I just want to say burning un seasoned wood sucks. I ran out and I'm just trying to make it threw the rest of the season. Trying to get the stove going with wet wood is dam near impossable. I will never let this happen again because I will be at least 3 to 5 years ahead. I'm wondering if anyone else is in the crappy situation that I am in. Cant find any dry wood and cant afford to buy any dry woood. Please mother nature bring on the nicer weather.:help:
un seasoned
- Thread starter tld400
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Itsme7
ArboristSite Operative
Same situation here... running low on the well seasoned stuff, so starting to mix with unseasoned red oak, that stuff burns horribly when unseasoned. Also burned some unseasoned unknown wood, was very stringy, but it burnt very well surprisingly. I try to get a hot fire going with seasoned, and then i can switch over to unseasoned and it burns reasonably, if i find it starting to burn down i can add a piece or 2 of seasoned and kick it back up. Definitely sucks trying to burn green wood though, starting to stockpile up for next year so i dont have this problem again.
woodchuck357
Addicted to ArboristSite
Ash is the only wood I have experince with that burns OK green
but that was not in an epa stove. My only suggestion is split the wood you have fine and stack it near the stove to dry.:msp_thumbup:
but that was not in an epa stove. My only suggestion is split the wood you have fine and stack it near the stove to dry.:msp_thumbup:
Dan_IN_MN
Addicted to ArboristSite
Just keep a close eye on your chimney so you don't get creosote build up and a chimney fire.
Looks like our dry wood supply will be close also.
Looks like our dry wood supply will be close also.
pennsywoodburnr
supreme scrounger
I feel for you tld. I ran out of my good stuff a little bit ago and have been surviving on the generosity of my neighbor who kept some seasoned stuff sitting around. I've already got more wood now than what I did last year at this time, so hopefully I'll be okay from here on out. Just keep on scrounging the wood as you find it!
I've got more fully seasoned wood than I could possibly burn this spring, some of it creeping up on three years seasoned... but the weather has been so horrible the last couple weeks none of it even resembles "dry", and getting to it won't be fun. Still, I'll be bringing a load in on Saturday... at least that's the plan.
TARPS:hmm3grin2orange:
Brought in some oak and hard maple that I cut last winter - not as good as the 2year seasoned stuff I had burned all of this season, but like woodchuck357 said in his post, a day or so next to the stove does wonders to get the moistness gone.
We had rain this past weekend and warm afternoon temps so getting to the wood pile is a little sloppy.
We had rain this past weekend and warm afternoon temps so getting to the wood pile is a little sloppy.
haveawoody
Addicted to ArboristSite
If the wood supply is that low me thinks head to one or more construction material places.
Look for pallets your allowed to take or even ask about cuttofs from customers cuts.
Or you can try a stone place that has mainly heavy oak pallets, they always have a few busted ones,sometimes way to many hanging around and you might get a good haul.
Pallets will be mainly hardwood and cuttofs mainly softwood but all well cured.
Better than green wood IMO.
Look for pallets your allowed to take or even ask about cuttofs from customers cuts.
Or you can try a stone place that has mainly heavy oak pallets, they always have a few busted ones,sometimes way to many hanging around and you might get a good haul.
Pallets will be mainly hardwood and cuttofs mainly softwood but all well cured.
Better than green wood IMO.
Grandriverrat
ArboristSite Member
That does suck. I borrowed two face cord from my brother several years ago to start the winter.:msp_ohmy: I vowed to never do that again and i have not. It is too bad you were not closer to me I would give you some to help get thru.Maybe somebody on this site that is closer to you can help. Pay it forward!:msp_thumbup:
brenndatomu
Hey you woodchucks, quit chucking my wood!
The first couple years that I burnt firewood I was using poorly seasoned oak oftentimes. I found out that throwing a couple (insert brand here) of those pressed saw dust firewood bricks in with the unseasoned load helps a lot! Still gonna hafta watch for the creosote buildup though...
Grandriverrat
ArboristSite Member
Hey spider maybe Bubba can drive that truck to your place to help you get to that wood pile. I am sure a couple of thousand dollars in gas ought to cover it!
zogger
Tree Freak
Pine blow downs if you can go scrounge them now. Those branches and small trunk wood will be dry or will dry in a few hours inside.
This is another reason I cut a lot of times down to one inch rounds. Once they are dry, even when they get rained on it only wets the very ends a little. If the bark is still there, they are dry inside, you can tell by the clank sound.
I just put three like that into the stove a few minutes ago, two at two inches, one at one inch in diameter. They dont last long, but throw heat just fine and light right off. A hand full of those burning and they will get larger pieces going.
OK, heres another hand full going in (this is oak), this is fully mixed into my general stacks. I have this size up to 10 to 12 inch diameter, but most is normal 3 to 5 inch splits or rounds. But the little stuff has a purpose, same as the larger all nighters. Its very easy to get, use the smallest saw, start at the top end with the tree holding the branch, up and down the branch cuts just eyeballing the cuts, it goes fast that way. It adds up! People say there isnt much wood in the branches and I disagree, theres a LOT of wood in the branches if you cut down to small, and they fit in the stacks fine.
This is another reason I cut a lot of times down to one inch rounds. Once they are dry, even when they get rained on it only wets the very ends a little. If the bark is still there, they are dry inside, you can tell by the clank sound.
I just put three like that into the stove a few minutes ago, two at two inches, one at one inch in diameter. They dont last long, but throw heat just fine and light right off. A hand full of those burning and they will get larger pieces going.
OK, heres another hand full going in (this is oak), this is fully mixed into my general stacks. I have this size up to 10 to 12 inch diameter, but most is normal 3 to 5 inch splits or rounds. But the little stuff has a purpose, same as the larger all nighters. Its very easy to get, use the smallest saw, start at the top end with the tree holding the branch, up and down the branch cuts just eyeballing the cuts, it goes fast that way. It adds up! People say there isnt much wood in the branches and I disagree, theres a LOT of wood in the branches if you cut down to small, and they fit in the stacks fine.
PM Sent this morning...
Lovewood33
ArboristSite Lurker
I guess that is really the only plus softwood has over hardwood is that it drys quicker, but don't give out as much heat. I feel for you, trying to get heat when your cold and the only thing your wood can do is piss out moisture.
lilbuj
ArboristSite Lurker
If you need seasoned
If you need some PM me I am in Oak Ridge and have plenty of seasoned wood split and stacked. You are welcome to switch out with some green.
Joshua
If you need some PM me I am in Oak Ridge and have plenty of seasoned wood split and stacked. You are welcome to switch out with some green.
Joshua
spike60
Addicted to ArboristSite
Complete agreement here Zogger. The little stuff really does add up. I'll usually cut down to 2" on my own property. Keeps my woods neater also. I mostly mix this stuff in with the larger wood or use it to start a fire, but there's times when I'll burn nothing but small stuff on a weekend when I'm there to keep it going. The cart load in the pic has some larger pieces in there, but all of it was blow down wood or some standing dead maple just laying around the place. It's amazing how much of this wood can be overlooked when your mind is on the larger stuff. Couple of carts like this can last a week in the early or late part of the season when an overnight fire isn't that important. And I guess that as it relates to this thread, all those extra nights or weeks from burning this smaller wood extend your main supply by the same amount of time. It could mean the difference between having enough or running out when you get down to the last few weeks of the burning season. :msp_smile:
I'm also almost out of seasoned wood. Got a little bit left and hope it will be enough to survive the last cold days of the winter. The temp last week was up to 60°F (15°C) but now back at 32°F (0°C) and got 5 inches of snow. I started cutting firewood at the end of January and already have enough for 1 year, working on the 2nd & 3rd at the moment. Year 4 & 5 are already planned for September, maybe even year 6. But I've been cutting oak so won't be as dry as I like it next year, split pretty small though, anyway it will have to do unless I can get some scrap wood.
Good luck and stay warm!
Good luck and stay warm!
haveawoody
Addicted to ArboristSite
zogger,
Same here it adds up pretty quick.
And nothing like starting a fire fast with small stuff.
Yep it takes more time to saw up all the small limb stuff but at the end of the day it's much more wood.
Same here it adds up pretty quick.
And nothing like starting a fire fast with small stuff.
Yep it takes more time to saw up all the small limb stuff but at the end of the day it's much more wood.
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