Wood too dry?

[ArsenalDon]

I put in a load of wood tonight, packed it tight like usual...a nice big load with big splits...the splits came from a round that was really dry...one could say rotted dry...it was light as feather...the load will not take off...what is the deal? I thought dry was good? I figured this load might go up quicker, but not die out and not take off!?!?

 

[weatherguy]

I cut up some ash that had been partially punky, I cut the punk out and kept the solid part although I still got a few punky splits, most of them I threw in the stove on warm days to get rid of them, a couple got wet and dont seem to want to dry out, Im thinking your wood isnt too dry but like a sponge is wet at the cellular level and is probably no good. I ended up throwing out the rest of what I had that was punky, it aint worth it.

 

[ArsenalDon]

Pretty sure it is dry...light as a feather...fortunately I don't have too much of this crud.

 

[weatherguy]

Mines light as a feather too but wont burn, I even put it in front of the stove for an hour and it still no good, chucked it.

 

[Wood Duck]

It sounds like the wood you are trying to burn is punky - rotted to the point that a lot of the wood fibers are partially decomposed. Punky wood doesn't burn like solid wood, and it can hold more water than you think it is holding. I have a bunch of punky oak that I am burning and it helps to reload the stove with plenty of hot coals to get the punky wood started faster.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Pretty sure it is dry...light as a feather...fortunately I don't have too much of this crud.

Not too dry Don. That does not happen. What it is is what Wood Duck stated; it is punky and you won't get much heat from it. Also, wood is not a sponge to soak up moisture.....except if it is punky then it will soak up lots of it. Light as a feather? I would simply throw it out.

 

[oldspark]

The last time I burnt some punky wood it took off and it looked like the fourth of july in the stove, gassed off in a hearbeat and the afterburners lit up like doobies at a dead concert.

 

[corey21]

Sounds to me like your wood is to rotted to burn in a stove.

I would simply throw it out.

Yep i would too.

 

[ArsenalDon]

Punky wood...makes sense...it is going to the burn pile

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Good place for it Don.