I hate my wood!

[lml999]

I bought 3 cords of wood in the fall. The seller warned me that half the splits would be a bit small. See pic 1.

Okay, easier to carry. Well, they are easier to carry, and they burn up pretty quick too. Stacking them in the stove doesn't seem to lengthen the burn much.

The good news is that I'm slowly processing some maple, oak and pine, most from my property and my neighbor's. See pic 2. I'm making large splits.

Of course the oak won't be usable for a couple of years.

I'll probably have to buy another couple of cords in the spring... I will be specifying large splits, or maybe purchase a load of rounds...

 

[SKIN052]

Looks well seasoned at least. Should be able to shut the air down completely to lengthen the burn, no?

 

[mike van]

They look a little on the small side, but without something in the pic to show scale [like a soda can], its hard to tell. I have one customer with a stove so small, 2x4's are just about right for it..........

 

[dmmoss51]

I like having some small spits to really jigsaw puzze together my load for long burns but my stove has a pretty small loading door I have to get everything through but once I get it packed in and the air turned down I can acheive long burns. The burn lenght is going to be determined by the ratio of oxygen to fuel so swith small splits packing them in tighter and turning down the air should do it.

 

[Ashful]

I'm having trouble getting my cat to light off with all splits larger than 5" x 5" or 6" x 6"... so I'm happy to have small splits. Now, short is a different matter.

Burn time is not affected, once I shut the stove down. I understand the volume / surface area ratio is more of an issue with non-cats.

 

[lml999]

They're small. See the tennis ball in the pics as a reference.

Half were split last year, half earlier this year. I stacked a cord on my porch in the fall and that's burned pretty well. I just moved another cord in last week which had not been top covered. It's still a bit damp. I'm just starting to build my bank. My stove is a non-cat, and it likes the extra surface area of these small splits. Burns right through them, no matter how much I shut down the air supply. Even fully closed, there's a pretty good flow (which I guess means that closed doesn't really mean closed on the Enviro!)

If these splits were bigger, I think they wouldn't burn that well. It's a pretty good mix of oak, some cherry, maple and other goodies.

.

 

[weatherguy]

Once you get ahead you can make some large 6"+ splits, they do take a while to season. I like to have a mixture of small, medium and large with most being medium 5-6" or so. You can put a couple large ones in and fill in the gaps with the small ones.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That size split should not cause a big problem. Actually a mix is the best. Larger ones for long burns but when filling the stove with large rounds or splits, it works rather nicely to also add some of the smaller splits to fill in the holes and they also help get the load burning quicker.

 

[USMC80]

Don't really see a problem with the splits. I still get great burn times as long as I pack it tight. Any air leaks that would cause it to burn up quicker?

 

[dafattkidd]

Maybe you've tried this already, but here's my suggestion: Try raking all the coals forward, stack splits EW very tightly in the back of the firebox (not on any coals), then loosely place a couple splits on top of the coal bed. In insert this slows burns substantially.

 

[RockyMtnHigh]

I love those small splits but yeah, the thick ones are where you get your love. At least it isn't green! I'd order more and demand some larger cuts and if they can't do it, try to find somebody reputable in your area. Those splits you have are GREAT for lining the bottom of the firebox when starting from barely warm coals, then pack it with some thick stuff on top for when you are going to bed or waking up in the morning and leaving the house for a while.

 

[lml999]

I love those small splits but yeah, the thick ones are where you get your love. At least it isn't green! I'd order more and demand some larger cuts and if they can't do it, try to find somebody reputable in your area. Those splits you have are GREAT for lining the bottom of the firebox when starting from barely warm coals, then pack it with some thick stuff on top for when you are going to bed or waking up in the morning and leaving the house for a while.

I like working with the guy who sold me the splits. He was upfront with me about their size and he gave me a great price on taking down a couple of trees on my property (which he cut and I'm slowly splitting). I'll buy from him again, not sure whether I'll ask him to split or just sell me rounds. Nice guy, took over his father's tree business when the father passed away, and is just learning the business side of the business now. I've referred him to a couple of friends/neighbors.

Insert is 6 or 7 years old, solid, no air leaks. I put a new gasket on the door in the fall.

I do rake the coals forward and pile the splits in the back...that helps a lot. The stove will still be warm in the morning after an 11 pm load. I'm still learning about wood prep, have never had really well seasoned wood for the stove.

I'm working on my bank now.

It's going to take me 2-3 years to get where I want to be...never really knew that until this winter.

 

[Ashful]

Get a cat stove. Then small splits won't create a burn time issue for you.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

Get a cat stove. Then small splits won't create a burn time issue for you.

I second that. Get a cat stove. pack with any size splits. Crank it down and giggle with joy as you say "weeee, this wood heating stuff is easy"

 

[lml999]

I second that. Get a cat stove. pack with any size splits. Crank it down and giggle with joy as you say "weeee, this wood heating stuff is easy"

Hmm. Not sure the idea of replacing the existing stove would fly with my wife.

"Honey, since we have 3 cords of small splits, I'm going to get a new stove."

First I'd have to explain what a split is, and then I'd have to collect my pillow and slippers from the master bedroom.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

Hmm. Not sure the idea of replacing the existing stove would fly with my wife.

"Honey, since we have 3 cords of small splits, I'm going to get a new stove."

First I'd have to explain what a split is, and then I'd have to collect my pillow and slippers from the master bedroom.

I guess you shouldn't then. Although, hot stove or cold wife. There have been nights this winter when I'd have made that trade. But, I guess in the long run, a warm wife is better.

 

[Fred Wright]

Hmm. Not sure the idea of replacing the existing stove would fly with my wife.

"Honey, since we have 3 cords of small splits, I'm going to get a new stove."

First I'd have to explain what a split is, and then I'd have to collect my pillow and slippers from the master bedroom.

That's what the missus will do to your head if you replace a perfectly good stove.

Agreed, split the rounds yourself for future use. Those small splits are really nice for getting a hot fire going but they probably aren't gonna do for regular firewood.