Page 16
Installation and Operation Manual - 2000
ENGLISH
Homeowners with access to both hardwood and softwood fuel sometimes use both types for
different purposes. For example, softer woods make good fuel for relatively mild weather in
spring and fall because they light quickly and produce less heat. Softwoods are not as dense as
hardwoods so a given volume of wood contains less energy. Using softwoods avoids overheating
the house, which can be a common problem with wood heating in moderate weather. Harder
woods are best for colder winter weather when more heat and longer burn cycles are desirable.
Note that hardwood trees like oak, maple, ash and beech are slower growing and longer lived
than softer woods like poplar and birch. That makes hardwood trees more valuable. The advice
that only hardwoods are good to burn is outdated. Old, leaky cast iron stoves wouldn’t hold a
fire overnight unless they were fed large pieces of hardwood. That is no longer true. You can
successfully heat your home by using the less desirable tree species and give the forest a break
at the same time.
3.1.3 Log Length
Logs should be cut at least 1" (25 mm) shorter than the firebox so they fit
in easily. Pieces that are even slightly too long make loading the stove very
difficult. The most common standard length of firewood is 16" (400 mm).
The pieces should be a consistent length, with a maximum of 1" (25 mm)
variation from piece to piece.
3.1.4 Piece Size
Firewood dries more quickly when it is split. Large unsplit rounds can take years to dry enough
to burn. Even when dried, unsplit logs are difficult to ignite because they don’t have the sharp
edges where the flames first catch. Logs as small as 3" (75 mm) should be split to encourage
drying.
Wood should be split to a range of sizes, from about 3" to 6" (75 mm to 150 mm) in cross
section. Having a range of sizes makes starting and rekindling fires much easier. Often, the
firewood purchased from commercial suppliers is not split finely enough for convenient stoking.
It is sometimes advisable to resplit the wood before stacking to dry.
3.1.5 How to Dry Firewood
Firewood that is not dry enough to burn is the cause of most complaints about wood stoves.
Continually burning green or unseasoned wood produces more creosote and involves lack of
heat and dirty glass door.
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