kiln dried cord wood!

[APersonalMatter]

now that im burning away like an over-concerned madman...

this year i am burning kiln-dried wood, while the other wood seasons.. is there a difference in how i would load my stove? i assume the drier the wood, the quicker it burns? or is that hogwash? does the kiln-dried heat up quicker than typical seasoned cord-wood?

im not burning kiln-dried lumber or that sort of thing- regular kiln-dried wood...

thanks for your input on my silliness!

-chris

 

[wkpoor]

I guess I gotta ask where do you buy kiln dried firewood?
As for will it burn faster. It will only burn as fast as the air you give it will allow and thus the heat output will be accordingly.

 

[NH_Wood]

My stove manual specifically states to NOT burn kiln-dried wood. I suppose for the fear of overfire. Cheers!

 

[Kenster]

I'm curious where you got it. What kind of wood is it? Did it come already split? How much did you have to pay? How can you tell if it was REALLY kiln dried?

 

[begreen]

If the insert is behaving well and under control, then it could be alright. How would you say it's burning for you? How are the insert temps doing?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

While I've never burned kiln dried wood I have burned some very, very dry wood. Right now we have some 7 year old wood sitting on our porch and it burns great.

The biggest thing that happens when you burn really dry wood is that you get more heat from your wood because you don't have to get rid of so much moisture when you put the wood in. You turn the draft down sooner and further and that is the big benefit.

 

[fishingpol]

It was always my understanding that kiln-dried was done for insect and fungus killing so wood can be stored inside. What is the moisture content of your wood? Kiln-dried is a way of controlling the removal of water from the wood in a quicker manner. Just because it says kiln-dried, there is still moisture in wood. You need to find out what it is.

 

[LLigetfa]

There is a difference between kiln dried and heat treated but even kiln dried firewood is not likely to be dried more that naturally well seasoned.

As for kiln dried dimensioned lumber, even that is all over the map WRT MC. Pretty well all lumber used in stick framing is kiln dried but still has considerable MC. Much more MC than say, what a cabinet maker would want to see.

 

[Battenkiller]

It was always my understanding that kiln-dried was done for insect and fungus killing so wood can be stored inside. What is the moisture content of your wood? Kiln-dried is a way of controlling the removal of water from the wood in a quicker manner. Just because it says kiln-dried, there is still moisture in wood. You need to find out what it is.

You are largely correct. For starters, there is no financial incentive to kiln dry firewood except for the fact that it is state-mandated to clear the critters out. It costs a lot of money to kiln dry firewood. It is worth it if you can get $6-12 bd.ft. for the stuff, but we're talking cordwood here. At about 25 cent/bd.ft. for cordwood, it would just be easier and a lot cheaper to store it someplace for a year if it weren't for the buggies. At any rate, I wouldn't worry about burning it, it is likely the same MC as any 2-3 (or 7) year old wood stored outside in a dry location. It will be at the equilibrium moisture content for the average outdoor relative humidity in your area. Period.

If it really was kiln-dried to furniture grade standards (6% MC), you don't want to be burning that stuff straight in your stove. If you give it enough air it will burn too fast and hot, if you cut the air way back it will burn super dirty and inefficiently. Your stove likes wood in the 20% MC band the best. Get a cheap moisture meter and learn to use it is my advice.

 

[Mad Tom]

I'm curious where you got it. What kind of wood is it? Did it come already split? How much did you have to pay? How can you tell if it was REALLY kiln dried?

A couple years ago I read an article about a company that kiln dries fire wood. They package it and sell it in small bundles at convenience type stores. Mostly In the Boston area I think. It was a good size operation. I believe it was a mix of hardwoods.

 

[SteveKG]

For what it's worth, I spent about ten yr. working in a factory making furniture. Our lumber came in on train cars and was kiln dried. We tested the wood with moisture meter religiously, as using wood too "wet" would lead to furniture coming apart and/or warping and/or ticked off customers.

We found the range of meter readings to be from a low I don't recall to over 25%. We had to stack and sticker the wetter stuff and set up large fans to blow through the layers to get it down to acceptable levels. Labor intensive and maddening, plus it took up a lot of space to sticker these big bunks of wood. The boss was forever arguing with lumber brokers to try to get a price adjustment on the load due to the labor cost of dealing with "wet" wood. So I don't trust kiln dried as far as moisture goes.

 

[RNLA]

I burn furniture scraps from my friends shop all the time. I use it mostly for kindling but the bigger scraps get in there too. I do not have any trouble with how to regulate it. The material ranges from oak to walnut and everything in between. The sizes are from slivers to say 6 inches by 16 long.

 

[Battenkiller]

We found the range of meter readings to be from a low I don't recall to over 25%. We had to stack and sticker the wetter stuff and set up large fans to blow through the layers to get it down to acceptable levels. Labor intensive and maddening, plus it took up a lot of space to sticker these big bunks of wood.

Back when I was selling kiln-dried wood, I'd tell customers to get the stuff inside the workshop for at least three months for it to achieve equilibrium with the humidity of the shop environment. Easy enough for a small custom shop to do, but it must have been an outright nightmare for a factory.

 

[APersonalMatter]

hi all!
the wood is the ubiquitous "mix of hard woods"... i got it for 250 delivered for the cord from a local landscaping company, though im not sure if they get it from somewhere else- which at the time seemed like a deal to me, considering the stove was due in later that week! i believe they said it was dried at 250 degrees in the kiln, yada-yada, stored inside -yada-yada, de-barked (mostly yad-yada.. i heard well priced comparatively with free local delivery and ready to burn now and i was sold...

it has been burning well- good hot fires, but it seems to burn quickly, and i've shied away from doing a complete full load due to the concern it would get too hot, too fast- and as i am a new wod burner (only since thanksgiving week), im still learning how to best feed the beast, as it were, and learning when to do things like reload and what-have-you (many thanks to the folks who have chimed in on this site!). my problem is that i have no experience with any other wood aside from this kiln dried to compare it to, as far as how it burns, how quickly it gets hot- so i can only give you my brief time of personal experience.. its seems to definitely be burning clean, no dirty glass or anything.

my sweep is coming to help finish the work on the hearth (he lives down the street, which is helpful!) and i'll grill him with the same questions im bothering you guys with!

im getting the hang of it, one burn at a time...

 

[raybonz]

hi all!
the wood is the ubiquitous "mix of hard woods"... i got it for 250 delivered for the cord from a local landscaping company, though im not sure if they get it from somewhere else- which at the time seemed like a deal to me, considering the stove was due in later that week! i believe they said it was dried at 250 degrees in the kiln, yada-yada, stored inside -yada-yada, de-barked (mostly yad-yada.. i heard well priced comparatively with free local delivery and ready to burn now and i was sold...

it has been burning well- good hot fires, but it seems to burn quickly, and i've shied away from doing a complete full load due to the concern it would get too hot, too fast- and as i am a new wod burner (only since thanksgiving week), im still learning how to best feed the beast, as it were, and learning when to do things like reload and what-have-you (many thanks to the folks who have chimed in on this site!). my problem is that i have no experience with any other wood aside from this kiln dried to compare it to, as far as how it burns, how quickly it gets hot- so i can only give you my brief time of personal experience.. its seems to definitely be burning clean, no dirty glass or anything.

my sweep is coming to help finish the work on the hearth (he lives down the street, which is helpful!) and i'll grill him with the same questions im bothering you guys with!

im getting the hang of it, one burn at a time...

I saw one of the kiln dried trucks on Rt. 3 on the way back from Boston a few weeks ago.. What town are they located in? Can you post any info you have?

Thanx,
Ray

 

[fishingpol]

Pretty darn good price for KD in this area. Especially if it is a full cord. I'd pay it.

 

[fraxinus]

I've become a huge fan of kiln dried cord wood - more heat, easier starting fires with an EPA stove, no worries about insects, etc. I'm sure there are many areas of the country where wood air dried under cover is just as good, but if you live in a humid location, air drying even for two years will not get wood to the 15 to 20% moisture content of the kiln dried. Besides, most dealers season their wood in windrows or large piles. The moisture content of the wood on the top can be very different from the wood on the bottom. In fact, the very term, "seasoned" derives from the practice of allowing wood to age for a short period of time. Cut in the fall and winter, split in late winter and early spring, leave exposed for the summer - a single season - burn in the winter. This was perfectly fine in the days of pre EPA stoves and I used it with complete satisfaction in the old Defiant, but I'm now burning kd exclusively.

As far as price, tests by the Maine Forest Service have indicated a 25% greater price per cord for kd equals the lower price for traditionally seasoned wood. The reason? More of the btu content of the kd wood goes into effective usable heat rather than boiling off the moisture. Current price around here for "seasoned" wood varies from 225 to 250 per cord. I paid 275 per cord for kd last summer, winter prices are currently slightly above 300. Another kd advantage: if you find yourself running short of wood, it's available pretty much year round with a little advance notice.

 

[APersonalMatter]

im thinking it would have behooved me to get more at that price then! i actually got a current price from the same company and its 350 including delivery (in scituate), so maybe i just got lucky.. i dont have a moisture meter, but will try to get a hold of one and check the wood.. it is nice to keep the wood inside and not worry about pests.

im also going to see if i cant snag a handful of a friends wood (while it has been outside since hes owned the house for a 4 years, he doesnt use it, and is being laissez faire seasoned) just to compare...

 

[oldspark]

but if you live in a humid location, air drying even for two years will not get wood to the 15 to 20% moisture content of the kiln dried. .

I guess if you are talking about firewood dealers but its easy enough to get it to 15 to 20% in less than 2 years if you do it your self and know what you are doing and it is humid here in the summer months.

 

[CTYank]

I guess I gotta ask where do you buy kiln dried firewood?
As for will it burn faster. It will only burn as fast as the air you give it will allow and thus the heat output will be accordingly.

If it helps, I find it pretty easy to generate my own. Take year-or-two outdoor air-dried splits, stack them in racks along both sides of little stove for a few weeks (making certain that wood temps never exceed 170 F, and you've got some great fuel.

Lights readily, burns cleanly. Enables you to really close down primary air quickly and have complete combustion.

 

[spirilis]

wow KD firewood at <$300/cord would be awesome... the one serious local source of KD firewood around here (HotSticks, from Fort Loudoun PA) I did the math and I think it's around $700/cord even if you pick up the skid at their location. (talking $700/cord, not $700/skid, the skid should be cheaper but it's not a whole cord so I did the math)

 

[fishingpol]

At the supermarket today, KD shrink wrapped bundle of 5-6 splits at $4.49 per pack. The price for convenience...

 

[JustWood]

wow KD firewood at <$300/cord would be awesome... the one serious local source of KD firewood around here (HotSticks, from Fort Loudoun PA) I did the math and I think it's around $700/cord even if you pick up the skid at their location. (talking $700/cord, not $700/skid, the skid should be cheaper but it's not a whole cord so I did the math)

At $300/cord it's doubtful it's KD. Heat treated maybe ,but not KD.

 

[gyrfalcon]

wow KD firewood at <$300/cord would be awesome... the one serious local source of KD firewood around here (HotSticks, from Fort Loudoun PA) I did the math and I think it's around $700/cord even if you pick up the skid at their location. (talking $700/cord, not $700/skid, the skid should be cheaper but it's not a whole cord so I did the math)

At $300/cord it's doubtful it's KD. Heat treated maybe ,but not KD.

Not necessarily. Probably depends on where you are. A local lumber mill here started selling KD firewood a couple years ago when the housing construction market collapsed, and I've been over the place pretty thoroughly and it's definitely KD. It's fabulous stuff, about 20 on my moisture meter, and now I'm kinda spoiled. They charge $250 a cord (full cords carefully measured) plus a $30 delivery charge to me, about 30 miles away, which is pricey but entirely reasonable given that there are lotsa folks here selling 2-month "seasoned" firewood for $200/$225 a cord.

VT is, of course, a big wood-burning area, and there are few dealers but untold numbers of guys who cut a few extra cords from their own woodlots on weekends to sell to their neighbors.

So it's like everything else, dependent on local market conditions.

 

[gyrfalcon]

I'm curious where you got it. What kind of wood is it? Did it come already split? How much did you have to pay? How can you tell if it was REALLY kiln dried?

Mine here in VT was $250 a cord plus a $30 delivery charge for about a 30-mile distance. It was split, but heeugge splits, most of them, that require further splitting down to be usuable in most stoves or even fireplaces. The wood is from really big trees, so most "splits" are basically big squares of wood. It's the usual "mixed hardwoods," primarily rock maple, which is most abundant here, with some red maple, some red oak, some ash and some beech. That's what I could identify, but there isn't a speck of bark on any of it, so some stuff I'm not really sure about until it goes in the stove and I see how it burns and heats.

You have only to look at this stuff to know it's not anything else but. But I did go to the place, see their operation, talk to them about how they do it, etc. This isn't "furniture grade," they aim for 20 percent moisture as the best for woodstoves, and when I split and checked a few pieces they delivered, darned if it wasn't 20 percent pretty much on the nose.

VT is a small rural state, and as a result people have the habit of honesty because if they cheat you, word spreads fast and they're out of business. You'd want to be more suspicious in a metro area and really check out the operation and its reputation as thoroughly as possible, and take your maul and moisture meter to check out what they have on hand.