Am I being too paranoid?

[teekal]

This is a picture of a bunch of wood that I split and stacked last winter (January 1st). It was all from already fallen, dead trees, mostly ash.



I split a few today and took a moisture reading and the majority of what I tested came it at around 14%, but the odd ones were in the low to mid 20s.

I'm in a bit of a pickle because I was counting on this stack of wood to burn this winter. The majority of it is ready but if there is the odd piece that is in the 20s is it risky to burn this stuff this year?

This is my stove, if it makes any difference.

 

[tsquini]

You will be fine. Cover it up to keep the moisture off it.

 

[saskwoodburner]

I think you'll be alright with a few marginal pieces thrown in here and there. If you have three good pieces and one marginal one in a load, throw it to the back at the bottom, and the heat from the other wood will chase the moisture out eventually.

 

[Wood Duck]

When you are burning you should be watching the fire and how it burns, not relying only on the moisture content of the wood. You could smolder a fire and get buildup in the chimney with dry wood, or you could burn pretty clean with wetter wood. Dry wood just makes it easier to burn clean. You'll be fine.

 

[BradleyW]

Yes you are

 

[teekal]

Yes you are

Great, thanks guys!

 

[turn_n_burn]

A few pieces in the low 20's won't hurt. Look for the wide checks in the end of the cuts, and maybe try banging the pieces together if you don't have the time to check every one with the meter. If they make a hollow "whock" sound, you're probably ok. I always say if you are using some wet wood in the stove, make sure you start with dry splits, get a good coal bed going, and do a fifty fifty mix. It's also a good idea when doing this to run the stove wide open for the first ten to fifteen minutes each time you start it up or do a major reload. This will help consistently burn the tiny amount of creosote deposits out of the stack, and this way you don't have any major buildup from throttling it down. It'd be a little more important to do this with the elm you just found too, as it puts out more smoke than other woods, even when dry.

I don't know what the consensus on this would be, but I have found that when I build a little wood crib like yours, I try to face it so it catches the most sunlight possible, and I have used 3/4 inch particle board as a backing, and paint it black. Anything that will absorb more thermal energy will hold that heat for a longer time, and this I have noticed will add a little bit of an advantage on drying time. I have also done this with the sides and top cover of the crib too, it just seems to hold the heat in. Just leave some room behind the splits for air to circulate. Basically the same reason black cars are always the hottest in the summer,

 

[NordicSplitter]

Nice stove...Is that Tin or Aluminum sheeting behind your stove? How far off the wall is it?

 

[claydogg84]

Sometimes I wonder if the moisture meter is doing more harm than good. Stop worrying. Build a fire and see how the stove reacts to the wood - You'll know rather quickly if the wood is up to par.

 

[AmbDrvr253]

Am I being too paranoid?

Me thinks u are........U should be fine

 

[JA600L]

The pieces in the 20s you can always cut a little smaller and let sit another month if your worried about it.

 

[D8Chumley]

The pieces in the 20s you can always cut a little smaller and let sit another month if your worried about it.

And set them next to the stove for a few days so they get some more drying but like stated, you should be fine. Is there a thermometer on the stack?

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I have a strict policy of burning the wood I have, ready or not. So far, so good.

 

[rudysmallfry]

I wish my neighbor was as paranoid as you. He's perfectly fine burning green wood year after year and stinking up the neighborhood making us all look bad. Just keep a good mix and it'll be fine.