Moisture Content!?

[Jrdbno381]

Good day everyone.

I'm hoping someone here can help me out with some knowledge. Wife and I are looking at installing a wood stove in the house as primary heat source.

We live in Northern Canada, winters are wicked cold.

This brings me to my question.

We have ample access to standing dead wood. This wood is mostly spruce/ jack pine with the odd poplar mixed in. The entire area surrounding our home ~ 30 mile radius burned in 2015-2016. I'm wondering what kind of moisture content you suspect this wood would have? Trees are 6-10 diameter trees.

We are looking at purchasing a Blaze King Sirocco but I'm just super unsure of moisture content. I am trying to locate a moisture tester but wont have access to one anytime soon.

 

[bholler]

Good day everyone.

I'm hoping someone here can help me out with some knowledge. Wife and I are looking at installing a wood stove in the house as primary heat source.

We live in Northern Canada, winters are wicked cold.

This brings me to my question.

We have ample access to standing dead wood. This wood is mostly spruce/ jack pine with the odd poplar mixed in. The entire area surrounding our home ~ 30 mile radius burned in 2015-2016. I'm wondering what kind of moisture content you suspect this wood would have? Trees are 6-10 diameter trees.

We are looking at purchasing a Blaze King Sirocco but I'm just super unsure of moisture content. I am trying to locate a moisture tester but wont have access to one anytime soon.

My guess would be high 20% range at the base low 20s at the top. But it could certainly be lower.

Get cutting and splitting now.

 

[snobuilder]

Good day everyone.

I'm hoping someone here can help me out with some knowledge. Wife and I are looking at installing a wood stove in the house as primary heat source.

We live in Northern Canada, winters are wicked cold.

This brings me to my question.

We have ample access to standing dead wood. This wood is mostly spruce/ jack pine with the odd poplar mixed in. The entire area surrounding our home ~ 30 mile radius burned in 2015-2016. I'm wondering what kind of moisture content you suspect this wood would have? Trees are 6-10 diameter trees.

We are looking at purchasing a Blaze King Sirocco but I'm just super unsure of moisture content. I am trying to locate a moisture tester but wont have access to one anytime soon.

You mentioned a recent wild fire ......
Just an unrelated question that is related in reference to fire insurance coverage of your homes out west.

If you have a home in the western US tinderbox regions that experience these horrendous and nearly predictable wildfires every few years.....are these insurance companies taking my NON tinderbox mid west insurance premium money and using it to rebuild your choice to build in these same tinderboxes....or no?

 

[snobuilder]

I am only asking because this site has taught me that if m y wood stove install has any sort of non conforming issues I might not be covered even though I pay VERY HIGH premiums on a yearly basis.

Just wondering where my premiums are being used as I have never made a claim in 45 years.


Paradise CA comes to mind as the most recent fire disaster out west.

 

[stoveliker]

If Amazon delivers where you are, you can get this one (pretty quickly):

Amazon product ASIN B00275F5O2
Regardless, I second bholler: cut it and stack off the ground and top covered. Burning from dead standing might be possible, but it's not guaranteed. If you stack now, you'll be (very) fine come next burning season.

 

[johneh]

The standing dead is what we used to call pre burned
You will find that the moisture content standing will be 18 to 22 %
Cut and split, stack and top cover, and when you are ready to burn
it will be well below 20%
At least that's the way it was when my son lived in Dawson City