Storing and Stacking

Dry seasoned wood is essential for an efficient log burner. Taking care when preparing your logs will give you the best possible burn, and helps to avoid the build up of waste substances in the stove, flue and chimney. Ensure your firewood is seasoned and neatly stacked ready for the winter by correctly splitting, barking and stacking your logs.

Why Burn Only Dry Wood?

Freshly cut logs can contain over 70% water and when it burns, any water it contains must be evaporated; this requires a surprisingly large amount of energy. The water content of wood which has been well seasoned drops to around 20%. As a result, the heat energy given off by well seasoned wood is often more than double that of freshly cut wood!

How to Prepare Logs for Drying

Firewood logs need to be cut and split small enough to dry effectively. Be sure to know the maximum log size accepted by your log burner or fireplace before you begin work.

Wood needs to be dried for at least a year, and preferably two. In very damp climates logs may even benefit from being seasoned for up to three years.

The logs needs to be stacked in a well ventilated spot outside, lifted off the ground to avoid water logging and to protect the bottom layers of logs from rot.

An open fronted wood store with a concrete floor, sound roof and three waterproof walls is ideal, but it is expensive and is not essential. Build up your pile of logs, raised off the ground by something such as an old pallet, or runners constructed of treated timber, steel, concrete or other rot resistant materials. This will keep the first layer several inches above the ground, while allowing air to circulate beneath them.

Keep horizontal log layers as even and level as possible as you build the stack. Laying the logs so they overlap one another for best stability.  Build as much air into the stack as you can, the more air flow the better the drying. If your logs still have the bark on stack them bark side up. Bark will help shed moisture in the woodpile. Always ensure that the pile is as stable as possible. Posts can be used at the ends if your shed has no sides, alternatively stabalise the free ends by stacking logs at right angles to each other in alternating courses, or build a 'beehive stack' as illustrated in the photo at the top of the page.

If you are storing your logs outside you need to ensure that the finished stack is protected from the rain. Cover the top of the pile with heavy duty waterproof plastic or a tarpaulin, and tie down with a rope or weigh down with bricks. Leave the face of stacked firewood logs open to the air to maximize drying.