Firewood Delivery, OR NOT!

[Kevin*]

Big old dump truck came by, before she dumped I pulled 5 or 6 pieces to split and check with the meter. Off the scale! 35-40%, water oozing out when I split and piffy/rotten on the inside and out. Really? does this pass for firewood elsewhere? Sorry not with me.

Good thing is she wasn’t mad about it, said sorry and left.

Still need to find wood for this season, I knew I was going to have trouble when I installed my stove. If you have someone PM me.

I think there’s a saying for stuff like this, if you want it done right, do it yourself.

 

[stejus]

Big old dump truck came by, before she dumped I pulled 5 or 6 pieces to split and check with the meter. Off the scale! 35-40%, water oozing out when I split and piffy/rotten on the inside and out. Really? does this pass for firewood elsewhere? Sorry not with me.

Good thing is she wasn’t mad about it, said sorry and left.

Still need to find wood for this season, I knew I was going to have trouble when I installed my stove. If you have someone PM me.

I think there’s a saying for stuff like this, if you want it done right, do it yourself.

I think you discovered how someone sells seasoned wood this time of the year. Good for you that you know enough to check, and good for her to say sorry and move on. I think you'll be hard pressed to find true seasoned wood any time of the year. Don't stop there though, get some green wood and start stacking for at best next year, and even better for two years out.

 

[NH_Wood]

I would have asked for some $ off and stack the wood for next year now. As you know, getting good stuff now is nearly impossible, and you are correct, putting yourself in control of your wood is the way to go - you always know the quality of the fuel you are about to burn. Good luck! Cheers!

 

[bogydave]

We have all learned that one.
Hope you find a good supplier.
May at least get a load & if it's not dry enough, get it seasoning for next year.
Should be lots of suppliers, can you go test the wood before you buy?
Are you are in rainy season now?
Good luck.

 

[Kenster]

This first year may be expensive for you but what you ought to do is.... Buy a pallet of bioblocks so you'll have something to burn this year and can learn how to operate your stove without having to attempt to burn wet, green wood.
Maybe you can scrounge around for some dead and down wood that is very dry and could supplement the bio blocks. Buy next years wood right now and get it stacked in the sunniest/windiest spot on your property. Don't cover it until it's time to burn next year.

AND, if at all possible, either buy or start scrounging wood NOW for two years out. If you can stay at least two years ahead, you will always be golden. Like I said, it may be costly in the beginning but will pay off soon enough.

 

[Gasifier]

This first year may be expensive for you but what you ought to do is.... Buy a pallet of bioblocks so you'll have something to burn this year and can learn how to operate your stove without having to attempt to burn wet, green wood.
Maybe you can scrounge around for some dead and down wood that is very dry and could supplement the bio blocks. Buy next years wood right now and get it stacked in the sunniest/windiest spot on your property. Don't cover it until it's time to burn next year.

AND, if at all possible, either buy or start scrounging wood NOW for two years out. If you can stay at least two years ahead, you will always be golden. Like I said, it may be costly in the beginning but will pay off soon enough.

+1 on the Kenster's idea. Now when you call a potential supplier for this year, tell him/her that you are looking for something that has been cut for at least six months. And that you have a moisture meter and will be checking it when they bring it. Hopefully you will get lucky and find someone who has some stuff that is fairly well seasoned. What types of wood do they sell out your way?

 

[Kenster]

Washington state? Most likely a conifer of some kind.

 

[Kevin*]

My dad's got 10 acer's and i got a hemlock that blew over severals weeks ago, there tons more there but nothing that is ready to burn. mostly you find fir, alder, hemlock out here, it's green pine needle out here year round.

 

[Gasifier]

Washington state? Most likely a conifer of some kind.

Right. I find my Whit Pine is pretty well off after six months of being c/s/s outside. Hope he can find some wood that is dry.

 

[IanDad]

I think you will find that all here will empathize with the trials and tribulations of being a first year burner. It's very tough...

Follow the advice above and start acquiring wood NOW for future years. One trick I used was to flat out tell these wood selling shysters that you know their wood is not even close to "seasoned" and demand a discount. Telling them that you are purchasing for years ahead should have no real effect on the market price, but it seemed to put these guys on notice that they were trying to sell a product that was not as advertised and that they should offer a discount. Purely psychological, I'd say it worked on about half of them.

 

[maple1]

I would have made an offer first for the green wood, for next year, rather than just sending her on her way. She might have said no and went on her way anyway - but you might have also ended up with with next years wood for a good price.

 

[rwhite]

Or you can try and find a mill to get some mill ends or dunnage from. That what's going to get me through my 1st year. I had enough wood for occasional use in the fireplace (2-3 cord) but it's dwindling fast. I get a load of mill ends for $10-$20. About a 1/3 cord and lasts about 3 weeks.

 

[Wood Duck]

I would have made an offer first for the green wood, for next year, rather than just sending her on her way. She might have said no and went on her way anyway - but you might have also ended up with with next years wood for a good price.

Green wood is one thing, but the wood in the truck was rotten and wet. I wouldn't buy that - it is pretty easy to find your own rotten wet wood in Washington state.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

I would have made an offer first for the green wood, for next year, rather than just sending her on her way. She might have said no and went on her way anyway - but you might have also ended up with with next years wood for a good price.

Green wood is one thing, but the wood in the truck was rotten and wet. I wouldn't buy that - it is pretty easy to find your own rotten wet wood in Washington state.

You did the right thing checking with a moisture meter and sending her away. Imagine, if everybody knew enough to do that, how the firewood industry would change. Firewood dealers would no longer be able to make false claims about their wood being "seasoned" and ready to burn. Bravo !
The problem is too many people will accept delivery of crap wood, so these people keep getting away with it, and as long as they can keep getting away with it they will keep right on doing it. If everybody did what you did these outfits would soon either go out of business or, start being honest about what they are selling, and that would save a lot of grief and heartache for a lot of individuals.
Anybody who buys firewood really aught to have a moisture meter and know how to use it. That way not only will they know what they are buying, but they will also have some understanding of the concept about how dryer wood is better to burn.
It's not that people shouldn't be selling green wood, they should just be honest about what they are selling, and not make claims that it is "seasoned" and ready to burn. That's where most novice wood burners run into problems and can't understand why their wood stoves aren't functioning properly.

 

[eclecticcottage]

I would have made an offer first for the green wood, for next year, rather than just sending her on her way. She might have said no and went on her way anyway - but you might have also ended up with with next years wood for a good price.

Green wood is one thing, but the wood in the truck was rotten and wet. I wouldn't buy that - it is pretty easy to find your own rotten wet wood in Washington state.

You did the right thing checking with a moisture meter and sending her away. Imagine, if everybody knew enough to do that, how the firewood industry would change. Firewood dealers would no longer be able to make false claims about their wood being "seasoned" and ready to burn. Bravo !
The problem is too many people will accept delivery of crap wood, so these people keep getting away with it, and as long as they can keep getting away with it they will keep right on doing it. If everybody did what you did these outfits would soon either go out of business or, start being honest about what they are selling, and that would save a lot of grief and heartache for a lot of individuals.
Anybody who buys firewood really aught to have a moisture meter and know how to use it. That way not only will they know what they are buying, but they will also have some understanding of the concept about how dryer wood is better to burn.
It's not that people shouldn't be selling green wood, they should just be honest about what they are selling, and not make claims that it is "seasoned" and ready to burn. That's where most novice wood burners run into problems and can't understand why their wood stove aren't functioning properly.

We actually did this-accept a batch we knew upon seeing it wasn't ready to burn-but it was WAY less delivered than we've found for pick up, so we took it anyway, and stacked it for next year (well, except for the big ole hunks we'll have to resplit, those can be for a few years from now).

I agree on the biobricks/ecobricks/whatever they are in your area. Ecobricks are really helping us through this season too-we got a little more of a jump on getting wood that you did, but not much (mid October).

 

[bluedogz]

Big old dump truck came by, before she dumped I pulled 5 or 6 pieces to split and check with the meter. Off the scale! 35-40%, water oozing out when I split and piffy/rotten on the inside and out. Really? does this pass for firewood elsewhere? Sorry not with me.

Good thing is she wasn’t mad about it, said sorry and left.

Still need to find wood for this season, I knew I was going to have trouble when I installed my stove. If you have someone PM me.

I think there’s a saying for stuff like this, if you want it done right, do it yourself.

Sad thing is, I reckon she just drove on to her next delivery and dumped it there, betting the next guy didn't have a MM.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Big old dump truck came by, before she dumped I pulled 5 or 6 pieces to split and check with the meter. Off the scale! 35-40%, water oozing out when I split and piffy/rotten on the inside and out. Really? does this pass for firewood elsewhere? Sorry not with me.

Good thing is she wasn’t mad about it, said sorry and left.

Still need to find wood for this season, I knew I was going to have trouble when I installed my stove. If you have someone PM me.

I think there’s a saying for stuff like this, if you want it done right, do it yourself.

Kevin, welcome to the forum.

Sadly you've found what most new wood burners find. If only we could get the word out to folks to get their wood first and then get the stove it would work better. But all is not lost and the best lesson you've learned is that right now is the time to get next year's wood on hand. Don't wait!

 

[Kevin*]

Thanks everyone, this forum is the best.
A few more phone calls and i have a guy comming out friday night. told him i need it to burn now and it needs be dry dry and seasoned. Told him i was going to check some with a moister meter too. He didn't flinch so hopefully he does it right.

Finger crossed.

 

[NH_Wood]

I would have made an offer first for the green wood, for next year, rather than just sending her on her way. She might have said no and went on her way anyway - but you might have also ended up with with next years wood for a good price.

Green wood is one thing, but the wood in the truck was rotten and wet. I wouldn't buy that - it is pretty easy to find your own rotten wet wood in Washington state.

Oops! Missed the rotten part and was thinking the wood was just wet - Wood Duck's certainly right! Cheers!