Need advice on wood storing and quantities

Hickory has great BTU content, similar to Oak, but it does have one issue. At least around here, the bugs love it, I suppose it’s mostly powder-post beetles. I can literally HEAR them munching on the hickory, in summer.

I have no expertise on how wise or unwise it would be to stack hickory that close to the house, but I’d tend to keep it far away, just out of caution. I know you guys have quite a termite problem, in Tennessee.

Around here, most people burn 3 - 4 cords per stove per year. That’s in a 5000 HDD/year environment. If you scale that to your local annual HDD’s, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect, for wood volume.

Most will tell you to stock 3 years worth of wood (esp. if you burn high-density hardwoods like oak, hickory, locust, Osage), which is about how long it takes to get those woods down below 20% MC with open air drying, in our environment. That would mean maybe 9 cords stored on your lot. However, a few here have been showing that you can dry even the densest hardwoods in just one summer, with a cheap plastic-wrap kiln. So, if storage is an issue for you, look into that. Then you could just store 1 year’s worth on your lot, getting delivery each spring, and drying all summer.

On budget and models, usually figure on the actual insert being approximately half of the total budget, the other half being your chimney liner and other assorted affects. In the $1700 price range, I’d be looking at Englander, but I’m sure there are others that folks here will recommend.

If you're splitting by hand try and find oak over hickory, it splits much better..

Split and top cover, let the stack breath so I doesn't get moldy, in the spring when we have the "dry season" completely uncover and only cover when a lot of rain is forecasted. Good luck and have fun, 3-4 cords is a good starting point for a years usage, remember a cord is 4'x4' x 8ft long

Cut every thing 16" unless you plan on buying a small stove, 16" is pretty good for most stoves.

Ashful said:

Around here, most people burn 3 - 4 cords per stove per year. That’s in a 5000 HDD/year environment. If you scale that to your local annual HDD’s, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect, for wood volume.

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That's a lot of wood to burn. We're at 10,000 HDD (base temp 65F) in northern Minnesota, also about 4 cords/yr with the wood stove being the primary heat source for our 1500 sq ft home built in 1956, and the wood is mostly aspen (popple), with btu content near the bottom of the hardwoods, about 2/3 of btu content of oak.

Ashful said:

Hickory has great BTU content, similar to Oak, but it does have one issue. At least around here, the bugs love it, I suppose it’s mostly powder-post beetles. I can literally HEAR them munching on the hickory, in summer.

I have no expertise on how wise or unwise it would be to stack hickory that close to the house, but I’d tend to keep it far away, just out of caution. I know you guys have quite a termite problem, in Tennessee.

Around here, most people burn 3 - 4 cords per stove per year. That’s in a 5000 HDD/year environment. If you scale that to your local annual HDD’s, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect, for wood volume.

Most will tell you to stock 3 years worth of wood (esp. if you burn high-density hardwoods like oak, hickory, locust, Osage), which is about how long it takes to get those woods down below 20% MC with open air drying, in our environment. That would mean maybe 9 cords stored on your lot. However, a few here have been showing that you can dry even the densest hardwoods in just one summer, with a cheap plastic-wrap kiln. So, if storage is an issue for you, look into that. Then you could just store 1 year’s worth on your lot, getting delivery each spring, and drying all summer.

On budget and models, usually figure on the actual insert being approximately half of the total budget, the other half being your chimney liner and other assorted affects. In the $1700 price range, I’d be looking at Englander, but I’m sure there are others that folks here will recommend.

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Powder Post beetles eat the Hickory up here as well! It is so bad I dont bother with Hickory anymore!

jebatty said:

That's a lot of wood to burn. We're at 10,000 HDD (base temp 65F) in northern Minnesota, also about 4 cords/yr with the wood stove being the primary heat source for our 1500 sq ft home built in 1956, and the wood is mostly aspen (popple), with btu content near the bottom of the hardwoods, about 2/3 of btu content of oak.

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You might be right, jebatty. But I'd also argue you are as far from normal, on one side of that line, as I am on the other. So, I wouldn't base this on the personal experience of either of us.

I've been watching this forum a darn long time, and I see 3 - 4 cords being quoted pretty regularly from people running one stove, although without any accounting for where the individuals are located.

darktower007 said:

Hey folks

3)Is storing it outside under a tarp acceptable and how much will be needed?

Thank you..

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If you are planning on storing wood outside for 3 years either open air or under a tarp I would make sure those 2x4s are TREATED, especially the ones on the ground. Nothing like your wood stacks giving out come 2nd year fall or spring in the wet.

I'd try to get your racks up higher - I have a setup like that at the cottage, I have concrete blocks under the plastic ones.

We have a Lopi insert, pictured to the left. Bought nine years ago. Cost about $3200 installed, including stove pipe run up the fireplace flue. It burns very clean, one of the reasons we bought it. Most of our fires don't just lack visible smoke, they can't be smelled in our own yard.

Your questions:
1) Why choose one wood? Yes, I think red oak is the best, then white oak, but I always try to have some hickory. A mix of oak, hickory, and cherry makes the most enjoyable fires to watch. If you like to see fewer flames dancing, use one wood. Hickory is not good kindling -- must have a higher kindling temp. Red oak is great kindling.
2) In my sunny driveway, oak and hickory take about two years to season, if split. One of the downsides to hickory -- it can have a short window -- if not used in year three or four, sometimes it gets carpenter ants. So I make sure it gets used. And never put it on the ground.
3) I think outside is fine. Try to get lots of sun and wind -- in selecting the location. Have it on pavement or pressure treated four by fours (I do both), or somehow off the ground. I don't tarp mine. The top row is the tarp. The top row gets used first, so it doesn't go bad. I do have a rack that has a spiffy tarp top for my kindling.

I never bring wood in, or set it near the house, until nights are frequently in the 20s, preferably below 25. I look at every piece for bugs, termites of course being the key ones to see. In warmer temperatures I bring the wood in and put it right in the stove.

How much wood? Depends on your climate, how snug your house is, how warm you keep it, and whether wood is your only fuel. If wood is the main fuel, you might want 3 or 4 cords in TN, at least.

Going to second a couple comments on hickory which does burn nicely once dried. Bugs do love it and it is generally harder to split than oak, sometimes much harder.

If that's what you got that's what you got, I have some burning right now but I suggest you top cover. It's always a good idea but maybe more so in this case.