Did I get ripped off by the firewood guy?!

[Dave K]

Hi guys,

I recently bought a house and was left about a face cord of very seasoned wood. I was very excited to get started burning and knew that I'd need more wood for the winter, but I wasn't sure if I'd just be burning on the weekends or if I'd be trying to burn as a primary heat source. With that said, I order 2 cords of wood because I thought that would be a good start (and I just bought a house so money is tight!) and if I really loved burning I could always order more.

So I got a delivery and finally finished stacking it last night (pic below). I am concerned that it is not 2 cords so I thought I'd turn to you guys for some opinions.

It is in one row and most splits are between 14-20 inches. I don't know whether to calculate the width as 2 feet or only as 1.5 feet when doing the calculations for a cord. Any insight? What is the norm?

The pile is 31 feet long and 4 feet high. So if I use 2 feet for the width I come up with 248 cubic feet (but its definitely not 2 feet wide all the way across). If I only use 1.5 feet for the width I come up with only 186 cubic feet. What do you guys think? Should I give my seller the benefit of the doubt and go with 2 feet, or should he have given me more wood since it only technically measures 1.5 feet wide?

If you think the latter, should I contact the guy and complain?

Thanks guys!

-Dave

 

[Jags]

14-20" averages 17" or 1.4ft.

4ft x 31 x 1.4 = 173 cuft

2 cords = 256 cuft
256 - 173 = 83 or .64 of a cord.

You got shorted somewhere around a half a cord. (assuming the average really is 17")

 

[TimJ]

Check the section that has the cord calculators. They are on the money
using the calculator it comes up to 1.37 cords

 

[Dave K]

I kind of figured that I was shorted. So the big question is... should I call this guy and complain? He charged me $150 per cord because my house is only a few miles from his supply and it was a quick trip for him. So i paid him $300 for this amount. So $300 divided by 1.37 equals about $218 per cord. Should I just deal with it this time and then mention it to him next time I order, or should I call him and ask him to bring me more wood because he shorted me?

 

[Jags]

2 - 1.37 = .63
Yep - the math works

 

[Jags]

I would call and give him the chance to make it right. After all it is a $75 mistake.

 

[Dave K]

Thanks Jags. I am going to give him a call. I don't know why I am hesitant to do so because HE is the one that shorted me. If anything I should be pissed, but instead I feel bad for calling him out on it. I am too nice of a guy.

 

[oldspark]

I am too nice of a guy

You wont last around here.

 

[Jon1270]

It is in one row and most splits are between 14-20 inches.

Should I give my seller the benefit of the doubt and go with 2 feet, or should he have given me more wood since it only technically measures 1.5 feet wide?

Heh. No, you don't round up to the nearest foot. You don't round up at all. I'd grab a dozen random splits, line them all up end-to-end, measure the length and divide by 12. That's a more accurate way getting an average.

If anything I should be pissed,

You don't have to be pissed, just be clear and assertive. You stacked and measured the wood, and it's short by about X amount. Invite him to come and measure for himself. He'll either apologize and fix it, in which case you should keep ordering from him, or he'll deny it in which case you'll know never to buy from him again.

 

[Clyde S. Dale]

Do you know for sure that the wood is dry? That could also become an issue when it comes time to burn it. If you don't have one already a moisture meter is a good investment if you will by buying your wood every winter. We can help you determine whether or not the wood is dry if you want to go there.

I also agree you should (politely) call him on his mistake and give him the chance for redemption.

Good luck!

 

[Jon1270]

FWIW, the reason this happens is that most wood sellers don't ever stack the wood in any neat, easily measurable form. They chuck it into a heap off the splitter, then chuck (or scoop) it into a truck to bring to you, and quantities are eyeballed, not measured. Competition, profit, sore muscles and underpowered trucks encourage them to err in their own favor. It's up to you to keep them honest.

 

[Dave K]

FWIW, the reason this happens is that most wood sellers don't ever stack the wood in any neat, easily measurable form. They chuck it into a heap off the splitter, then chuck (or scoop) it into a truck to bring to you, and quantities are eyeballed, not measured. Competition, profit, sore muscles and underpowered trucks encourage them to err in their own favor. It's up to you to keep them honest.

Exactly. He brought it in a 16x6x3 trailer and it was all loosely thrown.

 

[Dave K]

Do you know for sure that the wood is dry? That could also become an issue when it comes time to burn it. If you don't have one already a moisture meter is a good investment if you will by buying your wood every winter. We can help you determine whether or not the wood is dry if you want to go there.

I also agree you should (politely) call him on his mistake and give him the chance for redemption.

Good luck!

I do have a moisture meter and have got some readings that are variable. On a single piece of wood I am getting 30% and also 21%. That is on a a freshly split face. I bought a cheap moisture meter, so maybe that is why I am getting such different readings?

The guy told me that all of the wood he sells is split at least a year and a month ago. He has hundreds of cords in his wood yard and said that he has OCD about making sure it is seasoned for at least a year and a month. If he has the splits just sitting in a pile for a year will it be enough to season? Or does it need to be stacked neatly for a year to season

 

[BurnIt13]

Airflow and sunshine is what dries firewood. If the pile is 50ft across and 15ft high and your load happened to be dead in the middle, guess what.....no air or sunshine.

It will be as wet, or wetter than when it was split. Oak needs 2 years even in the best of conditions, so I have a feeling closer to 30% is about right.

But don't feel bad. 90% of every person that buys wood is experiencing the same thing as you. "Seasoned" wood means it was cut down last season....as in last summer usually.

BTW....the same thing happened to me my first year. I bought 3 cords of wood and it seemed that 10% was bark, mulch, and dirt. So I probably got the middle of the pile. It didn't burn so well.

 

[gzecc]

The splits on the outside will be dried best. Remember, oak, requires at least 2 years stacked in single rows in my yard. Oak piled in a heap, will take forever to dry.

 

[Dave K]

Airflow and sunshine is what dries firewood. If the pile is 50ft across and 15ft high and your load happened to be dead in the middle, guess what.....no air or sunshine.

It will be as wet, or wetter than when it was split. Oak needs 2 years even in the best of conditions, so I have a feeling closer to 30% is about right.

But don't feel bad. 90% of every person that buys wood is experiencing the same thing as you. "Seasoned" wood means it was cut down last season....as in last summer usually.

BTW....the same thing happened to me my first year. I bought 3 cords of wood and it seemed that 10% was bark, mulch, and dirt. So I probably got the middle of the pile. It didn't burn so well.

I find that when I load the stove with this wood I will have 1 out of the 5 pieces sizzling. But for the most part, the wood burns pretty good.

 

[BurnIt13]

I find that when I load the stove with this wood I will have 1 out of the 5 pieces sizzling. But for the most part, the wood burns pretty good.

Yup....that wood that got delivered 3 years ago still does this. Its stacked in a single row but doesn't get a whole lot of sunshine or wind. That was my first and last delivery. I cut and stack my own now.

 

[Dave K]

So I just got off the phone with him. I told him the measurements that I have and he said that he will bring me a 1/4 a cord to make up for the difference. I am happy with that and will order from him again. At $150 per cord I think I got a great deal.

 

[BurnIt13]

That does sound like a great deal. Up here in MA, even 50 miles from the city it is $250/cord delivered for descent stuff. $200 for green. There are better deals around but you get what you pay for. And it still isn't even that great.

 

[BrianN]

If he is bringing you a 1/4 cord, you are still over a 1/4 cord out. Let him know that you will order from him next year, but, you definitely want your full cord, seasoned next time. Of course, saying this politely.

 

[RSNovi]

I have been paying $150 per cord and have gotten taken a few times. Mostly I am shorted and I can't get them to bring more or the wood is in very large pieces. A school teacher that my wife works with told her that he sells firewood for $140 a cord. My parents got a load and it is nice wood. Not seasoned, but I am fine with letting it sit for a couple of years.

 

[Dave K]

If he is bringing you a 1/4 cord, you are still over a 1/4 cord out. Let him know that you will order from him next year, but, you definitely want your full cord, seasoned next time. Of course, saying this politely.

If he is bringing you a 1/4 cord, you are still over a 1/4 cord out. Let him know that you will order from him next year, but, you definitely want your full cord, seasoned next time. Of course, saying this politely.

I realize that it is still short of 2 cords, but his advertised price is $180 a cord and he's selling it to me for a deal because his supply is within a few miles of my house. So I am going to accept the shortage and hope that next time it is the same price and he delivers the full amount. At least now he knows that I will measure it.

I don't know how he came up with 1/4 of a cord shortage. Maybe his math was off, but I'll take it because I wasn't even going to call him out on it in the first place so I'm happy that he's bringing another 32 cubic feet.

 

[BillLion]

$150 a cord is pretty good deal to me. I pay $250 delivered and some charge more than that.

 

[Dave K]

$150 a cord is pretty good deal to me. I pay $250 delivered and some charge more than that.

that is the reason that I am OK with accepting a little bit less than a full 2 cords at that price. Even if I only end up with 1.62 cords it comes out to about $185 per cord. Its still a good price

 

[stefan66]

that is the reason that I am OK with accepting a little bit less than a full 2 cords at that price. Even if I only end up with 1.62 cords it comes out to about $185 per cord. Its still a good price

1.62 cords is not 2. Granted its a good price. But it's still not right.
When I buy wood I stack tight and measure. If I'm short almost 1/2 cord the supplier is gonna hear about it.