Can Wood Get Too Dry?

[Nosetotail]

Hi. I have been given about a half cord worth of 12 to 14" oak rounds that have been seasoning for a year or more somewhat exposed to the elements here in Northeast Florida. Most of the pieces have lost their bark but the wood is still solid. The wood has a good deal of checking on the ends. I am concerned that another hot Florida Summer may make this drier than ideal. Is there a point at which firewood becomes too dry, and what would be the effect?

 

[English BoB]

Yes , be careful................I put some in the fireplace and it dried away to nothing........money up the chimney if you ask me

 

[gerry100]

Hi. I have been given about a half cord worth of 12 to 14" oak rounds that have been seasoning for a year or more somewhat exposed to the elements here in Northeast Florida. Most of the pieces have lost their bark but the wood is still solid. The wood has a good deal of checking on the ends. I am concerned that another hot Florida Summer may make this drier than ideal. Is there a point at which firewood becomes too dry, and what would be the effect?

no

 

[Poindexter]

My understanding is cord wood splits will eventually stabilize at your local EMC or equilibrium moisture content.

I doubt you'll be able to get it below 10-12% no matter what you do with it covered on top but still outdoors.

 

[mike van]

I've burnt old lumber that was stored in barns for 50+ years - Full of powder post beetles, no good for anything but fuel. You just close the dampers a little more.

 

[gerry100]

the only problem with very dry wood is packing your stove with it without knowing .

Possible overfire scenario.

In the OPs case, I'd just load it 1 or 2 pieces at a time

 

[TheAardvark]

Good firewood is the opposite of good women. The older and drier it is the better it gets.

 

[johneh]

Yes it is way to dry pack it up in a truck and send it to me !
Where you are air drying will not reach much below 12%
Perfect for my furnace and stove

 

[heavy hammer]

As the others have said it should level out at some point just because of the moisture in the air plus your in Florida. Very humid in the summer isn't it?

 

[Nosetotail]

Ok. Sounds like good science.
I split the lighter older pieces tonight, and found them to be lacking some density and the grain has the start of that spongy corky feel like the start of decay. Unfortunately, this wood has been exposed to the rain, so the older pieces have fungi and have lost some mass. It's dry and hard enough to burn, but it feels like poplar. I was afraid this would be the case with some of the pieces when I picked them up. I will split the heavy newer pieces this weekend to see what I have there.

 

[Sprinter]

If the wood has been in rounds and not split to dry, it's probably going rotten. If the wood isn't split open, it will often rot before it has a chance to dry through the ends. If the bark is loose and falling off by itself, it's probably been wet inside a long time.

I wouldn't worry about it being too dry. That's pretty rare. As someone else pointed out, in your area the EMC is probably not much less than 15% even properly split and stacked.

Still, try some. It may still be burnable if dry enough. Never know... I've burned some pretty questionable stuff, but you have to make sure it's dry enough, like 20%.

 

[Nosetotail]

Yep. I knew it when I picked up some of the pieces. They were just too light, and like you said it was the pieces without the bark.

 

[Stinkpickle]

Wood stored outside in Florida will probably never get too dry.

 

[St. Coemgen]

See: http://woodheat.org/firewood-too-dry.html

 

[Nosetotail]

Ok. Thanks guys. Looks like I don't have anything to worry about. I do have another question though. I have a good amount of very green Red Maple. I split the larger rounds into 4 to six inch pieces, but I am unsure if I should split the remaining branches that range from 6" down to 3" in order to expose the grain.

I am hoping to season this wood by next winter which generally starts in November for us. The wood will be stacked on a rack against the house with a two foot overhang, so it will get wet occasionally due to overspray when it rains however it never gets soaked and only the exposed pieces see any moisture. There will be about 4" of space between the stack and the house and the stack will be off the ground, however it will only recieve sunlight in the morning.

I want to keep the logs as large as possible as I have an ample amount of starter wood available. Where I work, we have pallets made of untreated 4x4's of varying degrees of hardness. The cross members are soft woods and super dry and the weight bearing pieces are white or red oak.

 

[Sprinter]

I split small branches when possible. As you said, you need to expose the wood.

 

[Nosetotail]

Thanks.

 

[Firefighter938]

Be careful stacking against your house. It may lead to insects.

 

[firefighterjake]

In theory . . . yes.

In reality . . . rarely.

 

[Nosetotail]

Be careful stacking against your house. It may lead to insects.

HeHe. Well they would have to watch out for the huge garter snake that has made my rack his home.

 

[Rich L]

I bought a cord of very dry wood last winter for $200.00.It burned up so fast I should of offered $100.00.

 

[Nosetotail]

In theory . . . yes.

In reality . . . rarely.

Were you referring to my original question or to the advice concerning stacking wood close to the house?

 

[firefighterjake]

Were you referring to my original question or to the advice concerning stacking wood close to the house?

Your original question as to whether wood can be too dry.

I am reluctant to stack wood right next to my house due to insects . . . but my stacks aren't that far from the house . . . and the shed is even closer. I also stack wood on my covered porch once temps are consistently below zero.