Most of you have seen the other thread about too dry wood so this is just a follow up as I got a good response from Woodstock. I'll sort of paraphrase what I received (some of the actual words are in quotes):
They did acknowledge that we do burn good dry wood (I still wish I'd taken them a sample or two but with the quarantine in many places I just did not want to take the chance) and that I've had good luck (luck or experience?) burning dry wood. But as expected, this has not always been the case with some wood burners.
As we well know, many new wood burners do not have the luxury of having experienced folks around to show them how to operate their stoves. Nor do they have anyone to advise them on the various woods and seasoning, etc. Then there are also those who have had the opposite thing. They've had "experienced" folks advise them....wrongly. So I am sure Woodstock has their hands full at times trying to explain things to folks. Just look at some problems we run across here on this forum!
So some folks might get some good dry wood (maybe pallets?) and stuff it into their stove and enjoy lots of heat; but that is too much heat for the stove. We know of one nice fellow who was reaching over 800 degrees regularly with his stove. I believe he went up to 850. His problem was he ran across some large piles of posts that had sat in the hot southern sun with a very dry climate and had been stacked for years that way. Indeed, that was too dry. This is only one example but I'm sure there are many. What about the poor man who knew no different and tried burning OSB in his stove! I'll bet that thing was roaring!
Or maybe someone gets really lucky and finds some really dry wood. So they fill the stove with good dry wood and,
"...the results of that are usually internal overfire which can or will cause parts inside of a stove to deteriorate a lot sooner than they should just because the wood burns at a much higher temp. That is what, like most manufactures, are worried about happening to our customer's stoves. We have seen it through photos or stoves that have come back to the shop for refurbishing. The castings are bright red which is what cast iron does when oxidation occurs. Once it turns red and if it happens often enough, the cast iron weakens and at some point it will weaken enough to make it warp or break apart prematurely."
I think that answer was excellent and is pretty much what I expected. I can understand the problem Woodstock and other manufacturers have.
Therefore, my conclusion is quite the same as it has been in the past. Some folks just do not have enough knowledge and therefore can and will sometimes damage their stoves by over firing simply because they did not know any different. One only has to look at posts we find every year where someone is burning their stove with the draft full open!
I think this is also why Woodstock includes a thermometer with every stove and also why they say 700 degree maximum on the stove top. No doubt the stove could take much higher temperatures but there has to be some protection. For instance, let's say they claimed 800 degree maximum temperature. Then folks might very well take the stove top to 850 and think nothing more about it. But that is how some bad things can happen and knowing what the internal temperatures are like, if something warped or cracked and some of that heat and flames were to become external rather than internal.....well, that would certainly not be pleasant to say the least.
So my feelings on the good dry wood has not changed at all. I have never thought our wood has been too dry nor do I think very many people would have that problem.....unless they burn something like pallet wood or lumber cut-offs that are super dry and then stuff their stove with it. Or maybe someone bought dry slab wood that is something like pine or soft maple or even cottonwood. Stuffing a stove with small stuff like that which burns hot that and super dry on top of it all, then one can make an argument about the wood being too dry. However, it is not so much that the wood is too dry but rather poor burning practices with dry wood.
So folks, don't feel bad if you are blessed with having many years of wood split and stacked. As for me, 6-7 years of wood stacked up and all ready to burn is both ideal and great!
Also, this year is one example why it is good to be ahead on the wood supply because I have not been able to cut as much wood as normal. No problem! We still have plenty and even if I can not cut next winter; no problem as we will still have plenty.
For the new wood burners, getting ahead is a huge undertaking. After all, they have spent many dollars installing the stove and want to save money by burning wood but now they find they are faced with making sure they have 2-3 years wood on hand just to make sure it is dry and ready to burn. For sure it is a huge task to get ahead and/or a big layout of more dollars to get that much wood on hand. But also one only has to look at many posts here on this forum and folks that previously battled with poor fuel now find just how much better things go with good dry wood on hand. Less wood burned but warmer house. No more fighting to get the stove temperature high enough to get the heat that is needed either and a lot, lot less problems cleaning chimneys all the time.
The benefits are so overwhelming that I just want to keep hammering away at folks the benefits of making good fuel. Now get out there and cut some wood!
They did acknowledge that we do burn good dry wood (I still wish I'd taken them a sample or two but with the quarantine in many places I just did not want to take the chance) and that I've had good luck (luck or experience?) burning dry wood. But as expected, this has not always been the case with some wood burners.
As we well know, many new wood burners do not have the luxury of having experienced folks around to show them how to operate their stoves. Nor do they have anyone to advise them on the various woods and seasoning, etc. Then there are also those who have had the opposite thing. They've had "experienced" folks advise them....wrongly. So I am sure Woodstock has their hands full at times trying to explain things to folks. Just look at some problems we run across here on this forum!
So some folks might get some good dry wood (maybe pallets?) and stuff it into their stove and enjoy lots of heat; but that is too much heat for the stove. We know of one nice fellow who was reaching over 800 degrees regularly with his stove. I believe he went up to 850. His problem was he ran across some large piles of posts that had sat in the hot southern sun with a very dry climate and had been stacked for years that way. Indeed, that was too dry. This is only one example but I'm sure there are many. What about the poor man who knew no different and tried burning OSB in his stove! I'll bet that thing was roaring!
Or maybe someone gets really lucky and finds some really dry wood. So they fill the stove with good dry wood and,
"...the results of that are usually internal overfire which can or will cause parts inside of a stove to deteriorate a lot sooner than they should just because the wood burns at a much higher temp. That is what, like most manufactures, are worried about happening to our customer's stoves. We have seen it through photos or stoves that have come back to the shop for refurbishing. The castings are bright red which is what cast iron does when oxidation occurs. Once it turns red and if it happens often enough, the cast iron weakens and at some point it will weaken enough to make it warp or break apart prematurely."
I think that answer was excellent and is pretty much what I expected. I can understand the problem Woodstock and other manufacturers have.
Therefore, my conclusion is quite the same as it has been in the past. Some folks just do not have enough knowledge and therefore can and will sometimes damage their stoves by over firing simply because they did not know any different. One only has to look at posts we find every year where someone is burning their stove with the draft full open!
I think this is also why Woodstock includes a thermometer with every stove and also why they say 700 degree maximum on the stove top. No doubt the stove could take much higher temperatures but there has to be some protection. For instance, let's say they claimed 800 degree maximum temperature. Then folks might very well take the stove top to 850 and think nothing more about it. But that is how some bad things can happen and knowing what the internal temperatures are like, if something warped or cracked and some of that heat and flames were to become external rather than internal.....well, that would certainly not be pleasant to say the least.
So my feelings on the good dry wood has not changed at all. I have never thought our wood has been too dry nor do I think very many people would have that problem.....unless they burn something like pallet wood or lumber cut-offs that are super dry and then stuff their stove with it. Or maybe someone bought dry slab wood that is something like pine or soft maple or even cottonwood. Stuffing a stove with small stuff like that which burns hot that and super dry on top of it all, then one can make an argument about the wood being too dry. However, it is not so much that the wood is too dry but rather poor burning practices with dry wood.
So folks, don't feel bad if you are blessed with having many years of wood split and stacked. As for me, 6-7 years of wood stacked up and all ready to burn is both ideal and great!
Also, this year is one example why it is good to be ahead on the wood supply because I have not been able to cut as much wood as normal. No problem! We still have plenty and even if I can not cut next winter; no problem as we will still have plenty.
For the new wood burners, getting ahead is a huge undertaking. After all, they have spent many dollars installing the stove and want to save money by burning wood but now they find they are faced with making sure they have 2-3 years wood on hand just to make sure it is dry and ready to burn. For sure it is a huge task to get ahead and/or a big layout of more dollars to get that much wood on hand. But also one only has to look at many posts here on this forum and folks that previously battled with poor fuel now find just how much better things go with good dry wood on hand. Less wood burned but warmer house. No more fighting to get the stove temperature high enough to get the heat that is needed either and a lot, lot less problems cleaning chimneys all the time.
The benefits are so overwhelming that I just want to keep hammering away at folks the benefits of making good fuel. Now get out there and cut some wood!
