Draper 1000 owner manual Testing Your Wood, Wood species Energy yield Millions of BTU/cord

	Wood species	Energy yield
		(millions of BTU/cord)
	Oak	29
	Sugar Maple	28
High energy yield	Beech	26
	Yellow birch	25
	Ash	24
	Elm	23
	Larch (Tamarack)	23
	Red Maple	23
Medium energy yield	Douglas red fir	23
	Silver birch	22
	Alder	18
	Poplar	17
	Hemlock	17
	Spruce	17
Low energy yield	Pine	17
	Bass	16
	Fir	13

Data provided by Energy, Mines and Resources - Canada

IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT YOU USE DRY WOOD ONLY IN YOUR WOOD STOVE. The wood must have dried for 9 to 15 months, such that the humidity content (in weight) is reduced below 20% of the weight of the log. It is very important to keep in mind that even if the wood has been cut since one, two or even more years, it is not necessarily dry, if it has been stored in poor conditions; under extreme conditions, it may even rot instead of drying. The vast majority of the problems related to the operation of a wood stove are caused by the fact that the wood used was too damp or had dried in poor conditions. These problems can be:

•ignition problems

•creosote build-up causing chimney fires

•low energy yield

•blackened windows

•incomplete log combustion

Smaller pieces of wood will dry faster. All logs exceeding 6" in diameter should be split. The wood should not be stored directly on the ground. Air should circulate through the cord. A 24" to 48" air space should be left between each row of logs, which should be placed in the sunniest location possible. The upper layer of wood should be protected from the element but not the sides.

TESTING YOUR WOOD

When the stove is thoroughly warmed, place one piece of split wood (about five inches in diameter) parallel to the door on the bed of red embers.

Keep the air control full open by pulling on it and close the door. If ignition of the piece is accomplished within 90 seconds from the time it was placed in the stove, your wood is correctly dried. If ignition takes longer, your wood is damp.

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