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Winter is right around the corner so it is time to begin preparing. If you do not, there is a good chance that you’re not going to be able to keep your home sufficiently heated.
You need a wood that is going to dry out quickly and burn very hot. This will ensure that you’re going to be prepared to the fullest. Just remember that not all firewood is going to cut it. How about walnut
firewood? Is this a good firewood? You’ll find out below.
Is Walnut Good Firewood
Finding the best firewood can be difficult. Some burn great but put off a horrible smell. Others are tough to dry. This is why you should think about sticking with walnut.
When you cut down a single walnut tree, you’ll receive at least one cord but you could get more. This is a great firewood for many reasons and this is one of them. Walnut is going to burn clean so you won’t have to worry about creating a smoky mess in your home. Simultaneously, it is going to start easily.
The wood has a medium density and it will put out a pleasant aroma. This combination means that walnut is a great firewood for everyone. The only problem here is that the BTU rating is going to be slightly lower than some of the alternatives. With walnut, the BTU will be lower than oak and other hardwoods.
However, it will be much higher than pine, fur, and other softwoods. Therefore, walnut is a pretty good firewood but it is not going to produce as much heat as other hardwoods.
Splitting Walnut
So, how difficult is it going to be to put split walnut wood? The truth of the matter is that it is going to depend on one factor and that is the moisture content. If you do not let the wood dry out well enough, there is a good chance that you’re going to have a tougher time splitting it.
If you let the wood dry out completely, it’ll split much easier. In most cases, you should be able to split the wood with a hatchet and brute force. However, you can make your life easier by sticking with an electric splitter.
Either way, splitting walnut is much easier than splitting some of the other hardwoods out there. If you do not have an electric splitter, you’ll need to use an ax or hatchet. Remember to work around the outside of the wood before taking a whack at the middle. As long as you do this and work slowly, you’ll be able to get the wood split without too much trouble.
Seasoning Time For Walnut
To get the most out of your firewood, you need to make sure that it has been dried out thoroughly. Otherwise, you’re going to have two major problems. First and foremost, the wood is going to be tougher to split.
Simultaneously, you’ll have a tough time trying to get your fire started. With this in mind, it is pertinent to make sure that the wood is dry completely before moving forward. So, how long is it going to take to season walnut firewood?
Well, you need to make sure that the moisture content is reduced to 20% or lower. This is going to provide you with the best burn performance. With that being said, it can take a year or longer to dry walnut firewood. To be safe, you should give the wood a year and a few months to dry out.
This will ensure that the wood will be able to dry out completely without any issues. This will make a big difference in the long run.
It’ll help ensure that your walnut firewood is able to catch fire quicker and easier. Simultaneously, this is going to make the wood burn slightly hotter and much longer.
Suffice to say, properly seasoning your walnut firewood is a necessity. Be patient and make sure you minimize the moisture content before burning the wood.
You might want to look into a moisture meter to test the moisture content before you burn it. You can find them on Amazon for a decent price. Here is a link to the one I have. Moisture Meter (Link To Amazon). Just make sure its 20% or lower and it’s safe to burn.
Walnut Firewood BTU Rating
When attempting to select an excellent firewood, you should take the time to analyze the wood’s BTU rating. This will prove to be very important. This rating can help you find out how hot the wood is going to burn. A higher rating means that the wood will be able to produce more heat when it is burned.
This is why you have to pay close attention to this rating. So, what is the average BTU rating of walnut firewood? While it is on the higher side of the spectrum, it is lower than other wood. For instance, walnut is going to have a much higher BTU rating than many softwoods.
The rating will be higher than pine, fur, and other types of softwood. However, you should know that it is slightly lower than other types of hardwood. For instance, oak has a much higher BTU rating and will produce more heat. Nevertheless, there is a lot to like about walnut as firewood. It is still going to produce an ample amount of heat.
And, you’re going to love the aroma it emits. You won’t have to worry about creating a horrible smell in your home. This combination makes walnut a good firewood. It might not be the best but it is still one of the better firewood options out there.
Summary
Ultimately, walnut wood makes a great firewood. It isn’t the perfect wood due to the BTU rating but it still comes very close. The wood will work exceptionally well at heating your home and keeping you and your family warm.
The only problem with walnut wood is the BTU rating. With this type of wood, you’re not going to be able to produce a lot of heat. Still, walnut is great. It dries out fairly quickly and it won’t be difficult to split. That makes a good choice for many individuals.
