tibikedad
ArboristSite Member
I have a Tarm Excel gasifier boiler, and it really likes dry wood. Oak, maple, and other such hard woods need to be stacked under cover for over a year to really dry out, but ash is usually dry enough after 6-8 months. I do see a difference if I let it sit for a full year, but the ash definitely dries much faster than other hard woods.
BTW, the first 2 years I had the Tarm boiler, I went through about 9 -10 cords of wood a year. Then, after I was able to get 2 years ahead, so that I was burning wood that was 1 1/2 years old, my usage dropped to about 7-8 cords a year. This shows that even though you can burn wood that isn't completely seasoned, you do lose some BTUs when burning incompletely seasoned wood. Why waste effort hauling, cutting, splitting, and stacking wood, and then use 20 to 30 percent more because it is not completely dry? It doesn't take any more effort to wait a year or 2 before burning. It just takes more space on your yard to store the wood.
BTW, the first 2 years I had the Tarm boiler, I went through about 9 -10 cords of wood a year. Then, after I was able to get 2 years ahead, so that I was burning wood that was 1 1/2 years old, my usage dropped to about 7-8 cords a year. This shows that even though you can burn wood that isn't completely seasoned, you do lose some BTUs when burning incompletely seasoned wood. Why waste effort hauling, cutting, splitting, and stacking wood, and then use 20 to 30 percent more because it is not completely dry? It doesn't take any more effort to wait a year or 2 before burning. It just takes more space on your yard to store the wood.
