So who burns one year seasoned wood with no problems, including oak?

[Jags]

Virtually every MFG recommends the use of wood in the 20% range. Kiln dried lumber is NOT recommended because the moisture content is TOO low. You get 10% wood and load up a stove, ya better hang on and be diligent in your operation or your gonna create your own volcano.

Less than 25% - Burnable.
~20% - acceptable.
17-18% - (about the bottom you will see in air dried - and yes it can go lower, but not by much) - Premo stuff.

If you have nothing to compare it to, you won't be disappointed in your 12 mo. Oak. That is, till you have burned 2 or 3 year old stuff, and realize its full potential.

And yes, if you compile the data, the numbers above are not made up - they are a generalization (compiled average) of the real world of EPA stoves.

10% firewood - good grief. :blank:

 

[70marlin]

Been there done that. 1st year only had four months to get wood. Mostly ash, poplar and oak. Finished the season scrounging pallets.

 

[joefrompa]

I like to just go by feel. When I pick it up, does it feel ready to burn? Let the wood speak to you

Seriously though, I know when I first take my wheelbarrow to the wood pile to start bringing it into (or close to) the house, I'll go by feel. If a split feels dry/light/etc. I'll put it in the barrow. If I pick up a similar sized piece of the same species, and it feels heavy, I put it back for later.

It's not like you are going to have a uniform MC, even in a single piece. Just burn the best stuff you have - it's still better than no fire at all.

Also, the difference between 18% MC and 20% MC is 2% water. In a 5 pound log, that'd be the difference between 409 grams of water and 454 grams. We're talking about 1/20th a liter of water per split difference.

I get that it adds up, but when you consider the difference between 25% MC and 20% MC, both of which burn fine, you start to realize that we're arguing pretty minor differences. Which, I know we are experts on

 

[gpcollen1]

Lots of folks get hung up on this "seasoned x years" thing, but it's more meaningless than "ricks."

The process you're trying to manage is really "air-drying" and it's well-documented. Including the fact
that oak takes much longer than other hardwoods to air-dry down to a given MC.

Since your intended product is low-moisture-content wood, you can drop all the guesswork and guesstimating
with a moisture-content meter. Some go for $10 at Harbor Freight, and work fine.

For some yardsticks, when the moisture content (MC) inside the wood is
below 20%, it's ready for a desperation-burn,
below 15%, " decent " ,
below 10%, it's pretty good for burning in an EPA stove.

If it's stored inside for a while (weeks+) near the stove, and the MC is well down in the single-digits, it's primo.

Please note also, that in the fall "shoulder" season, there's no need to burn the potentially best stuff. That's
the time to burn the less-desirables, while warming and finishing drying some of the really good stuff indoors.

20% = desperation??

10% = ready??

I cannot get on board with this at all. Somewhere around 20% burns just fine in both of my EPA stoves.

 

[rdust]

Dennis has said that wood dried for many years burns the best for him. If I'm not mistaken, he's mentioned that a time of two. :smirk:
Wood that old has got to be in the low double digits MC, I'd think. As I've said before, wood that's at 18% hisses in our stove so I'm shooting for 15% max.

Wood is only going to get as low as the local environment lets it. Dennis saved me my first year of burning and hooked me up with a cord + of the "good stuff". Just for kicks I split a piece or two and put the moisture meter on it and fresh faces of the splits were around 18%. I find this to be about as low as my area will let it go when sitting stacked outside. A while back I grabbed some rounds of elm from my dad that he couldn't split from 22 years ago, he had them sitting outside under his wood rack which is off the ground. I split them open and they read 12-14%. Here is a link to that post https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/53463/

I've also burned oak at 20% on my meter and had some water boil out of it so I think wood type plays a role in it. Even at 20% it still has moisture that has to go somewhere, no reason it can't come out of the ends. I've burned ash near 30% my first year and didn't even get moisture on the ends.

 

[bogydave]

Wish I had the problem of Oak taking longer to dry.
I burn spruce 1 year seasoned & birch if i have too.
Birch, 2yrs seasoned, a big difference in the way it burns in the new stove, soooooo much better.

 

[oldspark]

I burn Oak all the time and it never sizzles, not sure what is going on with what some of you are seeing.

 

[cptoneleg]

Lots of folks get hung up on this "seasoned x years" thing, but it's more meaningless than "ricks."

The process you're trying to manage is really "air-drying" and it's well-documented. Including the fact
that oak takes much longer than other hardwoods to air-dry down to a given MC.

Since your intended product is low-moisture-content wood, you can drop all the guesswork and guesstimating
with a moisture-content meter. Some go for $10 at Harbor Freight, and work fine.

For some yardsticks, when the moisture content (MC) inside the wood is
below 20%, it's ready for a desperation-burn,
below 15%, " decent " ,
below 10%, it's pretty good for burning in an EPA stove.

If it's stored inside for a while (weeks+) near the stove, and the MC is well down in the single-digits, it's primo.

Please note also, that in the fall "shoulder" season, there's no need to burn the potentially best stuff. That's
the time to burn the less-desirables, while warming and finishing drying some of the really good stuff indoors.

Post some pictures of your wood piles you know show off like we all do.

 

[Woody Stover]

I burn Oak all the time and it never sizzles, not sure what is going on with what some of you are seeing.

At 18%, moisture wasn't bubbling out the ends. There was just an audible hiss.

 

[cptoneleg]

Your just too pickey wood don't get better than 18%, I don't know if its good for your stove to get lower than that . I burned Oak in the 30s stayed warm, all I had. Keep her Hot , shut the door no hiss.

Good Luck

 

[MarkinNC]

Jag's post shares my perspective. i was doing a mental inventory today. I arguably have enough non-oak wood to make it through the winter. I have some beech that burned super (standing dead that was dry) and I have access to more. I am really hoping the oak will be adequate, meaning, it will catch on fire, and burn decent, not stellar but decent. All of the wood will actually be over 1 year seasoned.

I did burn some of the dead oaks I cut last year. I would judge the weight by feel. Some of the splits would stain my glass a little but it was that a hot fire could not fix. The softer woods I have like maple, poplar, beech are all nicely dry. I also have access to gobs of very dry kindling. I brought home a truck load already.

Last year went better than I thought. This year will surely be better.

Thanks for all the replies. I think my next post will be about volatile gas loss from over seasoning of oak firewood

 

[fabsroman]

I burn Oak all the time and it never sizzles, not sure what is going on with what some of you are seeing.

I burn steaks all the time and they sizzle like crazy. However, if I get it just right they taste oh so good. Now, I am hungry.

You guys have me way too worried about all this stuff. This will be my first year burning and I have about 5 cords of wood scrounged already. My parents and wife think I am nuts. Might be because I just broke the 8' x 16' wood shed news to them. We shall see how this goes. I have about 2.0 cords of well seasoned stuff, some that will be about 4 to 5 months on the rack before it will be burned, and if needed the rest will be about 2 to 3 months on the rack before it gets burned. Next year should be awesome. Now, as soon as I can start figuring out what these tree species are I will be in great shape. Without seeing the leaves, I can hardly tell oak apart from anything else.

 

[firefighterjake]

I burn Oak all the time and it never sizzles, not sure what is going on with what some of you are seeing.

I burn steaks all the time and they sizzle like crazy. However, if I get it just right they taste oh so good. Now, I am hungry.

You guys have me way too worried about all this stuff. This will be my first year burning and I have about 5 cords of wood scrounged already. My parents and wife think I am nuts. Might be because I just broke the 8' x 16' wood shed news to them. We shall see how this goes. I have about 2.0 cords of well seasoned stuff, some that will be about 4 to 5 months on the rack before it will be burned, and if needed the rest will be about 2 to 3 months on the rack before it gets burned. Next year should be awesome. Now, as soon as I can start figuring out what these tree species are I will be in great shape. Without seeing the leaves, I can hardly tell oak apart from anything else.

I think it's pretty normal to come here when you get a new woodstove -- then discover that the wood you cut three months ago may not be all that great for burning in the woodstove. The good news is that you should not worry too much . . . I mean definitely see if you cannot get some pallets for use in helping to start the fires and for "drying" out any excess moisture in the splits in the stove . . . and you will want to frequently inspect and clean the chimney . . . and be aware that you may find the stove's "glass" gets dirty relatively quickly . . . but you will survive and stay warm and not burn your house down in the process.

The even better news is that if you learn how important well seasoned wood is and work right now to get next year's wood put up when you go to burn in Year 2 you will suddenly discover just how well your woodstove really works in terms of heat, secondary burns (if it is a secondary burner), clean burns, etc. . . . I know I thought I did pretty well in my first year of burning with semi-seasoned wood . . . we stayed warm and the chimney was never excessively dirty. However, in Year 2 I re-discovered my woodstove with easier to light fires, more intense secondaries and glass that would stay cleaner long . . . it was a whole new experience.

 

[fabsroman]

I burn Oak all the time and it never sizzles, not sure what is going on with what some of you are seeing.

I burn steaks all the time and they sizzle like crazy. However, if I get it just right they taste oh so good. Now, I am hungry.

You guys have me way too worried about all this stuff. This will be my first year burning and I have about 5 cords of wood scrounged already. My parents and wife think I am nuts. Might be because I just broke the 8' x 16' wood shed news to them. We shall see how this goes. I have about 2.0 cords of well seasoned stuff, some that will be about 4 to 5 months on the rack before it will be burned, and if needed the rest will be about 2 to 3 months on the rack before it gets burned. Next year should be awesome. Now, as soon as I can start figuring out what these tree species are I will be in great shape. Without seeing the leaves, I can hardly tell oak apart from anything else.

I think it's pretty normal to come here when you get a new woodstove -- then discover that the wood you cut three months ago may not be all that great for burning in the woodstove. The good news is that you should not worry too much . . . I mean definitely see if you cannot get some pallets for use in helping to start the fires and for "drying" out any excess moisture in the splits in the stove . . . and you will want to frequently inspect and clean the chimney . . . and be aware that you may find the stove's "glass" gets dirty relatively quickly . . . but you will survive and stay warm and not burn your house down in the process.

The even better news is that if you learn how important well seasoned wood is and work right now to get next year's wood put up when you go to burn in Year 2 you will suddenly discover just how well your woodstove really works in terms of heat, secondary burns (if it is a secondary burner), clean burns, etc. . . . I know I thought I did pretty well in my first year of burning with semi-seasoned wood . . . we stayed warm and the chimney was never excessively dirty. However, in Year 2 I re-discovered my woodstove with easier to light fires, more intense secondaries and glass that would stay cleaner long . . . it was a whole new experience.

Trust me, I am getting ahead of the curve as we speak. I already have all of this year's wood cut and split with half of it stacked and I have half of next year's cut and split too. This is assuming that I only need 3 cords. My dad thinks 3 cords will be plenty, but who really knows.

By the time next winter gets here, I should be in pretty good shape. After today, I will have around 5 cords of wood and I still have a bunch of additional trees to cut up and split. Probably another 4 or 5 cords of wood available. I am hoping to have 10 cords c/s/s by the time it gets really cold and then I am hoping to have one heck of a wood shed built next spring once tax season is over. I can tell you one thing though, I am getting sick and tired of moving firewood around. I want to get to the point where I stack it and leave it until it is ready to come in the house to be burned.

As far as the glass on the stove is concerned, I don't have to worry about that. I have a furnace with absolutely no glass on it. As far as starting the fire is concerned, don't really have to worry about that either. The natural gas backup fires in the chamber where the wood is, so that lights the fire. Just need to fill it up and turn on the thermostat for the natural gas. The furnace will light the wood. I guess the furnace would dry it out too if it really is that wet.

 

[firefighterjake]

I burn Oak all the time and it never sizzles, not sure what is going on with what some of you are seeing.

I burn steaks all the time and they sizzle like crazy. However, if I get it just right they taste oh so good. Now, I am hungry.

You guys have me way too worried about all this stuff. This will be my first year burning and I have about 5 cords of wood scrounged already. My parents and wife think I am nuts. Might be because I just broke the 8' x 16' wood shed news to them. We shall see how this goes. I have about 2.0 cords of well seasoned stuff, some that will be about 4 to 5 months on the rack before it will be burned, and if needed the rest will be about 2 to 3 months on the rack before it gets burned. Next year should be awesome. Now, as soon as I can start figuring out what these tree species are I will be in great shape. Without seeing the leaves, I can hardly tell oak apart from anything else.

I think it's pretty normal to come here when you get a new woodstove -- then discover that the wood you cut three months ago may not be all that great for burning in the woodstove. The good news is that you should not worry too much . . . I mean definitely see if you cannot get some pallets for use in helping to start the fires and for "drying" out any excess moisture in the splits in the stove . . . and you will want to frequently inspect and clean the chimney . . . and be aware that you may find the stove's "glass" gets dirty relatively quickly . . . but you will survive and stay warm and not burn your house down in the process.

The even better news is that if you learn how important well seasoned wood is and work right now to get next year's wood put up when you go to burn in Year 2 you will suddenly discover just how well your woodstove really works in terms of heat, secondary burns (if it is a secondary burner), clean burns, etc. . . . I know I thought I did pretty well in my first year of burning with semi-seasoned wood . . . we stayed warm and the chimney was never excessively dirty. However, in Year 2 I re-discovered my woodstove with easier to light fires, more intense secondaries and glass that would stay cleaner long . . . it was a whole new experience.

Trust me, I am getting ahead of the curve as we speak. I already have all of this year's wood cut and split with half of it stacked and I have half of next year's cut and split too. This is assuming that I only need 3 cords. My dad thinks 3 cords will be plenty, but who really knows.

By the time next winter gets here, I should be in pretty good shape. After today, I will have around 5 cords of wood and I still have a bunch of additional trees to cut up and split. Probably another 4 or 5 cords of wood available. I am hoping to have 10 cords c/s/s by the time it gets really cold and then I am hoping to have one heck of a wood shed built next spring once tax season is over. I can tell you one thing though, I am getting sick and tired of moving firewood around. I want to get to the point where I stack it and leave it until it is ready to come in the house to be burned.

As far as the glass on the stove is concerned, I don't have to worry about that. I have a furnace with absolutely no glass on it. As far as starting the fire is concerned, don't really have to worry about that either. The natural gas backup fires in the chamber where the wood is, so that lights the fire. Just need to fill it up and turn on the thermostat for the natural gas. The furnace will light the wood. I guess the furnace would dry it out too if it really is that wet.

You're smart to get more wood than you think you need . . . properly stored it it will not spoil, go rancid or curdle on you. Besides, I have seen far too many folks under-estimate their burning needs and resign themselves to switching over to oil/gas sometime in March or April . . . I have yet to hear of anyone complain that they have too much wood left over when their heating season ends -- most just view any overage as the start of next year's wood supply.

 

[oldspark]

fabsroman, my guess is your furnace will not be as persnickety as some of the EPA stoves so it will be all good.

 

[fabsroman]

I burn Oak all the time and it never sizzles, not sure what is going on with what some of you are seeing.

I burn steaks all the time and they sizzle like crazy. However, if I get it just right they taste oh so good. Now, I am hungry.

You guys have me way too worried about all this stuff. This will be my first year burning and I have about 5 cords of wood scrounged already. My parents and wife think I am nuts. Might be because I just broke the 8' x 16' wood shed news to them. We shall see how this goes. I have about 2.0 cords of well seasoned stuff, some that will be about 4 to 5 months on the rack before it will be burned, and if needed the rest will be about 2 to 3 months on the rack before it gets burned. Next year should be awesome. Now, as soon as I can start figuring out what these tree species are I will be in great shape. Without seeing the leaves, I can hardly tell oak apart from anything else.

I think it's pretty normal to come here when you get a new woodstove -- then discover that the wood you cut three months ago may not be all that great for burning in the woodstove. The good news is that you should not worry too much . . . I mean definitely see if you cannot get some pallets for use in helping to start the fires and for "drying" out any excess moisture in the splits in the stove . . . and you will want to frequently inspect and clean the chimney . . . and be aware that you may find the stove's "glass" gets dirty relatively quickly . . . but you will survive and stay warm and not burn your house down in the process.

The even better news is that if you learn how important well seasoned wood is and work right now to get next year's wood put up when you go to burn in Year 2 you will suddenly discover just how well your woodstove really works in terms of heat, secondary burns (if it is a secondary burner), clean burns, etc. . . . I know I thought I did pretty well in my first year of burning with semi-seasoned wood . . . we stayed warm and the chimney was never excessively dirty. However, in Year 2 I re-discovered my woodstove with easier to light fires, more intense secondaries and glass that would stay cleaner long . . . it was a whole new experience.

Trust me, I am getting ahead of the curve as we speak. I already have all of this year's wood cut and split with half of it stacked and I have half of next year's cut and split too. This is assuming that I only need 3 cords. My dad thinks 3 cords will be plenty, but who really knows.

By the time next winter gets here, I should be in pretty good shape. After today, I will have around 5 cords of wood and I still have a bunch of additional trees to cut up and split. Probably another 4 or 5 cords of wood available. I am hoping to have 10 cords c/s/s by the time it gets really cold and then I am hoping to have one heck of a wood shed built next spring once tax season is over. I can tell you one thing though, I am getting sick and tired of moving firewood around. I want to get to the point where I stack it and leave it until it is ready to come in the house to be burned.

As far as the glass on the stove is concerned, I don't have to worry about that. I have a furnace with absolutely no glass on it. As far as starting the fire is concerned, don't really have to worry about that either. The natural gas backup fires in the chamber where the wood is, so that lights the fire. Just need to fill it up and turn on the thermostat for the natural gas. The furnace will light the wood. I guess the furnace would dry it out too if it really is that wet.

You're smart to get more wood than you think you need . . . properly stored it it will not spoil, go rancid or curdle on you. Besides, I have seen far too many folks under-estimate their burning needs and resign themselves to switching over to oil/gas sometime in March or April . . . I have yet to hear of anyone complain that they have too much wood left over when their heating season ends -- most just view any overage as the start of next year's wood supply.

We hardly need any heat in April. Don't know if I will even be burning in April. That is when bike riding is great. April and September is when the weather is awesome around here. We have the windows open today with the AC shut off. March isn't too bad of a month either, but we will probably burn some wood in March.