What a difference 10% MC makes.

[fishingpol]

In the winter of 2010-2011 I bought a cord of wood in the late summer and it was at about 25% MC on a fresh split. It burned ok that winter, but of course not ideal. My lesson was learned after reading so many posts (especially Dennis) that winter to get ahead. I had my neighbor, who has a small job tree service bring a cord last spring. It was at 12-15% MC at the start of this winter. This wood was stored under my porch all summer with east and south exposure, open slats around the underside of the porch. I bought a second partially seasoned cord to get ahead for next winter and that is stored in a stack behind the house. I burn just about a cord each year, and not a lot of room to put it.

Fast forward to these past few days and I was just making a fire in the morning to take the chill off, and my wife would run it to lunchtime and let it go out. Today, she used up the morning bucket of wood and we had a north and easterly wind that dropped the temps from yesterday. I told her to try the wood from behind the house so she would not have to go under the porch and climb around to get to the pile which is now at the furthest end of the porch. She noticed that the stove had to be run with the primary 1/2 open all day and it did not catch as well on reloads. I split a piece tonight and it measured 22% on the fresh face.

So, there is no doubt to try to get ahead at least a year. It takes away the guesswork whether the wood is ready or not. The stove runs with very little effort at 12% MC, reloads are effortless, and cruising temps of 500* are no problem. 10% really makes a difference, especially on the low end of the scale.

 

[skyline]

So, there is no doubt to try to get ahead at least a year. It takes away the guesswork whether the wood is ready or not.

I'm not one to believe wood needs more than a few weeks to season in the "RIGHT" conditions, we just don't have those conditions.
In the mean time, that about sums it up perfectly :coolsmirk:

 

[Nixon]

My lesson was learned after reading so many posts (especially Dennis) that winter to get ahead.
So, there is no doubt to try to get ahead at least a year. It takes away the guesswork whether the wood is ready or not.

Yep ! The Dennis method trumps any need for MMs ..... Get several years ahead ,and You will be rewarded for Your efforts.
I'm working on years 2018 ,and beyond . Took a bit of effort, but I believe it will be worth it in the long run .

 

[LLigetfa]

Well... I have acres of room here so getting ahead and staying ahead is not challenged by space, just by procrastination. I'm burning 3 and 4 year seasoned wood now and can't tell which is which. Will be burning 4 and 5 year old wood next Winter.

 

[bogydave]

Good post
I remember the first time I burned 2+ yr old birch. I guess you have to learn.
Now 2 - 3 year old CSS wood is a MUST.
The difference just has to be experienced! Then you "Know"

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Yup, once you try it you won't go back!

 

[scroungerjeff]

I try to stay at least a year ahead. I had half of a cord stored on the porch all last year and it was around 11%. The difference was undeniable. Anyone have a link to hardwood species and average seasoning times needed in a relatively moist climate? For example, I noticed that oak takes at least a year to reach 20% or less while cherry and locust made it below 20% in under a year.
Thanks.

 

[oldspark]

I try to stay at least a year ahead. I had half of a cord stored on the porch all last year and it was around 11%. The difference was undeniable. Anyone have a link to hardwood species and average seasoning times needed in a relatively moist climate? For example, I noticed that oak takes at least a year to reach 20% or less while cherry and locust made it below 20% in under a year.
Thanks.

Posts like that will get you stoned to death around here.

 

[wannabegreener]

Great post. I was thinking of doing the same post myself. Last year was my first burning and I had a mixed bag of seasoned/non seasoned wood. I stopped burning in early march because I could not get the fire above 350. My glass Ipoh the onset was almost always dirty. Fast forward to this year... And my fires are hot - often times overfiring, easy to start, and the glass is mostly clean. If I get it dirty, the next real hot fire cleans it right up.

The other good thing about this year is that I started the year with about 6 cords of green hard wood, 4 cords of dry hard wood, and about a cord if dry pine. I burned about 1/2 cord of pine and about 1.5 cords of my dry hardwood. I'm hoping to finish up the season with only burning the 1 cord of pine and Only 2 cords of the dry hardwood.

Like I said, I started burning last year and I saved a little over 200 gallons of oil last year. I'm down an extra 100+ gallons this year. So in the past 2 years, I saved 500 gallons of oil and the house is about 10 degrees warmer. Thanks to everyone for the great information in this forum.

 

[Stubborn Dutchman]

Thanks to all the badgering from the experts here, I've got my five cord C/S/S for next year. Plus I have over two cords of cherry/ash C/S for the following year and a couple cords of Oak C/S for future years. What I'm burning this year is a mixture of one year old cherry & ash. I'm looking forward to mixing in some seasoned oak in a couple more years to see what the F600 can really do. With this mild weather, the cherry and ash are doing OK tho. It feels great to at least have a start on future years firewood. Now if the ground will just freeze up so I can get back out cutting!

 

[scroungerjeff]

I try to stay at least a year ahead. I had half of a cord stored on the porch all last year and it was around 11%. The difference was undeniable. Anyone have a link to hardwood species and average seasoning times needed in a relatively moist climate? For example, I noticed that oak takes at least a year to reach 20% or less while cherry and locust made it below 20% in under a year.
Thanks.

Posts like that will get you stoned to death around here.

...because?

 

[oldspark]

I try to stay at least a year ahead. I had half of a cord stored on the porch all last year and it was around 11%. The difference was undeniable. Anyone have a link to hardwood species and average seasoning times needed in a relatively moist climate? For example, I noticed that oak takes at least a year to reach 20% or less while cherry and locust made it below 20% in under a year.
Thanks.

Posts like that will get you stoned to death around here.

...because?

You have definitive numbers stating your wood had reached 20% or so in one year and some below 20% in some cases, several of the experts on here put no faith in MM's and believe time is the only answer to drying wood and 1 year is not going to get it. I like drying firewood by using good practices and if it it dries in X amount of time so be it what ever that may be. Unless you bring your wood indoors it will only dry to a point and then its done, wont get any dryer period, how long that takes is a varible depending on where you live and the density of the wood you are drying. Not sure what is gained by drying wood longer then the equilibrium moisture level where you live, have asked that question and never got an answer.

 

[scroungerjeff]

I try to stay at least a year ahead. I had half of a cord stored on the porch all last year and it was around 11%. The difference was undeniable. Anyone have a link to hardwood species and average seasoning times needed in a relatively moist climate? For example, I noticed that oak takes at least a year to reach 20% or less while cherry and locust made it below 20% in under a year.
Thanks.

Posts like that will get you stoned to death around here.

...because?

You have definitive numbers stating your wood had reached 20% or so in one year and some below 20% in some cases, several of the experts on here put no faith in MM's and believe time is the only answer to drying wood and 1 year is not going to get it. I like drying firewood by using good practices and if it it dries in X amount of time so be it what ever that may be. Unless you bring your wood indoors it will only dry to a point and then its done, wont get any dryer period, how long that takes is a varible depending on where you live and the density of the wood you are drying. Not sure what is gained by drying wood longer then the equilibrium moisture level where you live, have asked that question and never got an answer.

Oldspark-
Thanks for your elaboration. Guess I have not read enough posts and did not realize that MMs are unreliable. I see your point and considering that my ambient humidity has to be higher than yours out in the midwest, I had better start stocking for 2-3 years in advance instead of 1-2. My difficulty is the land space as we only have a half acre. I may need to modify some fence lines and make "border" piles. I was also considering building a shed that can hold at least one cord.

 

[LLigetfa]

Not sure what is gained by drying wood longer...

Satisfaction and peace of mind. Also, negates the need for a moisture meter. Too much wood is like being too rich. Money in the bank and wood in the shed is not hurting anything. I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I try to stay at least a year ahead. I had half of a cord stored on the porch all last year and it was around 11%. The difference was undeniable. Anyone have a link to hardwood species and average seasoning times needed in a relatively moist climate? For example, I noticed that oak takes at least a year to reach 20% or less while cherry and locust made it below 20% in under a year.
Thanks.

Posts like that will get you stoned to death around here.

...because?

You have definitive numbers stating your wood had reached 20% or so in one year and some below 20% in some cases, several of the experts on here put no faith in MM's and believe time is the only answer to drying wood and 1 year is not going to get it. I like drying firewood by using good practices and if it it dries in X amount of time so be it what ever that may be. Unless you bring your wood indoors it will only dry to a point and then its done, wont get any dryer period, how long that takes is a varible depending on where you live and the density of the wood you are drying. Not sure what is gained by drying wood longer then the equilibrium moisture level where you live, have asked that question and never got an answer.

Oldspark-
Thanks for your elaboration. Guess I have not read enough posts and did not realize that MMs are unreliable. I see your point and considering that my ambient humidity has to be higher than yours out in the midwest, I had better start stocking for 2-3 years in advance instead of 1-2. My difficulty is the land space as we only have a half acre. I may need to modify some fence lines and make "border" piles. I was also considering building a shed that can hold at least one cord.

It may not be that the MM are unreliable but why a difference at all if they are so accurate. In addition, why is it that one man can take a reading then another using the same tool gets a different reading? Also, why is it that folks who claim to have wood under 20% still get creosote while some of us burn 3 year old wood and never get creosote? Why is it that some folks have trouble getting fires to burn good while others don't? The answer of course is dry wood.

Oldspark very well may get his wood drier than we can in a year as he lives in a bit more drier climate. There seems to be a difference in the wood too between areas. Cut an oak in the New England States and cut another in western Iowa and you will see a difference even though it is the same type of wood.

With this, I will still continue to advise folks to get 2-3 years ahead in their wood supply but it is for more reasons than just to dry the wood. In addition, we burn a lot of white ash which is one of the lowest moisture content of woods available and it burns great. We can and do notice a difference between 1 year, 2 year and 3 year old wood. What happens in the stove and chimney is what counts in the end and not the reading you get from a MM.

 

[oldspark]

Once again I am about 3 years ahead myself but do not notice a difference in the wood once it gets to a certain point no matter how old it is, I lost track of how old some of my Oak is (left overs put off to the side for as many as 4 or so years) and it burns the same as my 1 year old stuff. At my age I dont feel comfortable only one year ahead. Burning dry wood will not make you any smarter, burn it the wrong way and you will have creosote. Like I said before I dont need the MM but it's fun to play with and if I cut some crappy wood that is on my place I would just as soon burn it as soon as possible before it's condition get worse, MM has not lied to me once yet and I have wasted a lot more money on dumber things.

 

[oldspark]

"Also, why is it that folks who claim to have wood under 20% still get creosote while some of us burn 3 year old wood and never get creosote?"
Now come on BWS I know that you know the answer to that one. ;-)

 

[Backwoods Savage]

You have to admit oldspark that particular statement should get some folks to thinking and that is exactly why I posted it that way. As for me.... I donnnnnknow.