Most here already follow and go beyond the recommendations. Still, its a decent read - Carry Wood, Boil Water: Is your firewood dry?
It is a shame that an article starting out so good ended so bad. It made sense enough so that Mr & Mrs homeowner could follow it. But the trouble with so many is that the make so much sense that then people will start to believe it all. The following is a prime example: "To burn reasonably clean, firewood has to have less than 25% moisture. Wood is hygroscopic, that is it absorbs moisture from the air depending on the humidity. However, even in extremely humid conditions, wood that has been covered for six months or more will not have over 20% moisture. "If you’re curious about the actual moisture content of your firewood, hand-held moisture meters are available in the $25 to $50 price range at many hardware stores. It’s a small investment for peace of mind. Also, some North Country libraries have these tools available to borrow for the day." Well, even before the above we are led to believe you burn this year what you cut this year. 12 months indeed is fine for lots of wood but will cause problems with others. I also do not like wood at 25% moisture. And for sure, "even in extremely humid conditions, wood that has been covered for six months or more will not have over 20% moisture." Again, it started out to be a really good article but those comments at the end certainly shows the author did not get the information via experience, but from reading other articles or listening to other people. I really did like the way they used the example of boiling the water out of the wood. I may even take that idea and update the Primer on Woodburning by Backwoods Savage
Agreed. Thus my commen about it being "decent" and not "excellent". I'm glad to see you read something that gets added to the FHC woodburning manual
They have the right idea, but like Dennis said they’re only part way there. Softwood might be ready in 6 months. Maybe that’s where they got that part. It’s hard to believe the lack of awareness and I will never understand people not wanting to know the facts before they start such a potentially dangerous pastime. I guess that’s where all the accidents happen. But like has already been said “you can’t fix stupid”
Yep good article except for their numbers, sometimes you learn by doing and sometimes you do by learning.
