Wet wood: I think I'm screwed for this winter

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richg

Minister of Fire
Nov 20, 2005
888
Gang,

I gots a problem here and was wondering if anyone has any advice. NJ has received historic amounts of rain since August, and my stacks are soaking wet. I only have 1.5 cords stacked under the porch where the wood looks in fine shape. Given a dismal forecast and that burning season will soon be upon us, any ideas on what can be done? Fans, dehumidifers, stacking some inside? Thanks.
 
I have been surprised when checking a resplit for moisture content. The rain here did not wet the uncovered wood very much. Often wood may not be perfect, but it will heat.
 
How long had the wood that is soaked been seasoning? If it's been there waiting for you for a year it may just need to get a cover put over it and let the surface moisture to dry as you burn that 1.5 cord up.

If it's been less than a year it would have very likely been marginal even in decent conditions.

I'd say it's time to start shopping for a seller who is selling actually seasoned wood. Or perhaps you'll have to invest in some biobricks or other man-made wood burning product and mix it in w/ your 1.5 cord of dry and stretch it as best as you can.

I was in this circumstance my first year of burning. Didn't buy our house until March of that year so I was prepared. After that frustrating first year, I do my best to keep about 2 to 2.5 years on hand just for wet years like this.

Let us know how you make out.

pen
 
there's a world of difference in utility between green wood and wet wood (meaning wet seasoned wood).

'wet' seasoned wood burns 2x longer than 'dry' seasoned wood (meaning, twice and long to release its energy)
green wood burns 8x longer that seasoned wood (8x longer to release its energy)

these are approximates guys, there are many variables here, of course. HOW wet, type of wood, etc.

as long as your wood is seasoned, don't stress about it and burn it as is, don't worry about fans and crap. next year you'll be way ahead and all will be well. ya know, if i throw some wet seasoned wood in the stove before bed and it burns slowly overnight and leaves me with a good bed of coals in the morning...i'm happy.

my 2 cents

OT
 
richg, if your firewood is seasoned it'll dry out. I mean, if you cut and split that firewood a year ago or more, the sun and wind coming in the next week will dry it out just fine. If it's stacked in several rows real tight you might want to re-stack it in single rows, but it'll dry out for sure.

Now, if your fire wood was just split a month or so ago then you'll likely not be able to burn it this winter.
 
If the wood was in good shape before the rain, I think all you have to worry about is letting it air dry a few days before burning. or don't bother and it will sizzle briefly in the fire then be fine. The rain should have soaked in only a little. I'd think of it more like 1.5 months without gaining much, not 1.5 months of losing a lot of ground in the seasoning.

As for freshly split maple, if it was alive recently I would not expect it to be ready to burn. Sure, it will burn, but it isn't seasoned firewood.
 
richg said:
Gang,

I gots a problem here and was wondering if anyone has any advice. NJ has received historic amounts of rain since August, and my stacks are soaking wet. I only have 1.5 cords stacked under the porch where the wood looks in fine shape. Given a dismal forecast and that burning season will soon be upon us, any ideas on what can be done? Fans, dehumidifers, stacking some inside? Thanks.
Click to expand...
The rain will not prevent the wood from seasoning. Seasoning properly at least for one year stacked correctly will not be impacted greatly by rain. The wood will be dry after a couple of dry days.
 
Bring in a couple of days worth when burning and place it a safe distance from the fire.
 
Leave it uncovered till the next time rain is forcast, then cover the top of the stack only.

Leave it covered and you will be fine.

I always bing wood inside for a week before burning for a little extra dryness, except for the wood in my woodshed, which can go right in the stove.
 
church479 said:
I have a cord of maple I just split, do you know if I can burn it right away?
Click to expand...

Fresh split maple will burn well a year from now.
 
Like all others are saying, if the wood was seasoned properly before the big rain event, you're fine. Surface moisture should not be confused with the internal fibrous cells that hold water in green or unseasoned wood. We have prently of nice dry fall weather ahead of us. Keep those stacks uncovered for now and just just top cover them when you see rain coming.

Look at wood decks, wood siding, ect... When it rains, a wood deck will absorb some of that rain. A day or two later with wind and sun, the moisture is gone from the wood because it's just surface moisture. Splits absorb rain and moisture on the surface and ends and it will evaporate rapidly in sun and wind.
 
heus said:
Bring in a couple of days worth when burning and place it a safe distance from the fire.
Click to expand...

There you are! Maybe a couple of weeks inside before burning.

In my case, a foot from the stove to end of split is safe for an extended period, so long as I monitor temps carefully. (Stays below 170F.)
 
I was hoping that I can burn that maple this year. Looks like I have to buy some wood this year. Sucks that noone here on Long Island sells a TRUE cord.
 
church479 said:
I have a cord of maple I just split, do you know if I can burn it right away?
Click to expand...
You could, if it will burn. You shouldn't because you will add a lot of creosote to your chimney and loose 30% of its heating value.
You can find acceptable wood to burn if you look smart and hard enough. It will take time. Just like the time it takes to season firewood, at least one year stacked and split correctly (not oak).
 
church479 said:
What wood should I find to burn for this year?
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Where are you on the island?

Do you have a truck and a chainsaw?
 
Rich, good news with the weather. Sunny this week with some wind. Ideal conditions. The wood will be dry in a day. Wait until the next big round of rain or snow and then cover the top of that wood pile.
 
church479 said:
Live in Medford, I have a trailer and MS250 18inch Stihl saw.
Click to expand...

There are a lot of dead oak trees arround where you live.

When I say dead, I don't mean the last leaf just fell off.

I am talking about the bark being mostly gone, and all small twigs and branchlets fallen, leaving just major branches/trunk.

If you can find such trees, and get permission to cut them, the top half or so will be ready to burn.

Take the trunks too, cut split and stack and they will likely be good for next year.

There is some disease down there killing whole swaths of oak trees.
 
I'm with those that say if its only moisture from rain it will "redry" pretty quickly.
If you are stuck with genuinely wet wood like I was last year (bought "seasoned" wood and learned that for many "seasoned" means its no longer connected to mother earth by roots:)
so I bought a ton of Eco Bricks and since I have a small stove I was able to use an eco brick and 2 splits of my semi moist wood for an adequate fire and heat. I also scored some nice red oak pallets that helped me put something dry in the stove. Not sure in your area but for plenty of of mostly fir pallets try someplace like the scooter store and/or look in the free section of CL- still enough time to slay a bunch of pallets to salvage your winter.
Good luck
 
What do you guys think about a load of cherry rounds that were stored in racks uncovered for a year and a half or so. Any chance they can be split now and be ready in a few months?
 
Had my first fire last night unexpectedly and it rained hard all morning. I put significant sized splits of pine in there wherethe entire surface was wet, along with a few wet splits of elm and kindling.

Once the kindling base was established, it all started burning just fine eventually and gave me a nice even fire. Unseasoned wood will be the death of you as it never really catches well - but seasoned wood that's wet on the surface very quickly dries and lights off in the fire, and then burns just fine.

If you have 1.5 cords under cover now and dry, then simply start burning it. When you go through half of that, move another .75 cord under cover. Keep up the rotation, and it'll always be just fine.
 
JWM48 said:
What do you guys think about a load of cherry rounds that were stored in racks uncovered for a year and a half or so. Any chance they can be split now and be ready in a few months?
Click to expand...

Yes, it will be fine.
 
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