Proud new owner of a wood burning insert with questions about moisture content

[soundofsilence]

Hi all, thanks again to the members of this forum who earlier helped me decide on a wood burning insert. We went with the osburn matrix 2700, which we love (except for the fact that it apparently doesn't qualify for the federal tax credit).

I have burned a few smaller test fires to break in the unit. We have a cord of oak that is measuring 25%-30% moisture content, which I know is too high. Is that why my glass is so dirty after a single fire? I cleaned half of the glass to show how dirty it got.

We have a great spot to store our wood, south facing so it gets plenty of sun. I'm hunting for a batch of drier wood (max 20% MC), but trying to sort out a plan if I can't find any. I assume the wood I've got will dry a little over the next month or two (Chicago area).

I guess my questions are:

1. Is the dirty glass from wet wood?
2. Is there anything I can do to mitigate to help us through this first year (I'll season wood myself by having next year's wood drying all next year)? Would an occasional creosote block help to prevent buildup?

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[EbS-P]

Yes your wood is partly(or mostly) why the glass is black. The real reason is you are not getting the stove up to a high enough operating temperature. This can be draft related. The warmer it is outside the less draft you get.

I suggest buying some compressed sawdust products. You can hunt around but this year you will pay a huge premium for ready to burn (MC<21%) wood if you can even find it.

Tax credit?
Is the matrix 2700 differ from the matrix-I

https://sbiweb.blob.core.windows.net/media/5411/osburn_irs_2020.pdf

 

[stoveliker]

I'm not sure the next two months will make a big difference (outside).

For next year, the oak that is 30 pct now may not be good enough. May or may not.
Most people dry oak (at least) two years.

See if you can get some ash, cherry, pine. Those can dry in a year.

Get enough wood for now for next season (see above) and the season after that. It's n investment (of time or money) now, but once done you only need to get the wood to replace what you burned that year. This allows you to have it dry for two years.

For compressed sawdust logs, make sure you get ones without additives. NIELS is the name I remember for one brand.

 

[soundofsilence]

Yes your wood is partly(or mostly) why the glass is black. The real reason is you are not getting the stove up to a high enough operating temperature. This can be draft related. The warmer it is outside the less draft you get.

I suggest buying some compressed sawdust products. You can hunt around but this year you will pay a huge premium for ready to burn (MC<21%) wood if you can even find it.

Tax credit?
Is the matrix 2700 differ from the matrix-I

https://sbiweb.blob.core.windows.net/media/5411/osburn_irs_2020.pdf

Thanks for the feedback. I'll explore compressed sawdust products. As for the tax credit, the 2022 flyer (below) seems to rule out the matrix 2700, which is ridiculous that these units barely miss the EPA threshold.

New tax credits for 2021

You are mistaking "getting money back" for "getting money when your tax bill was already zero". The latter is called "refundable". This credit is not refundable. When you do your taxes, you see how much your tax bill is, and how much was withheld for that during the year. If more was withheld...

www.hearth.com

 

[soundofsilence]

I'm not sure the next two months will make a big difference (outside).

For next year, the oak that is 30 pct now may not be good enough. May or may not.
Most people dry oak (at least) two years.

See if you can get some ash, cherry, pine. Those can dry in a year.

Get enough wood for now for next season (see above) and the season after that. It's n investment (of time or money) now, but once done you only need to get the wood to replace what you burned that year. This allows you to have it dry for two years.

For compressed sawdust logs, make sure you get ones without additives. NIELS is the name I remember for one brand.

Awesome recommendation regarding other hardwoods for me to look at, I'll do that. Fortunately, I have the ability to purchase and store several full cords for 2023 and beyond.

 

[EbS-P]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll explore compressed sawdust products. As for the tax credit, the 2022 flyer (below) seems to rule out the matrix 2700, which is ridiculous that these units barely miss the EPA threshold.

New tax credits for 2021

You are mistaking "getting money back" for "getting money when your tax bill was already zero". The latter is called "refundable". This credit is not refundable. When you do your taxes, you see how much your tax bill is, and how much was withheld for that during the year. If more was withheld...

www.hearth.com

Yeah the 2700 won’t make the cut for the tax credit. FWIW when I bought my 1800i I didn’t qualify now it does. It I haven’t found the time to file an amended return.

 

[gzecc]

For the first few years stay away from oak unless you split to the size of your wrist. Big oak splits could take 3 yrs to season. That was my experience in poor drying conditions.