Unseasoned oak question

[tlhfirelion]

Hey folks. I am about to start my second season with my wood stock soapstone hybrid. Great stove last winter. I won't bore you with the all the details but I am now presented with only 1 cord of oak, all of it is over 2 years old at the least to burn this upcoming winter. I can buy some from a guy up the road from me for a very good price, it's red oak, spilt and stacked but it's only been down about 3 months. The stuff thats seasoned around here at this time of the year is going for outrageous amounts, easily over double what is was just last year. I'm in very Northern Arkansas near the MO line, so my plan is to buy this green stuff, use my seasoned oak until I run out of that and burn it. Is that a viable option or would I be best to mix the two piles of old and new wood? I'm not sure how this will affect my stoves catalyst, if at all.

Thanks for any assistance you're able to provide and yes, I have two trees that WILL be dropped in Feb. lol

 

[TheAardvark]

I personally would not try to burn green oak. You get little heat from it and have to keep the air open to get it to burn at all....not to mention all the creosote buildup. I would invest in a pallet of compressed bricks at this point if I was in your situation.

 

[tlhfirelion]

I personally would not try to burn green oak. You get little heat from it and have to keep the air open to get it to burn at all....not to mention all the creosote buildup. I would invest in a pallet of compressed bricks at this point if I was in your situation.

I'm not opposed to using the compressed bricks, but the price for those would be even more than the high price of firewood. Guess I'll just have to use the heat pump more than we had hoped. Heres to a mild winter!

 

[hickoryhoarder]

I try never to burn oak (or hickory, ash, hard maple) that's been stacked less than 18 months. And 18 months means it's stacked in a very sunny, breezy place (my driveway). That's when I'll dip into it, although most of it is there 30-40 months before used. Very small splits -- kindling essentially -- need 6 months minimum to season.

The basic moral of the story is to plan ahead. Now, if you can find cherry or tulip poplar that was cut/split three months ago, you might be able to burn it in February of this year.

 

[tlhfirelion]

Thanks for the replies, I'll figure something out. Have a good Thanksgiving everyone.

 

[GadDummit]

That creosote buildup is a bear. You can burn it with your current stuff, but the first 20 minutes will just be steaming the water out of it and cooling your current fire. Then you have to clean the chimney real good afterward.

If it were me i'd leave it stacked and then get in the truck and drive around in the country a little. look for dead trees or laydowns and just stop and ask people if they'd like you to remove that old dead tree bc you need the firewood and they get free tree removal. You can do it in town too, but not as many trees.

 

[firefighterjake]

I always think of it this way . . . you're driving down the road and you realize you eventually need to fill up. It's not crucial that you stop right then and there to fuel up, but you do want to get some fuel before you go completely empty.

At one place you stop and find fuel . . . and at a good price even. But the proprietor admits that there may be some water in the fuel.

Burning unseasoned wood . . . wood with a high moisture content . . . is a lot like burning gasoline with water in it.

A car with water in the fuel may run, but it certainly will not run efficiently and can lead to long term problems . . . and there is always the chance it may crap out with little warning.

Burning unseasoned wood may work, but the stove will not run efficiently and it can really gunk up the chimney with creosote . . . and there is always the chance that you may have a chimney fire or have it get so gunked up that you may not be able to run the stove until the chimney is cleaned.

 

[JotulOwner]

Hey folks. I am about to start my second season with my wood stock soapstone hybrid. Great stove last winter. I won't bore you with the all the details but I am now presented with only 1 cord of oak, all of it is over 2 years old at the least to burn this upcoming winter. I can buy some from a guy up the road from me for a very good price, it's red oak, spilt and stacked but it's only been down about 3 months. The stuff thats seasoned around here at this time of the year is going for outrageous amounts, easily over double what is was just last year. I'm in very Northern Arkansas near the MO line, so my plan is to buy this green stuff, use my seasoned oak until I run out of that and burn it. Is that a viable option or would I be best to mix the two piles of old and new wood? I'm not sure how this will affect my stoves catalyst, if at all.

Thanks for any assistance you're able to provide and yes, I have two trees that WILL be dropped in Feb. lol

Oak takes a really long time to fully season. I don't recommend burning any unseasoned wood, but, if you have to burn anything that isn't ready, oak shouldn't be your first choice IMHO.

 

[fbelec]

from what i have read here green would could take it's toll on the cat converter also

 

[Tar12]

Let this be a wake up call and get a bunch laid in that you can season out properly.

 

[peakbagger]

Definitely consider this a lesson for this winter. Save the 1 cord you have for special occasions or extended power outages.

Realistically if the price and quality is good and you can free up some bucks, buy it and get a start on next year. Those standing trees ready to be dropped have a habit of stretching into a long term project to get them cut and split. You need to shoot for 2 years minimum storage and I expect you need a big boost in your wood procurement this upcoming year to get ahead.

 

[HybridFyre]

This was my chimney cap after burning similar wood for one month. Never again...

And i wondered why i was having backpuffing issues after a few weeks.

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[redmanlcs]

This was my chimney cap after burning similar wood for one month. Never again...

And i wondered why i was having backpuffing issues after a few weeks.

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wow! i have never seen creosote this bad ever!... last year i had no choice but to burn a lot of unseasoned wood. Burned green stuff all year, cleaned out 1 of my 90 deg. elbows once, no creosote really just grey ash.....are you sure this is your cap? are you sure it only took 1 month? can't help but think your pulling our leg here.

 

[redmanlcs]

although this does seem to be a unique photo.. so i can't say you found that pic on the net somewhere.. my apologies there!

 

[tpd2021]

I went through the same issue last year. New stove and only a rick of wood. I started searching craigslist out of desperation. Everyone is selling “seasoned” wood. The first two rick I bought last year are now getting burned this year. It’s ridiculous how many people I had to call. But don’t lose heart, keep watching and you will find some sporadically pop up. I was able to find 3 rick through the winter that people were trying to clean up. They weren’t pretty but they were dry.


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[HybridFyre]

wow! i have never seen creosote this bad ever!... last year i had no choice but to burn a lot of unseasoned wood. Burned green stuff all year, cleaned out 1 of my 90 deg. elbows once, no creosote really just grey ash.....are you sure this is your cap? are you sure it only took 1 month? can't help but think your pulling our leg here.

Haha yeah it’s a real photo. My chimney sweep was floored. He had never seen it that bad. I can’t say with absolute certainty that it was a month but at most it was 5 weeks. It was one of those ‘seasoned’ scenario’s where the guy seasons in log form for 2 years and then splits to order for the most part. After the delivery i argues with him that red oak doesn’t season in log form and you can imagine how that turned out. I usually had to keep the door cracked for about 30 minutes before i got any useable heat and could close the door and typically had to run the bypass cracked open a tad. I should have known better but it was my second season burning. I let the rest of that 2 cord pile season another 2 years before i burned anymore of it.


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[Woody5506]

In regards to that plugged up chimney cap, how unseasoned was the wood? So much so that it was boiling water out of it and hissing? Just curious, because I burn semi seasoned wood in a new stove (7-10 months split/stacked) which most people here would say isn't ideal and I'd agree, but I've yet to see any creosote issues with the chimney. It becomes extremely obvious my wood isn't seasoned enough when I burn wood from my "top shelf" stash which is 5+ year old ash/various hardwood I scored last spring off Craigslist.

 

[HybridFyre]

It was hissing.


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[firefighterjake]

This was my chimney cap after burning similar wood for one month. Never again...

And i wondered why i was having backpuffing issues after a few weeks.

View attachment 216215


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Yikes! Lesson learned . . . betting the stove runs a lot better now.

 

[Ashful]

...my plan is to buy this green stuff, use my seasoned oak until I run out of that and burn it. Is that a viable option or would I be best to mix the two piles of old and new wood? I'm not sure how this will affect my stoves catalyst, if at all.

Yes, buy this wood, and then set it aside for the 2020/21 burn season. If you had this stove last year, why didn’t you at least buy this year’s wood last spring, so it could have a full summer to dry? Buying 3-month old oak now would be completely useless for this year, it won’t dry much before you need to burn it.

I don’t mean to sound harsh, I remember going thru exactly the same dilemma, my first two years burning. Here’s what I would do, if I were you:

1. Buy three years’ worth of wood, NOW.
2. As you stack the wood, separate faster drying species from slower drying species.
3. Mix the faster / lighter stuff with the wood you’ve already put up, bio bricks, and framing lumber, to get you thru this winter.
4. Burn the remainder of the faster drying stuff next winter, and the slower drying stuff in subsequent years (by then, it will have at least two summers drying).
5. Buy another years’ worth of wood next year, and every year, from here on out.

The only modification I’d consider to this plan would be to buy enough of the dried stuff you mention to get you thru this year, and just buy enough green for the subsequent (2018-2020) seasons. That way, you’re only blowing extra money for this years’ wood, and spending more conservatively for the following years.

 

[Tar12]

wow! i have never seen creosote this bad ever!... last year i had no choice but to burn a lot of unseasoned wood. Burned green stuff all year, cleaned out 1 of my 90 deg. elbows once, no creosote really just grey ash.....are you sure this is your cap? are you sure it only took 1 month? can't help but think your pulling our leg here.

I have seen and lived this situation many years ago when I first started burning...out of desperation and lack of funds...I ran black pipe through the wall to a tee and clean out and black pipe straight up from there and burning partially seasoned wood....I checked weekly and cleaned every other week so I could sleep at night.....lol.....

 

[redmanlcs]

I have seen and lived this situation many years ago when I first started burning...out of desperation and lack of funds...I ran black pipe through the wall to a tee and clean out and black pipe straight up from there and burning partially seasoned wood....I checked weekly and cleaned every other week so I could sleep at night.....lol.....

that is mostly my situation now lol.... slowly getting ahead.. next year i should be up 3-4 cords.. i use about 5-6 cords a year..

 

[fbelec]

what the wood seller says and what is are two separate things. my first year was awful. i burnt 4 cord in my small 2 bedroom ranch 20 to 30 minutes with the door cracked every fire. and i was told it was seasoned. the stuff on top was nice and light and dry. the bottom was not. a month into the season i had a 5 foot by 2 foot red blow torch coming out of the chimney and every fire truck in the town here. it takes a lot to get ahead but after that it's just maintaining what you would burn in a season. and now that i am ahead and know what to burn and how i burn 2.25 to 2.75 cord a season down from 4

 

[hickoryhoarder]

what the wood seller says and what is are two separate things. my first year was awful. i burnt 4 cord in my small 2 bedroom ranch 20 to 30 minutes with the door cracked every fire. and i was told it was seasoned. the stuff on top was nice and light and dry. the bottom was not. a month into the season i had a 5 foot by 2 foot red blow torch coming out of the chimney and every fire truck in the town here. it takes a lot to get ahead but after that it's just maintaining what you would burn in a season. and now that i am ahead and know what to burn and how i burn 2.25 to 2.75 cord a season down from 4

Yeah, where I live I've never seen wood that's truly seasoned, ready to burn. The sellers aren't making much money if you figure all their labor. I don't consider them dishonest, just willing to see smoke come out of their chimneys (they generally burn the same stuff they're selling). My eyes and arms (seasoned oak is lighter than partially seasoned oak, which is lighter than fresh cut oak) always can tell. So as I stack stuff I buy, I put the few older pieces on the stacks of stuff to burn this year. But it's a given that "seasoned" oak in my area has been stacked a year at most, more likely six months.

 

[maple1]

If one is depending on the seller to bring them ready to burn wood a month or even a few months ahead of having to burn it - it's being done wrong.

You need to take that dependence out of the picture completely, and get ahead on your supply. Buy all the wood you can cheaply buy, now. Get a couple years ahead - in a couple years, you will not only be burning dry wood, you will also have saved money since you aren't paying a premium for 'ready to burn'. Which is rarely ready to burn anyway. Boggles my mind, how some will not get their coming winters wood until the weather starts getting cold. I see it around here all the time, and I live in the woods - people just don't know or care. And keep them & their neighborhood in wood smoke all winter as a result.

For this year, get some bricks and mix in with the driest you have, if you can't find more dry stuff. They shouldn't be much more if any than what most are selling dry wood for this time of the year. In the meantime, keep accumulating it. It will be well more than worth it next year or the year after.