Why to choose the moisture less Firewood

Firewood is may of wood or wood branches and from the forest or from country side.Firewood is being used for cooking in some part of the world and room heating purposes in developed countries. And used as fuel in water heating boilers for cleaning purposes as well as for household. And even used in hospitals for water heating and for industries uses boilers as energy source.This wood should be chosen and not by choice. Normally we opt for round wood for handling convenience and hoping it contains more energy. But basically it is recommended to use as it is due to the moisture content in it. Split-ed round wood can be used as fire wood , once the moisture level is down .This will not only assist in good combustion and also reduces creosote deposit in the chimneys, which may increase the maintenance cost of chimney.

Energy efficiency may vary depends on moisture content of the wood and more moisture in wood leads to more consumption for less energy production. So, Chosen fire wood should be suitable for combustion and it should solve your energy issues by not leaving out any by products , which may lead to expenses.

Two types of wood available. One is hardwood and another one is softwood. This classification purely based on biological characteristics. Because of this , the physical and chemical properties of the wood may change. This changes may affects , either positively or negatively the combustion , resulting the reduction or increased calorific values.

In general using hardwood as firewood has more calorific value than , that of using softwood as firewood. In hardwood also , the depends on density and other ingredients in the wood , it may preferred as firewood or may not preferred.

Secondly the availability of wood to a given region. Hardwood found in tropical and sub-tropical areas, whereas softwood only found in temperate region.So, firewood chosen depends on availabilities .

All the wood can't be chosen for firewood applications . Various reasons are to be considered while choosing the firewood.

1. Calorific value

2. Moisture content

3. Species

4. Ash content

5. Mineral found in it.

Seasoned firewood has more calorific value than of green, unseasoned firewood. This is because of the moisture present in it. Mostly recommended moisture content of firewood for usage ranges from 10 to 25% . Above this moisture content the calorific value is going down and creating problems while burning. Lesser the moisture in the wood will burn fast making the heat energy to escape. so getting the firewood of optimum moisture content will help us get the right calorific value of wood meaning , the cost you paid for the firewood will be valued.

Secondly unseasoned wood gives out more toxic gases which is harmful for human beings. This can be reduced or eliminated while using the seasoned firewood.

When we talk about calorific values of wood , species are the main criteria to be considered. Hard wood is always chosen comparing to softwood as firewood. And it depends on availability. some of the species used for firewood are bluegum, pine etc.,

Species also recommended based on ash content, mineral content, and calorific values.Before opting for any kind of species , we must try to know more about the species suitability for using as a firewood. This will avoid unnecessary confusion about using a certain species for firewood, and volume of the same used to get energy.

Buying alone firewood is not enough. We should know how to stack the firewood and store. Depends on moisture content, the stacking varies. You should leave gap between wood to wood to give room for air circulation for natural faster drying.

Besides , storage system should be perfect , in order to avoid the moisture increment and possible attack by insects. It is advisable not to stack the firewood in open space, unless you are trying to utilize the solar energy for drying. You can stack the material under a open shed, which will give room for natural drying.

And time to time inspection to check for moisture content as well as check for any insect attack.