To burn or not to burn this year

[liv2hnt]

I have several cords of mainly oak that have been C/S/S for 12 to 18 months. I bought a moisture meter yesterday and I split several of the splits and they are reading 20-24%. It seems like some folks want the moisture content below 20%, but give me your thoughts on it. Should I burn it or leave it another year?

The wood that is 20% to 24% is stacked outside the wood shed and I thought I might have to burn it opposed to restacking it in the shed this fall? ; ) I probably have enough other seasoned wood (20% or just below) to get me through the winter.....If I'm lucky.

 

[fossil]

Well, you could split some smaller, stack it loosely and let it continue to season some more on into mid-late burning season. That would give the wood the best chance to be really ready to burn. I think maybe that's what I'd do..."and set it aside" for just in case. Burn it this year if it comes right down to that or nothing. The way it is right now, you could get it to burn, it just wouldn't be the best fuel for your stove. Rick

 

[liv2hnt]

Thanks for the reply Rick,

I will keep that in mind.

 

[NordicSplitter]

Go through all your oak and pull out the 20% pieces and stack them to the side for use. By the time you do use them they should be around 18%. The rest....save for next winter. Might be a pain and time consuming...but worth it.

 

[rdust]

Go through all your oak and pull out the 20% pieces and stack them to the side for use. By the time you do use them they should be around 18%. The rest....save for next winter. Might be a pain and time consuming...but worth it.

That sounds like crazy talk to me! The only way to know if it's below 20% would be to split it, splitting every piece and touching a meter to it is not a way I would spend my free time! In the process you would potentially be turning the wood into tooth picks.

It'll burn at 25%, give it a little extra air so it burns on the hotter side. It may be a little sluggish to start and may not coal the best but it'll burn. Wood that's seasoned 12-18 months is well ahead of the average Joe who is not a member on this site. :coolgrin:

 

[PapaDave]

I didn't check the MC, but that was my wood last year. It actually burned quite well......most of it.
I have an older stove, so your experience may be different.
You could bring it into the house and leave it near the stove (but not TOO close) for a day, then burn it. You could also mix it with the dryer stuff after getting a good fire going in the real cold weather. Much better than getting the wood in Sept. to burn this winter. I think you'll be fine.
Go get more wood now though. :lol:

 

[liv2hnt]

Thanks for the replies all,

Papa Dave,

I am always getting wood, except in July and August. Too hot in OK to cut wood during those two months. I am ahead of the game by at least a year. I plan on cutting quite a bit this fall and winter.

 

[Gark]

You could bring it into the house and leave it near the stove (but not TOO close) for a day, then burn it. You could also mix it with the dryer stuff after getting a good fire going in the real cold weather.
Go get more wood now though. :lol:

+1
Have had to stack less-than-dry-wood near the stove, and it's weird how quickly it loses moisture. For us, it was about a week.

 

[Todd]

I've never had a problem burning Oak under 25% moisture. Over that and you get some sizzlers. I'd save it for the end of the season just in case you need it.

 

[cptoneleg]

I have several cords of mainly oak that have been C/S/S for 12 to 18 months. I bought a moisture meter yesterday and I split several of the splits and they are reading 20-24%. It seems like some folks want the moisture content below 20%, but give me your thoughts on it. Should I burn it or leave it another year?

The wood that is 20% to 24% is stacked outside the wood shed and I thought I might have to burn it opposed to restacking it in the shed this fall? ; ) I probably have enough other seasoned wood (20% or just below) to get me through the winter.....If I'm lucky.

Come on now that wood is near perfict, and you got more wood, probably 100* deg down there today, another 50 days till you need afire , man you in good shape .


Good Luck

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I have several cords of mainly oak that have been C/S/S for 12 to 18 months. I bought a moisture meter yesterday and I split several of the splits and they are reading 20-24%. It seems like some folks want the moisture content below 20%, but give me your thoughts on it. Should I burn it or leave it another year?

The wood that is 20% to 24% is stacked outside the wood shed and I thought I might have to burn it opposed to restacking it in the shed this fall? ; ) I probably have enough other seasoned wood (20% or just below) to get me through the winter.....If I'm lucky.

You have enough other wood to get you through this winter. If it were me, I'd just wait one more year on the oak. Sure, it will burn this year but it will burn even better next year and you'll enjoy more heat from it. The reason is you won't need as much draft and that will keep the heat in the house where you need it rather than sending it up the chimney.

 

[CTYank]

That sounds like crazy talk to me! The only way to know if it's below 20% would be to split it, splitting every piece and touching a meter to it is not a way I would spend my free time! In the process you would potentially be turning the wood into tooth picks.

T'ain't necessarily so. And why rush oak, but ...

I've found that I don't need to resplit pieces in a stack to check MC, so long as I check on a face that's been relatively "hidden" from sun/wind.

Most homeowner MMs are not exactly lab instruments, and I'd consider a reading of 18% same as 20%. Better than making toothpicks. The next para. explains why I don't get really excited about exact MC outdoors.

All the wood I use gets stacked near the stove for weeks plus (at times up to 180 F). No matter then, it's all around 5% MC when it's loaded in. (180 F is considered cool for a kiln, but one must be vigilant.)

 

[nate379]

20% is fine. I have birch that has been cut, split and corded for 2.5 years and that is what my meter reads on them as well. It's dry enough that I can just about light a fire holding a match to it.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

To burn or not to burn this year

I think you should definitely do one or the other

 

[liv2hnt]

To burn or not to burn this year

I think you should definitely do one or the other

Perfect! Why didn't I think of that! ;-)

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That sounds like crazy talk to me! The only way to know if it's below 20% would be to split it, splitting every piece and touching a meter to it is not a way I would spend my free time! In the process you would potentially be turning the wood into tooth picks.

T'ain't necessarily so. And why rush oak, but ...

I've found that I don't need to resplit pieces in a stack to check MC, so long as I check on a face that's been relatively "hidden" from sun/wind.

Most homeowner MMs are not exactly lab instruments, and I'd consider a reading of 18% same as 20%. Better than making toothpicks. The next para. explains why I don't get really excited about exact MC outdoors.

All the wood I use gets stacked near the stove for weeks plus (at times up to 180 F). No matter then, it's all around 5% MC when it's loaded in. (180 F is considered cool for a kiln, but one must be vigilant.)

That might be okay with a stove in a garage or basement but most folks have the stove inside the house and it would take a lot of wood stacked up to have enough for weeks. That would not be fore me, thank you.

 

[Kenster]

Keep the back up wood outside and exposed until you need it. In Oklahoma, like here in Texas, you probably have until November before you start burning anyway. You've got at least two more months of good warm drying time. I'd hold off as long as possible and burn your 'ready' wood first. If you can give that oak another year you'll be glad you did.

 

[Wood Duck]

I'd burn it, but only after I burnt the other stuff. That will be 6 months from now if you're lucky.

 

[nate379]

I have wood already stacked on my front porch in prep for winter. Will be snow on the ground here in not long. Almost always snow on teh ground for Halloween. I started burning 24x7 last year around the 1st of October.

 

[wood-fan-atic]

To burn or not to burn this year

I think you should definitely do one or the other

Awesome.

 

[cptoneleg]

That sounds like crazy talk to me! The only way to know if it's below 20% would be to split it, splitting every piece and touching a meter to it is not a way I would spend my free time! In the process you would potentially be turning the wood into tooth picks.

T'ain't necessarily so. And why rush oak, but ...

I've found that I don't need to resplit pieces in a stack to check MC, so long as I check on a face that's been relatively "hidden" from sun/wind.

Most homeowner MMs are not exactly lab instruments, and I'd consider a reading of 18% same as 20%. Better than making toothpicks. The next para. explains why I don't get really excited about exact MC outdoors.

All the wood I use gets stacked near the stove for weeks plus (at times up to 180 F). No matter then, it's all around 5% MC when it's loaded in. (180 F is considered cool for a kiln, but one must be vigilant.)

POst some pictures you have different burning habits,I would like to see your wood stacked around your stove drying at a 180 F in your house, like to look at your woodstacks you have some real secrets , would you share.?

 

[onetracker]

That sounds like crazy talk to me! The only way to know if it's below 20% would be to split it, splitting every piece and touching a meter to it is not a way I would spend my free time! In the process you would potentially be turning the wood into tooth picks.

T'ain't necessarily so. And why rush oak, but ...

I've found that I don't need to resplit pieces in a stack to check MC, so long as I check on a face that's been relatively "hidden" from sun/wind.

Most homeowner MMs are not exactly lab instruments, and I'd consider a reading of 18% same as 20%. Better than making toothpicks. The next para. explains why I don't get really excited about exact MC outdoors.

All the wood I use gets stacked near the stove for weeks plus (at times up to 180 F). No matter then, it's all around 5% MC when it's loaded in. (180 F is considered cool for a kiln, but one must be vigilant.)

That might be okay with a stove in a garage or basement but most folks have the stove inside the house and it would take a lot of wood stacked up to have enough for weeks. That would not be fore me, thank you.

everyone has their prefered routine that works for them. most of us have limitations we have to work around. i can't stack at the back of my driveway cuz that's where the piles of snow need to go. else i'd build a killer woodshed there.

this is the best i can figger for my own setup:

my wood pile is just outside the garage. at thanksgiving we load the truck and back it into the garage (or wheelbarrow it) and stack enough in the basement to get us thru january for the upstairs insert (about 2 cords or so). then load up another 2 cords in february to get us thru the rest of the winter. there is a woodstove downstairs too where my wife and i work out and also where my shop is. that stove doesn't run all the time but its enough to keep the basement dry and the stacks in good enough shape.

its my son's job to load the upstairs woodbox...usually once a day.

i flippin love heating with wood. i love the whole process. and sitting in front of that fire on a wicked cold night with my family is one of my great pleasures in life. all that work and sweat and swattin' bugs and poison ivy...all worth it for one night by the fire. hell...if i find the right log, usually locust or hickory, i'll split it into staves and make a bow out of it. if i'm lucky i may even be eating some venison shot with the bow that came from the tree that i'm burning in the woodstove.

yup. addicted.

OT

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Onetracker, that sounds like a great plan for the bow. Good luck. I've not made one but have seen many that folks have made and they all look great.

 

[onetracker]

Onetracker, that sounds like a great plan for the bow. Good luck. I've not made one but have seen many that folks have made and they all look great.

thanks dennis -

i'll try to post a couple of pics.

 

[WoodPyro]

Obviously combine some of these plans, let it season till it gets really cold like Dec. - Jan,. and mix it in with more seasoned lighter wood. Last year was the first year I had really super seasoned dry wood and it took some getting used to with how fast it will take off and hit over 700. I wouldn't mind some decent sized fairly dry oak chunks to help control the blaze and they they will still crank those secondaries and burn well.