When it comes to choosing the right firewood for your fireplace, kiln-dried is a perfect choice, hands down. From experience, one can say how excellently kiln-dried firewood burns. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that if your firewood is not kiln dried, it is not worth your money! Also, you would miss out on several benefits.
There is a whole lot of difference between regular firewood and kiln-dried ready-to-burn firewood. Both will offer you some benefits, but the latter has the edge over the former. Here’s a look at the benefits of using kiln-dried firewood:
It is a known fact that higher moisture content leads to lesser fire. Regular firewood is often way too moist. A lot of firewood that you find in the market contains significant moisture levels. When you try to ignite them, it takes a few match sticks and efforts before the firewood burns. The issue with regular firewood is that they are naturally dried over time. The seasoning process reduces the moisture content of the wood but is not enough to offer a great burn.
For the wood to burn well, it should have a moisture content below 20%. Only kiln- dried drying process can produce wood below that level. The kiln-dried firewood has a moisture- level of 10- 15%. This is what makes the firewood easier to burn than regular logs.
The kiln-dried firewood is easy to ignite and also offers some excellent fire. Because of the low moisture content, the wood burns efficiently as compared to regular firewood. It takes lesser woods to create the hot flames that you wish for. You will get the brightest and hottest flames in the fireplace. The kiln drying process makes sure that nothing obstructs your killer fire-burning experience.
The kiln-dried wood comes absolutely free of mildew, insecticides, and bugs. The kiln-dried process takes care of these insects and leaves only clean and pristine wood for getting the job done. This is not only great for burning but also opens several possibilities for wood storage. It can be risky to store the regular wood indoors as there is always a risk of weird bugs and fungi. However, there is no such nuisance with kiln-dried wood.
Also, it shreds lesser bark and debris as compared to regular wood. When you choose luxury wood such as a kiln-dried one, storage is also a privilege. The wood can be stored in your garage, basement, or any other place without worrying about any damage it can cause. Just make sure that you choose a spot with lower humidity so that woods can stay away from moisture.
The low moisture content of kiln-dried firewood is good for the environment. When you try to burn wet wood, more energy is consumed, and it leads to a smokier fire. This produces more levels of creosote and other harmful emissions. These emissions can lead to air pollution and create unhealthy breathing conditions for you and your family. If you wish to go green and enjoy the great fire, always choose kiln-dried firewood.
One of the nuisances of burning firewood can be smoke that burns eyes. However, kiln-dried firewood generates lesser smoke while burning. You might have experienced the bonfire on a breezy night and got hit with smoke. It is not possible to even keep a conversation or engage in any activity when the eyes are watering and stinging. Now you can kiss goodbye to those unpleasant experiences and enjoy a warm fire with low smoke.
One of the toughest parts of making a fire is to carry the heavy wood load. The kiln-dried wood is lighter as most of the weight that wood carries is that of the moisture content. Damp wood can be challenging to drag around. Kiln drying takes out most of the water weight, and you are left with a lighter load. Your arms and back will thank you for going the kiln-dried way!
Apart from burning in firewood, kiln-dried wood is great for cooking as well. Because of the low moisture content, kiln-dried wood won’t produce musty flavour. It creates amazing flavourful smoke for your cuisines. It burns efficiently and cooks quickly.
There is a lot that can be said about kiln dried ready to burn firewood. Just make sure that you choose a renowned firewood supplier for your fireplace. This will ensure that you receive good quality firewood that burns easily, brighter, and longer with minimal smoke.