Well, this is disappointing

[Kenster]

I have a little over three cords split and stacked. About 80% oak and 20% hickory. About 3/4 cord is oak that has been split and stacked for over a year. It was from a standing dead. I realized that even standing dead can take two years or more C/S/S before it is ready to burn but, with our hot Texas summers with plenty of hot/dry wind I have had water oak oozing water out of cuts turn to perfect 18% WC firewood in less than nine months. So, the wood in question is ashen gray throughout with plenty of checking on the ends. Nice solid pieces. I figured it was going to be a treasure this winter.

Wrong! I started getting creosote build ups almost immediately and with it, the smell of creosote that comes with a 700 degree cruise in my old Vermont Castings Reliant wood stove. I wondered what the heck was going on, so I took a few pieces and split them again, stuck my Moisture Meter to the fresh cuts and was getting 28%-30% MC across my sample pieces!! And the fresh cut faces look like almost newly cut red oak. Not sure how they look so dark gray on the outside, with checking, and so fresh and wet on the inside.

In hindsight, I guess the pieces are a little heavy for their size. They'll burn all right, especially when mixed with some good, small very dry pieces. And I guess I could just keep the air open all night to keep it hotter and burning better.

I thought my scrounging days were over but I guess I'll have to tramp the woods for down and dead and try to get through the winter without turning the heaters on.

Dang it!

 

[7acres]

Burning through hard wood at a soft wood rate does motivate one to stock up. My first year I was fortunate to have seasoned hickory. I had exactly enough to get to spring! I went into spring with one stove's worth left unburned on the front porch!

I've been an opportunist ever since. I've got 3+ yrs put back now. Added a half cord today. Burning 1yr seasoned oak presently. This year's burning is not ideal but the house is more than warm. All years past this will be fantastic!

 

[Kenster]

This wood will burn but it's making a mess of the stove. It has a thick char coating everything. If I tap on a cold flue I get a huge shower of creosote crinkles down into the stove.

I think I just need to keep the air and the temp way up to better burn the less than ideal wood and hopefully cut down on the creosote build up.

 

[jatoxico]

I think I just need to keep the air and the temp way up to better burn the less than ideal wood and hopefully cut down on the creosote build up.

Probably not the year to chase burn times, keep that air up. My first year or so when my wood was sucky I had really good experience with Creo-Soot spray. It would turn black stuff to white ash. It's heat activated so it's not gonna clean your cap or anything but it was good stuff. I'm into good dry wood for the foreseeable future but I still think it has a place. Keep trying to remember to buy more.

 

[7acres]

This wood will burn but it's making a mess of the stove. It has a thick char coating everything. If I tap on a cold flue I get a huge shower of creosote crinkles down into the stove.

I think I just need to keep the air and the temp way up to better burn the less than ideal wood and hopefully cut down on the creosote build up.

I'll update if experience is anything different. Maybe my wood is better. But I've definitely not got creasote showers raining down on me with the tap of the pipe.

 

[DougA]

I cut six standing dead elm last week and saved most of it for next year but split a few 6" pieces and they all measured 15 to 18%. They're in the stove now and they are indeed burning like 18%wood.

 

[Fred Wright]

I'm sorry to hear. Hope you can scrounge something better soon.

Under the best of conditions oak is slow to dry on the stacks. If you're gonna burn what you have, keep an eye on your flue and clean it as necessary.

 

[Prichan]

I have a little over three cords split and stacked. About 80% oak and 20% hickory. About 3/4 cord is oak that has been split and stacked for over a year. It was from a standing dead. I realized that even standing dead can take two years or more C/S/S before it is ready to burn but, with our hot Texas summers with plenty of hot/dry wind I have had water oak oozing water out of cuts turn to perfect 18% WC firewood in less than nine months. So, the wood in question is ashen gray throughout with plenty of checking on the ends. Nice solid pieces. I figured it was going to be a treasure this winter.

Wrong! I started getting creosote build ups almost immediately and with it, the smell of creosote that comes with a 700 degree cruise in my old Vermont Castings Reliant wood stove. I wondered what the heck was going on, so I took a few pieces and split them again, stuck my Moisture Meter to the fresh cuts and was getting 28%-30% MC across my sample pieces!! And the fresh cut faces look like almost newly cut red oak. Not sure how they look so dark gray on the outside, with checking, and so fresh and wet on the inside.

In hindsight, I guess the pieces are a little heavy for their size. They'll burn all right, especially when mixed with some good, small very dry pieces. And I guess I could just keep the air open all night to keep it hotter and burning better.

I thought my scrounging days were over but I guess I'll have to tramp the woods for down and dead and try to get through the winter without turning the heaters on.

Dang it!

Generally give oak 2 years to season. Hick one year, and it burns nice and slow too.

 

[Firefighter938]

I am experiencing this right now with some sugar maple. It was cut into rounds two years ago, but I didnt get it c/s/s until March last year. I don't have a moisture meter so I normally just bring some in and throw it on the fire to see how it burns. I did this the other day with a couple of big splits on a good bed of coals. It burned great so I moved a face cord up to the house. Went to cold start with some and it was a bear to get going. Yep, some sizzle out the ends. Once it coals up and I add more it seems fine with stove top temps in normal ranges. I'm going to burn this little bit mixed with good dry stuff and grEn bricks, then leave the rest for next year.