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Page 14
OPERATING YOUR APPLIANCE (Continued)
Seasoning Wood (Continued)
The bathroom scales can be used to check if firewood is still seasoning. Weigh a basket or
bag of a few pieces of firewood. Place them back in the wood pile as an identified unit. Then
weigh them again in about a month. If they have lost weight, the wood is still drying. Cracks
that appear in the end of logs are good signs that the wood is well seasoned.
Generally, wood that is 1) cut to length, 2) split, and 3) stacked in the open, preferably with a
cover, during the winter, should be thoroughly seasoned by the next heating season.
Storing Wood
Firewood is best stored outdoors, under cover and near the house so that valuable space in
the house is not used, insects are kept outside, and the dirt problem is reduced. Store the
wood under cover to keep it dry and its fuel value high. It can be stored in a wood shed, utility
building, garage or under a sheet of plastic or sheet metal roofing.
When drying wood, the greater the surface area exposed to the air, the more rapid the drying.
Wood greater than 8" in diameter or longer than 4' dries very slowly. Reduce the size of such
sticks by splitting and/or sawing. Be sure to keep an air space between the wood and any
covering. Stack the wood in loose piles that are raised off the ground. This will promote air
circulation that helps dry the wood.
TYPICAL WOOD SHED
3' Depth
8' Width
Sheet Metal Roofing
2x4 Purlins
4x4x2 Posts Spaced 8' Apart
2x6x12 Rafter
Siding and Girts
(Optional)
2x8x8' Girder