At Van Beek’s Garden Supplies, we provide a wide range of seasoned firewood cords, including:
- Birch
- Hickory
- Oak
- Cherry
- Van Beek’s special mixed blend
Why? Because we believe that seasoned firewood delivers a burning experience that’s safer, easier and more enjoyable vs. non-seasoned cords.
But that’s just the start. There are plenty of reasons why seasoned firewood is a superior option to unseasoned wood.
Select the right firewood this winter with our FREE eBook. Download it now.
Seasoned firewood burns better
Have you ever tried to burn water or set it on fire?
It’s pretty much impossible.
Well, firewood that’s freshly chopped can have up to 50% water content. It won’t properly burn in your fireplace.
Letting firewood season (essentially to dry out) allows moisture to escape.
In other words: the drier the wood, the better and cleaner the burn.
It’s safer
Have you heard of creosote?
It’s a by-product of burning wood in your stove or fireplace.
Here’s a very unscientific explanation of how creosote is formed:
- Oils and moisture in the wood don’t fully combust when burned
- Smoke rises and “sticks” into the chimney flue
- The residue that builds up is creosote
Creosote is highly combustible.
Plus, as it thickens on the walls your chimney flue, it makes it harder for firewood to get the air it needs to burn at a high temperature.
The chimney becomes so hot that a chimney fire can break out.
Dried out, seasoned firewood has less of the elements which can lead to creosote build-up and potentially dangerous chimney fires.
Seasoned firewood lasts a long time
It takes between 6 months and a full year to completely season firewood.
But once the seasoning process is complete, those dry cords can easily last up to 3 years. That’s because there’s no chance of mold forming or degradation taking place.
Of course, because wood is a natural element, it’ll eventually begin to break down. But the lack of moisture will definitely slow that process down.
It’s easy to test for wood dryness
Since seasoned wood is preferable to unseasoned wood, it’s very fortunate there’s multiple ways to test how dry a cord of wood is.
You could purchase a wood moisture testing meter.
It’s a small device with 2 prongs on the end and a display screen. Stick the prongs into the wood and read the screen (usually displayed as a percentage) to determine the moisture content of your cord.
No meter? No problem. There’s another way to test for wood dryness:
- Pick up 2 pieces of wood you think are dry
- Bang them together
- If you hear a “ring” instead of a “thud”, then chances are it’s dry
As well, you can check for cracks at the ends of the wood. These cracks are another indicator of dryness.
Bring our seasoned firewood to your home this winter
Our firewood supply is well-seasoned and well-maintained to ensure you get the best burning experience all winter long.
Contact us to learn more about our firewood or to arrange firewood delivery to anywhere in Oakville, Mississauga, Burlington or Milton.
