In a fire, freshly chopped or damp firewood may be used. Your home will produce a lot of smoke if you burn wood with 30% or 50% moisture content, and the accumulation of that sticky creosote on the ceiling might cause a chimney fire. So, if you’re in a rush, how can you dry firewood quickly?

You can leave your firewood outside in the sun or put them indoors if you don’t want to wait for long for them to dry. An oven, space heater, or dehumidifier can be used to quickly dry firewood that has been wet due to rain (water-wet firewood).

The various methods for seasoning firewood fast and how long it takes to season firewood are discussed below. A hygrometer (ThermoPro TP50 Digital Hygrometer) and a wood moisture meter (Giant Viking Moisture Meter) are two tools that may be helpful throughout the process.

How long does it take to season firewood?

Freshly chopped firewood takes between 6 and 12 months to completely dry. The sort of wood, starting moisture level, seasoning strategy, environment, and how well you’ve covered the wood determine how long the seasoning firewood will last.

Drying Firewood — Images / mamaneedsaproject.com

Freshly cut firewood, sometimes known as green or sap-wet firewood, takes between 6 and 12 months to dry out completely in most cases. Seasoning wet firewood can take a few days to a month.

Remember that poplar, pine, and ash trees take a long time to season completely.

How to dry firewood fast

Freshly cut or water-wet firewood has a seasoning period that seems to be rather lengthy. Thankfully, by following a few simple steps, you can significantly reduce the seasoning time.

When an unexpected freeze is on the way, here are several methods to dry wood quickly.

1. Dry the wood in the oven

Using an oven is one of the most effective methods of drying firewood. All of the moisture in your firewood will be drawn away by the heat, making it season quickly. The princess, on the other hand, is perilous, so make sure to take all the necessary precautions.

In a short amount of time, here’s how to dry firewood in the oven:

Cut your firewood into pieces small enough to fit in your oven. When drying with an oven, splitting the wood in the middle might help conserve energy.
Set your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. You want to burn wood, which may be a fire hazard, so turn your oven up above what it literally means. You must activate your convection fan if your oven has one.
Place the wood pieces on the oven racks once the oven is ready. Make sure none of the pieces fall through the rack as you lay them perfectly on the racks.
To help with humidity, place a tray of water on the bottom of the oven rack.
To dry the wood, leave it in the oven for 30 to 60 minutes. Depending on the wood type and moisture level, you’ll leave your firewood in the oven for different amounts of time.
To make sure the fire hasn’t caught fire, check it from time to time.
To determine if the components are dry, remove them. You may use a moisture meter to assess whether the components are dry.

2. Use a fan to dry firewood

By evaporating moisture faster, blowing air at full force against the wet firewood will speed up the seasoning process. If your firewood isn’t too wet, a powerful fan can also assist you dry it quickly.

When using a fan to speed up the seasoning of firewood, follow these steps:

Measure the humidity of the room. Use a hygrometer to measure the humidity of the room where you want to dry the firewood, since this technique requires a dry, no-humid environment. Dry wood using a fan if the humidity is between 65% and 70%.
For the job, you’ll need a powerful fan. Since it doesn’t blow air at full strength, a dinky desk fan isn’t likely to work.
Stack the firewood in a single row after splitting it horizontally. Outside or inside the drying area, splittting may be done.
Blow air onto the moist wood while the fan is on full speed. The fan may reduce the moisture levels in your firewood within a few days if the air is dry enough.

In an environment with low humidity, this method works perfectly. If the environment is humid, you’ll suck moisture from the air and onto the wood.

Running a fan in the home may reduce the drying time of wood by up to 50%, if it is done correctly.

3. Use a dehumidifier

In a very humid environment, a fan is ineffective for drying firewood, as previously stated. A dehumidifier is the ideal solution for this. To facilitate the drying process, it will work in conjunction with a fan.

To dry your firewood, you may employ one of two methods:

The first option is to use a dehumidifier to remove moisture from the room, and then move the fan to circulate moisture away from the firewood.
Run both the dehumidifier and fan at the same time is the second technique.

The high costs associated with using a dehumidifier are one of the downsides. Both the fan and dehumidifier will need to be paid for, as well as the electricity bill. A dehumidifier dry kiln is a good investment if you reside in regions that have lengthy winters since it will cost you a lot of money.

4. Dry firewood using a heater

An electric heat or a space heat may be used instead. When using an electric or space heater to dry firewood, you must take safety measures.

Look for a fan in a space heater if you’re going to use it. A space heater with a fan blows warm air off the firewood, rather than heating the air like an electric heater does.

When drying firewood with a heater, follow these steps:

Since they dry much faster, chop the wood into smaller, thinner pieces.
Make sure there is enough room between the firewood on the drying rack. When stalked properly, the firewood will dry quicker.
Move your firewood a distance of 2 to 3 meters from the heater. Don’t put the wood on your heater, as it may catch fire or start the fire.
Check the firewood as it dries by using your space heater to begin the seasoning process.

If they are tiny wood pieces, it will take 2 to 3 hours to completely dry out. For huge dam pieces, the parts will take a bit longer to completely dry out.

5. Leave the firewood in the garage

The finest way to dry your firewood quickly is to keep it in the garage. The type of firewood and its condition determine how long it takes for it to dry out completely in the garage.

When storing firewood in the garage, there are a few things to consider:

Before taking the firewood to the garage, make sure to inspect them thoroughly. You may be able to eliminate rotted elements or those with a bug problem by inspecting them.
Garage heaters, exhaust ducts, electrical sources, and other items that might catch fire in the garage should not be moved close to.
To keep the firewood safe from insects, moisture, cold flow, and other elements, use the pallets to elevate it off the ground.
To make access easier and increase your safety, arrange your firewood in rows.
Stack the kindling approximately 4 inches from the wall.
Make sure your garage and window locks are working.

Unfortunately, compared to drying it outside, drying firewood in the garage will take a bit longer. It can take four to six months for freshly chopped firewood to dry completely.

6. Drying your firewood outside in the sun

You may also dry firewood in the sun.

During the summer, when there are no rains, sun-drying is a good option. You’ll need to place your freshly cut wood outside in the sun and wind to begin the drying process.

To accomplish this, follow these steps:

If you are going to utilize your firewood, cut it into the appropriate length.
Separate the firewood into pieces that are thinner. Dryer wood will dry up quicker than thicker firewood, which has a diameter of 4 inches.
Make sure there is adequate air circulation around and inside the piece by staking the firewood.
To keep the rain off, cover the firewood with a lid. Waterproof covers might increase the time it takes for the firewood to dry, so don’t use them.

Can you dry firewood in a day?

Depending on the sort of wood, size, state, and drying method you prefer to employ, you may dry firewood in a day. When using an electric or space heater, for example, wet firewood will take 2 to 3 hours to dry. Because of its high moisture content, freshly cut firewood will take a bit longer.

How to tell if the firewood is dry enough.

The following are several methods for determining if your firewood is dry:

Cracking along the grain. Dry firewood tends to split along the splits and at the ends, depending on the species of tree.
Reduced weight. Lighter wood is available than wet wood.
Warmth. Dry firewood feels dry and warm, while freshly chopped wood feels chilly and damp on the cut ends.
Readiness to burn. When tossed into the coals of a blazing fire, little pieces of wet firewood sizzle, whereas dry ones catch on fire in less than a minute.
Peeling bark. In comparison to freshly cut wood, the bark of dry wood comes off quite easily.

To determine if your firewood is totally dry, you may also use a moisture meter. The moisture level of dry firewood can be accurately measured using a moisture meter.

CONCLUSION

Running a fan and dehumidifier in the room to speed up moisture loss is the best way to dry firewood quickly. You can also quickly season wood in an oven by placing a few pieces in there. Another great option is to leave wood in the sun for a few months, but firewood will take about six months.

Also read:

6 Easy Tips to Speed Up the Drying Process of Firewood

How long does it take to season firewood?