How dry does firewood need to be?+
Around twenty percent moisture content or below, measured on a freshly split face. Above that the fire spends its energy boiling water instead of producing heat, and the cooled smoke condenses in the flue as creosote.
How do I measure it?+
A moisture meter, used on the fresh interior face of a piece you have just split. Reading the outside of a whole log measures the part that dries first and gives you a comfortable number that is not true of the wood.
How long does wood take to season here?+
A year at minimum for correctly stacked split softwood, and commonly two for dense hardwood like oak. Vermont's humid summers slow it down relative to drier climates, so timelines quoted elsewhere run short here.
The seller said it was seasoned.+
That word carries no standard and is applied to a wide range of wood. Not a criticism of every supplier: it is a reason to own a meter and check, because the person burning it is the one who deals with the consequences.
Should I cover the whole stack with a tarp?+
No. Cover the top to shed rain and leave the sides open, because airflow is what removes moisture. A tarp wrapped over the whole pile traps water vapour against the wood and can leave it wetter after a year than when it started.
Does splitting really matter?+
Considerably. Bark is designed to keep moisture in, so an unsplit round dries very slowly. Splitting opens the interior to air and is the difference between wood seasoning in a year and wood still being wet in three.
Is softwood bad for chimneys?+
Its reputation comes mostly from people burning it wet. Dry softwood burns hot and fast and is perfectly usable; it simply needs refuelling more often. Dryness matters far more than species for creosote.
Can I dry wood indoors?+
Bringing a day or two of wood inside is fine and helps. Storing a season's worth indoors is not: it brings insects in, it takes space, and without airflow it does not season anyway. The stack belongs outside with a top cover.
How can I tell without a meter?+
Dry wood is lighter than it looks, has cracks radiating from the end grain, is greyer on the outside, and two pieces knocked together give a sharp crack instead of a dull thud. Those signs are indicative, not reliable, so the meter is worth having.
What about kiln-dried wood?+
It arrives dry and it costs more. For someone burning occasionally it can make sense; for someone heating a house through a Vermont winter the volume commonly makes seasoning your own the practical choice.
Does wet wood damage the stove as well as the chimney?+
It does not help. Persistent low-temperature burning is hard on a catalytic combustor, and the conditions that produce creosote in the flue also deposit it in the appliance. The main damage is to the chimney, but the stove is not indifferent.
How much wood should I buy at once?+
Enough to be a year ahead, if you have space. Buying next winter's wood this spring and burning last spring's purchase is the arrangement that reliably produces dry fuel, and it removes the temptation to burn something too fresh in January.