I have about 1.5 cords of red oak that has been split and stacked for two full springs/summer /falls, stacked in double rows out in the open. It gets rained on, but plenty of wind. We burned a few splits this week and was suprised to see some bubbles (hissing) at the ends of some of the splits- not too much, but it was there. A cheap moisture meter reads 18-20% on freshly split surfaces. I guess the question I have is, is this typical for oak that gets rained on (soaking in the end grain), or should I leave this stack until next year? I was hoping to use the oak this year for overnight burns, as it burns slower than the sugar maple we have that actually is "ready". The sugar burn really hot, but I have found tha oak seems to work better for us for the overnights.
Thanks
Bill
Thanks
Bill