Kiln dried wood burning too fast/expensive for some people

[MonsterMonster]

log stoves too are designed to operate optimally at a specific range of moisture content, typically 15-25% (wet basis) as this is the value that dried wood will tend to stabilize at if stored outdoors, under cover in the British climate, even if it’s initially kiln dried lower. Lower MC woodfuel can be burned perfectly well, and very efficiently, as is the case with wood pellets that are typically <10% MC, however that’s because the boiler/stove is designed and optimized for this range. I haven’t seen the specific EPA report you mention, but it is likely that a stove designed for 15-25% will not work as well at lower values.

Sounds right. I remember reading an article somewhere explaining that wood burns best when it is slightly wet at around the 15-20% m/c. I'm certain that kiln dried is sold purely on a marketing gimmick other than a convenient method for producing firewood in a faster time frame compared to naturally air dried.

 

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[spandit]

Why don't the kiln dried firewood producers save fuel by only drying to 15% instead of 5% then?

[Richard 1234]

Why don't the kiln dried firewood producers save fuel by only drying to 15% instead of 5% then?

 

 

Is it because of the RHI paying the bills?

[MonsterMonster]

Is it because of the RHI paying the bills?

Yep. There are some producers whose living is from the RHI payments rather than the log sales. I went to a firewood fair a few years back and there was a rather nice Lamborghini parked up in the field with a reg to do with large logs. Chatted to another producer and I happened to mention this and he gave me the story of how this person set up several kiln driers all claming RHI. Good luck to him, not that he needs it.

 

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[Logsnstuff]

it's also they don't know, just look at many of the posts around on social media it's all drier the better, or it can't be too dry, needless to say I've had plenty abuse for pointing out it doesn't need to be below 15% been blocked by more than a few people but it's good for your advertising if you can claim 10% below air dried logs nvm it mostly goes up the chimney.

[william petts]

We've had it a few times that kiln dried burns too quick, the main feet back when regarding kiln dried is that it's quite a bit more expensive and without going into the science side of things customers said what's the difference your air dried logs burn just as well but not as fast as the kiln dried but is a lot cheaper, and lasts longer. And I think a lot of people have it as a background heat or for the enjoyment of sitting by a fire si they're not particularly fussed on how it's dried as long as it burns well and looks nice, and of course warms them up a bit.

[Will Heal]

I can't burn mine fast enough. Only air dried but I don't sell it and don't have much storage so need to keep burning it. Stove flat out 2 baskets a night

 

 

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[Alycidon]

Why don't they simply turn their stove down?

 

If it's an open fire bigger logs are best.

 

Slower burning wet logs are a false economy, as they are simply wasting heat.

 

Because with a modern design of stove they are fitted with a terciery air system, this is fully open all the while thus preventing the stove being able to be closed down as you would with an older design.

 

This requirement is driven by CE regulations on minimum efficiency and reduced emissions. Both take a big hit when a stove is closed down.

 

Temperature control is done by the volume of fuel loaded and the log size and not the volume of air supplied.

 

Air dried logs at 10%-15% are ideal, I sent out some KD tonight, when it came in internal MC was about 4%, now its about 7%. Thats fine for most people but I have had one complaint to date that it burnt to fast.

 

A

[neiln]

I've read elsewhere that kiln dried can have less heat/ energy. The theory was that the kiln drying would, as well as driving off the moisture, drive off some of the VOCs in the wood, therefore losing some of the energy and some of the stuff they burns hottest. I guess this will depend on the kiln, temperatures and drying times, but could happen a bit. I know I burned some 3x3 planned kiln dried timber off cuts the other day, which burnt but burnt slow and seemed to flame very little and coal very quickly, maybe these offcuts had very little VOCs left after drying.

[Big J]

Because with a modern design of stove they are fitted with a terciery air system, this is fully open all the while thus preventing the stove being able to be closed down as you would with an older design.

 

This requirement is driven by CE regulations on minimum efficiency and reduced emissions. Both take a big hit when a stove is closed down.

 

Temperature control is done by the volume of fuel loaded and the log size and not the volume of air supplied.

 

Air dried logs at 10%-15% are ideal, I sent out some KD tonight, when it came in internal MC was about 4%, now its about 7%. Thats fine for most people but I have had one complaint to date that it burnt to fast.

 

A

 

That's crazy. For someone like ourselves (who operate a stove 24 hours a day over winter - sometimes the stove doesn't see a lit match for 4-6 weeks over winter) we need to be able to shut the fire down in order to moderate the heat output. With large bits of firewood, 4-8 hour stoking intervals are fine. How could you do that if you always operated the stove with full air?