How long for wood to dry, not season

[EJL923]

Hello all,

I feel like a noob asking but I have never been in this position. I have been getting free wood from my family the last two years. The wood I am getting this year has been sitting in an unstacked heap of about 10 cords since last summer, all split. I was painting the house all summer so I am behind on getting the wood. Just this past weekend i started transferring some wood to my house and stacking it. The stuff that was on the outside of the pile seems ok and has the signature "knock", but i am wondering how long all of the inside wood needs to dry before i can burn it. It seems some is ok and some needs a little bit of time. I have about 1.5 cords of dry wood to burn hoping that will last me until the wet stuff can dry in the stack. Anyone have some words of wisdom?

 

[cre73]

If you are real curious throw some on a firepit and see if it sizzles. It should be fine depending on the type of wood. Good Luck

 

[SolarAndWood]

Split for 15 months in a heap? Any reasonably sized split that long in my heap can go right in the stove even from the middle of the heap. But, my heap is on a very windy high and well drained site. The 8x8s split for my higher end stock spend at least another year under a roof, usually more.

 

[Jags]

Yep, if they are just normal sized splits, they should be burnable. BUT...A little extra time in stacked form in the wind will improve it even more.

 

[quads]

Hello all,

I feel like a noob asking but I have never been in this position. I have been getting free wood from my family the last two years. The wood I am getting this year has been sitting in an unstacked heap of about 10 cords since last summer, all split. I was painting the house all summer so I am behind on getting the wood. Just this past weekend i started transferring some wood to my house and stacking it. The stuff that was on the outside of the pile seems ok and has the signature "knock", but i am wondering how long all of the inside wood needs to dry before i can burn it. It seems some is ok and some needs a little bit of time. I have about 1.5 cords of dry wood to burn hoping that will last me until the wet stuff can dry in the stack. Anyone have some words of wisdom?

From my experience with Oak only: it needs to be cut, split, and stacked for a minimum of two years, three years is better.

Other types of wood, thrown in a pile, or not split; I cannot say. Your results may vary.

 

[logger]

If its the outer moisture from rain on the wood that you are talking about, most wood dries thoroughly within a week or two of being covered.

 

[EJL923]

Well I havent received any your screwed comments, so its looking a little better. Thanks for the comments

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Much depends upon the wood; what type of wood it is. As quads states, oak takes a long time.

You will probably find the outside of the stack is quite good though but my concern would be on the bottom of the pile. If that wood has been sitting on the ground, those bottom pieces may not be quite to your liking. Good luck though.

 

[firefighterjake]

Well I havent received any your screwed comments, so its looking a little better. Thanks for the comments

Oh no, you're screwed . . . sorry . . . couldn't help myself.

As others have said . . . it really will depend . . . me . . . I like to stack my wood for maximum air flow and exposure to the sun for a year . . . others use the heap hausen method with success . . . I guess it largely depends on the tree species, time the wood has been sitting and where you are (in terms of where the wood is stacked and local weather conditions).

Best case scenario . . . you toss the wood in the stove and it burns fine.

Worse case scenario . . . you toss the wood in the stove and it sizzles and you have to open up the air a bit more, watch your chimney a little closer for creosote deposits and have to add pallet wood to "dry" up the excess moisture in the splits.

 

[karl]

The stuff laying on the ground is probably not close to dry enough. The stuff in the middle will probably be ok if it's stack and left for a few months. Or you can bring it inside a few days before you burn it to dry it out.