I'm burning wet wood...

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Jeffg330

New Member
Dec 23, 2012
17
For the 1st time ever (this is only my 2nd year burning wood) due to extreme cold and 2 power outages, the one cord that lasted me all last season ran out last weekend. My regular supplier was out when I called him.

I called every number I could find and nobody had "seasoned" wood that wasn't split over a year ago. Anyway I bough a cord that was supposedly cut 9 months ago, mostly just as insurance of another power outage. For 40% more money then the 3 year old wood I was buying.

Of course I had to try burning it "just to see" and find it difficult to get the insert over 500 and a genuine pain in the rear. I guess I'll just sit on this pile for a year and use it in case of emergency. Gonna be a long winter, I've grown quite addicted to burning....

Ok I vented, feel slightly better
 
Bring some inside and dry them in the stove room. They will dry a fair bit inside. Wont make up for a couple years drying, but will make a big difference.
 
Hogwildz said:
Bring some inside and dry them in the stove room. They will dry a fair bit inside. Wont make up for a couple years drying, but will make a big difference.
Click to expand...
I will try that. Would splitting the smaller pieces help any?
 
Splitting smaller always helps, but remember smaller pcs burn hotter and faster. You would be surprised how well even medium and larger splits dry when kept inside the stove room.
I used large totes I bought at Walmart. Stacked my splits in on end, then horizontal across the top of those. I did it that way cause the splits were too long to lay inside the tote horizontally.
May not dry them to perfection, but in a few days to a couple weeks, they will dry much better than as is.
I was laid up with a Hernia operation, and stacked 5 totes with about a 1/2 cord i the stove room.
 
I am with Hogwildz - bring as much as you can and stack near your stove to help dry it out. Save you dry wood to get you fire good and hot...once you have a red hot bed of coals you can throw on a more moist piece and at those temperatures it will eventually get going...then you can add another and take it slow. Also I have found if you have to burn less then ideal wood (i.e. less dry) it's easier to do that with softwoods then hardwoods.
 
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Here is what I did to give you an idea....
Left just enough room to view the TV ;-)
 

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I'll echo what the others have said. My first year I bought "seasoned" wood in November. After fussing with a fire I came on here and was given the advice to buy a moisture meter. The wood was around 30%.

I built a wood holder that would hold 1/4 cord in my stove room. It was a bit gawdy looking but by the time I got to the bottom of the wood holder the wood was significantly drier.

The more wood you can fit in your stove room and the longer you can keep it there the quicker it will dry out. A fan pointed at the wood will also help.
 
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Bust up pallets - it's a lot of work , I've done it - it's a lot of work.

There's always enviblocks or biobricks; not cheap - every time I run the numbers on their cost vs oil they are between a little less than buying oil and not much less than buying oil. Factor in a really inefficient old boiler or a preference for the wood stove zone heat and you should come in at least a little bit ahead.
You might be able to mix some of that green wood in too, although I'd be inclined to not waste the future BTU potential of trying to burn green wood.


Put your location in your sig.
Maybe someone local sitting on a huge stash of seasoned decaying going to waste firewood will trade ya.
Odds of that happening are about the same as winning megabucks, but you can't win if you don't play.
 
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billb3 said:
Bust up pallets - it's a lot of work , I've done it - it's a lot of work.

There's always enviblocks or biobricks; not cheap - every time I run the numbers on their cost vs oil they are between a little less than buying oil and not much less than buying oil. Factor in a really inefficient old boiler or a preference for the wood stove zone heat and you should come in at least a little bit ahead.
You might be able to mix some of that green wood in too, although I'd be inclined to not waste the future BTU potential of trying to burn green wood.
Click to expand...

Round here, oil $4+/gal. At 650 extra gals for the 'burning months'. Even if I had to buy 4 ton of bio-bricks @ 350/per, that's $1400 vs. $2600 for oil, still pays.. chop or buy early.
 
How about a fan in there to create a little wind.:)
 
I'm currently drying some red oak next to the stove. After about 3 days I find that it is usable after starting at around 30% moisture. Definitely not the best way to dry wood but it is helping me get through this first year. I'm very thankful that we are going to be getting some warmer weather over the weekend to slow down on wood consumption.
 
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Anywhere you can scrounge some better wood? Standing dead or some tree tops that have been down for awhile? I feel your pain, brother! Some good advice up above and I hope you make through the winter without breaking the bank.

Start hitting up all the local Chinese food joints and ask if you can gather up all the used teriyaki sticks. It'll help save on their trash. Then you don't have to waste time breaking up pallets. ;lol
 
I have a basement 4 shelf storage rack. It is about 5-6 feet from the stove facing 90 degrees to the stove. . The blower from the stove throws hot air to this easily. I keep the load I am going to use next on the top shelf. then I just keep moving the wood up as I go. I like this system because the most heat in the room is always closest to the ceiling and air can hit the wood from all angles. I like this better than stacking wood where air can't hit it as well.
 
storage rack.jpg
 
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People on this site are always asking how to get more moisture in the house in winter. Forget the kettle on the woodstove: dry your wood indoors!
 
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DanCorcoran said:
People on this site are always asking how to get more moisture in the house in winter. Forget the kettle on the woodstove: dry your wood indoors!
Click to expand...
;lol
 
Craig S. said:
Will that amount last you as long as it takes to dry more?
Looks like about 2, maybe 3 loads.
Click to expand...
The picture is deceiving. One shelf will pack the stove full. I also have wood stacked beside the rack too. So as a shelf empties I take off of the stack.
 
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