Building my own kiln to dry my green firewood?

[SmokeyCity]

Hey Everyone Ive been reading you guys for years and decided to join so I can ask a question I have not seen answered anywhere.

I have an Englander 30NC that really puts out the heat using dry cord wood. I get a lot of free firewood dumped in my driveway by a friend who is a landscaper and site developer.
I cut the logs to size and stack them in my cement floor cellar in rows around the 30NC. This is of course very dangerous (and stupid) but Ive gotten away with it for now by being very very careful about stacking and how hot I run the stove.

Anyway - I am resolved to discontinue this dangerous practice and instead would like to do it safely. I have some tin and want to build a rectangular tin shell big enough to hold about a half cord of wood. I can put this shell about 10 feet from the stove then build a shroud around the stove and connect that shroud with a channel to direct the hot air off the stove into the shell with the wood in it. A vent on top of the shell would then allow the hot air to escape - carrying some of the humidity from the logs out into the room.

I have a heat reclaimer that is in my exhaust stack. This little toy pulls incredible heat out of the stack that would otherwise go up the tube. I could also do a passive redirect of that heat into the shell too.

My questions is - assuming I can build this ( i have some tin bending history and all the tools) - could I possibly run enough hot dry air past that half cord of wood to take it from fresh cut wet, to fully seasoned dry in the course of a winter of burning in Pittsburgh?

The logs are about 12-14" diameter and no more than 20" long.

Please don't flame me if this sounds stupid, just tell me if its feasible or not and why - if you know

thanks

 

[Lynch]

well im no expert but it sounds like it might.

why not just stack it outside and let it dry?
and not use your heat to dry the wood you are going to burn to dry your wood? lol if that makes sence. had a few

 

[cwill]

Why not just stack it outside to dry properly? Doubt it would dry enough to use indoors even with heat.

I'm sure everyone will be along shortly to further tell why this is a bad idea.

 

[SnapCracklePop]

"The logs are about 12-14†diameter and no more than 20†long."

I'm confused. You don't split your rounds? It'll take a long time to dry your wood if that's the way you burn it...?

Nancy

 

[BrotherBart]

Winter is pretty much done for. Stack the stuff outside and let it dry out. And can that heat reclaimer. Ain't gonna discuss that thing. Another thread is doing a fine job of that in the classic stove forum room.

Or you can be the test case for an EPA stove with one of those things that is being looked for in that thread.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/72043/

 

[SmokeyCity]

"The logs are about 12-14†diameter and no more than 20†long."
I'm confused. You don't split your rounds? It'll take a long time to dry your wood if that's the way you burn it...?
Nancy

No I dont split em, I just chainsaw em to length.
Well dried rounds are my favorite for the 30NC. They burn slower and my fire is still going in the AM.

 

[SmokeyCity]

well im no expert but it sounds like it might.

why not just stack it outside and let it dry?
and not use your heat to dry the wood you are going to burn to dry your wood? lol if that makes sence. had a few

LOL - you sound like my old man who used to laugh at my harebrained schemes and then kindly explain why the logic was so bad

yes yes you are correct in all - but simply stacking them outside would be too easy and would not require a summer engineering project

OK... I think this thread has run its course and the conclusion is fairly obvious. Its the kind of idea one proposes while sipping wine in front of a hot stove on a boring night of internet surfing.

Thanks for your kind input.


(im keeping the heat X/C thing tho, cause it works for me)

 

[CTYank]

Rube Goldberg comes to mind.

Depending on the species you will have a LOT of water to be removed from the wood. It's got to go somewhere. Stories have been published about houses that suffered large damage from decay from such moisture.

Many lumber mills now dry sawn lumber first by air-drying, then in a kiln. You might try same: air-dry as long as possible outdoors, facing south, in the SW breeze; then bring it in as you use it for final drying near the stove. (I'd forget all the tin-knocking stuff.)

I'd split the pieces down to a reasonable size for speed of drying, ease of handling, and emissions reduction.

 

[North of 60]

That sounds like a great setup and combination ya got there. Probably 0 smoke comming out of your stack too. SMOKEYCITY has kinda gotta ring to it.
Good luck with it.
Cheers

 

[BrotherBart]

With the firebox opening being 11" high on the 30 and only 19" front to back to the air distribution plate in the front, you are doing a hell of a job loading the stove.

 

[bogydave]

It would definitely raise the humidity in the house.
I know here, we could use more moisture inside during the winters.

 

[iceman]

"The logs are about 12-14†diameter and no more than 20†long."
I'm confused. You don't split your rounds? It'll take a long time to dry your wood if that's the way you burn it...?
Nancy

No I dont split em, I just chainsaw em to length.
Well dried rounds are my favorite for the 30NC. They burn slower and my fire is still goinin the AM.

Something sounds strange... with that beast you should still have coals in the morning from split wood that has been in the stove ... if you are burning rounds only I can see why you are thinking about this, as rounds take longer to dry....
Do you run a dehumidifier in the summer with the wood to?
Are you able.to close the air all the way down on the 30 at night?

 

[SolarAndWood]

If your basement is warmer than the rest of the house already, I think you would get more benefit pulling dry air from the rest of the house and blowing it over your stacks with a fan. You would probably get some circulation benefit at the same time.

Here is a documented experiment of drying wood in a basement 'kiln':

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/67839/

 

[SmokeyCity]

Something sounds strange... with that beast you should still have coals in the morning from split wood that has been in the stove ... if you are burning rounds only I can see why you are thinking about this, as rounds take longer to dry....
Do you run a dehumidifier in the summer with the wood to?
Are you able.to close the air all the way down on the 30 at night?[/quote]


yeah i run a dehumidifier continually in the off season to dry the wood

I usually load it up before going to bed. I open it up to get it roaring then close it down to about 25% and go to bed.

 

[SmokeyCity]

That sounds like a great setup and combination ya got there. Probably 0 smoke comming out of your stack too. SMOKEYCITY has kinda gotta ring to it.
Good luck with it.
Cheers

My chimney is almost 60 ft tall and is 10x10 rectangle. Its an 1880 3 story Victorian and the stove is in the basement.
My draft is so powerful I can get away with a heat exchanger taking heat out of the stack.

BTW - the temp on the stack above my heat reclaimer is still over 200 degrees. In my chimney that is still far more temp differential than i need.
When I open the stove door I don't worry about smoke coming out the door - Its all I can do to keep it from overdrafting.

As i said before this setup works great as long as the wood is very dry.

The kiln idea was just something to ponder - the consensus is that its just not worth the trouble. Wood belongs outside.

 

[North of 60]

That sounds like a great setup and combination ya got there. Probably 0 smoke comming out of your stack too. SMOKEYCITY has kinda gotta ring to it.
Good luck with it.
Cheers

My chimney is almost 60 ft tall and is 10x10 rectangle. Its an 1880 3 story Victorian and the stove is in the basement.
My draft is so powerful I can get away with a heat exchanger taking heat out of the stack.

BTW - the temp on the stack above my heat reclaimer is still over 200 degrees. In my chimney that is still far more temp differential than i need.
When I open the stove door I don't worry about smoke coming out the door - Its all I can do to keep it from overdrafting.

As i said before this setup works great as long as the wood is very dry.

The kiln idea was just something to ponder - the consensus is that its just not worth the trouble. Wood belongs outside.

Hey, if it works for you, then great!
A few of the points I am trying to understand is how can the wood be very dry leaving it in full rounds. Must of been dead standing for a few years?
10"by10" rectangle chimney? Not making sense to me.
Are you able to maintain secondaries and have no smoke out your stack with full rounds. 2 I would presume that would possibly fit as well with no creosote along the MH on a masonry chimney?
Sounds like the fire gods and seasoning gods are on your side on this one.
Just some observations from the info you provided.
Cheers

 

[iceman]

split the rounds in half .... anythimg over 3-4 inches ...pack that stove tight and shut her down ... but 60 ft is a loooooong chimney! be careful cause that could be a fire waiting to happen ... assuming that the smoke is really cool by the time it gets to the too of a 10*10 .....
could you show us a pic or 2 of your setup?

 

[SmokeyCity]

With the firebox opening being 11" high on the 30 and only 19" front to back to the air distribution plate in the front, you are doing a hell of a job loading the stove.

correct - my rounds are just small enuf to fit so they must be < 11"

I do split the ones that wont fit but I chainsaw split them in half not a 4 way split

 

[SmokeyCity]

.. how can the wood be very dry leaving it in full rounds. Must of been dead standing for a few years?
10"by10" rectangle chimney? Not making sense to me.
Are you able to maintain secondaries and have no smoke out your stack with full rounds. 2 I would presume that would possibly fit as well with no creosote along the MH on masonry chimney?
Sounds like the fire gods and seasoning gods are on your side on this one.
Just some observations from the info you provided.




These logs have been drying for several years in a dry place (my basement) with a dehumidifier running and a fan blowing on them.

The inside of my chimney is a 10x10 rectangle Ill post a pic

THe full rounds burn nice long secondary burn IF they are *extremely* dry.

This is why I dream schemes to dry out by logs faster

pics coming - charging batteries now

 

[oldspark]

Running a dehumidifier can not be cheap or am I missing something?

 

[SmokeyCity]

Running a dehumidifier can not be cheap or am I missing something?

you are correct - thats why i way scheming for a way to reuse heat from the stove to dry the wood
but that idea has been shown to be pretty impractical too

Im just gonna do what everyone else does. Split and stack it outside and wait a yr or 2.

 

[SmokeyCity]

could you show us a pic or 2 of your setup?

STOVE Englander 30NC
+
CHIMNEY from across street

 

[laynes69]

Do you get alot of condensation in the chimney? If its that tall with that size of liner it has to be happening. Not good on the chimney. I would install a key damper and try to regulate the stove with it instead of a heat reclaimer. Also I would replace the galvanized flue with black stove pipe. Having a little extra heat in the chimney wouldn't hurt with it being that tall. How well does the heat travel with the stove in the basement. I love those old houses. We have an old victorian and even though its a money pit, it has alot of character and space.

 

[iceman]

Maybe that's an old pic of the stove? Reason i say that .... those pipes need to be changed ASAP... the white/grey ones are worn from getting to hot...
Split the wood, stack it and bring it inside in the fall ... and bring enough for the nights burn plus a week or 2.. that way what's not dry will be....
Get a stove top thermometer, cause I have a feeling its getting. HOT...
The way those pipes look with dry wood you should have no prob shutting stall the way down and getting nuclear... and you could then Be able to get rid of the heat reclaimer....
I am sure someone will chime in with more info

 

[Valhalla]

I admit to question the concept, as the wood will season easily outside.
Good luck on seasoning un-split rounds, as it takes much longer.