Tips on burning unseasoned wood

[ChoppyChoppy]

Wanted to come up with a info "article" for customers that waited to the last minute for firewood.

Let's say all you have is wood from trees logged this summer and processed a day or two ago.

What are some ways to get it to burn ok?

Before I get an earful, the customers are well aware of what they are buying. We sell seasoned wood as well.
Some end up burning through their already seasoned wood and have to dig into next years, or some didn't want to pay for seasoned wood.

 

[CentaurG2]

Split it small and bring in pieces and keep them near (think safe here) the stove to help dry them out. Stacking wood where it gets the most sun and wind will also help. If you are stacking under cover (shed/garage) and don’t mind the electricity cost, put a floor fan on the wood to help dry it out.

 

[cumminstinkerer]

I second @CentaurG2 a kerosene/diesel torpedo heater pointed at the stack a safe distance away for a day if in a shed or garage will lower MC by about 20%, I have personally tested that theory.

 

[homemade]

Guy by us that runs a firewood business built a kiln for drying all his wood. Also kills any bugs, allowing him to transport longer distances. It takes heat from his owb.

 

[Marshy]

Best advice you could give them is buy 50:50 wet and seasoned wood and mix it. That's smart business for you and the best of a non-idea situation. As afr as making an article idk, you'll have to do a little more research, it's all subjective.

 

[MountainHigh]

Best advice for anyone running a CAT stove thinking of burning wet wood is - JUST DON'T!

For anyone else, with a normal EPA stove or older fire breather, as mentioned above, split it small, well after startup mix some wet with the dry, and always keep a VERY close eye on Creosote in the chimney when burning any wet wood.

 

[bowtechmadman]

Turn the thermostat up for the gas/oil furnace.

 

[Firewood Daddy]

Time to buy some biobricks and wait for next year for using the the wet wood. Wet wood is more
Work to keep going than it’s worth. Plus it won’t produce much heat.


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[Nick Kent]

Don’t. Plan ahead, and buy your wood for the following year. No such thing as too dry imo

 

[cantoo]

Closed room and a dehumidifier?

 

[Mustang71]

I cut some green apple wood to smoke a Turkey breast. A bit off topic but I threw it on the smoker for a while to dry it out, maybe 4 hours, and these were small chunks. It worked great that day and burned nice. I threw the rest of the "dried wood" in a bucket and a few weeks later it was moldy. So beware even if it looks dry and burns it could still have a high moisture content.

 

[sawjunky23]

I think if they Just don’t want to pay for the seasoned wood, they would only do it one year, as stated above, it’s just not worth it any way you slice it. It’s a huge PITA. I’d run off the gas furnace and wait a year or open up their wallet an pay the money.

 

[4seasons]

My stove is an old non-stop, no cat wood/coal unit so what I am saying only applies to this type of setup.

I have ran out of seasoned wood before in the middle of a hard winter. When I was down to a face cord of seasoned oak, I also had a cord of ash that was cut that fall, several cords of oak, hickory, and a little bit of dead standing elm and pine that was cut in the spring and summer.
As I was burning the last of the seasoned wood I stacked the 3 months old ash near the stove to help dry it. Every time I loaded the stove I would mix in a stick of ash from the stack with my seasoned wood. As the winter continued I also brought in some dead standing pine and elm to dry next to the stove with the ash. I cleaned the chimney every 2 to 4 weeks as my seasoned wood ran out and I used more indoor dried wood. By the end of the season I was burning only dead standing wood and ash that was dried indoors for 3 days minimum.

Once I got a warm couple of days that I could let the fire go out I pulled the stove pipe out to clean it. It is a 6 inch pipe 24 inches long. It had a solid 1 inch build-up of creosote inside that got thicker as it reached the chimney. I only had a 3 inch clear path in a 6 inch pipe even with burning dead standing and ash mixed in with seasoned wood.

Now feel free to flame me for the fire hazard I created. But I did survive the winter even though I ran out of seasoned wood in January. But remember that even all the precautions I took, I still created a big fire hazard and only my 30+ years of wood heat experience allowed me to judge just how much I could open the damper without causing a chimney fire. I do not recommend any one try this nor was I comfortable with doing it.

 

[sawjunky23]

My stove is an old non-stop, no cat wood/coal unit so what I am saying only applies to this type of setup.

I have ran out of seasoned wood before in the middle of a hard winter. When I was down to a face cord of seasoned oak, I also had a cord of ash that was cut that fall, several cords of oak, hickory, and a little bit of dead standing elm and pine that was cut in the spring and summer.
As I was burning the last of the seasoned wood I stacked the 3 months old ash near the stove to help dry it. Every time I loaded the stove I would mix in a stick of ash from the stack with my seasoned wood. As the winter continued I also brought in some dead standing pine and elm to dry next to the stove with the ash. I cleaned the chimney every 2 to 4 weeks as my seasoned wood ran out and I used more indoor dried wood. By the end of the season I was burning only dead standing wood and ash that was dried indoors for 3 days minimum.

Once I got a warm couple of days that I could let the fire go out I pulled the stove pipe out to clean it. It is a 6 inch pipe 24 inches long. It had a solid 1 inch build-up of creosote inside that got thicker as it reached the chimney. I only had a 3 inch clear path in a 6 inch pipe even with burning dead standing and ash mixed in with seasoned wood.

Now feel free to flame me for the fire hazard I created. But I did survive the winter even though I ran out of seasoned wood in January. But remember that even all the precautions I took, I still created a big fire hazard and only my 30+ years of wood heat experience allowed me to judge just how much I could open the damper without causing a chimney fire. I do not recommend any one try this nor was I comfortable with doing it.

Well said. What little a guy saves on the difference in wood could cost a lot more if it causes a fire.

 

[sawjunky23]

Wanted to come up with a info "article" for customers that waited to the last minute for firewood.

Let's say all you have is wood from trees logged this summer and processed a day or two ago.

What are some ways to get it to burn ok?

Before I get an earful, the customers are well aware of what they are buying. We sell seasoned wood as well.
Some end up burning through their already seasoned wood and have to dig into next years, or some didn't want to pay for seasoned wood.

I have never bought a single stick of firewood so please enlighten me as to the cost. What’s a cord of seasoned wood go for and what’s a cord of green go for?

 

[Ryan'smilling]

I have never bought a single stick of firewood so please enlighten me as to the cost. What’s a cord of seasoned wood go for and what’s a cord of green go for?

It varies greatly by region. Around here you'll see hardwood for $70-150+ a face cord, sometimes with delivery on top of that. Cords for $200-350. If you've got seasoned oak to sell you can price it right at the top of that range. Softwood goes for much less.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Time to buy some biobricks and wait for next year for using the the wet wood. Wet wood is more
Work to keep going than it’s worth. Plus it won’t produce much heat.
Those don't exist here.

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[MAD MARK]

Your local BBS Lowes/Home Depot/Tractor Supply or even fireplace store should have something comparable.

 

[066blaster]

So what you're saying is you want to sell them unseasoned wood... when my seasoned wood is gone i am done selling. unless you're the only firewood provider in the area, tell them to buy some seasoned elsewhere. I just don't see any reason to try to instruct someone how to burn unseasoned wood if they can acquire seasoned wood somewhere else.

 

[DSW]

Completely disagree.

As long as a guy is upfront that it's green I don't see the problem. He even mentioned he personally sells seasoned wood. If someone wants to save a buck or wait til the last minute, as plenty will, that's their problem. He makes a living off of it as well. Will the bank wait a year to collect the mortgage when the wood has dried?

I HATE green wood. These people bring it on themselves with poor planning.