Winter is coming, and many people will be looking to buy kiln dried logs for their firewood. But why kiln dried logs rather than unseasoned wood or air-dried firewood? Kiln drying is superior in several ways, and produces a superior log for firewood. Kiln drying is a process that removes the moisture content from the wood by heating it in an oven or kiln at controlled temperatures. This reduces the risk of the wood spitting or warping when burned and makes them more efficient to burn as they generate more heat per weight than untreated timber. In this blog post, we'll look at some of the benefits of kiln dried logs for your home fireplace or stove.

The benefits of choosing kiln-dried mixed logs

There are plenty of advantages to choosing kiln-dried mixed firewood over other firewood types – including, but not limited to: - Kiln-drying reduces the risk of warping and timbers shrinking over time if not dried properly. This means they will also be less likely to shrink or warp when placed inside a stove or fireplace, meaning that kiln drying is good for your home too! - Mixed logs come in a variety of sizes per pack, so it's easy to find the ideal logs for each stage of the fire, using smaller, thinner logs at the beginning and then progressing to much thicker logs when the fire really gets going. - Kiln-drying removes up to 60% of the water from wood during drying, meaning kiln dried logs are also easier to light and burn better. This means more heat from less wood. - Kiln-dried wood can be stored for up to 12 months without re-drying before burning it. This is great if you buy in bulk or have a small fireplace or wood-burning stove that doesn’t need refilling too frequently. - Kiln-dried logs are more environmentally friendly as they require less energy to burn and produce up to 30% more heat than unseasoned wood, giving you the same result for less wood. - Kiln-dried firewood is easier to light and therefore means you can start fires faster too, which will save you plenty of time over the course of the winter.

What's the difference between kiln dried logs and air-dried logs?

There are two different ways to dry logs for firewood: kiln drying and air drying. Kiln-dried logs are heated in an oven or kiln at controlled temperatures to remove the moisture, (a process unsurprisingly called “kilning”) while air-dried firewood is simply left outside until it dries naturally. Both kiln drying and air drying reduce the moisture content of wood significantly, but there are still some benefits to choosing kiln-dried over air-dried logs. Kiln-dried logs are more consistent in size and shape, which is useful if you're using kiln-dried logs for firewood inside a stove or fireplace as they need to fit. Kiln-dried firewood also dries faster than air-dried wood and requires less maintenance over time - so you can spend more time enjoying your log burner. Kiln-drying removes a large amount of the water from logs during kilning, but some kiln-dried logs will still need time to season and 'off gas' the kilning process before they're ready for your fireplace. Air-dried wood can off-gas naturally over a period of time, but kiln-drying speeds up this process too. As a result, kiln-dried firewood is ready much more quickly than air-dried wood and you can stock up on it more effectively.

Why choose mixed Logs? What size firewood logs should you burn?

Choosing kiln-dried logs for your fire is perfect if you're looking to burn smaller, thinner wood at the beginning of a fire and then progress through to thicker kilned logs once it's burning steadily. Mixed kiln-dried log packs come in all shapes and sizes so it's easy to find the exact kiln-dried logs for your fireplace. In general, you should use smaller kilned firewood at the beginning of a fire and then progress to thicker kiln-dried logs. This is because kiln-drying removes so much moisture from wood that small kilned logs will burn up very quickly, which is ideal to get the fire started but less ideal later on when the fire is more intense. Also, if you're going away for a few days over Christmas or other long holiday periods, it's best to use kiln-dried wood as they don't need time to season before burning.
The benefits of buying kiln dried mixed logs

What's the best way to store kiln dried logs?

Kilned firewood is much easier to store than unseasoned wood because kilning reduces the moisture content of kilned logs, making them lighter in weight and much less prone to the effects of humidity. To store kiln-dried firewood for up to 12 months, stack them in a dry place out of direct sunlight and with plenty of air circulation. This is ideal if you buy kiln-dried logs in bulk as it can provide you with all the wood you’ll need for the winter in one go. Make sure that your storage space is dry too - damp kiln-dried firewood can encourage the growth of mould which could ruin your kiln-dried logs and make them difficult to burn.

How to burn kiln-dried wood in a fireplace

Kilned logs are usually smaller than unseasoned wood, so you could split kiln-dried logs into two or three pieces before burning them in your fireplace to make sure they burn up completely. Kiln-dried logs should burn more easily and more quickly than unseasoned wood. If they don’t, make sure that your fireplace is open and clear of any obstacles, obstructions or flammable materials, and that there is a good flow of air.

How to burn kiln dried logs in a wood-burning stove

Kiln-dried wood can be burned in most types of wood-burning stove and is usually chosen as the ideal fuel as it is smaller and burns more quickly than unseasoned wood, releasing more heat and warming up the stove more effectively. This does mean that kiln-dried logs might need to be fed into the fire more frequently - but don't worry, this is perfectly normal and will keep your fire burning well. To purchase kiln-dried logs for your home or business this winter, get in touch with Cozilogs today.