Will Firewood Dry in the Winter?

[@lyleharkness-rv5vf]

Firewood will dry in the winter. A phenomenon known as sublimation, where matter switches from the solid state to gaseous state bypassing the liquid state, is what happens. Radiant energy (sunlight) is absorbed by the wood and frozen water turns into vapor. If there is ventilation this vapor will be carried away before it can condensate or refreeze. generally humidity is lower in winter and it causes a "wicking" action that will help draw moisture out. It will dry slower than other times of the year because available sunlight is less but it will still dry. Sorry for being long winded.

[@PurpleCollarLife]

@lyleharkness-rv5vf - great explanation. We made a video about this kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGG0fGZjjsifopI

[@lyleharkness-rv5vf]

@PurpleCollarLife 😊 I'm definitely going to check it out. Thank you

[@lyleharkness-rv5vf]

@@PurpleCollarLife Good video 👍

[@Back40Firewood]

Thanks for the info...makes sense. I can't do much about the amount of sunlight, but think getting a fan moving air inside might help.

[@BillyD_NS-NL]

Right back to high school chemistry, Lyle. Thanks!

[@arnecarlsson9740]

My mother was drying clothes and rugs hanging on lines during freezing cold winters. I was impressed as a child to see the clothes froze hard like thin cardboard, but after day they were soft and dry and very cold. In scientific terms it is called sublimation and is the transition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas state, without passing through the liquid state.

[@obxkoastie8170]

Dan...Water is the only compound I am aware of that can go from a solid state to a gaseous state without going through the liquid state. This is called sublimation. So the frozen wood does not have to thaw for the frozen moisture to migrate from the wood fibers. In the winter the relative humidity is usually much lower than in warmer weather so the ability to absorb more moisture is actually greater. Just keep a fan exhausting the moisture laden air from your greenhouse and the wood should cure as fast or faster than in the summer. The darker wood is the heartwood and is much denser than the sapwood so the migration of vapor is slower. Plus the sapwood was exposed prior to being cut to sunlight and drying while still on the stump.

[@arthurmessineo9179]

Hey Dan, moisture moves from more moisture to less moisture so yes, your firewood will dry in the winter. I would install a small wood stove in the tent not only would it help dry your mini firewood, but you could use your scrap from splitting your firewood, both regular and mini

[@mikeadams2339]

He haz a great little smoke less stove to try and speed up the process.

[@davidwilson5483]

Hi Dan, any room around your outdoor wood boiler where you could stack a few boxes? The residual heat from the boiler, although not great, could shave a couple of weeks off the seasoning. Great video, as always.

[@Back40Firewood]

Unfortunately there is hardly any heat coming off the boiler.

[@AllenFamilyFirewood]

The colder it is the faster it will dry same is true when you add heat hotter drys faster . Think freeze dry machines or kilns .

[@Back40Firewood]

Just seems odd to think of it that way...lol...I might have to do what you did with your garage and convert it into a drying zone.

[@johnkiser2658]

I think moving air will help regardless of temperature

[@mysterygardener3619]

Hi Dan in my 30yrs of doing this is it was a game changer when I got a mini kiln which I fired up using waste wood this dried my mini firewood out in no time. You can try this in your sauna.

[@deathruddlesdeathruddles5438]

As others said, sublimation will occur. I also believe that relative humidity and airflow have a greater impact than heat until the air is 70C or above. I would try putting a small dehumidifier in the tent and seeing if you get improved drying times.

[@saltrock9642]

A horizontal 50 gallon drum with small vent on one end, baskets that fit in the drum and a box fan. The makings of a wind tunnel for the mini firewood.

[@peterljubicich9451]

I’m up in Alaska. Last winter I just covered the top of some unseasoned birch to keep snow off of it. It continued to season over the winter and was ready to sell by spring/summer despite long winter.

[@dropshot1967]

getting some forced ventilation through the piles on the racks will dramatically increase the drying the inside of the piles. So a power bank and a ventilator will do wonders without using too much power. Apart from sublimation, the capacity of air to hold moisture depends on temperature and in freezing temps it is a lot less. Add to that that heating the air increases that capacity very fast, then you get to the situation that raising the temp 10 or 20 degrees will decrease the relative humidity in the air substantially and increase its drying capacity.

[@sethsevaroth]

Dry air and ambient humidity matters more than anything else. Water has the highest specific heat of any natural material. We had a drought in the northeast this year. I could feel a huge temperature difference standing next to my freshly split firewood stack It was over 10° cooler. So dry air will pull moisture out of the wood but that opposite can happen too. I've had covered wood that was like 12% and then after a few weeks of muggy rain ... The moisture content had gone back up to like 17-18% even to wood that was previously covered.

[@gringopines3476]

Lots of great advice brother. You got good woodhound suport. Not much I can say that hasn't already been said. Best thing I can suggest is... ( probably what you already have done )... Check out how kilns function on line, and I think in there lyes your answer. The way I understand the process is Heat, Circulation, and Dehumidification. Whether your solar, electric, or gas. You got this brother. Stay cool, peace...

[@DanielAtkinsFirewood]

Will be interesting in what you find out. My guess is yes, it will season just will take longer.

[@PO4TI_MONSTR]

Приветствую. Если будете ставить вентилятор, то он должен гнать воздух 📥 или📤 теплицы, а не просто меремешивать его в замкнутом пространстве.

[@jasonracette6143]

Hi Dan, great question, "Will firewood dry in the winter?" Have you considered getting a hygrometer to measure the relative humidity in the greenhouse to see how the humidity changes as the wood is seasoned or rotated through the greenhouse? Circulating the air in the greenhouse will definitely expedite the drying process. Getting the moist air out of the greenhouse is key to the drying process. Keep up the great work. I look forward to your results. Cheers!

[@PurpleCollarLife]

We made a video explaining the physics of this in 2022. It's called sublimation. Video link below if you're interested.

[@PurpleCollarLife]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGG0fGZjjsifopI

[@nelsonridgefarm]

Great question! I bet it dries, just at a slower rate. -Brad

[@wicked.mainah5994]

Install a small woodstove in the greenhouse and your wood will dry nicely 👍🏻

[@ronbrooks6681]

Yes Dan your Mini Firewood will Dry in the Winter. I think you had a good Idea with the Box Fan's. I cut my Wood in the Winter and Dry it in the Basement in the Winter, with my Stove Going. Takes about a Week. Great Friday Night Live with Everyone my Friend. I am back and looking Foreword to this Upcoming year, to starting a little Roadside Stand as long as I can get the Wood. Ron from the Woodyard in Duanesburg NY.

[@antiochman8222]

I weigh a few pieces when I split it and write the weight and moisture content on them with a sharpie. It is easy to see the rate of drying without splitting each time. You will certainly see a difference between those on the outside and the inside of a pile. A bit of churn won’t hurt as it isn’t heavy or bulky and you will see any incipient mould or mildew forming.

[@soonstrgzr]

What is the humidity inside the greenhouse? Wind helps dry firewood out greatly. Maybe add a fan? Always a great video!

[@brucel6311]

If you can find black plastic to put on your greenhouse in winter may help.

[@jasonpinnix1905]

Yes cold helps dry it some freezing open cuts helps push out moisture the cold dry air truly helps it dry .

[@LitltsLogging]

Firewood will definitely dry even in cold winter conditions just not as fast as in summer warmer weather. I would definitely put up a box fan any air movement will help

[@robertzalaker4775]

one winter i ran out of wood. so i cut down a living maple and split it small thenfilled my oven and cooked it for 4-6 hrs at 250 and it was dry.i did that for 4 days for about a 1/3 coard.but had a bigger power bill that month.

[@amandadavis9726]

I think those adjustable floor fans from Lasko will move a ton of air for their size. We have about a dozen of them that we’ve used for different uses. They’ll dry water in no time.

[@jimhoge3252]

Back in the day I had a small farm, I made a lot of hay. Several factors influence how well the hay would dry. Temperature, humidity, and wind all could have a positive effect on how fast or well hay dried. I expect you’re getting some moisture reduction in the winter, but nothing compared to a warm, dry, breezy summer day!

[@dougsmalley521]

I don't split my firewood I just chop it to workable size and I make sure that it's sitting on either concrete rocks pallet or table never dirt or grass because too much moisture and always leave it sitting upright where you have cut it not the bark side for about 2 months and then I flip it over for another 2 months and the other side usually in the summertime In the winter I let it sit longer then I store it in IBC totes for a few more months then sell it so in the winter it'll sit longer upright for me right now I have a whole bunch setting upright mostly on concrete or pallets I'll let the spring sun hit it and then flip it over then store it I know my scenario's different because I don't split it I do need to buy a moisture meter though but I can see the wood actually crack as it dries Thanks for the video

[@williamkleinsLost40Lodge]

Yes firewood drys in winter. However you need airflow. The greenhouse needs outside air flow. Putting all that wet wood you’re putting in your making it a terrarium. My opinion

I also thought of a fan until you mentioned it. But I also thought if you were to rotate, mix up, turn the pieces as they were drying- if that would help??

[@georgesalamon8128]

If I did the small firewood thing Dan, I think I would spread them out in the basement where it is warmer and it might season faster then the greenhouse. I'm sure it will season in the greenhouse but it all depends on how fast you need the wood for sales. It seems like a loaded question because I'm all over the place with my thoughts! 😂

[@randallquiring9525]

A fan should help even if conditions aren’t good. Anything to move air around helps remove moisture.

[@mikeh8228]

When looking through your 2 week old stacks of mini-fire wood, you said you find some sticks that look and feel somewhat wet, like undried freshly split wood. That is due to the lack of air circulation through the wood stack, in my opinion. So either turning the stack over once a week or adding a fan for circulation......or BOTH, would help solve that problem. Of course the density of the wood also directly relates to its drying time...denser is slower drying....so oak is much more dense that some woods, but hickory is even more dense than oak! When it is raining outside, turn off the fan if it is bringing in to your greenhouse shelter outside air, but if it is cold and dry with low humidity, then run the fan! It might be handy to have a small weather station, like my wife has....one to monitor the outside air and a second sensor to monitor what is going on in the drying shed! Just a thought brought about by my wife doing the same thing with her garden greenhouse vs. normal outdoor temps and humidity.

[@johnricks1630]

Have you tried putting a heat light over it to help accelerate the drying process ?

[@JM-sz4oi]

Does the firewood season more quickly in the black “igloo”?

[@BertsCustomCuts]

Air movement will help just takes longer in cooler temps to dry.

[@TheSmagzilla]

Take a few bags and label them. Weigh every day, every few days etc. You tell us. Try that with bags brought inside too where dry air is warmer.

[@larryterrell8458]

I with you Dan, this is a learning experience. Plus our temps are milder than yours so does that help? Looking forward to results. Great content 🇺🇸👏🏻.

[@jamiegentry1622]

You could use a fan to also help dry it out

[@PicMartSkunkWerX]

Depends on the relative humidity. Ice will evaporate when below freezing, and the humidity is very low. I find a freeze/thaw cycle helps, especially with a good breeze. Fan will definitely help, any airflow is good. QQQ: What about some drying racks in the vicinity of your wood boiler? Maybe a small fan blowing through the racks? I dry the BBQ cherry wood in the workshop, near the Fisher stove. Only when pressed, and while in the shop, monitoring the situation, of course. But it dries fast!

[@ronaldsamol3779]

Any way to put a fan in greenhouse to move air? I would say you would double drying time.

[@Back40Firewood]

I'm thinking of running a fan or two off a battery pack I have...will see if works or how long a fan will run off them.

[@scottleppard1344]

To assist drying in the winter use water softening salt

[@FoothillsFirewood]

Dan I understand the idea of the green house, but if anything it’s possible you’re holding some moisture in the greenhouse itself putting all that green wood in there and roofing it. I see you have it vented which is important. If you’re trying to season wood in winter worry less about temps and more about air flow. Fans is 100% your answer

[@tpctrash]

I was thinking when you first start up the mini firewood machine you have the initial problem with the pieces because there is no resistance to hold them there. Why not get a log and size it to put in the exit so when the wood starts coming out it holds it back a bit. Then as it progresses it will eventually just push out the block. Just an idea. Maybe you already tried that.

[@frontyardfirewood]

It does dry, if there's no rain or humidity, if the ground drys out then wood does too. Like the breeze would help too Go split wood in the rain, and then let it sit out in the rain, next day stack the rain wet wood, in a shed...it will dry off even if the rain continues for weeks, and its probably super slow till it gets below 0 and that humidity disappear

[@christopherort2889]

Yes, moisture is pulled our via the drier air

[@arnecarlsson9740]

Here it is: The sublimation rate formula, often referred to as the Hertz-Knudsen equation, is: E = α(T) * p(T) * (m / (2πkBT)) where E represents the sublimation rate, α(T) is the sublimation coefficient (a factor depending on the material and temperature), p(T) is the vapor pressure at temperature T, m is the mass of a molecule, k is the Boltzmann constant, and T is the absolute temperature.

[@MuhaloTube]

Yes, moving air will help dry out the wood even in winter. Grain bins use small non-heated fans if the moisture percentage is within a few points of the target storage value.

[@toddpacheco4748]

Dan,I myself have no idea but I’m sure 👍 someone will be able to help you out with that dilemma 😮😊❤

[@RobbieTrimm]

need a fan to circulate air . great video

[@keithengland9068]

What about one of your mini firewood burners using slash to raise the temp?

[@xxxpotmanxxx]

it'll dry it will dry slower in winter but if you add a fan inside the greenhouse it will help speed it up a little

[@stepheng.8458]

Yes it's always drying in one way or another. Any way you can stick a propane or kerosene heater in there and get some air moving? That should do the trick!

[@josevelasco3245]

Yes it does but not as fast as the late spring and summer…the Relative Humidity has a lot to do with it. Once the temps get warmer and the RH is basically the same, the drying is faster. If it’s constantly raining and humid, that is your enemy.

[@mysterygardener3619]

Dan when you sell firewood like your doing you should keep a batch record of moisture level for your own records. It’s called QAS. Control. Quality control.

[@RandyMorris-v4h]

Put a fan in there and then see big difference

[@jeffdutton2500]

Firewood will actually dry faster in the sub freezing temperatures than warm weather. Hot is the fastest but it does dry.

[@johnchristie1423]

Drying oak is just like aging Scotch whiskey.....the older it gets the smoother it gets. Frost-freezer-melt conditions move the moisture throughout the blocks. Did 1000's of measurement on work for Forestry Canada prior to the Y2K panic. Rule of thumb is 1 inch per year in the round and 4 inches/year split for the prairie conditions. Get a clear plastic greenhouse cover to let in light - go to a local greenhouse cause they replace theirs every 3 years for insurance purposes

[@thomasgreene5750]

When you test wood for moisture in cold weather, make sure the wood comes up to near room temperature, or at least well above freezing in the interior. Moisture meters use electrical conductivity to assess the moisture level, and the electrical conductivity of ice and water are different, the conductivity of ice being considerably lower than that of water. Unless the meter has the smarts to check temperature and compensate for the variation in conductivity, frozen wood will read drier than it really is. The ambient air is typically drier in the winter than in summer, and wood will dry in the winter, especially when the wood temperature is above freezing. When it is frozen, the moisture near the surface of the wood will still evaporate through the process of sublimation, but frozen moisture in the interior will have a very hard time getting to the surface, slowing the internal drying. Check how much of the time your greenhouse is above freezing. The wood will probably dry reasonably well if the air temperature and the wood temperature are above freezing most of the time. When I was growing up in the 1970s, we heated our home with a wood stove located in the basement. It heated the air in the basement, which convected naturally to the upstairs, rising through central vents in the floor and returning via floor vents near the outside walls. The air in the basement was pretty warm and dry, so we would keep a few weeks of firewood stacked there to get some added drying time. A few weeks in that warm, dry environment seemed to noticeably improve the dryness of the wood. I seem to recall you once saying that you keep your home air temperature kind of high in the winter. If so, the indoors air is probably pretty dry. You might consider putting some of your mini firewood on a loose rack somewhere convenient indoors and see how it dries indoors.

[@Back40Firewood]

Thanks for all the feedback. Good point on bringing the wood in to test the moisture and bringing wood into the dryer air in the basement of the house. Although I'm not sure how much more space I'll be allowed to take up in the house with mini firewood...lol

[@MarkWakeland]

I the summer, why would it be different in the winter?

[@tinymaggetsfwmike5085]

Can't argue with that

[@robertjhilliard2403]

start w cover on greenhouse white reflects light an heat...get a real g.h. film

[@alkorczykowski8329]

Pretty sure it dries slower in winter, either way you are still getting a jump start for the next season.

[@gerardteyssandier7289]

Salut de France,Dan, le bois seche en hiver, c'est certain, de même que le gel arrive a percer le tuyau dans lequel il y a de l' eau, il travaille les particules d' humidité contenues dans le bois,gel degel excellent, mieux si c'est exposé au courant -d'air mais toujours a l' abri de l' eau,bon courage Dan , tu tiens le bon bout ! tu ne peux qu'y arriver bonjour de France , Gérard, je te suis depuis le début, a bientôt !

[@eastcoastoakes2232]

Red, pin oak and black oak takes sooooooo long to dry

[@Back40Firewood]

Yes they sure do.

[@rogercleveland9776]

The darker band is heartwood & the lighter is sapwood. Sapwood is more porous!

[@outdoorswithlarryrobin]

Good morning Dan, keep it undercover. Otherwise, I have no idea, my friend.👍🇺🇸

[@Stihlalive044]

It'll season but it will take longer in the cold.

[@nebraskawoodstr]

Freeze drying. It happens on farm ground. Pulls moisture out of it. Take care Dan.

[@kdscrapping4452]

Frosty days dry better than in summer , just my point of view , been doin it for more than 50 years !! Not sure about your green house!! Always need air moving !!

[@a.l.l.firewood8883]

Have you considered after the wood has been in the greenhouse for a while and once it is in those handy boxes moving it into the basement where it is warm and dry to finish seasoning it. Take care

[@megamike4357]

If wet clothes can dry outdoors in the winter, wood definitely does.

[@RandyMorris-v4h]

Simple answer is YES

[@tracyreeves9281]

Yes your firewood will dry in the winter. You need to add a box fan. And add a small diesel heater that runs off of battery.

[@mysterygardener3619]

This mini kiln is like a 2ft box Potters use them

[@mysterygardener3619]

In the uk it’s a requirement now I think.

[@trimco-mn8hh]

Why not try stacking your mini firewood to dry. If it works better for the regular firewood it should work great for the mini. I think any air movement is beneficial to drying. 👍

[@MarkWakeland]

If it takes heat and wind to dry firewood

[@Wcanada3177]

Freeze drying. It works but doesn't make as good of seasoned wood as good old heag and wind does. Been burning wood for heat for 40 years.

[@aukebij3193]

yes wood dries in winter ever heard of freeze drying?? cold air pulls the moisture out of the wood. but not in your greenhouse if you keep everything closed just leave everything open

[@THEPROJECT-g4w]

i wood use a wood stove and fan

[@mnbednar8071]

Yes, it dries in winter. No different than wood trim that contracts and dries out in winter. Lower humidity.

[@nmancini]

Yes, slow but it does

[@Tonnsfabrication]

Absolutely it dries in the winter, did ya ever notice your lips get dry in the winter? Cold dry air will suck the moisture right out of it.

[@firewoodathome]

Yes. It's called sublimation.

[@TheSmagzilla]

Try stacking it.... Or are you a wood bin\ pile guy now

[@naomigriswold7187]

yes it will dry

[@willdavidsonakawd3062]

CRATES CRATES CRATES CRATES CRATES CRATES!!!!!!

[@williamellis8993]

I have no insight at all about this, Dan. It seems like it should season because cold air is drier than warm air but the evaporation will be slower because of the cold. Someone smarter than me will know more. Bill

[@davidedwards3734]

In SE Georgia ourcwood dries a slower rate in the Winter, but does dry. Stay Hydrated and Have a Safe Day

[@johnbozak1662]

Buddy first of all you’re not going to dry out firewood in a heap like that. 2nd that’s not firewood, them are match sticks, 3rd your using the worst species of wood to do this experiment on, 4th keeping it in a tent like that with no air flow is a waste of time, 5th you’d be better off leaving them oak cookies in big pieces to dry out and then split them. Oak is easy to split wet or dry. Oak takes two full seasons to completely dry out. Winter is the best time to dry firewood. I’ve been burning wood my whole life and my ancestors have been since they got here in 1872. You always cut your wood in the winter for the next seasons burning, so it get a whole year to dry out properly. An old Polish fella I knew used to say “Only a fool would freeze in a wooden country. “

[@colddeadhands5167]

Hang your clothes on the clothesline in winter. They dry. Takes longer but they dry.....

[@buckinfirewood]

The freeze thaw action will push out the moisture..