If you’re using a wood burning heater in your home, you will need to fuel it!
What Type of Wood is Best?
Not all wood is created equal. Here is a side-by-side comparison of wood commonly available for purchase or processing, courtesy of Warmer Cheaper.
What Type of Wood is Best?
Not all wood is created equal. Here is a side-by-side comparison of wood commonly available for purchase or processing, courtesy of Warmer Cheaper.
| what_is_good_wood_-_warmer_cheaper.pdf |
How Much Do I Need?
Generally speaking, if you’re planning on having a fire going on most evenings and weekends, you will need about 10m3 per winter season.
How Much Will It Cost?
There is a lot of variation in the price of firewood, depending on your location and the market in general. In Otago prices for pine can range from $65-80 per cubic metre, $90-100 per cubic metre for a hardwood like blue gum, and higher for rarer woods like manuka.
However, the upfront cost doesn’t tell the whole story. Keep in mind that some woods, like pine, burn faster and not as hot as others, like blue gum. So it may be cheaper to purchase pine up front, but you may have to use more of it to achieve a healthy temperature.
Consumer NZ has a great free calculator to help you determine the cost of wood by the kilowatt hour of heat it puts out, which you can find here.
When Should I Buy It?
The earlier, the better! Buy “unseasoned” wood in the spring or summer to give it time to dry ahead of winter. Unseasoned wood is typically cheaper than dry wood. If you leave it too late, you could be looking for dry wood in winter, which is scarce, expensive and likely not as dry as sellers would want you to believe.
If you have the storage space and know you won’t move, you can buy your wood two seasons in advance to ensure you have a plentiful supply of truly dry wood.
How Should I Store It?
Store split, stacked wood in a covered place, like a shed or lean-to, or against a wall with a tarpaulin across the top. If possible, leave the cut ends exposed to prevailing winds.
Don’t stack wood too tightly – there should be some natural airflow through the stack so it dries properly.
How Do I Know When the Wood is Dry?
Dry wood that is ready to burn hot and clean has a moisture content below 25%. There are a few ways to tell if your wood is dry.
- Look – are the ends of the wood cracking? Are the ends light in colour? It’s probably dry. Wet wood will be darker and smoother on the ends – wait a while longer. Of note, pine doesn’t crack on the ends even when dry – use the ‘listen’ test for pine.
- Listen – take two pieces of wood, and whack the two ends together. Does it make a hollow, ringing sound? It’s probably dry. Wet wood will make a heavier, thudding sound.
- Test – borrow or purchase a moisture meter, a small electronic device with forks you stick into the end of the wood. It will give you a digital reading of the moisture content. Anything below 20% is dry enough for burning; 10-20% is ideal.
What’s The Best Way to Get the Fire Going?
For a good, clean hot burn you will need the following:
- Dry wood (moisture content less than 20%)
- A mix of small pieces and larger logs
- Small, dry pieces of kindling
- Newspaper to get everything started
More tips for operating your fire efficiently are available here.
Warmer Cheaper by Environment Canterbury has an outstanding tutorial on good burning technique. Check it out here!