New to buying

[J4ckkn1fe]

I just purchased a house with a wood stove and diving headfirst into it. Thankfully the seller left some wood behind so I can get acquainted with the stove, which I believe I have.

I just purchased a true cord of "seasoned" firewood from Craigslist. The wood in question does not seem seasoned for long. Some of the pieces seem moist from touch but the split side seems dry. I will be buying a humidity meter soon to test but unfortunately I have no property with trees to properly season and I can only store one cord at a time. The place I'm storing it in now is a shed with no windows. I could by a rack but I only have space in the carport for it and I don't think that would be optimal.

Does anyone know of good tips to get this wood in proper condition from being stored in a shed? Or better outlets to buy then Craigslist.

 

[Montanalocal]

This "Shed with no windows",(pics would be nice), if not needed for other purposes, could be transformed into a woodshed with air flow through it. Go in and cut out multiple window-like openings both up and down your prevailing wind sides. Then the simplest and cheapest way would be to simply tack window screen over the openings. If you needed real windows, get some plexiglas and use some snap connectors to hold it in place during the periods when you need it.

You could also get a few big fans and turn them on to pull air through during warm /dry periods.

 

[J4ckkn1fe]

There isn't much of an overhang and it rains 85% of the time here so I could see some run through. Not quite sure if that is a viable option. I was thinking maybe run an extension cord out there and put a floor heater during the day on "clear" days.

 

[Tar12]

" extension cord out there and put a floor heater" Huge mistake! If either fails you will have the fire of a lifetime! You will likely never buy good properly seasoned wood from anyone.You just got your first taste of that. If you can't find room to season wood out maybe you need to give it up or make room as most wood needs 18-24 months to season properly.There is no short cut to seasoning fireword...sorry.

 

[HisTreeNut]

A couple of questions before rendering advice...
1) What kind of stove do you have in the house [and how old is the stove]?
2) Is the house newer/older & well-insulated or not?
3) Are you planning to heat solely with wood or supplement with the wood heat?
Might be able to give better advice knowing this info...
Thanks & welcome to the forums!

 

[J4ckkn1fe]

I won't leave the floor heater unattended. It's a Napoleon Huntsville 1400 and the house is decently insulated. I would ideally like to heat solely with the stove.

 

[pernox]

A little blown in rain shouldn't be too much of a problem. Your windowless shed sound perfect!

I would definitely be looking to expand storage space though so you can dry your own wood and be sure it's ready to go when you need it. That way if you have to buy, it doesn't matter if it's seasoned since you're doing the dying yourself. Even small stacks strategically placed can add up - under a deck or stairs, a nice row against a fence, under the overhangs of a split level ranch, a row alongside the driveway, etc.

 

[kavu]

Talking with other people who burn looking for a good seller is probably your best bet. Seasoning wood takes a long time. Perhaps bringing wood inside in your stove room will help. A few days inside will help dry it a little bit.

 

[Sprinter]

Depending on the size of the house, insulation value, etc, you could easily need two or more cords a year. If you can't store 4 or more cords under good cover, you should aim to buy a species that is relatively fast drying. If you are on the west side of the state as I and some others are, pine, alder, or maybe fir. Avoid the hard species like oak that can take three years.

If drying time is a problem, then split it small, stack it with plenty of air space and air flow. Maybe criss-cross pattern. That takes more space, but will dry quicker. I was in the same boat at first, but was able to build an adequate shelter for about 5 cords, and use mostly alder and a soft fir species. Do it right and you should be okay next year, and the next after that will be better, but you may find one cord to be lacking.

No matter what a firewood supplier will tell you, it's nearly impossible to buy truly seasoned wood. There is no standard for what "seasoned" means, so it's buyer beware. You are right to get a moisture meter. Split open an example and read the middle to be sure what you have. If you are handy, you may even think about a solar kiln setup of some kind.

Are you on the east or west side?

 

[Tar12]

Regardless of house size.. insulation...ect...ect...you must have dry seasoned wood.I am more worried about you burning safely with you being new to wood burning..Have you had the flue cleaned? If not get it checked or better yet learn how to do it yourself and save some bucks and to keep from having a chimney fire.GOOD DRY SEASONED wood will greatly reduce the risk of a chimney fire I can't stress this enough to you.Do you have a friend or any family who would allow you to store some wood who is reasonably close to you? Can you describe or take pictures of your chimney set up? Learn how to properly use that moisture meter and take no ones word about how seasoned the wood is and check before you buy! Since storage is a big factor for you this should be of the utmost importance to you.

 

[trguitar]

In terms of buying wood, contact tree companies. Many of them sell firewood from the trees they take down. Some even will give it away because otherwise they have to pay to take it to the dump.

You've already experienced the "seasoned" wood isn't really seasoned problem, which probably all of us have when we first started. So, if you are going to buy wood, buy it green. You will get a much better price, and then you know how long you need to stack it.

I'm not familiar with Northwest drying times and wood types, so I can't really comment on how long it will take you. Maybe others from the Northwest can give you an idea.

 

[J4ckkn1fe]

West side Kitsap area, I got a bunch of alder. I think it will just get a rack and put it under the carport. Some airflow is better then none.

 

[CHeath]

It will take a while to find an honest craigslist seller. To me, if it says "seasoned" it aint. When they get to your house, break out your $12 moisture meter and check a split. On the ends and the center. Needs to be 20% or less. If its 40,50, or more, it wont be ready for a while depending on make of wood. Trust me, I learned the hard way. Water dont burn. And dont be afraid to send them away with the wood still on their truck. You can always ask them what seasoned means to them on the phone. If its soaked inside you are not going to need it.

 

[J4ckkn1fe]

Thanks for the tips guys! I will buy the humidity tester today and see the quality I have gotten. Depending on what it reads at I will try and find room to store 2 cords and just have one outside and the other in the shed. If I buy around now depending on what it reads at it should be good to go for winter. I wish I had more room to store this stuff!

 

[CHeath]

Thanks for the tips guys! I will buy the humidity tester today and see the quality I have gotten. Depending on what it reads at I will try and find room to store 2 cords and just have one outside and the other in the shed. If I buy around now depending on what it reads at it should be good to go for winter. I wish I had more room to store this stuff!

I'm in the same boat. I have an acre of land that my home sits on and my subdivision is not "uppidity" but it's very nice. The only place for me to store it is as you drive up my driveway and I am not willing to do that. Wood stacks are an eye sore to me. Plus you will have no grass if you plan on bucking or splitting in that area. Some guys here can't understand why I feel this way but it's simple. Wood stacks look bad. I'm not having them near my house. I do it all at the nearest wooded area to it.

 

[J4ckkn1fe]

Yeah I'm not sure if I want to put faith in my neighborhood because if I want to cram 3 cords I would have to get 2 more racks on the other side of the carport that isn't gated....Idk if people around here would steal wood or not, haha.

 

[maple1]

Wood stacks look bad.

That's in the eye of the beholder.

 

[kavu]

Thanks for the tips guys! I will buy the humidity tester today and see the quality I have gotten. Depending on what it reads at I will try and find room to store 2 cords and just have one outside and the other in the shed. If I buy around now depending on what it reads at it should be good to go for winter. I wish I had more room to store this stuff!

You should split the piece in question in half and then measure the inside of the split to see the moisture content.

 

[kavu]

Wood stacks look bad.

That's in the eye of the beholder.

I agree

 

[CHeath]

I agree

100% true.

 

[CHeath]

Wood stacks look bad.

That's in the eye of the beholder.

Let me re quote that. The stack thats in my profile looks good. As well as any like it. Just a pile of wood looks bad. (to me) lol

 

[maple1]

Let me re quote that. The stack thats in my profile looks good. As well as any like it. Just a pile of wood looks bad. (to me) lol

Sounds like the same wavelength.

 

[Sprinter]

West side Kitsap area, I got a bunch of alder. I think it will just get a rack and put it under the carport. Some airflow is better then none.

Wood stacks start to look better and better in the winter

Alder is a good choice around here. It's plentiful, very easy to split, and yields good heat. When I decided to get a stove in the early spring, the first thing I did was get a few cords of wood (mostly alder) and did my best to get it dry before burning season. That first year it was a little difficult because the best I had was around 25% with a lot still around 30. However, I made it through okay with some darkening of the window, etc. Still, when I cleaned the flue the next spring, I got only a handful of powder soot. I had to get creative with burning technique though, because anything over about 25% is going to cause problems. That seems to be a critical point.

So do the best you can, try to get at least two cords under cover somewhere. Under the carport, a shed with good airflow, etc. Use that meter every time you split. They may vary a lot throughout the stack. If you have to have some outside in the open, get some kind of cover over it. In this climate, it's pretty necessary.

Remember, air is what does the drying.

 

[CHeath]

Sounds like the same wavelength.

lol