Field NotesMaintenance
Seasoned firewood in Ohio: what to buy and what to skip
Wet wood is the leading cause of Stage-2 creosote. Here's how to spot truly seasoned hardwood at an Ohio firewood lot.
Mar 04, 2026 4 min readBy ChimCrew Tech Team
Target moisture content: under 20%
A $20 pin-type moisture meter from any Ohio hardware store will tell you in seconds. Anything above 25% is going to smolder, smoke, and coat your flue.
Hardwoods that work in Ohio
Oak, hickory, sugar maple, and ash burn hot and long. Skip pine, spruce, and other softwoods — they burn fast and leave heavy creosote.
Visual signs of truly seasoned wood
Gray weathered ends, cracks radiating from the heart, and a hollow ringing sound when two pieces are knocked together. If it's heavy and dense-feeling, it's still wet inside.
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