Wood is too dry...

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Backwoods Savage

Backwoods Savage

Minister of Fire
Feb 14, 2007
27,811
Michigan
Yesterday I saw a post and someone from Woodstock had told them their wood was too dry. WHAT???!!!!

So I zipped of an email stating my objection to their advise. Sure enough, they do think wood can be too dry. I haven't yet received a response from a follow-up email asking for specifics on this supposed too dry wood but I can wait. Most on this forum know that I think the term of too dry wood is plain B...., whooops; baloney.

In my email I stated about our wood that we'd been burning and I usually say it is 6 to 7 years in the stack. Well, I really got to wondering so had to dig through some records to find out just when that wood was cut, split and stacked.

Well, the last couple of years it turns out we were burning wood that was split and stacked during April of 2002. So in just 3 months that wood will be 9 years in the stack. We do still have some of it too. I guess my wife's comment would sum it all up. She said, "I wish you still had some of that old wood we were burning." What more could I add to that?

So, was the wood we were burning too dry?


Here are the questions I sent to Woodstock:

So, how dry is too dry wood? (Not counting kiln dried wood.)

How would you determine that wood was too dry?

How do you get your wood this dry?

What are the signs of too dry wood?

Should I go pee on our woodpile because it is too dry?



What do you think are the right answers and when does my wood become too dry? What about that dead white ash we are now cutting? After all, we already have about 6 years of wood supply on hand already.
 
Maybe 'too-dry' is a word if 'air-tight' is. I mean, if a stove were truely 'air-tight' then the wood shouldn't over-fire in the absence of Oxygen, irrespective of MC.


Backwoods Savage said:
Should I go pee on our woodpile because it is too dry?
Click to expand...

My Dawg takes care of that. I'd hate to burn my wood inside the house . . . ah! the smell of dog-pizz in the evening . . .! :smirk:
 
I used to think I could correct all the wrongs in the world but life is too short for that. :lol:
 
My feelings exactly Lee.
 
In theory it can be, not sure it happens in real life much.
 
But it seems very vague. What exactly is too dry wood? How will I know if my wood is too dry? etc.
 
Backwoods Savage said:
But it seems very vague. What exactly is too dry wood? How will I know if my wood is too dry? etc.
Click to expand...
It gases off like a ***** ape.
 
Backwoods Savage said:
But it seems very vague. What exactly is too dry wood? How will I know if my wood is too dry? etc.
Click to expand...

The fact that you don't know, Dennis, is the surest indicator that your wood IS TOO DRY!! Before you hurt anything, I'm gonna help you out. I'll have a 53' trailer there in the AM. If you will help her get it loaded with all that too-dry-wood, we'll get it out of the way so you can get to collecting some correct-dry-wood.

Always tryin' t'help.
 
where was that original post...what was the complaint about that the answer was "your wood is too dry". what were the symptoms of the stove?
i dont know about TOO dry but i have heard that a 20% moisture content is considered ideal.
why? i have no clue, and when does it get to a 20% moisture content? i have no clue.
:)
 
Ya, I can find lots of help like that. lol
 
Ruth140, I'll have to find that thread but it was in the Hearth Room.

Around here we've never worried a bit about moisture content. We simply give the wood long enough to dry and after several years of experience, we pretty much know if the wood is ready to burn or not.
 
If the wood is truly too dry I would think it would make your cat go into overdrive and over load it.
 
How would I know if the cat was into overdrive? Or how would I know it is overloaded.
 
This almost reminds me of my first ever post here where I mentioned that a mate of mine reckoned my wood was too dry as it had spent a couple of years in a glasshouse.

Well, I have been toasty warm this winter while everybody else here has been freezing cold.

Just dialed the primary air down and watched the northern lights display on the secondary burn.

Only problem now is how much wood goes into the glasshouse next summer, and how many tomatoes do I really need to grow :)
 
Too dry?

your not doing it right, theres foreplay involved. that will get some wetness to it. other wise its hard to get in the door...ah wrong thread.
 
woodchip said:
This almost reminds me of my first ever post here where I mentioned that a mate of mine reckoned my wood was too dry as it had spent a couple of years in a glasshouse.

Well, I have been toasty warm this winter while everybody else here has been freezing cold.

Just dialed the primary air down and watched the northern lights display on the secondary burn.

Only problem now is how much wood goes into the glasshouse next summer, and how many tomatoes do I really need to grow :)
Click to expand...

I wouldn't want to face this dilemma. Hot house tomatoes or seasoned firewood?..... tomatoes or firewood? You can't heat your house with tomatoes. You can't throw a split of oak on your BLT sandwich. I'd go crazy making such a choice. I love 'em both.

It's worse than Sophie's Choice.
 
Backwoods Savage said:
How would I know if the cat was into overdrive? Or how would I know it is overloaded.
Click to expand...
Dont be coy with me, I have read your posts before you know, I some what remember you talking about this and the way your cat reacted.
 
Backwoods Savage said:
What do you think are the right answers and when does my wood become too dry? What about that dead white ash we are now cutting? After all, we already have about 6 years of wood supply on hand already.
Click to expand...

You are mixing up the concepts of aging and drying. Just because wood is very old (ancient, even) doesn't mean it will continue to dry. Google "equilibrium moisture content" for a better understanding of what really happens to wood stored outside.

I have no idea how Woodstock will respond, but I do know your wood will never get too dry where you live. Best you'll see is about 16-18% MC, which is right there in that "perfect" range. That 6 year old ash probably stopped drying about four years ago, and has been going slightly up and down in MC with the seasons. All it can do is at this point is to eventually rot.
 
Battenkiller said:
Backwoods Savage said:
What do you think are the right answers and when does my wood become too dry? What about that dead white ash we are now cutting? After all, we already have about 6 years of wood supply on hand already.
Click to expand...

You are mixing up the concepts of aging and drying. Just because wood is very old (ancient, even) doesn't mean it will continue to dry. Google "equilibrium moisture content" for a better understanding of what really happens to wood stored outside.

I have no idea how Woodstock will respond, but I do know your wood will never get too dry where you live. Best you'll see is about 16-18% MC, which is right there in that "perfect" range. That 6 year old ash probably stopped drying about four years ago, and has been going slightly up and down in MC with the seasons. All it can do is at this point is to eventually rot.
Click to expand...


Well said.
 
Yep, +1
 
Battenkiller said:
Backwoods Savage said:
What do you think are the right answers and when does my wood become too dry? What about that dead white ash we are now cutting? After all, we already have about 6 years of wood supply on hand already.
Click to expand...

You are mixing up the concepts of aging and drying. Just because wood is very old (ancient, even) doesn't mean it will continue to dry. Google "equilibrium moisture content" for a better understanding of what really happens to wood stored outside.

I have no idea how Woodstock will respond, but I do know your wood will never get too dry where you live. Best you'll see is about 16-18% MC, which is right there in that "perfect" range. That 6 year old ash probably stopped drying about four years ago, and has been going slightly up and down in MC with the seasons. All it can do is at this point is to eventually rot.
Click to expand...

Actually I am not mixing up the concepts. I know the answers but wanted to know if others agreed with me. Woodstock does not but then I also have still not received any answers from them to those questions. I'd really like to know some specifics about this "too dry wood" theory. Simply put, I've never seen any of this wood that is too dry. I also have no idea what I would look for if I had such a thing because I've never seen it.
 
ISeeDeadBTUs said:
Backwoods Savage said:
But it seems very vague. What exactly is too dry wood? How will I know if my wood is too dry? etc.
Click to expand...

The fact that you don't know, Dennis, is the surest indicator that your wood IS TOO DRY!! Before you hurt anything, I'm gonna help you out. I'll have a 53' trailer there in the AM. If you will help her get it loaded with all that too-dry-wood, we'll get it out of the way so you can get to collecting some correct-dry-wood.

Always tryin' t'help.
Click to expand...
+2 I will be there in the afternoon to help get rid of that awful dry wood. Seriously, I think wood reaches an equilibrium with the environment and stays with that after a certain length of time. I have some probably 20 year old hedge that freshly split will read in the teens for moisture.
 
My thought on wood that is too dry is what type of wood is it.

If it's old pallets, yes, they will go up like an inferno if very dry and unlimited air is allowed to enter the woodburner.

Knowing how well my oak and hawthorn burnt after 4 years stored in a glasshouse (it was below 5% moisture), with minimum primary air it was like looking at the Northern Lights for hours on end I cannot see how wood can be too dry. Wood that is very dry will not rot either (or we would all have problems with our furniture).

Knowing how difficult it is to store wood outside in some areas (especially in very damp humid climates like our maritime climate here), yes, I can see how it is possible for wood to get to the point where it may not dry any further, and then deteriorate.

I'm not sitting on the fence, but looking at both points of view :)
 
Well, we don't throw much wood away here! It keeps rather well and burns nicely.
 
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