If you’ve purchased kiln dried wood, it’s always advisable to find somewhere indoors to store it, a garage or shed is fine, but by storing your kiln dried wood outside then it will begin to absorb the moisture from the air.
If you’ve got your own way of collecting firewood, you’ll need to make sure you store it for at least a year so that the wood has time to dry naturally. We’d always recommend checking your seasoned firewood for its moisture content using a moisture metre or similar, available from your local fireplace shop or online retail outlet.
If you are storing wood at home, we’ve got some handy tips to make sure you’re staking it correctly to make sure you don’t end up with mouldy or damp wood.
How to stack firewood at home:
- Keep your logs as dry as possible and do as much as you can to keep your firewood from getting wet or damp
- Never stack your logs on the ground. Firewood needs constant air circulation to help keep it seasoned. An old pallet makes an ideal base for this if you are making your own log store.
- Make sure your logs are under cover but open on one side. This is especially important if you plan on using a polythene cover on your log store to help keep the firewood dry, as the firewood needs to be able to breathe to avoid it sweating.
- Stack your wood correctly. When building the stack, start at the outer edge and work inwards. Keep the logs level and avoid them sloping in or out. If you are stacking wood in a freestanding position then corners should be laid at 90 degrees to the previous level, like the corner of a house.
From the 1st May 2021, wood sold in quantities under 2 cubic metres has to be sold with a moisture content of 20% or less. If the wood you buy has the 'Ready to Burn' label you know that this is suitable for you to use on your woodburning stove straight away, due to the strict procudures put into place by Woodsure Ltd who run the Ready to Burn Scheme under the new government legislation (The Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020).
For more inforamtion on where to get Ready to Burn wood click here.