Wet wood

[Split]

Was asked to start a campfire at my friend's place last night. He has had this wood outside tightly double-stacked against a stone wall for three years. It looked grey and well seasoned. But when you start moving the splits they're damp and have some mold. Wish I brought my moisture meter to rest them. I watched water literally boil out of the ends. Never seen anything like it.

 

[CincyBurner]

A campfire is much better opportunity to recognize the deficiencies of poorly seasoned firewood. Wet wood for a campfire is a curiosity and mild annoyance, but a concern and setback when using in wood stove. You'll quickly understand that much heat is required to drive off wood moisture before wood can even be raised to temperature to burn ('cold fires'), which makes for disappointing wood burning and potential for hazardous creosote formation.
This highlights the importance of various factors:

1. Locate the wood rack where it will receive airflow. Direct sunlight is helpful too. Avoid cool, shady, locations with prolonged moisture retention (northern exposure, poor air flow, in shade, water dripping on wood after rain/ snow event (holes in tarp), and stacked in more than one row).
2. Know how wood will season for your region. For Nova Scotia a cool, maritime climate will increase time to properly seasoned wood. You'll need to take advantage of the good days you do have.
   • For southwest Ohio given my species, length (22") and size of my splits it takes two years for passable burning wood. Add a year and it burns great. Add a year for oak and hickory (3 years). Add a year for my rack in shady low spot. Some species (tulip poplar, silver maple and ash) I could burn in one year if split small/ short enough and stacked early in year stacked in good spot.
3. Reduce size of splits. Big splits (6"+) will take longer to season.
4. Cover wood (tarp/ roof), especially from fall to spring.
   • Keep leaf debris from getting into pile. Keep snow/ moisture from dripping into pile. This will just retard drying time and if its too moist/ to long the wood will rot.
5. Firewood moisture loss - quick initial moisture loss is from the cut ends. Longer splits will take longer.
   • The clock doesn't really start until wood is split.
   • Buy a moisture meter when you start burning with wood, and measure on inside of fresh splits at room temperature. The cheap moisture meters aren't accurate but will provide you with general idea of moisture content of your wood.
6. Species - some species (oak - pin & white, hickory, honeylocust) take longer to lose moisture.

With each successive year of wood burning you'll learn your particular needs for different species, how long to season in general, which racks season well/ faster, what splits too big.