Burned green red oak today by mistake!

[albertj03]

So this morning I got the stove cranking as usual and then went outside to get a couple loads of wood to replenish my indoor supply. After a couple hours (small stove) I grabbed a few splits of the red oak I had brought in earlier and loaded them into the stove. I noticed that it took longer than normal for them to catch and I heard some sizzle going on in the stove. I thought maybe they had some ice or snow on them or something. After they caught they burned ok but it took a while for them to really get going. Later I went to throw a few more in and heard the sizzle then I saw bubbles coming out of the end of one them.

When I saw the bubbles it hit me. My brother had helped me split some wood back in July and he had grabbed about a half dozen rounds from a pile of red oak that had just been cut the day before when I was off doing something. I tried to get it all out of the pile of seasoned wood but I must have missed some. Really made me appreciate good seasoned wood when I put some nice dry splits in and they took right off and had the stove throwing serious heat in no time.

Note to self: Locate the pile of green wood futher away from the seasoned wood and tell my brother twice not to split it next year.

 

[weatherguy]

Better than burning red green oak

 

[albertj03]

It wasn't all that bad, not like they just sat there and smoldered. I wouldn't want to burn 6 month split red oak all the time but in a pinch it would get you by.

 

[littlesmokey]

I'm recommending we remove one green square from your ID for poor stacking, helper control and burning green wood, and a second for causing the worst pun of the month.

 

[Gary_602z]

For a minute I thought you burned Red Green!

Gary

 

[BrotherBart]

Say two Hail Mary's and one Our Jotuls to atone.

 

[Battenkiller]

I did the same thing myself this morning.

I got two cords of green delivered last night with the promise that it was almost all hickory. The price was great, the count was very good and I was more than satisfied. I got up at 6 AM and got the fire blazing, then I went out pre-dawn to grab a huge chunk of hickory to see how it'd burn. Seems my friendly wood guy slipped a little red oak in the mix. I never looked at it that close, just tossed it in on top. Two hours later I went down to check the stove and it was just smoldering away, stove temp down to about 300ºF.

When the firewood guy called and told me he wouldn't be over until after dinner, I shoulda suspected something. Turns out there was a whole lot of red oak in the mix... not so easy to see in the dark.

Looks like I'll have some wood to lay down for a couple of years after all.

 

[bbc557ci]

Hi everyone. It's been a while!!

I get an Oak sizzler every now and then. And I'm still working off the last few face cords of last seasons stack. Sure does take Oak a while to dry/season. After I load my Alderlea T6 and git'r burning, I let the stack temp get up to 600-700 degrees, and let it burn hot like that for +,-20 minutes or so. After the stove temp gets to the 700-750 degree range, I shut down the air supply. Sizzlers don't seem to sizzle that long when things heat up. When I had the chimney cleaned after last season the sweep got about 3-4 cups of crap out of the chimney, if that. So, it doesn't seem that a rouge sizzler getting into the stove now and then does much harm. That said however, I think the initial hot burn helps.

Thinking as I'm typing..... it was an unusually wet summer here in central NY. So the sizzle might be from moisture absorbed from rain. I'm not sure. So, my sizzles might not be the same, or as severe, as those with more recently cut/split Oak...

 

[gyrfalcon]

Hi everyone. It's been a while!!

I get an Oak sizzler every now and then. And I'm still working off the last few face cords of last seasons stack. Sure does take Oak a while to dry/season. After I load my Alderlea T6 and git'r burning, I let the stack temp get up to 600-700 degrees, and let it burn hot like that for +,-20 minutes or so. After the stove temp gets to the 700-750 degree range, I shut down the air supply. Sizzlers don't seem to sizzle that long when things heat up. When I had the chimney cleaned after last season the sweep got about 3-4 cups of crap out of the chimney, if that. So, it doesn't seem that a rouge sizzler getting into the stove now and then does much harm. That said however, I think the initial hot burn helps.

Thinking as I'm typing..... it was an unusually wet summer here in central NY. So the sizzle might be from moisture absorbed from rain. I'm not sure. So, my sizzles might not be the same, or as severe, as those with more recently cut/split Oak...

You're so right. Hot burn is HUGE when you've got some less than well-seasoned wood. I haven't tried any from my small stash of red oak yet, but with rock maple, blue beech and especially black birch, they burn just fine and nice and hot with very little sizzling if I toss them fairly well split down onto an already hot fire, at least 400-450 stovetop. But you've got to have some really dry wood to get it started and go up to at least that temp to start with. It's certainly not the most efficient way to use the wood, but at least it works if you've no alternative.

 

[bbc557ci]

Hi everyone. It's been a while!!

I get an Oak sizzler every now and then. And I'm still working off the last few face cords of last seasons stack. Sure does take Oak a while to dry/season. After I load my Alderlea T6 and git'r burning, I let the stack temp get up to 600-700 degrees, and let it burn hot like that for +,-20 minutes or so. After the stove temp gets to the 700-750 degree range, I shut down the air supply. Sizzlers don't seem to sizzle that long when things heat up. When I had the chimney cleaned after last season the sweep got about 3-4 cups of crap out of the chimney, if that. So, it doesn't seem that a rouge sizzler getting into the stove now and then does much harm. That said however, I think the initial hot burn helps.

Thinking as I'm typing..... it was an unusually wet summer here in central NY. So the sizzle might be from moisture absorbed from rain. I'm not sure. So, my sizzles might not be the same, or as severe, as those with more recently cut/split Oak...

You're so right. Hot burn is HUGE when you've got some less than well-seasoned wood. I haven't tried any from my small stash of red oak yet, but with rock maple, blue beech and especially black birch, they burn just fine and nice and hot with very little sizzling if I toss them fairly well split down onto an already hot fire, at least 400-450 stovetop. But you've got to have some really dry wood to get it started and go up to at least that temp to start with. It's certainly not the most efficient way to use the wood, but at least it works if you've no alternative.

Yessir. I've learned that well seasoned wood is essential for a clean and efficient burn. And I learned the hard way, during my 1st few months of burning after getting a delivery of so called seasoned wood. Well/properly seasoned wood is SO much better/easier to heat with. Allot safer too!!

 

[Crabby]

I have got a bunch of red oak. It does take a long time to season. i have some ready for next year but i just bought some off a family friend (2 1/2 chords for 150 bucks) been down and split since last christmas. I have plenty of dry wood for now, but i have been mixing the red oak with my dry stuff. It still seems to me the oak i bought still isn't dry, but he's has 90 chords stacked at his place uncoverd so i just wonder all i got from him was just from sitting out in the rain and what not. I banged a few pieces together and they sound hollow and pretty light to carry. but when i put them into the stove it sizzles and bubbles out the end. but it all burns up nice. It's just hard to start with the oak, but i can get her cranking with it mixed in with the dry wood. so far i think i'm ok. my glass is a little cloudy but i looked in top of the baffel and it just looks like a brown dust up there no shinny stuff.