Buying wood, is it really dry?

[babalu87]

I am fortunate enough to have all the wood I need on my property...... and thanks to gypsy moths I have enough dead ones to get cut down, bucked up and off the ground for the next 5-7 years EASY.

Whenever I see a local "wood guys" wood it is invariably sitting in a huge pile. How dry can that wood really be? Are those big piles really like a holz-hausen if they sit there long enough?

For those that buy wood, how many find it better to buy it green and let is sit stacked for a year? How many have issues with smoke, poor burning etc.?

 

[titan]

Bab,I buy about 4 cords a year{log length},I scrounge the rest.I now stay one year ahead to give it time to season as I've yet to see 'dry' wood from any suppliers.

 

[jqgs214]

My supplier gives me dry wood., $150.00 a cord.

 

[babalu87]

My supplier gives me dry wood., $150.00 a cord.

In Riverhead, home of the hoity, toity "summer homes"?

Your suppliers is:
A brother, brother in law, close relation, giving you green wood in 2007 for the 2008 burning season, not making the most of his enterprise.

What one is it?

 

[jqgs214]

Obviously you have never been to Riverhead. Paging mike Wilson! It's not Hoity Toity its the home of the Big Box stores the Hamptons wont let in. We call it the crotch of Long Island. No relation, the guy keeps a boat at the yard I work. Its not his primary work, hes just does it on the side.

 

[babalu87]

I thought Riverhead was close enough that the hoity toitys started buying that up as well.

$150 a cord is a good deal anywhere, on Long Island even better. He is close enough to the Hamptons to get over $300 a cord though.

 

[jqgs214]

Problem is getting into the hamptons. Traffic moves at 5-10mph almost all the time now. Not worth the effort for 300bucks especially since he has limited time. There is another guy on Craigs list that advertises at $150.00 in Suffolk county. Have not tried him yet but may be worth a shot in an emergency.

 

[Todd]

I'm starting to see lots of adds for dry oak firewood, one add as low as $40 per face cord. I guess one would have to take a moisture meter along to really see if it's dry or not. On my way to work I pass by a big firewood dealer that has huge piles of Oak logs, and I see he is advertising dry seasoned Oak for $50 a face cord. He must think leaving the logs out for a year is seasoned, then he bucks and splits it up as he gets orders. No way is that Oak ready to burn this year.

 

[begreen]

Bab, depends on the dealer. Though often the wood is just barely dry enough to burn. The best way to tell is to bring a maul and split open a few splits and measure the moisture.

For anyone buying wood, the best time to get it is at the end of the burning season. Round here that is May.

 

[Mike Wilson]

Paging mike Wilson!

Page received!

Funny, I am sitting in Riverhead right now, typing this post. Coincidence?

Anyway, Riverhead, or as we like to call it, Riverhood, is so socially far from the Hamptons its scary... even though the Town of Southampton encompasses such other slums as Flanders, a/k/a The Flamptons. Nope, Riverhood is home to two methadone clinics, several DWI rehab houses, Dept. of Social Services, a county jail, a criminal and civil courthouse, and more Section 8 housing than anywhere else on eastern Long Island. People have been saying that Riverhead is going to "pop" with all the new investment here... however I remember hearing that Riverhead is going to Pop since the early 70s... and it hasn't happened yet. You also have to understand that Riverhead is huge, downtown and the surrounds are a dump, and include such discount drug warehouses as "The Greens" and "The South Circle." The rest of Riverhead, especially north of Sound Ave, is quite nice, residential, and notwithstanding the recent vinyl covered house fetish, very bucolic. Its actually become a big box store center, surrounded by condos marketed to retirees. Hell, I never thought that I would ever hear that the average cost of a new home in Riverhead would be 550K, but times they are changing.

So, based on the above, WX either loves me, or hates me... hey WX, where in Riverhead are you located? I am heading over to the Rendevous on Main St. for lunch in an hour...

Oh, and where do you get your wood for 150/cord? PM me!

-- Mike

 

[jtp10181]

Around here I have only come across one person who's "dry wood" is actually dry. Most people that will sell you "dry" wood, it sizzles like bacon.

 

[JohnCusick]

Like jtp10181's, that was my experience last heating season, as we were starting from scratch in October with nothing on hand. I bought chords from 3 different local sources, all selling 'seasoned dry hardwoods'. HA! What a joke. It's a shame what people accept/what the sellers pawn on us.
I now have 5 chord that's been drying split & stacked for the last 9 months. I burned some red oak & maple splits last week to burn in a new chimney install and it was immediately apparent that it was drier that anything we got last season. If I had to buy again, I'd buy for 1 year out.
John

 

[Vermontster]

I bought 3 cords this year (did 4 of my own) I bought 1 cord "dry" and 2 "seasoned" sorta as a test. The dry wood was certainly dry nice and grey and light to lift and ready to go. The seasoned wood was from logs cut a year and a half ago, but not cut and split until I ordered. The seasoned wood was not ready to burn then, but I think now after a few months of being stacked and covered it is, or at least close. I find after a few freezings and thawings at the beginning of winter really brings out the moisture.
The guy I bought this wood from sells 700 - 1000 cords a year. He has a 100,000 dollar "wood processor". One of his accounts buys 40 cords a year, they only want white birch to burn in the fireplaces - year round, of course with the AC on. This is an Inn with rooms that cost 3,000 a night. hahaha. scary

 

[WILDSOURDOUGH]

Went to PA last weekend, asked brother in law price per cord there (Bangor PA)- he says 160.00. Looked at his 'Cord' and told him it was a 'face cord' and then had to explain what that was. Nice dry wood here- Unity NH is 180.00-200.00 a full cord. Thank goodness I bought two truckloads last winter (650.00 a truck)- now I must have 15++ cords in the bank.
A nice woodpile is like money under the bed.

 

[Vermontster]

Hi WildSour,
How do you like your Leyden?
I just got mine a month ago or so.
and are you a baker (wildsourdough)?

 

[fbelec]

One of his accounts buys 40 cords a year, they only want white birch to burn in the fireplaces - year round, of course with the AC on. This is an Inn with rooms that cost 3,000 a night. hahaha. scary[/quote]

burning wood, making heat, and having the air conditioning running at the same time, they must have nightly thunder storms

 

[woodconvert]

For those that buy wood, how many find it better to buy it green and let is sit stacked for a year? How many have issues with smoke, poor burning etc.?

I never buy wood. I've tried it in the past but it's NEVER dry, it's always split too small and in general, a waste of my money. 99% of the time I cut/split/stack my wood so I know what i've got going into the heating season. I would say if you have to buy it, look for stuff that was split the previous fall. Even it was left in a pile and you get it in the spring you can stack it and let it dry all summer and fall. It'll be ready to go.

 

[kellog]

Woodconvert,

I agree with you 100%. The last time (and I mean the absolute last time) I bought wood the guy comes with a dump truck with two cord on it. Looking at the load it is exactly what I asked for. So I pay the guy, go in the house and he dumps it. When I finally look at it almost half of it is unsplit. Not just 3 or 4 " dia pcs but 6 or 8 or 10" dia pcs. He just put a layer of what I wanted on the top so I would let him dump it. And you are right, it is never dry but I don't even expect that. These guys need to turn over their inventory and are not going to sit on it for two years at the prices they charge.

Now I order a load of 6-7 cord of green trees (hard woods only). Cut, split and season your own and you will always get exactly what you want. And it is less expensive.

 

[Bill]

I drove by a place this week that sells firewood and they had 9 foot piles. It's no wonder it's not dry, no air circulation. Only the outer layer looked ready to burn. Just because someone sells firewood doesn't make them knowledgeable (honest) about wood burning.