No wood but looking to get wood stove

[lostDuck]

All,
I have been lurking this thread for a few weeks and would like to get your opinion on this issue.

I am looking to buy a wood stove but have no wood at this point. Would it be futile to try to find "dry" seasoned wood that would burn well this late in the year? Should i buy wood this year and a wood stove next year?

I appreciate your input

 

[Stegman]

Probably. It depends how much you're planning to burn. If it's going to be your primary heat source, you'd be hard-pressed to find enough seasoned wood. If it's just for ambiance, you might be able to scare up half a cord from somebody.

If you decide you're going to get a stove for next winter, you should begin stockpiling wood now. If you can get some of the right wood now - cherry, maple, ash - and get it stacked before the snow flies, it should be ready by next fall.

 

[Ashful]

Should i buy wood this year and a wood stove next year?

Yes, this is the ideal plan. If you can afford it, buy 2 - 3 years worth now, and one year's worth each year thereafter. In this way, you will have a rolling stock of 3-year seasoned wood, after your first two years of burning. The optimal time for seasoning varies with location and stacking conditions, but is most often quoted as:

softwoods, ash, maple: 1 year
most other hardwoods: 2 years
oak: 3 years

Burning less than optimally seasoned wood is the source of perhaps 90% of all problems experienced by new woodburners.

That said, if you wanted to get a stove this year... there is a back-up plan. You can buy kiln-dried firewood, at a cost. Expect to pay more than double for this, though... making it a fairly unattractive option for anyone having any alternative means of heating. If you do this, buy enough kiln-dried just for this year, and at the same time buy your regular cord wood for the next two years, so you won't have to repeat the kiln-dried purchase ever again.

 

[BillLion]

I'm a rookie; 3rd season burning, 1st year doing my own cutting, splitting, stacking.

With that disclaimer, I'll just say I successfully bought good, quality seasoned hardwoods from a seller for the 1st 2 years. In fact, I may need to supplement one more cord this year to let some of my stuff season further.

I'm in CT too. It's a big state (well, not really), but if you're any where around Hartford county, I can send you a message with the seller's contact info.

I do think primarily these guys are right though, it's kind of a crapshoot -so good luck!

 

[BillLion]

One other thing, the earlier the better. Towards the end of the season there is usually slim pickins on seasoned wood. The cold breeze rolling through tonight is going to keep a lot of wood sellers busy this week!

 

[PSYS]

If you have even the slightest preconceived notion that you're going to get a wood stove, start accumulating wood now.

I'm kicking myself for not splitting and stacking the Birch Tree we cut down in our front yard in May.
The point being - it is not too late to start stacking wood. Get it off the ground and let the drying process begin.

I'm a total newbie, as well and I wish I had known half the information I learned in the two weeks I did after I joined this forum!

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

The ideal plan is the way to do it right........BUT........ I would bet the ranch not many on this forum did it this way, I got my wood delivered 2 days before my insert was installed, I paid a hefty price for my wood that seemed to be dry because there just wasn't much around after Sandy hit us..... That being said, I currently have 1 1/2 cord dry for this year as well as another 4 + cords on my property for future years.... I am glad that I didn't wait to get wood dry and then purchase my stove, I would have missed out on a great late burning season from the beginning of the year, I have learned a lot these past 8 months and am totally ready for this year....I hope this helps. How bad do you want to burn this year? That should help you answer your question.....also, there are ways to get dry wood for this year, just not all are easy......

 

[lostDuck]

All,
I appreciate everyone's input it really help me out as a newbie. I am going to see if i can get a couple of cords of dry wood before making my decision to get the stove.
BillLion- I am in the Hartford area and sent you a ping to see if i can contact your firewood person.
Also I saw some discussion on BioBricks which are $278 a ton (cord) which is cheaper than kiln dried firewood which may be an option if i cant get wood.

The wife and kids are just not looking forward to another cold (65 degree) winter so I am apt to get a stove this year vs burning an additional 300 ($1200) gallons of oil to raise the house to 70 degrees.

 

[BillLion]

All,
I appreciate everyone's input it really help me out as a newbie. I am going to see if i can get a couple of cords of dry wood before making my decision to get the stove.
BillLion- I am in the Hartford area and sent you a ping to see if i can contact your firewood person.
Also I saw some discussion on BioBricks which are $278 a ton (cord) which is cheaper than kiln dried firewood which may be an option if i cant get wood.

The wife and kids are just not looking forward to another cold (65 degree) winter so I am apt to get a stove this year vs burning an additional 300 ($1200) gallons of oil to raise the house to 70 degrees.

Sent!

-Bill

 

[Seanm]

All,
I appreciate everyone's input it really help me out as a newbie. I am going to see if i can get a couple of cords of dry wood before making my decision to get the stove.
BillLion- I am in the Hartford area and sent you a ping to see if i can contact your firewood person.
Also I saw some discussion on BioBricks which are $278 a ton (cord) which is cheaper than kiln dried firewood which may be an option if i cant get wood.

The wife and kids are just not looking forward to another cold (65 degree) winter so I am apt to get a stove this year vs burning an additional 300 ($1200) gallons of oil to raise the house to 70 degrees.

Then its decided. Get a stove and let the fun begin! If you can find some pine that's been split since early spring it might be good enough to burn now.

 

[num1hitter]

I have also successfully bought truly seasoned wood...but it is hard to come by...a great way to find out if it is truly seasoned is to buy a moisture meter for $20 and split a piece of wood that you are going to purchase and look for a reading of <20%. This will get you through the first year, but like everyone else mentioned started css wood for next year and the following year. Good luck!

 

[BillLion]

Hey,

I'm stocked up on wood, but YOU should jump all over this and start prepping for next year!
http://hartford.craigslist.org/zip/4147357777.html

 

[lostDuck]

Bill,
I appreciate the heads up!