For thousands of years, different civilisations have used kilns for various reasons. Kilns can generate high temperatures, which can create pottery, dry firewood, and achieve a range of other feats. Here, we explore how kilns are used to dry firewood and explain why choosing kiln-dried firewood will ensure your home fire burns brighter, longer, and hotter than if you used standard wood.
What’s a kiln used for?
A kiln is similar in many respects to an oven, and its primary job is to heat various objects. It’s widely used because it’s capable of producing sufficient temperatures to complete a desired process, which might be enacting a chemical change or drying or hardening a product. Kilns are fired, and extremely hot air is trapped in the internal chamber. This intense heat is capable of various outcomes, including turning clay into pottery, brick making, and firewood drying.
Wood-drying kilns
When trees are chopped down, the resulting wood consists of as much as 50% water, and although it will start to dry out, it still retains much of its moisture content when it’s no longer alive. If you add wet wood directly to a fire without taking steps to dry it, you will find that it’s extremely difficult to get your fire started. Therefore, high-air-velocity kilns are widely used to dry firewood, as they can achieve the desired results in a matter of days. If you leave firewood to dry in natural conditions, it will take significantly longer.
As far as the kiln-drying process is concerned, when the tree is cut to size, the wood is added to small metal cages that are then placed inside the kiln for the desired timeframe. By the end of the kiln-drying process, most firewood has a moisture content of no more than 20%, which is then perfect for adding to your home fire. Kiln-drying takes anywhere between three days and one week, which is a huge time-saver when compared to the year or so it can take to naturally dry wood from felled trees.
Why is kiln-drying wood important?
Kiln-drying wood is essential because it prepares wood for burning. If you don’t take the required steps to dry wood before burning it, you will find it extremely difficult to ignite. But by opting for kiln-dried logs, you can guarantee that the logs will burn to perfection when you come to set your home fire. It will also burn at high temperatures, resulting in a long and natural flame that is perfect for keeping you warm on those cold winter nights or sitting around a fire pit during long summer evenings.
If you’re looking for the perfect option to fuel your fire, consider Home Fire’s bulk bag of kiln-dried firewood. Not only will it save you money in the long run, but it will also ensure your fire burns bright and hot, and you don’t need to spend an eternity trying to ignite it in the first place.
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