To maximize the joy of your fire pit experience, the type of fuel you use largely influences its quality. As a wood fire pit lover, you may have already asked yourself the question, “Can you burn wet wood in a fire pit?” Understanding the impact of using wet wood is critical to the safety and efficiency of your fire. Wet wood, which is noted for its high moisture content, presents a variety of challenges that can affect your fire pit experience. This blog will address whether or not you can burn wet wood in your fire pit, the problems that arise, and tips for drying wet wood.
How Wood Can Get Wet:
There are a variety of ways that wood can become wet, all of which will affect its ability to effectively burn in your fire pit. One of the most common causes of wet wood is exposure to rain or snow, especially if the wood is kept outside without cover. High humidity levels can cause the wood to absorb moisture. Additionally, storing wood on the ground allows it to absorb moisture from the soil, which creates a damp or wet environment. Being cognizant of these will help protect your wood from becoming wet, which in turn, will make a better fire pit experience.
Can You Burn Wet Wood in a Fire Pit?
No, wet wood should not be used in your fire pit for a number of reasons. It has a high moisture content so it will burn inefficiently. It produces more smoke than heat, and is harder to ignite and keep burning. Ultimately, starting and maintaining a fire that constantly die down becomes a frustration rather than an enjoyable experience. Additionally, wet wood is less suitable for burning than dry wood because it can produce excessive smoke and pose risks to health and the environment.
Problems with Burning Wet Wood:
Excessive Smoke Production:
Wet wood produces a lot of smoke because it contains a lot of moisture. The water inside the wood evaporates when it burns, creating thick smoke that is unpleasant, obstructs visibility around the fire, tends to irritate the eyes, and can be a problem for people having asthma.
Difficulties in Ignition and Maintenance:
The troubles in igniting wet wood begin with the challenge of evaporating the moisture so that the wood can then reach a temperature where it can combust. Starting a fire with wet wood can be a very time-consuming and frustrating process. Once alight, the fire in wet wood requires constant effort to continue to burn, as wet wood has a tendency to burn slowly in a smolder manner and will extinguish more easily.
Reduced Heat Output:
Wet wood will burn at a cooler temperature because some of the energy is used to evaporate the moisture. As a result, the heat output is lowered and you do not receive the full benefit of a fire.
Inhalation of Smoke and Particulates:
When you burn wet wood, the thick smoke that is produced contains very fine particles and pollutants that can be inhaled. Inhaling these pollutants can be especially hazardous to those with asthma, severe allergies, or other respiratory conditions.
Impact on Respiratory Health:
The smoke from wet wood can aggravate respiratory issues and cause problems like coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and can lead to chronic respiratory conditions over time.
Environmental Impact:
Burning wet wood creates air pollution problems by releasing even more fine particles and pollutants into the air. This has local impacts on air quality, but also contributes to larger air pollution problems like smog and reduced air quality.
By recognizing the problems associated with burning wet wood it logically follows that dry seasoned wood is the best option for a safe, efficient, and enjoyable fire pit experience.
Is Wet Wood and Green Wood Same:
Many people often confuse wet wood with green wood although there are several major differences between the two. Wet wood technically is any wood that has absorbed moisture, in most cases from rain or humidity, and as a result, has an increased water content. Green wood is considered to be freshly cut lumber that contains all the natural sap and moisture from the tree. The two different types of wood, green wood and wet wood, have a similar factor in that both types of wood contain a significant amount of moisture and burn inefficiently. One thing that distinguishes wet wood from green wood is that green wood is wood that has never been dried, while wet wood has had some drying exposure and has then reabsorbed moisture.
If you are curious if you can burn green wood, then read our blog here “can you burn green wood in a fire pit“.
Can You Mix Wet Wood with Dry Wood?
Combining wet wood and dry wood in a fire pit presents numerous practical and safety issues. Wet wood generally has a high moisture content, and when it is burned, it needs to boil off the water in the wood before it can catch fire. Wet wood tends to smolder and extinguish more easily compared to dry wood, requiring frequent tending and adjustment to maintain a steady fire, causing more tending or adjusting of the fire to keep it going at a consistent rate. The focus of each burn session then turns to managing the inconsistent fire, rather than relaxation in front of the fire pit. For these reasons, dry, seasoned wood should ideally be used in your fire pit. It burns better, goes out less, smokes less, and generally improves the overall safety and comfort of an outdoor fire.
How to Identify Wood is to wet to burn:
Wet wood typically has a few tell-tale signs. Wet wood feels damp or cool to the touch, and may even have visible water droplets on the surface. Wet wood will typically be darker in color than dry wood, due to the amount of moisture it has absorbed. Another sign is the weight, it is a lot heavier because of the water content in the wood. Also when you bang two pieces of wet wood together the wood they produce a dull thud instead of the sharp, resonant noise that dry wood makes. Lastly, wet wood will often release a musty or moldy odor because the moisture has fostered a musky or mold smell associated with growing fungus and mildew.
How to Dry Wet Wood:
Properly drying wet wood will allow it to burn effectively in your outdoor fire pit. One option is air-drying, in which the wood is stacked in a well-ventilated location where it can get good air circulation. Arrange the wood in a crisscross pattern so that the logs have some contact with each other but also allow for open airflow. Place a tarp over the stack of wood to keep it dry from rain but allow air to flow through the sides. The period of time it will take to air-dry the wood depends on the moisture content of the wood and the weather.
If you would like a faster option, you could consider using a wood dryer or kiln. Both of these devices use heat in a controlled environment to remove moisture from the wood quickly. This will significantly decrease the amount of time the wood will take to dry compared to air-drying. Regardless of the method you choose, please make sure to store your wood off of the ground and continue to keep it dry until you are ready to burn it to keep it from gaining more moisture. When the wood is dry, you should notice that it is lighter, may have visible cracks or checks on the ends, and when you knock them together they’ll have a light and hollow sound, this is when the wood is ready to burn in your outdoor fire pit.
