How wet is too wet to buy?

[TheLastDeadMouse]

First time home owner with a wood stove for the first time since I was 14. Once I realized how much I was going to spend on oil heating my house, I had the wood stove inspected Monday and arranged a delivery of seasoned wood for tomorrow. I haven't had time to go check the wood first, so I bought a moisture meter and will test it before they unload.

I know 20% moisture or less is what you're looking for, but how wet does it have to be before you'd turn it away? There are not many people selling wood this time of year (it was -18 F last night) so I'm worried that if I turn it away I might not be able to buy any this year. Its ash and maple, and at $65 a cord I'd think even 20 - 25% moisture wood would be better than oil.

 

[Gasifier]

When the seller said it is seasoned. Did he say how long it had been split, stacked and seasoned for? To some sellers seasoned is cut down for a "while", then they split and deliver it. (So it is not really seasoned.) So many variables. Can you ask him how long the wood has been split? How long stacked? Most sellers up here have different ideas of seasoned than the guys on here who know what seasoned wood really is. I wonder if he would check the moisture content for you before he delivers.

You see the Ash may be dry enough and the maple may not be. Ash seasons quickly.

 

[jatoxico]

First time home owner with a wood stove for the first time since I was 14. Once I realized how much I was going to spend on oil heating my house, I had the wood stove inspected Monday and arranged a delivery of seasoned wood for tomorrow. I haven't had time to go check the wood first, so I bought a moisture meter and will test it before they unload.

I know 20% moisture or less is what you're looking for, but how wet does it have to be before you'd turn it away? There are not many people selling wood this time of year (it was -18 F last night) so I'm worried that if I turn it away I might not be able to buy any this year. Its ash and maple, and at $65 a cord I'd think even 20 - 25% moisture wood would be better than oil.

What type of stove? An older stove will be more tolerant of wet wood. You would just have to keep tabs on the chimney. $65 a cord is a great price, is this a full cord (4x4x8)?

 

[Gasifier]

What type of stove? An older stove will be more tolerant of wet wood. You would just have to keep tabs on the chimney. $65 a cord is a great price, is this a full cord (4x4x8)?

In this neck of the woods he is more than likely speaking of a "face cord". I know guys, there is no such thing. LOL But up here that is what it is sold by and that is about the going rate for "seasoned" wood. So about three times that for a full cord. I am about 40 minutes from Thelastdeadmouse.

 

[jatoxico]

In this neck of the woods he is more than likely speaking of a "face cord". I know guys, there is no such thing. LOL But up here that is what it is sold by and that is about the going rate for "seasoned" wood. So about three times that for a full cord. I am about 40 minutes from Thelastdeadmouse.

I figured that's why I asked. Plenty of people sell it that way here too. They start off saying $100 a cord (craigslist for instance) then when you look at the whole price list that's for a face, then they give the 1/2 cord and full cord price. Full cords go from a low of about 150 up to 200 though I've seen more. $180 seems to be the going rate.

 

[TheLastDeadMouse]

I only spoke with him briefly, I don't think he specified how long ago the wood had been split. I'll have time to call him tomorrow before he leaves and can ask. And yes, I believe that's for a face cord. That little terminology oddity has been a real pain for me. Being new to the concept of buying wood its very confusing when everything I know about it I've read on this site, and everyone I've talked to in person has never even heard of a "face cord".

 

[Applesister]

65.00 a facecord maybe.
Wet or dry you can always use it at some point.
But be careful of the hole I get myself in. Buying wood with X amount of money and having no more money to buy more when the wood turns out to be completely green.
Unless you have more resources, be careful if you are limited. At times I only have one shot at purchasing a load of wood.
20% will leave resins in your stove. If the meter tops off the charts tell the guy, "Good luck!"
If you have extra money, you can take semi seasoned in hopes of finding better. Because you can always use the wood at some point when it finally dries.
The quick way to say it is, dont spend your last dollar on chit wood.
Fuel oil doesnt need to season.

 

[Applesister]

I figured that's why I asked. Plenty of people sell it that way here too. They start off saying $100 a cord (craigslist for instance) then when you look at the whole price list that's for a face, then they give the 1/2 cord and full cord price. Full cords go from a low of about 150 up to 200 though I've seen more. $180 seems to be the going rate.

Thats exactly how the deal goes down.
65.00 would be a gread deal for decent wood.

 

[Applesister]

And my guess is X 3.
You could go really game and get a facecord and just try it.
But definitely give it the MM
Dont waste your time quizzing the seller he'll just tell what he thinks you wanna hear.

 

[maple1]

I wouldn't turn it away if it turns up not 'seasoned' - I'd rather make him a lower offer while it's there. Then if he doesn't go for that you can turn him away then. It will be ready to burn someday and when that someday comes you'll be glad you have it.

If it is a bit less than ideal, you can finish it fairly quickly by stacking loosely indoors in a warm place (stove room?) that has good air circulation - a box fan on low speed during waking hours aiming at the bottom of the pile is good for that. Rotate as necessary. Indoor dry winter air is, well, pretty darn dry.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

First time home owner with a wood stove for the first time since I was 14. Once I realized how much I was going to spend on oil heating my house, I had the wood stove inspected Monday and arranged a delivery of seasoned wood for tomorrow. I haven't had time to go check the wood first, so I bought a moisture meter and will test it before they unload.

I know 20% moisture or less is what you're looking for, but how wet does it have to be before you'd turn it away? There are not many people selling wood this time of year (it was -18 F last night) so I'm worried that if I turn it away I might not be able to buy any this year. Its ash and maple, and at $65 a cord I'd think even 20 - 25% moisture wood would be better than oil.

Worry not for there is no such thing as dry-wood-for-purchase. Really. Especially in December. But take the wood regardless for you are now a homeowner and oil prices will not be less next winter so you will be in need of dry firewood, which you will have if you get it now.

EDIT: Just in case I wasn't clear: get wood now for next year, count on heating with oil this year because dry firewood for sale simply does not exist no matter what assurances you get from the seller and how fancy your moisture meter is, but don't delay getting next year's wood in.

 

[Jon1270]

Agreeing with most everyone, the wood will probably be too wet to burn this year but that's not the same thing as saying it's too wet to buy. If the wood is a decent price, decent species, not rotten, and they deliver as much as you've paid for then get it and stack it for next year. I got my stove just before last winter, and the wood I bought from two different sellers was all mediocre at best at the time. The leftovers from those same deliveries are dramatically better this year, except for the oak which is still rather lackluster.

 

[TheLastDeadMouse]

Well the wood arrived today. I split a few pieces and they're all between 21% and 22.5%. I plan on burning it this year and keeping about a weeks supply of wood near the stove to help dry it out a bit more.

The stove is an Lopi Answer from 1986 (the previous owner happened to write the year on the owner's manual which was miraculously left behind). Much too small a stove to heat my 2000 sq ft. house on its own, but I plan on using it to cut down on my oil usage.

 

[DBoon]

Welcome to the forum. I have an Answer from 2007. It's a great stove and with dry sugar maple or hickory it will throw out a lot of heat provided it has secondary re-burn like mine. But you are right, it will not heat a 2000 sf house in Potsdam, NY

 

[maple1]

Don't let up on the search for wood.

 

[PapaDave]

Now that you've gotten pretty decent stuff for this year, get some more for next year ASAP.
How much did you get?

 

[TheLastDeadMouse]

I have 1.5 cord. I'm only burning nights and weekends, don't want to risk leaving it running with no one home until I've built up some trust of a new house and stove. That plus the fact that it's a small 1.6 cu ft firebox and that the wood is slightly damp should last me most of the winter.

I'm going to hold off on buying more for a few weeks, I'm going to talk to my bank about financing the purchase and installation of a larger stove in the main part of the house (the Lopi is in a sunroom that was added onto the house). If that goes through I'm going to want much more than the 1.5 cords I bought this year, and will hopefully be building a wood shed in the spring.

 

[PapaDave]

Well, as much as you may not want to hear this, the wood is your priority.
The longer you wait to acquire more,the longer it'll take to dry.
I can't wait to hear when you get ahold of some nicely dried wood to burn.
You'll be all....."man, this is awesome!"

 

[PapaDave]

The longer you wait to acquire more,the longer it'll take to dry.

Actually, it won't take any longer to dry the wood, presuming conditions are the same.