Managing the Stacks? Can It Get too Dry?

[Mr A]

I have no idea how much wood I actually need for a full winter, I now have a quite a bit, getting close to 8 cords of oak(2), walnut(4) , and mulberry(2), and a cord of mixed cedar, pine, and cottonwood, and
unidentified. I read somewhere, can't quote it, but the article said wood dried under 10% will burn too fast. I like to split and stack ASAP. I do it in my driveway, of my suburban house. Question? When you guys talk about getting years ahead, is it split and stacked? How long can a split, stacked ,stack be stored? Probably a dumb question, I have not been burning long,. just started. I think 2 to 3 cords will do me for a winter, but have not burned through on yet.

 

[DexterDay]

Dont worry about it getting "to dry".... Moisture takes energy to boil out of the wood. The less moisture in the wood, the less energy and heat you waste "boiling water".......

Old Timers think that all that moisture helps it "burn longer"....?? It does., Kinda?!? But not in a good way. An 8" green Oak round will Smother for a full day. But all your gonna get is a lot of smoke and no heat.

Keep C/S/S that wood. You will thank yourself later. (Oh and getting wood down to 10% is gonna be quite hard. Just because of the moisture in the air)

 

[Woody Stover]

I've burned some wood that was around 15-16% and it didn't seem to burn too fast. One should be able to control the burn rate by controlling the amount of air, but the new stoves are designed to admit a certain minimum amount...

In most areas of the US, wood will reach equilibrium at 12-13% MC, although your NorCal location could be drier.

http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplrn/fplrn268.pdf

 

[Mr A]

My neighbors think i'm nuts, I have 4 cords in my driveway, added another cord of mulberry after this pic. There will be at a month of restricted burn days for sure. Harbor Freight was all out of moisture meters. I want my neighbors truck, is that coveting?

 

[Jags]

If you are drying your wood in the great outdoors, you will not get it "too" dry. It just ain't gonna happen naturally unless your sitting in the middle of death valley, but then you would have very little reason to be running a wood stove.

And I have said it before, but...thanks for taking care of that annoying little insurance pig that yells we we,we weeeeeeeeeeeeee.

 

[tomc585]

I have no idea how much wood I actually need for a full winter. When you guys talk about getting years ahead, is it split and stacked? How long can a split, stacked ,stack be stored? Probably a dumb question, I have not been burning long,. just started. I think 2 to 3 cords will do me for a winter.

On Long Island I burn about 4 cords of hardwood per year (24-7 Nov-April)
a few years back I just couldn't turn down all the free and easy wood that was available. I had about 12 cords split and stacked at one point. Been keeping the blinders on when I pass free wood, I need to stay around 8-10 cords otherwise it just hangs around to long and I begin to see that white stuff growing on it.
Burning to fast? naah..just makes it easier to light. I like my wood seasoned 2 years and the only time I cover it is when I'm burning from that pile. Seems that after 3 years it can begin to rot if its not sheltered.

 

[firefighterjake]

I don't believe I've ever heard anyone here complain about their well seasoned wood burning too quickly . . . but I do hear a number of folks come Fall who say the "seasoned" wood they purchased or cut up this past Summer doesn't work very well in their EPA stove.

Don't worry about things being too dry . . .

 

[3fordasho]

I've been sorting through parts of my wood supply that have been split and stacked for 4-5years. In those days I would take anything and keep everything (shorties/uglies). I've been pulling out those oddballs and also lesser quality wood (soft maple, box elder, and wood that was partially rotted when I stacked it) and selling it off as firepit wood. I wouldn't say anything had gotten too dry, but some was feeling a bit on the light side. Does not seem to be as much of a problem with wood that was healthy when cut and split or wood that is decent firewood to begin with.. (ie not boxelder, siberian elm, willow, etc)

I have no idea how much wood I actually need for a full winter, I now have a quite a bit, getting close to 8 cords of oak(2), walnut(4) , and mulberry(2), and a cord of mixed cedar, pine, and cottonwood, and
unidentified. I read somewhere, can't quote it, but the article said wood dried under 10% will burn too fast. I like to split and stack ASAP. I do it in my driveway, of my suburban house. Question? When you guys talk about getting years ahead, is it split and stacked? How long can a split, stacked ,stack be stored? Probably a dumb question, I have not been burning long,. just started. I think 2 to 3 cords will do me for a winter, but have not burned through on yet.

 

[woodchip]

If you are worried about your wood being too dry, I'm sure someone here will offer to swap it with some nice wet wood........

 

[bogydave]

Getting wood below 10% moisture, stored outdoors is tough.
0% moisture wood would absorb water, depending on the humidity levels in the air.
Even painted wood furniture absorbs moisture & swells up with high humidity.
Ever see/have a drawer or wooden door jam get tight in the high humidity months?
It would be nice to burn some in a wood stove with good air control, light easy & low burns would crank off lots of heat.

How long will it last.
BackwoodSav has some a few decades old & it's still good
I have wood (boards) stored in an outside storage shed for 20 + years, still solid. My 30 + year old house is still solid. Keep wood dry & out of the rain, it may last forever

 

[ScotO]

Yepper, you will NEVER get that wood too dry. Once it gets (if it EVER gets) to your areas' AVERAGE relative humidity for that given time of the year, that's about as far as it will go.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I have no idea how much wood I actually need for a full winter, I now have a quite a bit, getting close to 8 cords of oak(2), walnut(4) , and mulberry(2), and a cord of mixed cedar, pine, and cottonwood, and
unidentified. I read somewhere, can't quote it, but the article said wood dried under 10% will burn too fast. I like to split and stack ASAP. I do it in my driveway, of my suburban house. Question? When you guys talk about getting years ahead, is it split and stacked? How long can a split, stacked ,stack be stored? Probably a dumb question, I have not been burning long,. just started. I think 2 to 3 cords will do me for a winter, but have not burned through on yet.

It is tough for us to say how much wood you will need for your area. It also depends upon how much area you are heating and at what temperature you want the house.

8 cord of wood on hand is great! Congratulations to you for that. As others have stated, we just don't worry about wood getting too dry. It just does not happen. btw, at present, we have enough wood cut, split and stacked outdoors to last at least until the spring of 2020. Will it be too dry? Fat chance for that to happen. We do top cover the wood after the first summer of drying.Here are some pictures.

First one was taken on Christmas Day 2008. That wood is all gone now.



This wood was cut during the winter of 2008-2009. Finished stacking in early April 2009. We still have enough of that wood for this coming winter and a bit more for the next one.



This is part of the same stack shown above to show how we top cover the wood.

 

[tfdchief]

If it gets to dry, call me. I will come and get rid of it for you. Oh, just saw where you live. Probably won't come get it, but somebody on this forum will

 

[Realstone]

Yepper, you will NEVER get that wood too dry. Once it gets (if it EVER gets) to your areas' AVERAGE relative humidity for that given time of the year, that's about as far as it will go.

Now see, I don't get that. The average humidity levels around here (and I'm sure it's the same for all us folk east of the Great Lakes/Mississippi) is somewhere around 40% - 55%. But our wood settles in after seasoning properly to about 15%. Seems counter intuitive to me.

 

[tfdchief]

Now see, I don't get that. The average humidity levels around here (and I'm sure it's the same for all us folk east of the Great Lakes/Mississippi) is somewhere around 40% - 55%. But our wood settles in after seasoning properly to about 15%. Seems counter intuitive to me.

It is not a direct relationship. Read post # 3 and go to the link posted there. It explains it very well

 

[ScotO]

Now see, I don't get that. The average humidity levels around here (and I'm sure it's the same for all us folk east of the Great Lakes/Mississippi) is somewhere around 40% - 55%. But our wood settles in after seasoning properly to about 15%. Seems counter intuitive to me.

Tdchief cleared it up for us, Realstone. Go to the link in post #3 by Woody Stover on this thread and you will see how they come up with the EMC, equilibrium moisture content, of wood for your given area. I should have stated in my post that it is a formula relavent to average humidity AND temperature per given time of the year, I mis-worded it. That link in post #3 clearly explains it, and even has a chart for each state per month of year. Great chart too! Thanks Woody and tdchief!

 

[Realstone]

Thanks, will read that now. Will this teach me to scrutinize the posts more thoroughly? Probably not

 

[tfdchief]

Thanks, will read that now. Will this teach me to scrutinize the posts more thoroughly? Probably not

Hey Realstone, no big deal. We all miss stuff. It's just that some of us are so consumed with the whole wood burning thing that we read every word, sometimes twice Besides, that is a great article and glad you will get to read it.

 

[Blue Vomit]

Reading that chart, I knew there had to be something good about living in Iraq.

 

[Highbeam]

I've had wood get too old. I cut lots of deciduous softwood species like red alder, maple, cottonwood, willow, etc. and stack in a field up on pallets with the tops covered. I noticed that the really old wood, say 3-4 years od, was getting very light. It was not punky jsut very light. In the stove, that wood would off-gas very quickly for a big flame show and then the coal stage was very short. It basicly turns into gopher wood, burn times too short.

So moisture content is not the only thing that determines wood quality. The stuff can dry rot too.

It worked out though since wood sells for about 250$ a cord and I sold off 5 cords or so. Pretty easy money and I can buy wood cutting tools with the cash.

My plan since then has been to go into fall with just over two year's worth of wood stacked up. That way my firewood is under 3 years old and all is good.

 

[Realstone]

Read the research note. A question comes to mind. If the split of wood has reached moisture equilibrium with the outdoor temperature/humidity combination in January, and we bring that split indoors, isn't that split going to have a much higher moisture content than a split that has reached moisture equilibrium indoors? In other words, should we allow splits to 'season' indoors for a few weeks before burning to allow the moisture to wick off?

 

[fire_man]

If you are drying your wood in the great outdoors, you will not get it "too" dry. It just ain't gonna happen naturally unless your sitting in the middle of death valley, but then you would have very little reason to be running a wood stove.

And I have said it before, but...thanks for taking care of that annoying little insurance pig that yells we we,we weeeeeeeeeeeeee.

I agree, but some stove makers (VC I think is one) says in their burning instructions not to season longer than 18 months or it could be too dry and harm the stove. I never understood the reasoning......

 

[Realstone]

I agree, but some stove makers (VC I think is one) says in their burning instructions not to season longer than 18 months or it could be too dry and harm the stove. I never understood the reasoning......

Over firing due to inexperience?

 

[ScotO]

Yeah, try burning red oak that is cut green and seasoned for only 18 months.......gonna have some creosote problems and less-than-desirable heat.

 

[Locust Post]

It is tough for us to say how much wood you will need for your area. It also depends upon how much area you are heating and at what temperature you want the house.

8 cord of wood on hand is great! Congratulations to you for that. As others have stated, we just don't worry about wood getting too dry. It just does not happen. btw, at present, we have enough wood cut, split and stacked outdoors to last at least until the spring of 2020. Will it be too dry? Fat chance for that to happen. We do top cover the wood after the first summer of drying.Here are some pictures.

First one was taken on Christmas Day 2008. That wood is all gone now.

View attachment 70011

This wood was cut during the winter of 2008-2009. Finished stacking in early April 2009. We still have enough of that wood for this coming winter and a bit more for the next one.
View attachment 70013


This is part of the same stack shown above to show how we top cover the wood.
View attachment 70012

I never get tired of seeing Savs stacks of wood.