Nobody likes the smoke in their fire, and the quality of fire depends on wood quality. Great firewood can create good Fire, but the bad ones can make you stay away from the fire for breath.
A little bit of smoke is created by every fire, but some fires can create a lot more smoke than the usual ones; the smoke not only makes your eyes burn but can also make you smell bad.
My fire pit smokes a lot because of the excess moisture in firewood which causes incomplete combustion. The incomplete burn results in the escape of much soot, tar and ash particles (smoke) in the air. You can minimize this by eradicating as much moisture as possible from the wood before using it in your firepit.
Fires are beautiful, and nobody wants their flames to be replaced by smoke. In addition, not everyone wants the smoke flavor in their food when cooking on a fire pit.
Reasons why the fire can be smoky other than woods
There are many reasons why the fire can be smoky other than woods, so let’s look at them in brief.
Wet woods – the most common reason for smoke in the fire is wet wood. Wet wood can mean that it is green or unseasoned.
While burning, greenwood, the unburnt sap, minerals, and other hydrocarbons release smoke in the air because the wet wood does not burn properly, the scorching temperature can quickly burn off the moisture.
To help reduce smoke use, only dried wood is stored in a dry room away from moisture.
Wood with fungus – don’t forget to inspect your wood before burning it; it must ensure that your wood is clean and does not have any mold, bugs, or fungus. The smoke that comes out from the wood having mold or fungus can be harmful.
Air and fire breathing issues – fire needs oxygen which means if you tie the locks tightly together, it can reduce the available oxygen and make it hard to get a fire going.
This will not only make the burning process difficult but will also cause a lot of smoke. You can solve this easily by providing adequate space between the fire logs.
Trash – never use trash for burning, you might think that burning a little trash can help your fire catch more flames, but all it will do is create more smoke.
Burning trash can also release toxic fumes into the air, which can be harmful to your health.
Softwoods – softwoods are easy to find and easy to light up, but it contains substance like resin which creates dark smoke, this dark smoke is bad for your health. Try to use hardwood, preferable kiln-dried wood.
Moisture – it is one of the most common reasons why the wood skin produces smoke.
If the woods are not wet and have a little bit of moisture, the fire will also produce smoke. Always make sure to use dried and stored wood in a fire pit.
The moisture in the wood can result from not storing the firewood properly, which causes the Evaporation of water when you burn the wood.
Smoke contains carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, which is not good for your surroundings. You can also prevent smoke by ensuring that the fire has enough oxygen to increase the intensity of the burn.
Is smoke bad for your health?
Smoke is made up of a mixture, gases and fine particles which are not good for your health. A person with heart or lung disease can suffer from heart failure or angina from the smoke. It’s also not good for older people adults.
The respiratory system of children can also get affected if they are around the smoke for a long period.
It is not only bad for people with diabetes but also pregnant women. It is essential to protect yourself from smoke, especially in the cases mentioned above.
A high concentration of smoke can affect your body, and here are some symptoms that warn you that you should be away from smoke.
- Burning eyes
- Cough
- Tears
- Difficulty in breathing
- Runny nose
- Chest pain
- Fatigue
- Phlegm
- Wheezing etc.
How can I make my fire pit smoke much less?
- Always use dry woods because it produces much less smoke and performs better for a long time.
- Shop properly and try to use the Hard words. You can use woods like maple, ash, apple, beech etc. also you can buy wood from a firewood dealer but don’t forget to ask what type of wood you are getting and what is the moisture content of that wood.
- Make sure that you use no smoking Hardwoods and avoid words like poplar, elm, eucalyptus etc. Don’t burn green pine as it tends to smoke more than the other words.
- Another simple way to minimize smoke from your fire is to keep it clean before lightning a fire makes sure you remove all the leftover trash and ashes. This will help you to make your fire less smoky and healthy.
Conclusion
When everyone gathers around the fire on a cool night, nobody wants smoke to appear in front of their face, and to avoid this, it is essential to have good quality wood.
It is tough to grab good quality firewood from the grocery store; also, sometimes the firewood might look good, but when you burn, it can be a disaster, that is the reason why you must get firewood that gets cut fresh and place into a clan for at least 48 hours which makes it dry and clean.
This will give you a wonderful learning experience, and if you want to make your fire smokeless, you can do it by following the tips mentioned above.
Always keep in mind that fire produces some smoke which goes out by Chimney and you have to use all the steps only when there is a lot of smoke.
