Wet wood woes...

[wdvrburner]

First year burning a wood stove. I was given a Jotul f400 and put it in my living room. Connected it to a 20' of solid stainless steel chimney liner inside of an old masonry chimney that I then insulated with pour in insulation. Chimney was previously used for an oil burner.

Anyway, I bought four cords of wood from a farmer down the road that has huge piles of split wood around his property. He came with recommendations from locals and I got four cords dumped in my driveway with a handshake for 190 a cord delivered. Now armed with a moisture meter and troubled by a fire that steams I now know that this stuff isn't exactly dry. Some of it is okay but this stuff sat in a giant pile for maybe a year uncovered and didn't really dry out that great. He tells me it was processed last November. I can tell which are dry or not because the wet splits weigh a ton compared to the dry ones. If I had to guess less than a third of it easily is dry enough.

I need advice. Luckily it's been very warm here so far while I figure this out. Should I split it thin and burn it like kindling all winter? Should I buy a cord of dry wood or biomass bricks or duraflame logs to mix in? Should I bring two weeks worth at a time inside and try to cook it next to the stove? Maybe a combination of splitting it into say 2-3 inch pieces and stacking it next to the stove to cook it? Should I stack a bunch under a tarp in the garage with a fan and a dehumidifier?

What works and what doesn't?

Thanks guys.


Pics for interest: http://imgur.com/a/IL3NR

 

[littlericky]

Welcome to the forum! If it were me i would buy the bricks and burn them this year you might be able to mix some of the dryer wood with the bricks but burning wet wood is nothing but frustrating!! you will need to split and stack the wood in rows to get it to where it will dry good and if its oak it could take 3 years. I use the envy 8 bricks from time to time and they have worked well for me. People with more knowledge then myself will chime in and I'm sure you will get some great advice here

 

[Ctwoodtick]

stove seems close to your stairs. Consider getting the manual online and reviewing recommended clearances

 

[wdvrburner]

stove seems close to your stairs. Consider getting the manual online and reviewing recommended clearances

Corner of the stove is 13" from the corner of the tread which exceeds clearance requirements

 

[Dmitry]

Save yourself from frustration and get bio bricks. You gonna learn how to operate stove with dry fuel and have decent wood next year vs being frustrated this year and guessing if you burn it right next year.

 

[DanCorcoran]

Burning wet wood will also require that you clean your flue more often. Dry wood, not so much...

 

[brenndatomu]

Kiln dried lumber scraps from construction sites and/or free pallets cut up can be added to each load, makes things burn much better. Will still need to clean the chimney more often though.
Many stores have free pallets for the taking, they usually have to pay to get rid of them otherwise

 

[Babaganoosh]

As I move into my second year burning I'll agree with a few others, let that wood sit right where it is and let it season. Buy the wood bricks. They work very well. You might be able to mix some of your wood in but I'd rather spend the time getting even more wood than sorting thru all that.

 

[claydogg84]

What is your other heat source? If it's oil I have to say this is a no brainier. I got a quote of $1.74/gallon the other day. If that doesn't work for you, get a ton of the bio bricks to mix with the mediocre wood. You can "kiln dry" the wood if you bring it by the stove for a few days. I've done it before.

 

[Smoked]

A friend of mine used a plastic and a dehumidifier to dry some woodworking project wood You need enough free air space for the setup to work but it can. I'd say combo here. if you have the dehumidifier, may be worth drying some that way so you can start learning the new stove once it is dry. Cheap oil/gas and warm weather make it easier to not force the issue.

 

[jtaves85mcss]

A dehumidifier is going to use more electricity than it is worth. If you can get a bunch of said wood stacked open, about like your log cabin picture or a3 logs per layer, in a 65 degree basement and put a fan to it you should be able to get 5% reduction in MC in 3-4 weeks. That isnt going to help a 24/7 burning schedule much though.

 

[firefighterjake]

You've already got some good advice, but I may as well chime in here as well.

A) If you've got another heat source, such as oil or gas . . . you might find that this would be just as economical to run this year and save the wood for next year. Another year stacked and drying should do wonders for the wood.

B) If you've got no other source of heat and have some extra money . . . consider buying some of the pressed wood logs as mentioned. Folks can give you individual recommendations on what they've had that they liked or didn't like.

C) If you've got no other source of heat and funds are tight and the wood is simply marginal . . . you might find that finding some free pallets or scrap wood (no plywood, OSB or pressure treated wood) and mixing it in with the marginal wood might help "drive" the excess moisture out of the wood and allow you to get half decent burns. The wood will still not ignite as easier or burn as well as if it was fully seasoned, but many of us have used this technique to get through the first year of burning.

 

[wdvrburner]

Can anyone recommend biomass bricks that are affordable in NJ? Might buy a pallet.

 

[Dmitry]

Just FYI: they say one ton , which is usually one pallet, is equal to one cord. So you are going to need more then that if you intend to burn a lot . (and if winter is going to start)

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

Honestly, I can't believe people burn biomass bricks in their wood stoves. Call me prude but you can easily over fire your stove, having to shut down the oxygen supply too much. Tons of heat and no oxygen=creosote

The best thing to do is what claydogg84 suggested. This year, rely on whatever your other heating source is whether it is propane, heating oil, or electricity. However, I would also recommend finding a source for kiln dried firewood in your area and getting a cord. Right now, we are able to get a cord of legitimately kiln dried all oak, at 18% moisture, delivered for $300. All this together will keep your house warm and give you the right fuel to learn to burn your new appliance with. That way, with the correct planning, you will be well equipped to heat with all wood next year.

Don't put yourself in a place to hate your new wood stove the first year you own it by wasting countless days cutting 'kindling' that will still be too wet to burn. I also have a Jotul F400 and can tell you for certain that it only burns dry/seasoned wood effectively. If you have really wet wood you will just make tons of smoke, carbon monoxide, and frustration.

 

[Rickb]

Honestly, I can't believe people burn biomass bricks in their wood stoves. Call me prude but you can easily over fire your stove, having to shut down the oxygen supply too much. Tons of heat and no oxygen=creosote

The best thing to do is what claydogg84 suggested. This year, rely on whatever your other heating source is whether it is propane, heating oil, or electricity. However, I would also recommend finding a source for kiln dried firewood in your area and getting a cord. Right now, we are able to get a cord of legitimately kiln dried all oak, at 18% moisture, delivered for $300. All this together will keep your house warm and give you the right fuel to learn to burn your new appliance with. That way, with the correct planning, you will be well equipped to heat with all wood next year.

Don't put yourself in a place to hate your new wood stove the first year you own it by wasting countless days cutting 'kindling' that will still be too wet to burn. I also have a Jotul F400 and can tell you for certain that it only burns dry/seasoned wood effectively. If you have really wet wood you will just make tons of smoke, carbon monoxide, and frustration.

Honestly, I cant believe more people dont burn more bricks if they can get them at reasonable prices...... Tho maybe the Jotul is overly sensitive to overfire?

 

[Ctwoodtick]

Honestly, I can't believe people burn biomass bricks in their wood stoves. Call me prude but you can easily over fire your stove, having to shut down the oxygen supply too much. Tons of heat and no oxygen=creosote

The best thing to do is what claydogg84 suggested. This year, rely on whatever your other heating source is whether it is propane, heating oil, or electricity. However, I would also recommend finding a source for kiln dried firewood in your area and getting a cord. Right now, we are able to get a cord of legitimately kiln dried all oak, at 18% moisture, delivered for $300. All this together will keep your house warm and give you the right fuel to learn to burn your new appliance with. That way, with the correct planning, you will be well equipped to heat with all wood next year.

Don't put yourself in a place to hate your new wood stove the first year you own it by wasting countless days cutting 'kindling' that will still be too wet to burn. I also have a Jotul F400 and can tell you for certain that it only burns dry/seasoned wood effectively. If you have really wet wood you will just make tons of smoke, carbon monoxide, and frustration.

$300 for 18 percent kiln dried oak? I don't know about Virginia, but in Connecticut, that type of reasonable pricing is simply not available....and buying normal firewood expecting it to be seasoned as advertised is a losing game. Sounds you have great resource down there

 

[Dix]

First year burning a wood stove. I was given a Jotul f400 and put it in my living room. Connected it to a 20' of solid stainless steel chimney liner inside of an old masonry chimney that I then insulated with pour in insulation. Chimney was previously used for an oil burner.

Anyway, I bought four cords of wood from a farmer down the road that has huge piles of split wood around his property. He came with recommendations from locals and I got four cords dumped in my driveway with a handshake for 190 a cord delivered. Now armed with a moisture meter and troubled by a fire that steams I now know that this stuff isn't exactly dry. Some of it is okay but this stuff sat in a giant pile for maybe a year uncovered and didn't really dry out that great. He tells me it was processed last November. I can tell which are dry or not because the wet splits weigh a ton compared to the dry ones. If I had to guess less than a third of it easily is dry enough.

I need advice. Luckily it's been very warm here so far while I figure this out. Should I split it thin and burn it like kindling all winter? Should I buy a cord of dry wood or biomass bricks or duraflame logs to mix in? Should I bring two weeks worth at a time inside and try to cook it next to the stove? Maybe a combination of splitting it into say 2-3 inch pieces and stacking it next to the stove to cook it? Should I stack a bunch under a tarp in the garage with a fan and a dehumidifier?

What works and what doesn't?

Thanks guys.


Pics for interest: http://imgur.com/a/IL3NR

D ) All of the above !

Welcome to the forums

 

[Dmitry]

Honestly, I cant believe more people dont burn more bricks if they can get them at reasonable prices......

I'm with Rickb on it. You don't have to stuff your stove up to the limit. Biobricks are dense and uniform, not like odd shaped wood. Put one pack in your stove and enjoy it. I've burned biobricks last year and liked it very much. It takes less space, less mess, you can measure amount of burn mass you put in your stove , clean uniform fire from load to load. Extra bonus: wife can handle reloading bricks much easier than bulky wood logs.
Assuming one tone equal one cord I got it for the same price as firewood goes around here - $ 250.
Even if it is not completely true ( the BTU value), it worth it.
P.S.: It is impossible to find truly seasoned firewood for sale in CT. Period. Found out hard way.

 

[Babaganoosh]

Can anyone recommend biomass bricks that are affordable in NJ? Might buy a pallet.

Where in nj are you?

 

[drstruggles]

This is probably not as good an idea as using biomass or a non-renewable heat source, but if you're truly committed to using wood this year couldn't you see if the farmer could help you out in some way? Don't accuse, but maybe suggest some helpful options, such as... borrowing a dump truck, bringing back what's left of your four cords (on your dollar I guess), and picking up something that the farmer knows is more seasoned (assuming that exists)? This is only if the farmer cares about your repeat business. An even-crazier option would be enlisting the farmer's help if he's got a heated shop, shed, barn, etc that you could stack half of your wood back into (somewhere easy to load), with a fan or two running through the stack full-time. You might get to a more burnable moisture content within a month or two. As I said, I know this seems harebrained, just trying to explore options.

 

[jtaves85mcss]

^ No need to decide whether to accuse. That farmer most likely believes he sold the OP 'seasoned' wood. To suggest the customer gets to bring back a half load for more drying would be ludicrous in the seller's world. When you have a State suggesting that 50% MC is 'okay' that farmer is going to chuckle a request like this https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...ing-to-the-state-of-ohio.150470/#post-2018681 . Just my humble opinion.

 

[drstruggles]

^ No need to decide whether to accuse. That farmer most likely believes he sold the OP 'seasoned' wood. To suggest the customer gets to bring back a half load for more drying would be ludicrous in the seller's world. When you have a State suggesting that 50% MC is 'okay' that farmer is going to chuckle a request like this https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...ing-to-the-state-of-ohio.150470/#post-2018681 . Just my humble opinion.

You could be right... 50% could be acceptable in the wood business, just like a "cord" is a highly fluid term that buyers don't seem to get to complain about afterward, they just have to know ahead-of-time to ask about face cord, full cord, etc. In a more affluent or populated area, where there may be more competition or cordwood sellers may have to rely on a relationship with their customers leading to more repeat, yearly sales, asking for some kind of help or guidance from the seller could make sense. Like I said, probably just a stupid idea and buyer just needs to beware.

 

[jtaves85mcss]

You could be right... 50% could be acceptable in the wood business, just like a "cord" is a highly fluid term that buyers don't seem to get to complain about afterward, they just have to know ahead-of-time to ask about face cord, full cord, etc. In a more affluent or populated area, where there may be more competition or cordwood sellers may have to rely on a relationship with their customers leading to more repeat, yearly sales, asking for some kind of help or guidance from the seller could make sense. Like I said, probably just a stupid idea and buyer just needs to beware.

'Cord' is not a fluid term! It in fact has a quantitative measure that is regulated by local authorities, although it is frequently qualified with other descriptive words to confuse the uneducated buyer and profit the seller. 'Seasoned' is a very fluid (literally) term that has no true qualitative measure that is regulated. The buyer must demand a qualitative measure of moisture content, <20% (and be willing to pay for such via $ or self storage time). The 'seasoned' aspect is they only thing that can be truly negotiated, if the buyer is educated enough to understand and demand.

You are correct that simple questions can get good answers, but the buyer must understand that 99% of sellers do not market wood that is <20% MC.

Edit: To get a cord of truly seasoned maple/oak might cost an additional $100. Most buyers would have no idea if they got what they 'expected'. All they know is they got a cord at $200. Like trying to sell toilet paper to sailors. Most may not need it if they are in the water when **it happens, many can get in the water quickly and avoid the discomfort of chaffing **it and a few in the bridge can clean up the **it without getting wet.

 

[drstruggles]

I think you know more about it than me. I don't often buy wood, choosing to split my own, but I don't know of, in my area, any seller getting regulated by a local authority who came and measured their 'full cord' in a 4x4x8 foot box, since wood is rarely available stacked for a buyer or regulator to inspect. So even if a cord isn't supposed to be fluid, I think it fluctuates, just like MC, or wood quality (people saying they have hard maple when it's really red or soft maple, or whatever). Anyway, I really didn't mean to derail the OP's thread, I just was trying to think of more suggestions for what to do with his wood that hadn't yet been given in this thread. I hope it was moderately helpful in some way, and I hope he figures out what to do this season. At least he's got more questions to a supplier and knowledge for next year. And who knows, maybe the farmer is a helpful or charitable guy and my crazy idea works somehow. Otherwise, like I said, biomass or the home's other heating system, or buying more wood and letting the wet stuff sit, makes the most sense.