Do you ever doubt how dry your wood needs to be?

[Mr. Kelly]

If you've ever wondered why people on here tell us that wood needs to be well seasoned to burn efficiently, here's a story that might illustrate just why they tell us this... over and over.

I'm a new burner. We bought 3 cords of "seasoned" wood in October that was cut in December of '08 right after our big ice storm here. That's pretty much a year, right? We figured it must have had a least a little time to dry out. We didn't get our stove up and running 'till the first of Jan., so the wood sat for a couple of months. Half of the wood was stacked in our covered outdoor porch, the other half was out at the side of the yard stacked on 2x4s uncovered.

Well, we just finished up the cord and a half that had been stacked on our porch. We saw that it only burned so-so, since it really hadn't sat that long, and it was clearly not checked or grayed to begin with. We could also hear the stuff sizzle. Never-the-less, we heated the house adequately, and all was marginally well... until we had to start using the wood from the yard. With this wood, the fires had been smoldering much more, and good hot fires were taking considerably longer than before, if we got them going well at all. We presumed this was because it was the wood that has been out in the yard, and it hadn't had the couple of months to dry off like the wood in the porch did. There's been a clear difference b/w the two.

But, that's not the real kicker.... Last night, after being frustrated by a sputtering fire, I thought of doing a little "test". Well, we have a dysfunctional fireplace in the other part of the house that has had these old splits of wood sitting in it since before we bought the house. That's nearly 5 years of sitting in a dry fireplace. I thought, "Let's give that wood a shot". This wood was all checked, cracked, light as a feather, and it felt like it would likely disintegrate as soon as it hit the fire. So, I threw a piece of that stuff in there, and here's what I found:

That sucker lit up like a ROMAN CANDLE!! It burned solidly, while the other 3 or 4 splits that had been in there for a half an hour could only choke. Not only that, but this single split of wood, not even that large, raised the temperature of my stove by almost 300 degrees in about 10 minutes! So, I watched awhile, and also saw that this split didn't even burn significantly quicker than the other wetter pieces of wood. I thought it would fall apart in minutes. GO FIGURE!

Moral of the story... believe your friends on here that tell you that really dry wood can make a huge difference in your stove's performance!

 

[Fsappo]

Yup, good dry and seasoned wood makes a huge difference. I know I tried to burn green wood in my stove one year just for kicks because it would save me money. I bought a load of wood that was cut and split for about 3 months and it sat for another 3 prior to me burning it. My 3.4 burned it just fine, by appearance. Nice flame, no smoke, glass stayed clean. I ended up using about 25% more wood than in years when I had seasoned wood instead. I saved $10 per face for buying green and ended up spending more money in the long run. So sure, a decent EPA certified stove with a good draft will burn green wood, but try the same stove with the good wood and it's night and day.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That was a good thing to post Mr. Kelly. I only hope people will take this experience and learn that time is a friend to both people and wood. You can not purchase wood the same as purchasing oil or gas. That can be burned right away. Not so with wood. It needs time to dry. In the long run they will find they will burn much less wood and get a lot more heat from it if they give it time to dry.

 

[bogydave]

Great point. Explains the importance of seasoned wood, which is probably 90% of troubles with heating with wood.
There is a thread on here somewhere:
"It's the wood stupid"
That one got my attention also. I started paying attention to seasoning wood.
I don't have good wood, some punky, some 1 year old, some spruce & birch at various ages. But it's what I got.
I get great burns, great heat & burn times when I select the "good stuff" which I don't have allot of so I mix "good" with "not so good"
Next year, I think my wood will be better & I should get better performance out of the stove.
I have birch & spruce. I treated spruce like junk wood, but the properly seasoned spruce does a good job heating the house,
not as good as the birch, but seasons faster & last longer than the punky birch.
So I repeat to myself, "It's the wood stupid" not the stove, the weather, the chimney. The wood!
The photo of the oak with water boiling out of it, another one.

Good re-enforcement to what everyone should learn, if nothing else on this site, "It's the wood"

 

[rdust]

When I was talking to my dad last weekend watching the superbowl he mentioned he still had a few logs from an ash tree he cut down when my mom and dad bought their current house in the late 80's. He has a fireplace and burns about a face cord every couple/few years but these pieces were too big for him to deal with splitting with the maul. They've been stacked off the ground and under an overhang since it was cut, it appears they're still hard like a rock. I'm going to pick the up the next time I'm over there and give them a try. You'll probably see a post similar to this when I split them and toss them in the stove. :lol:

 

[PapaDave]

I'm beginning to think that those wishing to use a wood fuel stove should have to acquire "dry wood", before actually being able to buy the stove.
If I had known the problems with "not dry" wood before using the stove that was in the house we bought, I may have just used nat. gas the first year, and let the wood "dry" before using.
The learning curve may have been steep, but I started flattening it right out pdq. DRY WOOD! DRY WOOD! DRY WOOD! DRY WOOD! DRY WOOD!
Hearth.com mantra.

 

[woodjack]

It's not the woodstove that makes the fire. It's the wood.
The better your fuel, the better your burn.

Almost all burning problems are wood (fuel) related.
Would anyone order unrefined oil for their furnace?

 

[rdust]

I really enjoy all the threads about poor stove performance with them swearing up and down the wood is seasoned. My favorite line is "it burned fine in my old stove". It usually turns out to be the wood or the stove is piped into a large unlined masonry chimney. Being my first year my wood is less then perfect but I was cutting/splitting/stacking wood months before I bought my stove thanks to this site.

 

[carlo]

This is my second year burning. Last year, my first year, I bought wood from some guy who said it was really seasoned blah blah blah. Upon burning it I realized he was full of it. Wasn't sure if it was me or not initially because I was a novice, but after finding this site, I realized it was the wood from the hissing sound. Well ..... there were about 15 splits that I had left over from last years green wood because the splits were too big for my stove. So this year, I bought a chainsaw and cut those suckers in half and when I burned them this year they lit up like gasoline! What a difference a year makes.

I now buy my wood from a very reputable nursery that tells me the wood has been seasoned anywhere from 9-12 months. I would say they're very honest because I have a few problems here and there with some splits, but the vast majority of the stuff is real good. Not as good as those other splits that were laying around my yard for a full year, but pretty good none the less.

For someone like me who doesn't cut their own wood, it's good to know you have an honest place to go when you buy your wood. It's probably the single most important thing when it comes to wood burning stoves these days with the stove technology out there. And I thought wood was just wood a year ago ...lol

 

[gyrfalcon]

The difference between dry, seasoned wood and really dry wood is also huge.

For a number of reasons, I ran out of 2-year seasoned firewood about a week ago, and faced with paying $$$ to the oil company to stay warm for the rest of the cold weather, I ended up springing for half a cord of kiln-dry firewood a local lumber mill has recently started selling.

Wowee-zowee! I swear I think I could light this stuff with a match. With this tiny stove, one less than perfect split and things go very wrong in the firebox. It's been a huge, huge relief this past week to be able to just toss the wood in, turn the air down and walk away with total confidence.

The less expensive way to go is to get two or three years ahead with green wood. And until you get that far ahead, split it the heck down before stacking so it dries faster!

 

[Shari]

I'm beginning to think that those wishing to use a wood fuel stove should have to acquire "dry wood", before actually being able to buy the stove.

Heh! Heh! I started collecting wood summer of '08. We used 'some' of that in the fireplace this winter. Our stove was installed yesterday. No problem with wood here!



Shari

 

[weatherguy]

The less expensive way to go is to get two or three years ahead with green wood. And until you get that far ahead, split it the heck down before stacking so it dries faster!

I think the location in your yard helps with the drying process. I put mine on a high spot thats open and faces the sun all day, the whole front face was dry as could be, burned great, the stuff behind and underneath, not as good so Ive been shuffling my wood around, Im putting the not so dry stuff aside for next year since I have plenty.
I plan on building a nice wood shed with the wood facing the sun all day with a good solid cover overhead to keep it dry, live and learn.

 

[Mr. Kelly]

Well, even though our wood is not very seasoned, it still burns, and we can still get the stove cranking. We just need to nurse the thing with kid gloves until we get TONS of really hot coals, then it will burn anything!

There is a ton of pain and annoyance involved in this practice, though, and all who have crummy wood can attest: We have to keep the air open full tilt much of the time we're burning, which will diminish efficiency, and we can't leave the stove with the air fully open with a full load in there, 'cause eventually, when we're not there, it will sputter long enough to get a good coal base happening (several hours), and then the thing has the chance of really taking off, and the potential for over firing is great (We've seen this happen while we're here on the weekends).

We also have to crack the door at any time we put new wood in there, until the coals are really ripping, and you know how undesirable that is. I've already forgotten to close it a couple of times, once overnight, and a couple of times when we've been here. Fortunately, the door is rather stiff and hasn't yet been pushed open by falling wood (which has happened when the door was open), and our hearth is a good 20", which has deterred any stray embers. Ok, call me stupid now...

So, we never burn efficiently or effectively. Lots of smoke, virtually no secondary burns, way too much air, and very inconsistent heat output.

But, for those who are new on here and are cursed with poor wood: You can get it happening, it just takes a bunch more patience, not to mention a wife that will yell at you because you paid all that money and you aren't getting enough heat out of the thing!

 

[gyrfalcon]

The less expensive way to go is to get two or three years ahead with green wood. And until you get that far ahead, split it the heck down before stacking so it dries faster!

I think the location in your yard helps with the drying process. I put mine on a high spot thats open and faces the sun all day, the whole front face was dry as could be, burned great, the stuff behind and underneath, not as good so Ive been shuffling my wood around, Im putting the not so dry stuff aside for next year since I have plenty.
I plan on building a nice wood shed with the wood facing the sun all day with a good solid cover overhead to keep it dry, live and learn.

Location does make a big difference. But so does split size and the way it's stacked. Smaller splits stacked criss-cross with lots of open space for the wind/breeze to blow through is much better than close-stacked all in the same direction. That's especially true if you don't have room to build the stacks at least 8 or 10 feet apart from each other.

Just my opinion, but if I were you, I wouldn't put wood in even an open shed until it's dry and ready to burn. Every bit of shade, every bit of interference with wind will slow down the drying process. It isn't rain/snow that keeps wood from seasoning, it's reduced air circulation. The rain doesn't penetrate more than a fraction of an inch into the wood and dries out with a day or two of dry weather.

If you can get three or four years ahead, you can stack it pretty much anywhere, any way you want and it'll be fine by the time you need it, it seems like. But if you're hoping to have it ready in a year or two, then you need to give it every bit of help you can.

 

[begreen]

Exactly. Good air circulation through the stack as it is drying helps a lot. If possible, stack the wood so that the prevailing wind blows through the stacks. It really helps speed up the drying process of split wood.

 

[Hiram Maxim]

The less expensive way to go is to get two or three years ahead with green wood. And until you get that far ahead, split it the heck down before stacking so it dries faster!

I think the location in your yard helps with the drying process. I put mine on a high spot thats open and faces the sun all day, the whole front face was dry as could be, burned great, the stuff behind and underneath, not as good so Ive been shuffling my wood around, Im putting the not so dry stuff aside for next year since I have plenty.
I plan on building a nice wood shed with the wood facing the sun all day with a good solid cover overhead to keep it dry, live and learn.

Location does make a big difference. But so does split size and the way it's stacked. Smaller splits stacked criss-cross with lots of open space for the wind/breeze to blow through is much better than close-stacked all in the same direction. That's especially true if you don't have room to build the stacks at least 8 or 10 feet apart from each other.

Just my opinion, but if I were you, I wouldn't put wood in even an open shed until it's dry and ready to burn. Every bit of shade, every bit of interference with wind will slow down the drying process. It isn't rain/snow that keeps wood from seasoning, it's reduced air circulation. The rain doesn't penetrate more than a fraction of an inch into the wood and dries out with a day or two of dry weather.

If you can get three or four years ahead, you can stack it pretty much anywhere, any way you want and it'll be fine by the time you need it, it seems like. But if you're hoping to have it ready in a year or two, then you need to give it every bit of help you can.

All great advice!

I think if everyone followed Backwoods Savage's wisdom of being 7 to 8 years ahead......less of these discussions would ever take place. ;-)

Because of his knowledge,I'm now about 6 years ahead of the game with most of my supply being about 2 years seasoned already.

My plan is to replace what ever I burn each year. By the time I reach the end of what is seasoned now it will have been cut/split/stacked for 8 years! :cheese:

Cheers,Hiram

 

[PapaDave]

I really enjoy all the threads about poor stove performance with them swearing up and down the wood is seasoned. My favorite line is "it burned fine in my old stove". It usually turns out to be the wood or the stove is piped into a large unlined masonry chimney. Being my first year my wood is less then perfect but I was cutting/splitting/stacking wood months before I bought my stove thanks to this site.

One of the fortunate ones, and smart too.

 

[PapaDave]

I'm beginning to think that those wishing to use a wood fuel stove should have to acquire "dry wood", before actually being able to buy the stove.

Heh! Heh! I started collecting wood summer of '08. We used 'some' of that in the fireplace this winter. Our stove was installed yesterday. No problem with wood here!



Shari

Shari, another of the smart ones.

 

[Swedishchef]

Hey all

Well, I see we are once again speaking about seasoned wood. It's nice to see someone learn as we all have at one time or another.

I just purchased my stove this year. Everyone around here sells wood the same year they cut it. I found a guy who lives 3.5 hrs from here and has a firewood business. I bought 3.3 cords of mixed hardwood from him since it's "seasoned". The odd piece of maple sizzles for 10 minutes or so but that's it. The rest burns quite well. However, I had to pay big $$ for it: $300 a cord!! That means it was $1000 for my

The only issue I have is trying to get ahead of the game. I will have 1 cord of hardwood left and I already have 2 cords of softwood. In the fall (October) I cut 4 cords of maple. It's not split yet. I will split it in April into fairly small splits. It should be decent for next winter. Here's my issue: where do I put it all? Getting ahead of the game is certainly the best way to manage wood. However, not all of us have space to keep 10-15 cords of wood. And it takes a considerable amount of resources ($$$$) to get all that wood going or effort (if you have a woodlot) in the first year of owning a stove.

That being said, once you're ahead of the game, it's money in the bank!!

Andrew

 

[mkt1]

I stack my wood in a hay- equipment barn with 2 large openings, no doors facing south so it gets plenty of wind and air cirulation. Dirt floor so I put T posts about 25 feet apart and put corrigated tin on the floor to stack on. When the weather gets bad I just drive in load up and back into the attached garage back at the house. The bed on my Rhino is usually enough wood for 3 days. Otherwise when its just cold and dry we get wood fron the covered patio, on which we put about 2 face ricks in the fall. Because the patio is north facing when the weather gets wet the wood can get wet.

 

[rdust]

However, not all of us have space to keep 10-15 cords of wood. And it takes a considerable amount of resources ($$$$) to get all that wood going or effort (if you have a woodlot) in the first year of owning a stove.

That being said, once you're ahead of the game, it's money in the bank!!

Andrew

This is true, it does consume some space. I often wonder what I'd do if I had a city lot. Even with a wood shed which will reduce the footprint I think it's best to have the wood outside in full wind/sun for the first season or until the season you plan to burn it. Last spring/summer I put up around 11 cords and it did take a good amount of my time. I scored 4 or so cords in the fall from a neighbor who had a bunch of ash tree's cut. I hope to put another 4 or 5 cords up this spring/summer to put me three years ahead.

 

[Hiram Maxim]

Hey all

Well, I see we are once again speaking about seasoned wood. It's nice to see someone learn as we all have at one time or another.

I just purchased my stove this year. Everyone around here sells wood the same year they cut it. I found a guy who lives 3.5 hrs from here and has a firewood business. I bought 3.3 cords of mixed hardwood from him since it's "seasoned". The odd piece of maple sizzles for 10 minutes or so but that's it. The rest burns quite well. However, I had to pay big $$ for it: $300 a cord!! That means it was $1000 for my

The only issue I have is trying to get ahead of the game. I will have 1 cord of hardwood left and I already have 2 cords of softwood. In the fall (October) I cut 4 cords of maple. It's not split yet. I will split it in April into fairly small splits. It should be decent for next winter. Here's my issue: where do I put it all? Getting ahead of the game is certainly the best way to manage wood. However, not all of us have space to keep 10-15 cords of wood. And it takes a considerable amount of resources ($$$$) to get all that wood going or effort (if you have a woodlot) in the first year of owning a stove.

That being said, once you're ahead of the game, it's money in the bank!!

Andrew

Do you have any friends that have acreage, for storing purposes?

One of my Fathers friends bought 10 acres just for the Trees and storage....and at the time the investment. He also used the front portion that he cleared, for income. He rented out spaces in the Winter to people so they could store their boats,camping trailers, and motor homes. It paid for the taxes & the most of the mortgage+ kept his heated his house.

How much property do you have?

And Yes Sir Its money in the bank.....maybe better :cheese:

 

[azsteven]

My favorite sight to know that I'm burning well seasoned wood: when I have a bed of red hot coals and put a new split on, it's aflame in 30-60 seconds. Sometimes if the coals are hot enough, I have to race to load it up before the flames jump out at me.

 

[Mr. Kelly]

I'm now a believer that even a few months in a covered porch can make a pretty big difference. In my OP, I was mentioning that there was a fairly big difference b/w the wood that I had stored on our porch, and the stuff I'm burning now which was stacked outside (probably not in the most ideal location). I'm now cursing the wood, as I sit in front of my fully-loaded stove, waiting for the flame gods to have pity on me!

 

[SolarAndWood]

And Yes Sir Its money in the bank.....maybe better :cheese:

Thats about the safest place to keep your money. Things would have to get really bad before there was a run on your wood pile and you don't have to rely on the gov't guaranteeing your deposits.