I have no seasoned wood to start

[Handsonautotech]

Hi folks. I did a quick search and some random trolling but did not find the answer I was looking for. Made a few new reply posts though, so it was fun looking.

We are burning for the first time this year and I have no old seasoned wood to get started with. I bought some at a local firewood place. They insist it should be ready to burn as they only chop beetle kill that has been dead for some time. I guess I know the answer is to go buy a moisture meter or use the DVMM to test for moisture content, but what do I do if it is all above 20%? just not burn this year?

 

[drz1050]

Pallets are dry, you could burn those?

 

[Handsonautotech]

Pallets are dry, you could burn those?

It is certainly something I have considered. So far all pallets have been commandeered for wood stacking, including the one my new stove came in on. We also have some wood from the gutting of the bedrooms. Anyone in Northern Colorado know a place to go "Pallet Hunting"?

Any good reason not to burn my slash also?

 

[drz1050]

As long as the wood from the bedrooms isn't painted/ stained, it should be fine to use. You're talking just old 2x4s? Watch out for galvanized nails too.

 

[max384]

I'm pretty new here, and far from an expert, but here's my take... If your wood isn't really green (like just cut down live tree), but not yet fully seasoned, how much harm could one season of burning do? You won't get as much heat out of it obviously, but as long as you have a clean chimney to start, and clean it out before next season, wouldn't it be okay? I mean, most of the people around here don't season their wood years ahead like most here do. I see most people around here finishing their stacks in the fall before the burning season.

I'm posting this a question to the group, not as advice.

 

[bholler]

how much harm could one season of burning do?

A chimney fire that burns your house down. Yes you can burn wet wood but it does not work well. It is hard to start and takes a long time to get up to temperature. All the time you are trying to get the temps up you are putting allot of creosote into the chimney. And because it takes so long to get up to temp lots of times you are not paying enough attention and once the wood dries out and the fire takes off it can get out of control.

So yes you can burn wet wood but the results will be very frustrating at the least and catastrophic at worst.

Watch out for galvanized nails too.

That really only matters in cat stoves

 

[woodhog73]

First get a moisture meter and check it. The wood might be ok.

If not take your new moisture meter and go to a different supplier and check it first. Look for wood that seasons quicker, like birch or something instead of dense oak. Sure it's not as good , burns quicker, less heat, etc but it also dries quicker. Much quicker. I'd rather burn softer wood that's dry than wet hard wood, or not burning at all.

Also there are varying degrees of. " wet wood" so your moisture meter will help with that.

Worst case if you insist on burning wet wood, or let's say semi dry wood, at the very least get your fire started with dry wood, good and hot, before you add the less than ideal wood.

Regardless you really should be looking to only burn wood that's good and dry.

 

[SpAmSoNiTe]

If you have a Harbor Freight Tools around you, they have pretty cheap moisture meters. I'm sure there are more accurate ones out there but for the cost it's served me well.

Sent from my SM-S820L using Tapatalk

 

[Ctwoodtick]

I agree with bholler that wet wood is not worth it. Based on my experience of about 5 years of burning wood, I would not consider burning wood that was any higher than about 23% moisture content. A moisture meter is well worth it. Get one and resplit a sample of your wood in question. Experience has told me that wood sellers are almost always wrong about the burnability of the wood. The either do not know or do not care about how the wood will really act in the stove. Focusing now on building your supply for next year will be very valuable to you now. Sorry man, but we have all had to learn this lesson the hard way.

 

[brenndatomu]

how much harm could one season of burning do

One season...a lot! Heck when I started out and didn't know any better, I plugged the chimney in two weeks...plugged it!
Can't believe I didn't burn the house down.

Anyone in Northern Colorado know a place to go "Pallet Hunting"?

Go around the back of any/all stores...there is often huge piles of pallets...get permission to take 'em though...some places will sell the better condition pallets. Our local NAPA store has a couple truckloads of pallets per week. Lowes and HD have a lot...Walmart too...

 

[drz1050]

Envi- blocks or the like are good substitutes for real wood too. They're essentially giant pellets, just big blocks of compressed sawdust/ wood chips.

Envi blocks, North Idaho Energy Logs, there are a few others too. Last year I burned a ton of them to supplement my less than ideal wood.

 

[drz1050]

Also, for pallets check out craigslist. Seems like people are always giving them away for free. Landscape supply stores, woodstove shops, exercise equipment stores are all good places to look too. Bring a crowbar & hammer if you don't have a pickup.

 

[Aranyic]

Envi- blocks or the like are good substitutes for real wood too. They're essentially giant pellets, just big blocks of compressed sawdust/ wood chips.

Envi blocks, North Idaho Energy Logs, there are a few others too. Last year I burned a ton of them to supplement my less than ideal wood.

I also burned eco-bricks for my first year last year. I got 2-3 cords of wood that i hunted around for to see what was dry(est) first. I did find wood in the 22-25% range or somewhere around there. Then got 2 pallets of eco-bricks. In all it cost me about $700 which is still less than 2-3 tanks of propane would have cost. And I still have almost a full cord of ecobricks and some of the wood left.

I laid the cord wood on the bottom of the stove and then ran the ecobricks across the top or vice versa and mixed them for most loads.

 

[red oak]

A few thoughts on this:

1. The OP is from Colorado, which tells me he/she is probably not burning hardwood. Softwood dries much faster, and if you can find some dead lodgepole pine it may well be ready to burn. Cutting a live oak at this point to burn this season would be futile.

2. Pallets or eco-bricks, or dead pine, would be really good for getting a good hot fire going - be careful not to totally load your stove with this stuff. If you have to burn wet wood, burn it when the fire is already really hot.

3. If you have to burn wet wood check your chimney often, like every week, and clean as necessary.

4. A smoldering fire is one that is putting creosote into your chimney - keep it hot even if it means a shorter fire.

5. I actually think the OP will be ok if the firewood is what the seller says it is, beetle kill pine is really dry and my experience in Colorado is that it's not a very humid climate - I would think that wood would dry much faster there.

6. And yes burning wood that has too much moisture can do great harm, even for one year only. I have known people who have completely clogged their chimney in less than one season. I still check my chimney very often - better safe than sorry.

 

[Seanm]

@Handsonautotech you may get lucky. I dropped a beetle kill lodgepole pine just the other day and half way up the tree (the section that I was checking with my mm) was 7% on the outside and 11% in the center on a fresh split round. If they had it unsplit and tossed in a big pile on the ground sucking up moisture from the dirt and the sky you will probably get mixed results but will likely by ok. If its not split then do this right away and get in a month of seasoning. Also follow the other processing rules most of us here follow. Split the rounds, stack them on dunage or on pallets and top cover only. Let us know how you make out!

 

[max384]

Thanks for the replies to my post guys. Like I said, I'm fairly new to this. Thanks to this site, I bought a moisture meter so I know my wood is good to go. Otherwise, it wouldn't have even been on my radar to do.

 

[Handsonautotech]

@red oak. I have plenty of dead pine trees I can process on my land. If the chances that they are under 20% moisture content then I am good to go. How do I know what is a lodgepole pine? There is a ton of cedar on my 5 acres.

@Seanm and @red oak do you think the various pine i split back in June might be good to go by october? some was standing dead and some was the live cedar I had to fell to get home owners insurance.

@SpAmSoNiTe did it seem like the harbor freight meter was pretty accurate? I always feel like spending good money now is better then having to buy fhe same thing twice. If I am going to buy a moisture meter I would want to spend good money to get something reliable. I would like to hear what everyone suggests for a moisture meter. I think tomorrow I will start research on good meters and value all of the forum members input on meter brands.

So far I have been burning pine I bought from the local firewood seller back in May. It feels light and dry and sounds dry when smacked together. I am almost out of this stuff and meed to find a replacement soon. That being said there is already a thin coat of sticky stuff on the inside of my brand new chimney cap. I am not sure if that came from my wet wood or the fact that I am still learning how to work the stove.

After all of the responses here I am thinking of just hunting down the remaining dead trees on my land that I can get to and getting them split and stacked on my wood pile as soon as possible.

With two young ones at home safety is priority number one and so I assure everyone that no mater what I will continue to check inside my chimney every other week through out the burn season and clean as needed.

 

[Seanm]

I have plenty of dead pine trees I can process on my land. If the chances that they are under 20% moisture content then I am good to go. How do I know what is a lodgepole pine?

Just google lodgepole pine Colorado and you will see lots of examples. The bark on yours might be slightly different than mine up here, maybe, maybe not. Lodgepole pine is one of the higher btu pines so any coniferous trees that are standing dead will dry as quick or quicker than lodgepole as a standing dead tree with the exception of larch/tamarack which I dont believe you have. You may also have ponderosa pine which is slightly lower btu, Id be cutting those as well if you have any standing dead. A good sign its very dry is to look up the tree... you will see a vertical slit or crack in the tree sometimes from near the bottom all the way to the top. This is caused by the tree contracting as it dries. This you will find to be a good sign its ready for the stove.

do you think the various pine i split back in June might be good to go by october? some was standing dead and some was the live cedar I had to fell to get home owners insurance.

The lodgepole likely will be especially if it was dead already, heck lodgepole pine is the kind of wood that if standing dead for awhile can be burned clean the same day as you drop the tree. I have such a supply of dead lodgepole Ive only once seasoned it from green and if memory serves correct it was because the city was doing some clearing and even helped load my truck. I think it was c,s,s in August, September and then I burned it a year and a bit later. Its a widely held belief that most coniferous trees (aside from larch) can be ready from green within a year if processed properly. Along with larch I also like to give doug fir a bit longer if I can. The cedar is lower btu than your lodgepole so depending on how big you split it and how youve been storing it, its likely ready as well. Big slabs probably not.

Buy yourself a moisture meter and then we will all know! Youve got me curious now!!

Sticky stuff in your chimney isnt a good sign. Burning wet wood is the main culprit but another one is shutting your stove down to quickly causing it to smolder. Once you have a good hot fire established you should be able to close down the air and go outside and look at whats coming out of the chimney. You should only see heat vapor and no smoke once your fire is established. If its mild out and you dont want to get your stove hot enough to achieve secondary combustion you may want to hold off on burning for a bit or just have an occasional fire.

 

[warno]

I also recommend the harbor freight meter. I have one it seems "close enough" accurate.

On the pallet burning note. If you have any large manufacturing plants near you ask them if they have pallets. For example where I work our sheet metal comes in on mostly oak and yellow pine skids that vary in size from 4 X 8 to 5 X 12. We have piles of them sitting outside waiting to be taken. My dad has heated his house with about 90% this wood for the past 5 years. So if you have any big companies around you, go to their front office and ask a manager about it. Seems a bit odd I know but hey you're only out the time it takes to ask.

 

[red oak]

Yes google a pic of lodgepole, I was thinking that was the main wood in your area but it's been a few years since I've been out that way. Any pine will do, and I think the standing dead would be a good place to start. Cedar cut in June may be ready given your climate - not the best but could be ready, especially if it's been stacked and off the ground. You can buy a MM if you want, but if that wood takes right off, feels light and dry, I would burn it with no problem. Watch how it burns - if it sizzles and smolders for more than a couple minutes it's not ready. If it takes off and burns hot right away it's dry enough. I'd like to re-emphasize that you check your chimney often, especially in your first winter of burning.

 

[Jeffm1]

It is certainly something I have considered. So far all pallets have been commandeered for wood stacking, including the one my new stove came in on. We also have some wood from the gutting of the bedrooms. Anyone in Northern Colorado know a place to go "Pallet Hunting"?

Craigslist

 

[Handsonautotech]

Craigslist

I checked craigslist today and I missed out on some good wood. I wish I had thought of that earlier. I found a post but it was too late someone cleared it out.

I got home tonight and looked at my wood and I think I am going to be ok. the stuff I stacked a few months ago sounds hollow when tapped and feels light. I started a fire tonight and it is burning fast and hot, minimal popping and no hissing at all.

Since I have been here (hearth.com) with you folks I have changed a few things. I chop my wood smaller now. I am leaving my door open for longer during start up and starting with a smaller fire. I am fairly certian that my sticky build up is due to my ignorance more then wet wood. I think we dampened some of our first fires a bit to early. Wife says 30F this weekend and for the first time in my life I am excited for the cold.

Wifey will pick up the moisture meter tomorrow and I will update.

I googled the various pines. I think I will need to examine the cones to be able to tell. I know we have a ton of cedar. I am not sure about the lodgepoll because this my 5 acres has no history of fire and I think they rely on forest fire to sprout.

I feel bad for folks that have a wood stove and do not visit these forums. I know I would be so far behind if it was not for all of you.

 

[Jeffm1]

I checked craigslist today and I missed out on some good wood. I wish I had thought of that earlier. I found a post but it was too late someone cleared it out.

I got home tonight and looked at my wood and I think I am going to be ok. the stuff I stacked a few months ago sounds hollow when tapped and feels light. I started a fire tonight and it is burning fast and hot, minimal popping and no hissing at all.

Since I have been here (hearth.com) with you folks I have changed a few things. I chop my wood smaller now. I am leaving my door open for longer during start up and starting with a smaller fire. I am fairly certian that my sticky build up is due to my ignorance more then wet wood. I think we dampened some of our first fires a bit to early. Wife says 30F this weekend and for the first time in my life I am excited for the cold.

Wifey will pick up the moisture meter tomorrow and I will update.

I googled the various pines. I think I will need to examine the cones to be able to tell. I know we have a ton of cedar. I am not sure about the lodgepoll because this my 5 acres has no history of fire and I think they rely on forest fire to sprout.

I feel bad for folks that have a wood stove and do not visit these forums. I know I would be so far behind if it was not for all of you.

You can even set up alerts on your account on craiglist to send you an email whenever someone posts a new ad with the key words you specify...

 

[firefighterjake]

. . .

I feel bad for folks that have a wood stove and do not visit these forums.. . .

These are most likely the folks who end up going back to the woodstove shop to complain that their woodstove is defective since it doesn't throw any heat, the wood takes forever to light and get going and their chimney is all gunked up (well, if they look at their chimney that is . . . most likely the first time they discover this last fact is when they call you . . . at 2 a.m. . . . to say it sounds like a freight train is in their chimney.)

 

[snavematt]

moisture meter is your friend. I never used one till a few weeks ago, never understood why I got bad burns from everything but poplar. I cut up some downed Locus trees this summer, split and stacked it. When i got my MM I checked the content, 15-20%. Was surprised it was that low, now those new splits are going in the wood shed. I also checked some Oak I CSS'ed in the spring, and it over 22% but looked dryer than the Locus. I am now 100% convinced that the meter is the way to go