Are you considering burning wet wood and wondering if it is possible? If yes, then you have come to the right place. Most people usually consider burning wet wood when they have run out of dry wood. For instance, if you run out of dry wood during the cold winter season, you may consider burning wet wood to keep your house warm. But the big question is: can you burn wet wood?
In this article, we will answer this question as well as tell whether it is a good thing to burn wet wood. Make sure you read until the end so that you don’t miss any crucial information.
Yes, you can burn wet wood. However, it will not burn well because of its high moisture content. In fact, wet wood with an incredibly high moisture content (more than 80%) may not burn at all. The higher the moisture content in the wood, the harder it is for the wood to burn.
Not only will it struggle to burn well, but it may produce more smoke and affect your control over the intensity of the fire.
Understandably, when you have an emergency and need to burn wood, it’s difficult to wait until the wood dries.
In fact, on average, it is estimated that wet firewood takes between 2 and 7 days to dry enough for proper usage.
This is also dependent on a number of factors, such as where it’s stored, whether it is exposed to adequate heat and wind, and the thickness of the wood.
For this reason, I encourage most homeowners who burn firewood to find a dry and covered location to store their firewood. If you don’t have a room or shed for storage, consider purchasing a water-resistant cover that can be used to protect wood from rain or other sources of water.
What Is Considered Wet Wood?
Wet wood is simply wood that has a high moisture content. Any wood that has a moisture content that is higher than 20% is considered wet wood.
Generally, all wood has a moisture content that varies depending on when the wood was cut, the type of wood, and the overall health of the tree.
Although all wood is high in moisture content, the wood used for firewood needs to be properly dried before it is used.
When wood is wet, it uses most of its energy to burn off excess moisture within the wood before it is properly combusted.
The reason why people burn wood when it is dry is that it does not cause a “fire struggle”. It burns effectively, resulting in complete combustion. Very wet firewood, particularly unseasoned green wood that has just been cut, may not be able to catch fire and burn at all.
The form in which the firewood is wet also determines whether it will burn or not.
For instance, burning unseasoned wood will still be a struggle because the wood still has a high moisture content.
On the other hand, seasoned wood that has gotten wet because of rain will not be hard to burn because it is only wet on the outer layers.
Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Burn Wet Wood
If you are considering burning wet wood and you are wondering if it is a good thing, the answer is No. Burning wet wood is not recommended and below are the reasons why.
1. Reduced efficiency
One of the top reasons why it is not a good thing to burn wet firewood is that it is less efficient.
As mentioned earlier, wet wood has a high moisture content and thus takes longer to catch fire. In some cases, wet wood may not catch fire at all.
Instead of the energy produced being channeled to cooking food or warming your house, it is directed to burn off the moisture in order to raise the temperature, resulting in lower heat output.
A lot of energy will be wasted converting water into steam. Burning wet wood can result in a loss of about 1200 BTU.
2. It is harmful to human health
Burning wet wood is also harmful to people who are close by. The pollutant produced by wet wood is bad for human health.
Wet wood will expose you and other people around you to high levels of pollution that will have serious effects on your lungs and bloodstream.
Additionally, burning wet wood can result in the buildup of creosote, which can result in a fire outbreak.
3. It is bad for the environment
Another reason why burning wet food is not good is that it is bad for the environment. Wet wood produces a lot of smoke and harmful by-products that pollute the environment.
Is It Worth It To Burn Wet Wood?
Considering the dangers and hassles associated with burning wet wood, burning it is definitely not worth it. Wet wood should only be used in case of an emergency, like when you have no access to dry wood to keep your house warm during cold months.
Wet wood generates more smoke, which results in residue buildup in your chimney. More residues, on the other hand, mean a higher risk of chimney fires and chimney damage.
Wet wood is also not good for your health and the environment.
Final Thoughts
The best way to deal with wet wood is to prevent it from getting wet in the first place.
Find a good location to store firewood or purchase a covering that wraps around your pile of firewood to protect it from rain or damage.
To dry wet wood, you can slice it into smaller pieces and expose it to direct sunlight and wind. In winter, you can opt for a powerful heater and fans to reduce the moisture level of wet wood so that it can burn better in a shorter period of time.
With that being said, I hope you have a good idea of whether or not you can burn wet wood. If you would like to read more on wet firewood, I strongly encourage you to check out the following article that I have linked below.