some of it is off the moist ground but air can still circulate around the pieces if it is raining or the wood is saturated from earlier rains. If you have a tarp, cover the wood with pine boughs. When you’ve got a fire going, you can use it to dry damp parts before you put them on the fire.

10 Hacks for Drying Firewood Super Fast: Seasoning your Firewood Correctly

Ineffective combustion is the result of wood that has been exposed to excessive moisture. Your firewood will be more efficient if it has been properly seasoned and dried out before you use it.

As a reminder, this material is not meant to treat, diagnose, or prevent any disease. Please read the following: Taking charge of your own health care is something we encourage you to do with the help of a skilled healthcare expert.

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If you know how to dry firewood quickly, you’ll get the maximum heat out of your fuel.

To keep our home warm, cook meals, and keep our hot water hot in the winter, we utilize our wood cookstove. In the event of a power outage, this means lower utility expenses and less inconvenience.

A good stock of dry firewood is required for each Winter, though.

When it comes to preparing your firewood, there are both excellent and harmful methods. To assist you dry your firewood quickly, I’ve compiled a list of the best advice I can provide you.

Why do you need to burn dry wood?

The moisture level of newly cut wood ranges from 30 to 50 percent. Wood that has been exposed to moisture for an extended period of time may be even more so.

Sap-wet (or green) and water-wet are two distinct things. Pine and gorse, two woods known for their highly combustible sap, both burn well green.

You will be left with a smoky, chilly fire that is difficult to control if you start a fire with water-soaked wood.

Seasoning your firewood correctly is critical if you’ve ever used damp or sizzling wood instead of dry or clean burning.

What is dry or well seasoned firewood?

Seasoned wood is wood that has been exposed to the elements and allowed to dry naturally. A good rule of thumb is to keep your firewood at a moisture content of 15% or less.

Rather than generating heat, a fire that contains wood with a moisture level more than 20% will use all of its energy to dry the wood.

What is the danger of burning wet wood?

Firewood that is too wet to burn can generate smoke and creosote buildup in your chimney, which can lead to a chimney fire.

However, you don’t have to take this danger; as you’ll see in the next steps, drying green or wet wood is a simple process.

When properly dried, a variety of woods can be seasoned in six to twelve weeks.

POST RELATED TO THIS: What are the greatest kinds of wood for a fire?

Is your firewood seasoned yet? Here’s how to tell.

How long does it take to properly season a firewood log?

What about kiln dried wood?

Kiln-dried wood is exactly what it sounds like; it’s wood that has been dried in a kiln to a specific moisture level after being taken from a tree. To get kiln-dried firewood, you’ll have to go through a lot of effort because kiln drying timber requires a lot of energy.

In the absence of dry scraps, you can use kiln-dried wood in your stove or fireplace.

The low moisture content of kiln-dried wood makes it ideal for use as kindling in a wood burner or fireplace. It’s a fast-burning, hot-burning fire.

10 Hacks for Drying Firewood Super Fast: Seasoning your Firewood Quickly

1. Make your wood the right length

Cut your logs to the desired length for the fire you intend to use.

Ideally, the wood should cover the majority of the door’s length, so that it doesn’t take up too much room at either end and doesn’t need to be pushed in or left at an odd angle to close the door.

It will save you time if you cut it correctly the first time. Make a note on the chainsaw bar to remember you how long the wood should be when it is cut into rings with the chainsaw.

Starting a fire without a newspaper

2. Split the wood

As a result, wood that is split along the grain will dry up to 15 times faster than wood that is covered in bark. The faster the wood dries, the more split surfaces there are.

Even in ideal drying conditions, unsplit wood might remain green and moist for a whole Summer.

Try to reduce the size of a piece of wood. The most efficient firewood has a diameter of at least 10cm/4inches (across the end measurement).

3. Leave lots of air gaps

There should be enough room for air to circulate around each piece of wood when stacking.

The appearance of neatly arranged firewood stacks may be more appealing, but they are less effective at preserving the wood.

Make your woodshed’s walls slatted or half-open if you can to let in lots of fresh air.

Woodstove cooking is the subject of a related post.

4. Cover with a roof

When you want to start drying your unseasoned wood, you’ll need a lid to keep the rain out of your stacks of wood.

Do not completely cover your pile in waterproofing, since this might double the time it takes for the wood to dry.

If it’s only going to rain for a few hours, you can cover it with a tarp, but if it’s going to rain for a few days or more, you’ll want to place some boards or pallets on top of the wood under the tarp or roof to enable air to flow and reduce condensation.

How Long to Dry Firewood: Beginner's Guide - Timber Gadgets

5. Let in the sun

Season your firewood as quickly as possible by allowing sunlight and wind to reach all surfaces.

Firewood can be placed out in the open for a few months before stacking to speed up the drying time. A year or more of additional drying time is possible when firewood is stacked directly into a covered and closed wood shed.

6. Leave your wood out in the elements for the Summer

Rain, believe it or not, actually aids in the seasoning of your wood. When rain falls, it will help remove the sap that keeps the wood green.

For the Summer, leave your wood pile out in the open, then bring it inside in the fall and winter to dry off the remaining moisture before the cold weather sets in.

7. Don’t leave it too late to season your firewood

This spring or early summer is the ideal time to begin gathering or purchasing wood for next winter. Due to the high humidity levels, effective seasoning of wood is not possible in the late autumn or early winter.

Please don’t underestimate the amount of time required for drying.

The moisture level of wood, even while drying in a covered shed in the autumn, is unlikely to fall below 30%.

8. Keep your wood stack small

When it comes to drying wood, short and narrow piles are far more efficient than a thick and wide solid stack. The sun and breeze will more quickly remove moisture from the cut ends of your firewood if you stack it in a single row.

9. Stack your firewood away from walls

Out in the open, away from any buildings or trees, wood will dry the fastest.

The best of both worlds can be achieved by leaving the wood out in the open during the summer and then storing it in the woodshed once it has been properly seasoned.

10. Stack firewood off the ground

It will take a long time for wood that has been left out in the sun or grass to dry up. Using concrete or gravel or raising the wood pile with some boards or pallets, allow the air to move beneath the pile as well.

Pre-made firewood racks maintain the aesthetics of your stack. It’s also possible to make your own firewood rack with the help of a few simple brackets.

In addition to the wood lice and other vermin that will begin devouring it if you leave it on the ground, moist wood will eventually rot.

What types of firewood dry fastest?

Most soft woods dry significantly more quickly than hard woods. They do, however, burn at a lower temperature and at a faster rate.

In light of this, it is recommended that you use a combination of soft and hard timbers in your fireplace.

Use a moisture meter to ensure that your logs are properly dried.

For a lengthy winter, you’ll need a lot of woods like pine and willow, which will dry the fastest.

Should you use a dehumidifier to help dry firewood?

It is possible to dry your firewood indoors using a dehumidifier if you are in a pinch and don’t have the time or resources to leave it outside.

To speed up the drying process of the wood, use this to remove rain dampness from otherwise well-seasoned wood.

Don’t operate a dehumidifier outside or in a place where the plug can get wet, and don’t stack your pile with air holes.

Can you dry out damp wood in the oven?

Even if your kindling bag was accidentally left outside in the rain, you may dry it in a low oven. We don’t want your house to burn down because you put firewood in an oven with an open flame.

Using a fan to speed up the drying process is a good idea if your oven has one.

How do I know my Firewood is dry?

You can tell if your firewood is properly seasoned by looking at it. The length of time it takes to work with various types of wood varies.

Soft, cooler burning wood like white pine takes less time to season than hard, hotter burning wood like gum or oak.

  1. Wet wood may feel heavier to lift, and there will be lengthy cracks emerging across the grain in well-seasoned wood.
  2. The sound produced when two pieces of well-seasoned wood are struck together produces a higher pitch and is more distinct. A ‘thud’ sound is made when two pieces of damp wood are struck together.
  3. When freshly cut, the ends will be cool and damp, not warm and dry.
  4. While wet wood will sizzle, dry wood will catch on fire within one minute of being placed on the hot coals of a fire.
  5. A moisture meter is the best way to ensure that your firewood is properly dried. This will provide you with an accurate assessment of the level of dryness in your firewood.

When using a wood stove or fireplace this winter, be sure to follow these guidelines to ensure that you have enough dry wood and kindling. Using unseasoned wood for a fire will result in a lack of heat and a buildup of creosote.

To ensure that you have enough time to dry your firewood, I recommend that you organize your green wood as soon as possible and get a moisture meter to ensure that you are drying it properly.

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Conclusion

As simple as 1-2-3, there are several techniques to dry firewood quickly.

After you’ve cut the wood, stack it in a convenient location. Alternatively (not directly on the ground).

Drying time will be accelerated if the air is allowed to circulate.

Also, when it’s bright or windy, make sure the wood isn’t completely covered; let it dry naturally.

The wood must be covered if it is raining or snowing; a plastic covering is preferable.

Bring the logs inside 1 to 2 days before you plan to use them.

I’m confident you’ll be able to get the job done in a jiffy with these simple procedures.

We hope you have a wonderful tent event!