Little heat from new insert

[Johnny Mac]

Hi.

I've just joined this group to see if I can get an answer to a question. Last spring (March 2008) we installed a new wood burning insert in our fireplace. It's a Pacific Energy "Pacific" model, rated to heat a home of up to 2000 sq ft. We ran the stove a few times in the spring and really got a lot of eajoyment and heat from it. Now, however, I can't seem to get a hot fire going. Actually, I should clarify that; I can get a hot fire going, but I don't seem to get a lot of heat form the unit. This is really frustrating!

I've been using wood that we had delivered recently but I don't know if it might be wet wood with a high moisture content. Basically, it seems to take forever to get the fire really roaring, and the low amount of heat that results is really surprising. Which is a real pain as we have been looking forward to using our stove so we can use less fuel oil this winter.

Can anyone help me out on this one? I'd really appreciate some thoughts.

Many thanks.
Johnny Mac

 

[begreen]

Sure sounds like wet wood. If you look at the ends of the splits when they are heating up are they bubbling and sizzling?

 

[Johnny Mac]

Hey - thanks for your quick reply.

Yes, some of the logs were doing just that - bubbling and sizzling away. But I didn't know if it may have been just surface moisture or deeper in the wood. I know it rained like crazy here the day before the wood was delivered...

The wood isn't "green" wood as a friend suggested, where it was cut just recently, but its really not as dry/seasoned as I was told by the vendor I got it from. Do you have any idea how long it would take the wood to dry out enough to be more useable? And would you have any suggestions on how to speed up the drying? I have 2 cord piled in the garage, and about 1/3 of a cord in a wood cradle on the deck, getting sun/wind exposure. Some of this wood seems to be drying, but not as much as I'd hoped.

Thanks for your help.

 

[rathmir]

It really depends on the type of wood, but at the very least 6 months and probably more like a year to properly dry it out; not to say you cant use it before then, but your results will be less than stellar. As far as speeding it up the only thing you can do is put it in the ideal situations: very loosely stacked single rows out in a very sunny and windy area. You also want to keep the elements off it, adding rain moisture to it will drastically slow the process. I keep mine uncovered, but I watch the weather like a hawk, and if it even threatens rain I cover my stacks. Soon I will probably just leave them covered as most of my stuff is pretty dry.

Just remember, sun and airflow are your biggest friends right now.

Good luck.

 

[RedRanger]

With a state of the art insert like that one--well, I can smell it from here, ==wet wood. Better start scrounging pallets, or whatever else you can find that is dry and ready to burn.

 

[begreen]

Hey - thanks for your quick reply.

Yes, some of the logs were doing just that - bubbling and sizzling away. But I didn't know if it may have been just surface moisture or deeper in the wood. I know it rained like crazy here the day before the wood was delivered...

The wood isn't "green" wood as a friend suggested, where it was cut just recently, but its really not as dry/seasoned as I was told by the vendor I got it from. Do you have any idea how long it would take the wood to dry out enough to be more useable? And would you have any suggestions on how to speed up the drying? I have 2 cord piled in the garage, and about 1/3 of a cord in a wood cradle on the deck, getting sun/wind exposure. Some of this wood seems to be drying, but not as much as I'd hoped.

Thanks for your help.

If the ends are bubbling and sizzling, the wood is wet on the inside. You can accelerate the drying by splitting it to expose more surface area. That and air movement, like a fan blowing across and through the pile will help.

Do you know what type of wood this is? Some dry out quicker than others.

 

[High_Iron]

yea, I agree. From what I understand those inserts throw heat. It definatly sounds like wet/un seasoned wood.

 

[karl]

Right now you need sun, wind, and no rain. Once winter hits and the humidity is low try keeping a few days worth of it at a time inside to help dry it out.

Mixing with pallet wood is a good idea.

 

[Johnny Mac]

Thanks very much for the replies, folks - much appreciated.

I guess I'll have to re-arrange the wood pile and get more air/light on it to try and move the drying along - and also get looking for some dry wood that I can get burning right away.

Thanks again.

 

[oconnor]

Hey there fellow Bluenoser

Big problems with wet wood 'round the Annapolis Valley this year with the rains and most of us getting delivery in late Sept, not to mention the fact that I can never get it ordered early enough. Next year, I'll have it in my yard in June!!

I have thrown some of the wood in the basement/house, stacked it around a dehumidifier, and covered the works with a tarp. Best if you hook the dehumidifier to a drain vice having to remember to empty the bucket. If you did this with a 1/4 cord, split fine, to try, you may get better drying than outside these days.

 

[Johnny Mac]

Hi Brent.

Thanks for the suggestion on piling the wood around a dehumidifier and covering with a tarp; that's a wicked idea. I'm sure that'll put me in better shape than I am now. And right away I'm going to order another cord or two to stack and dry for next year.

As you mentioned, there are a lot of stories of people getting really wet wood this year - with so much rain in July and August, right across Nova Scotia, many folks are in the same boat. I just wish I had followed the advice of the guys who installed my insert back in March, when they suggested I buy my wood immediately and let it dry over the summer!

Thanks again, for the great tip there, Bluenoser!

John

 

[Henz]

The wood I got this year, having learned a lesson is from my property and it is deadfall. No leaves on it so I figured that it would be pretty dry. I split and stacked the wood and left it uncovered for three solid months. I have been burning it and I would say that 50% of it sizzles. IT starts fine, burns fine but I do get black glass where last year and the year prior I knew I burned dry wood and I hardly ever got black glass

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I assume there's a blower on the stove. An insert needs that blower on when it gets up to temp, or it won't give half the heat that it would with it.

 

[Henz]

yup, no way no how would I ever purchase a stove without the blower option