My next door neighbor found out i was getting a wood burning stove. He has a face cord that he said I can have for free if I want it but he told me its 12 years old. I went and looked at it and its split and stacked but from sitting around so long it looks like someone packed it with top soil. When I pulled a piece out and banged off the dirt It was hard but you can tell much smaller (rotten) then when originally stacked. I also noticed small white bugs, Like little ants but white I'm guessing termites? Im thinking even if I can use it as kindling it will be worth the effort to move it from his yard to mine. So do you think I should take it?
old wood....
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savageactor7
Minister of Fire
Hey free wood is had to pass up...as long as it's not punky. I suppose if its real buggy you can spray something here and there.
Wait till the weather gets cold again and the critters are dormant. Move the pile to your side of the fence, then feed the stuff directly to the stove (don't bring it in ahead of time). No critter problems and they burn too. :vampire:
Wood that has already started to deteriorate. It is starting to go south. Not solid. Interior or exterior is "soft" compared to good quality wood of the same species. Rotting.Andy99 said:
the out side was soft but when i bang two pieces together it all falls off and Im left with the hard center. can I burn that or use it for kindling?
Henz
New Member
alot of the downed trees that I ahve found around my property are spaulting. None are too far gone to be totally rotted but they arent actually solid either!
If the "dirt" between the splits is composted sawdust from termites, then even the top rows of the pile may be infested.
I wouldn't want it unless I had time to pick what looks to be not infested with "white ants", and leave the rest.
I had to battle termites in a brand new addition.
Last thing I'd do now would be move a Termite Hilton into my yard.
I wouldn't want it unless I had time to pick what looks to be not infested with "white ants", and leave the rest.
I had to battle termites in a brand new addition.
Last thing I'd do now would be move a Termite Hilton into my yard.
Some of you have mentioned sprinkling Borox? around the wood pile or even spraying it with Ant/termite killer. If you do that is it still safe to burn? or you do it so long before you burn it its not a problem anymore?
bartlett920
New Member
I have quite a bit of land and the best wood I have found are 70-80 year old hedge posts that are hollow and half rotten!! They burn hot and are great fire starters. I never pass up old hardwood. I dont think you can go wrong just stack it away from the house and buildings and burn it up. Good Score!!
Redox
Minister of Fire
i have had my share of rotten wood come through here and it doesn't really bother me. Just knock off as much of the rot as you can and leave it under cover outside as long as you can. It will burn!
Insects will not move into your house unless it is more attractive than the outside. The previous owner let our place go to pot and we had our share of carpenter ant nests, but I look for them and rip out the rotten wood. Ants and termites are really looking for moist wood and as long as your framing is staying dry, you won't have a problem. We still find a few here and there, but their numbers have dropped way off since I ripped out that leaking bathroom floor. Now to go after that garage wall...
Most of my splitting and stacking is happening within 25 feet of the house, but nothing sits for more than a year. If you move the wood around you will disturb their nesting and they will move on. I was considering spraying a line of something around the piles and the foundation to keep them under control, but we're not seeing them in the house. The wood is stacked at least 10 feet away from the foundation.
Chris
Insects will not move into your house unless it is more attractive than the outside. The previous owner let our place go to pot and we had our share of carpenter ant nests, but I look for them and rip out the rotten wood. Ants and termites are really looking for moist wood and as long as your framing is staying dry, you won't have a problem. We still find a few here and there, but their numbers have dropped way off since I ripped out that leaking bathroom floor. Now to go after that garage wall...
Most of my splitting and stacking is happening within 25 feet of the house, but nothing sits for more than a year. If you move the wood around you will disturb their nesting and they will move on. I was considering spraying a line of something around the piles and the foundation to keep them under control, but we're not seeing them in the house. The wood is stacked at least 10 feet away from the foundation.
Chris
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