Drying wood in a hurry!

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phaywood

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Feb 4, 2014
15
Indiana
I'm new to heating my house with wood - I just installed a small Englander wood stove a few weeks ago in my house and I've been heating 90% of the time with wood. I still use our furnace in the early morning as I'm not refilling the stove in the middle of the night.

Anyway- for the first week, I burnt kiln dried Ash and Oak scrap that I generated from my cabinet shop. Most of the pieces were 2"thick 8"W x 12"L. These burned really hot and fast and I quickly realized that I would need to supplement with some larger split wood. I purchased some split "seasoned" wood on CL and it's certainly not as dry as my kiln dried scrap. I've been stacking it around the wood stove to help dry and pre-heat it. It actually burns pretty well but I'm just not getting as much heat as I was with the KD scrap. The seller told me that the wood was split only 1 month ago but the logs had been drying for over a year. I've heard many people worry about creosote buildup from wet wood and so that is now my main concern. Should I be concerned or am I just worrying too much? Do I have to remove my wood stove to inspect the chimney or do I have to go on the roof (which is currently covered with ice)?

Does anyone have any other tips for drying wood quickly? I have most of the wood stacked in my shop with fans blowing across it and then I bring 6 pieces in around the stove each morning.
 
phaywood said:
I'm new to heating my house with wood - I just installed a small Englander wood stove a few weeks ago in my house and I've been heating 90% of the time with wood. I still use our furnace in the early morning as I'm not refilling the stove in the middle of the night.

Anyway- for the first week, I burnt kiln dried Ash and Oak scrap that I generated from my cabinet shop. Most of the pieces were 2"thick 8"W x 12"L. These burned really hot and fast and I quickly realized that I would need to supplement with some larger split wood. I purchased some split "seasoned" wood on CL and it's certainly not as dry as my kiln dried scrap. I've been stacking it around the wood stove to help dry and pre-heat it. It actually burns pretty well but I'm just not getting as much heat as I was with the KD scrap. The seller told me that the wood was split only 1 month ago but the logs had been drying for over a year. I've heard many people worry about creosote buildup from wet wood and so that is now my main concern. Should I be concerned or am I just worrying too much? Do I have to remove my wood stove to inspect the chimney or do I have to go on the roof (which is currently covered with ice)?

Does anyone have any other tips for drying wood quickly? I have most of the wood stacked in my shop with fans blowing across it and then I bring 6 pieces in around the stove each morning.
Click to expand...

Drying wood is like sobering up, there is really no substitute for time. Making the best of it is mostly common sense and sounds like you are doing what you can.

I'll suggest splitting the wet stuff down a little smaller. If you still have shop scraps use that and the wet stuff together, if not maybe you can lay your hands on some scraps or pallets somewhere else. Get a coal bed going before you use the wet stuff then feed it in with more air than you would with dry wood. When you load try to stagger the pieces to allow for air circulation.
 
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You can split the wood smaller, so interior moisture has a shorter path to open air. Or you can heat it to drive moisture out, but then it's probably more direct to just heat the house with whatever you would've used to heat the wood. A few hours or days of fans and stacking wood near the stove (which can be dangerous if you get it too close) really can only remove moisture from at or near the surface; it can make it easier to get the wood started, but doesn't make it burn like truly dry wood.

The typical recommendation for people in your position is to mix the damp wood with very dry wood (pallets, shop scrap, etc.). It will help a lot if you can get the stove hot enough for the secondaries to light off. The steam will still cool your chimney and yes, you'll have creosote problems, but if you can get the secondaries working then at least you won't be wasting quite so much of the wood as smoke.

It's easier to see into the chimney from the roof or a ladder, but there are tools (i.e the Sooteater) for cleaning it from below. You shouldn't have to uninstall the stove, but you probably will have to remove a few parts from inside it to allow access to the flue.
 
You have the same type of wood dealers as we have up here, they start the seasoning clock when the trees cut down, not when it's split. I've seen a few people get burned by these guys thinking they bought seasoned wood. The question you have to ask the dealer is when was the wood split, it doesn't really matter when the tree was cut down.
If you mix it with your scraps you might be ok, I'd store a bunch in a rack close to the stove to help it dry quicker.
 
weatherguy said:
The question you have to ask the dealer is when was the wood split,
Click to expand...

Even that doesn't work consistently. The first seller I asked simply lied. So, I just got a better saw and started watching Craigslist for free stuff.
 
Not much you can do yet this winter, but now you know how to prepare well for next winter. I'm kinda in the same boat, but knowing what I do now I have a fire under me to be better prepared.
 
Jon1270 said:
Even that doesn't work consistently. The first seller I asked simply lied. So, I just got a better saw and started watching Craigslist for free stuff.
Click to expand...
That's what I do too, if I buy wood I just buy it cheap and green then stack it and wait.
 
Thanks for the replies. I'm noticing a big improvement by stacking the wood close to the stove. I also think the wood wasn't as wet as I thought because I'm still getting 500-550 degrees on my magnetic thermometer. The secondaries aren't really burning like they were but maybe I was just used to the Kiln dried stuff that used to shoot right up to 650. I am having to leave the air control wide open to get good heat but I can live with that. I've just been adding a few small kiln-dried ash scraps with each log and it's good for a few hours. I'll plan on inspecting the chimney ASAP - I think I should be able to get on the roof within a week or two.
 
phaywood said:
I'm new to heating my house with wood - I just installed a small Englander wood stove a few weeks ago in my house and I've been heating 90% of the time with wood. I still use our furnace in the early morning as I'm not refilling the stove in the middle of the night.

Anyway- for the first week, I burnt kiln dried Ash and Oak scrap that I generated from my cabinet shop. Most of the pieces were 2"thick 8"W x 12"L. These burned really hot and fast and I quickly realized that I would need to supplement with some larger split wood. I purchased some split "seasoned" wood on CL and it's certainly not as dry as my kiln dried scrap. I've been stacking it around the wood stove to help dry and pre-heat it. It actually burns pretty well but I'm just not getting as much heat as I was with the KD scrap. The seller told me that the wood was split only 1 month ago but the logs had been drying for over a year. I've heard many people worry about creosote buildup from wet wood and so that is now my main concern. Should I be concerned or am I just worrying too much? Do I have to remove my wood stove to inspect the chimney or do I have to go on the roof (which is currently covered with ice)?

Does anyone have any other tips for drying wood quickly? I have most of the wood stacked in my shop with fans blowing across it and then I bring 6 pieces in around the stove each morning.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum phaywood.

No surprise in what you bought. People think once the tree is cut it dries. Experience teaches that wood will dry only on the ends that way so that is why we split wood; to expose the interior to air so that the moisture will evaporate.

As for tips on drying wood quickly, trying to do that is like putting a bandaid on a huge cut. All you can hope for is to get through the rest of the winter and use this as a good lesson. This is why we preach the 3 year plan. If you are 3 years ahead on your wood stack, over 90% of your problems with burning wood are gone. No, all wood does not need 3 years (oak does) but if you are 3 years ahead, you have no worries over moisture. In addition, if something happens so that some year you can't cut, you will still be okay. It is sort of like putting money away. You hope to not have to get into any savings until retirement but if something bad happens, it is there to bail you out. I have that sort of thing happening right now as I have cut hardly any wood this winter. Didn't get much done last winter either so our stock is a bit low. Still, we had enough wood to help a neighbor who was in need because an injury kept him from cutting. We gave him good dry wood. We still have a good 3 year supply on hand so we are okay.
 
I think circulating air (wind) is the best drying process. Heat in the summer combined with wind is the best. It's a slow process. Start working on wood for the future and burn what you have. Just keep an eye on your chimney for buildup. Good Luck.
 
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Thanks again for all of the info. I will definitely start cutting and splitting as soon as we thaw out here in Indiana! I have about 40 acres of forest on my property and I think I have a lifetime wood supply already down. We lost 3 giant trees this past fall and they don't appear to be rotted at all - we just had a terrible windstorm. Then there's the standing dead trees that need taken out... I have a lot of forest maintenance to do! Are there any species that I can cut and split in the spring that will be ready for winter (only 9 months of dry time)? I feel like I'm wasting money when I buy wood since I already have so much here. I just need to find the time to cut and split it! We have a fair amount of Ash, Oak, Sugar Maple, Hickory, and some Walnut. We may have some sassafras too...
 
I usually stack some fresh cut wood on my rack to add humidity to the house. Save the wood for emergency only. Here is a photo from December 30 and a photo from yesterday. The wood has settled 3". I did remove two pieces and have not checked for moisture content.
image.jpg
image.jpg
 
Silver maple , boxelder, slippery elm, Ash ( to name a few) if split small say 2x4 will dry pretty quick if loosely stacked single row in the sun and wind, still won't be perfect but will get u by oh and top cover Nothing over the sides though. Just a shield to keep the weather off.
 
Blazincajun...clearances to combustibles?? Looks iffy.
 
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phaywood said:
I'm new to heating my house with wood - I just installed a small Englander wood stove a few weeks ago in my house and I've been heating 90% of the time with wood. I still use our furnace in the early morning as I'm not refilling the stove in the middle of the night.

Anyway- for the first week, I burnt kiln dried Ash and Oak scrap that I generated from my cabinet shop. Most of the pieces were 2"thick 8"W x 12"L. These burned really hot and fast and I quickly realized that I would need to supplement with some larger split wood. I purchased some split "seasoned" wood on CL and it's certainly not as dry as my kiln dried scrap. I've been stacking it around the wood stove to help dry and pre-heat it. It actually burns pretty well but I'm just not getting as much heat as I was with the KD scrap. The seller told me that the wood was split only 1 month ago but the logs had been drying for over a year. I've heard many people worry about creosote buildup from wet wood and so that is now my main concern. Should I be concerned or am I just worrying too much? Do I have to remove my wood stove to inspect the chimney or do I have to go on the roof (which is currently covered with ice)?

Does anyone have any other tips for drying wood quickly? I have most of the wood stacked in my shop with fans blowing across it and then I bring 6 pieces in around the stove each morning.
Click to expand...
 
I bring my fresh split oak into the stove room in oct. after that it's not drying outside anymore.cross stack the wood to the ceiling,start your stove and cook the wood.the windows will steam over ,use a fan to circulate air,when the windows spot running, the wood is done.check with moister meter 20 or less.burn safe …… keep a pale of sand to put out the fire when needed,co2 extinguisher,smoke alarm,welders gloves,and durarock to shield any combustibles,metal ash can outside…save for icy driveway. B.B.B.
 
aansorge said:
Blazincajun...clearances to combustibles?? Looks iffy.
Click to expand...

Yes it's close - 8" behind shield and 12" from pipe. Wood is cut short at 10". If for some reason it falls I would be in trouble. Maybe time to switch it out for more green stuff. Thanks for the reminder.
 
I agree with the idea though...a lot of moisture can be drawn out of wood by having it in the stove room and that moisture is added to an environment that needs it!
 
niceash said:
I bring my fresh split oak into the stove room in oct. after that it's not drying outside anymore.cross stack the wood to the ceiling,start your stove and cook the wood.the windows will steam over ,use a fan to circulate air,when the windows spot running, the wood is done.check with moister meter 20 or less.burn safe …… keep a pale of sand to put out the fire when needed,co2 extinguisher,smoke alarm,welders gloves,and durarock to shield any combustibles,metal ash can outside…save for icy driveway. B.B.B.
Click to expand...

If the wood is truly green that's a huge amount of water being evaporated in your house not to mention critters. Aren't you worried about mold and other moisture related problems?
 
I get cords of unseasoned wood rounds for $100 a cord. Being that this winter was absolutely brutal and it still is, I ran out of my seasoned wood a couple of weeks ago, and have had to resort to burning wood I was seasoning for next season. Bringing the unseasoned wood in, and leaving it stacked around my wood stove while I burn has helped dry it out fairly well. It doesn't quite heat as well as "time" seasoned wood, but it burns.
 
Last edited:
Be sure to check the chimney frequently for build up and clean as often as needed.
 
blazincajun said:
I usually stack some fresh cut wood on my rack to add humidity to the house. Save the wood for emergency only. Here is a photo from December 30 and a photo from yesterday. The wood has settled 3". I did remove two pieces and have not checked for moisture content.
View attachment 126964
View attachment 126973
Click to expand...

Meinn Gott, is that wood rack on casters?? How brilliant. I keep mine stacked under the carport and can only sweep when empty. Oh my god, and that would solve that pesky LIFO problem that always occurs. I am really glad I saw that!!
 
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You, and everyone who owns a wood stove, need to get familiar with checking and cleaning the flue. It seems like a huge hassle, but once you figure it out it probably takes less than an hour to clean your flue. It takes me only an hour or less and I need a ladder to get on the roof, etc., so it really isn't a ton of work. Also, figure out how to check the flue visually for a quick estimate of the buildup.

Once you have a handle on cleaning the flue you will be a lot more comfortable knowing you're not about to have a chimney fire. The peace of mind is well worth the effort. Don't worry about it for a year before you get off your butt, like I did.
 
I have no problem learning about it once I have one and am living there . . . I'm just not sure about climbing on an icy 8:12 roof and I'm hoping to eventually learn you can clean it from the bottom. . . when the flue is cold . . . 30 years ago I didn't mind climbing on the roof to cut through it to put a chimney in. I guess I'm getting a bit more cautious especially since my little girl isn't quite 8 years old and needs me a while longer (I'm an older Mommy).
 
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