Hearth and Home Technologies CASTLEWOOD 42 - Manual (Page 29)

Outdoor Lifestyles by Hearth & Home Technologies Inc. • 4070-300 Rev D • 11/11 29
F. Wood Fuel
Firewood
Your fireplace performance depends on the quality of the
firewood you use. All seasoned wood, regardless of spe-
cies, contains about 8,000 BTU’s per pound, and hard-
woods have a greater density than soft woods. A piece
of hardwood will contain about 60% more BTU’s than
an equal size piece of soft wood. Firewood is commonly
sold by the cord (128 cu. ft.). A cord of seasoned oak
(hardwood) would contain about 60% more potential en-
ergy than a cord of seasoned pine (soft wood).
Examples of soft wood trees are Douglas fir, pine, spruce,
and cedar, poplar, aspen and alder. Soft woods require
less time to dry, burn faster and are easier to ignite than
hardwoods.
Examples of hardwood trees are oak, maple, apple, and
birch. Hardwoods require more time to season, burn
slower and are usually harder to ignite than soft woods.
The best wood fuel is a combination of soft wood and
hardwood. Start the fire with soft wood; the fire will give
off quick heat to bring the fireplace up to operating tem-
perature, and then the hardwood can be added for slow,
even heat and longer burn time.
Moisture
Regardless of which species of wood you burn, the single
most important factor that effects the way your fireplace
operates is the amount of moisture in the wood. The ma-
jority of the problems fireplace owners experience are
caused by trying to burn wet, unseasoned wood.
Freshly cut wood can be as much water as it is wood,
having a moisture content of around 50%. Imagine a
wooden bucket that weighs about eight pounds. Fill it
with a gallon of water, put it in the fireplace and try to burn
it. This sounds ridiculous but that is exactly what you are
doing if you burn unseasoned wood.
Seasoning
Seasoned firewood is nothing more than wood that is
cut to size, split and air dried to a moisture content of
around 20%. The time it takes to season wood varies
from around nine months for soft woods to as long as
eighteen months for hardwoods. The key to seasoning
wood is to be sure it has been split, exposing the wet
interior and increasing the surface area of each piece. A
tree that was cut down a year ago and not split is likely
to have almost as high a moisture content now as it did
when it was cut.
The following guideline will ensure properly seasoned
wood:
• Stack the wood to allow air to circulate freely around
and through the woodpile.
• Elevate the woodpile off the ground to allow air
circulation underneath.
• The smaller the pieces, the faster the drying process.
Any piece over 6 in. (152 mm) in diameter should be
split.
• Cover the top of the woodpile for protection from
rain and snow. Avoid covering the sides and ends
completely. Doing so may trap moisture from the
ground and impede air circulation.
The problems with burning wet, unseasoned wood are
twofold: First, you will receive less heat output from wet
wood because it requires energy in the form of heat to
evaporate the water trapped inside. This is wasted ener-
gy that should be used for heating your home. Secondly,
this moisture evaporates in the form of steam which has
a cooling effect in your fireplace and chimney system.
When combined with tar and other organic vapors from
burning wood it will form creosote which condenses in
the relatively cool fireplace and chimney.
Fire Risk
• Do NOT burn wet or green wood.
• Store wood in dry location.
• Stack wood so both ends are exposed to
air.
Wet, unseasoned wood can cause
accumulation of creosote.
WARNING
Fire Risk
Do NOT store wood:
• Closer than required clearances to
combustibles to fireplace.
• Within space required for loading or ash
removal.
WARNING