Kiln-dried logs are the perfect choice for your wood burner, oven or stove. After you’ve had a delivery of our premium logs you’ll want to keep them in good condition before burning them, to ensure a fantastic burn. But you may be wondering what to do if your kiln-dried oak logs get wet. Here we explain everything you need to know.
Do kiln-dried logs need to be kept dry?
Ideally, you want to keep your logs as dry as possible and to understand why it’s helpful to understand how kiln-dried logs are produced. All of our logs have been dried out in a kiln. This helps reduce the moisture within the wood, as excess water evaporates in the kiln. This makes it ideal for burning in your oven, stove, log burner, open fire or boiler. Kiln-dried logs catch fire quickly and burn for a long time, creating impressive amounts of heat. Smoke levels and sparks are kept to a minimum with oak logs, ensuring you can relax and enjoy your fire, without any safety worries. Kiln-dried wood creates a much more efficient burn than freshly-cut wood, which has a much higher moisture content. The kiln-drying process also ensures that your logs will be in fantastic condition and won’t have any mould or insects in them.
Can kiln-dried oak logs get wet?
All of our logs are made from 100 per cent sustainable British oak and have been produced to ensure they have a premium, low moisture level. Each log will have a moisture content of under 20%, to ensure a perfect burn every time. Many people choose to keep their logs outside, so they will inevitably get slightly wet, even if they are kept in a log store. This is totally fine, and won’t affect the burning performance of your logs. In fact, the wind outside will help keep them dry, as it will wick away excess moisture. However, you don’t want your logs to be totally saturated with water for a long period of time, as this will affect their moisture level. For example, you’d want to avoid leaving your logs out on the grass for a long period without any protection, especially in heavy rain. They would absorb water from the grass and rain, and could even rot.
What to do if your kiln-dried oak logs get wet
If your kiln-dried logs are slightly wet do not worry. They will naturally dry out quickly and will be fine to use. However, if your logs have got very wet there are several steps you can take to help dry them out: 1. Remove any rotten wood If your logs have been left wet for a long time, you should check for any that may be rotten. This will only happen if they have been left unattended in very wet conditions for a considerable amount of time. Any rotten logs should be discarded. 2. Find any wet logs Look through your logs to find any that are very wet. Look for a dry environment where you can stack these to dry them out. Depending on how wet they are, they will normally dry out in around a week. This can be sped up if they are placed in a sunny or windy area. 3. Bring your logs indoors before burning Once you are satisfied that your logs have dried out, you could consider bringing them inside for a week before you use them. You could store them in an attractive log basket, create a small indoor woodpile, or even stash them in a utility room, conservatory or front porch. 4. Restack your dry logs After you have finished sorting through your logs, remember to restack any dry logs. Follow our tips below to ensure they are in a dry and protected environment.
How to store kiln-dried oak logs to keep them dry
- Your logs need to be protected from rain and snow. If they are kept outside then a log store or covered area would be idea.
- You want to have plenty of airflow around your logs, so avoid situating them right next to a wall, fence or shed. Leaving a space between your stack of logs and any other solid structure will allow air to circulate around them.
- To help with airflow, stack your logs neatly. Try to avoid packing them in very tightly, as this can reduce airflow between them. Instead, try packing them reasonably loosely. Ensure that they are safely balanced and can’t tumble out of the stack.
- Keep your logs off the ground, to avoid them soaking up moisture from the earth or grass. It’s wise to place them on a firm, solid base such as a pallet. You could also use strips of timber as a base to lift them off the ground.
- Avoid covering your logs with plastic sheeting or tarpaulin. While this may seem like a sensible idea to protect them from rain, condensation will build up under the plastic. This in turn will create a wet, humid environment, which you want to avoid.
- We understand that not everyone has a suitable storage area for their kiln-dried oak logs. If you are tight on space then you could consider buying smaller quantities, more often. This will enable you to have a steady supply of premium logs, without the worry about keeping them dry.