Suggested firewoods - are there any woods that one should NEVER use for firewood?

[1project2many]

What type of air has the most capacity to facilitate evaporation? Cool air with high humidity or warm air with low humidity? Add air movement to that and the evaporative effect becomes greater. You disagree with this theory?

Ahh. The higher the air temperature the greater the amount of moisture the air can contain. But evaporation is fastest when the moisture to evaporate is warm and the air surrounding is dry and cool. When the surrounding air temp is lower than the water temp, energy contained in the water will cause a change from liquid to gas. When surrounding air temp is the same or greater, energy for the conversion must come from the surrounding environment. Pour water on a warm concrete floor in winter, then open a nearby door and watch the steam form.

....it seems as though no matter how many times I split a round, if it still has moisture in it when tossed in the fire, the hissing and moisture comes out the ends

Softwoods are less likely to do this than hardwoods. It's due to the way the wood is "constructed." Many hardwoods have pores or "vessels" that transport moisture through the length of the log.

 

[Ayatollah]

Don't use wet wood! :msp_biggrin:
But seriously, most wood is okay for burning, unless it's treated. I stay away from burning wood with paint or other chemicals on it. It's probably fine, but those chemicals can be bad for your lungs and skin.

Amen to that. Many craiglist ads out here offer torn down fence woods for firewood. Paint or other coatings have usually been on there. Decks also.

 

[Whitespider]

:evilgrinon't use wet wood!

:evilgrin:


Sure... you can use wet wood...


:evilgrin:


But I'd suggest treating it with something to make up for the BTU's you'll loose...


:evilgrin:


I have a favorite for treating wet wood...


:evilgrin:


What I do is...


:evilgrin:


...soak it with used oil. :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[howellhandmade]

Amen to that. Many craiglist ads out here offer torn down fence woods for firewood. Paint or other coatings have usually been on there. Decks also.

Heh. Saw one ad for free firewood -- turned out to be railroad ties from landscaping that was being torn out. Couldn't imagine many more ways this could NOT be firewood.

 

[hoosier daddy]

Bahahaha!!!

:evilgrin:


Sure... you can use wet wood...


:evilgrin:


But I'd suggest treating it with something to make up for the BTU's you'll loose...


:evilgrin:


I have a favorite for treating wet wood...


:evilgrin:


What I do is...


:evilgrin:


...soak it with used oil. :hmm3grin2orange:

If you can't find enough used motor oil you could always...go kill a whale use that oil...only if you are waring a fur coat made from baby seals or some other innocent critter...Seriously, I love all animals especially dipped in gravy...

Go ahead and smack me around with your green bleeding heart!!!

HD

 

[Whitespider]

Couple big chunks of tire rubber will usually get-r-goin' if'n you're short on used motor oil.

 

[indiansprings]

Don't know the location of the op here in Missouri, but having lived here all my life, I've seen everything burned. Everything on your list is more than useable. I find our climate lets wood cure fairly quickly once you have split it and stacked it up to facilitate good air circulation throughout the stack. One of the species that is often overlooked,shunned and can be almost always be had for free is walnut. When places are logged and we go in and clean up the tops we often leave loads and loads of walnut tops because no one will buy it. We only have one customer with a OWB that will buy it, not much of a demand, and he always wants s major discount, not worth messing with. Same thing with sycamore tops, we just leave them laying, no market. If your new to the area, find one of the local loggers, find out the last logging job they did and contact the land owner, most will let you clean up the tops for dang near nothing for stacking up all the small limbs that are left.

 

[Dalmatian90]

Couldn't imagine many more ways this could NOT be firewood.

Been told by my uncles my grandfather used to have old ties delivered for free -- the farm had rail lines running along both the north and south property lines and the section office was across the street.

In addition to belching like a coal locomotive, it wasn't unusual to have 6-8' flames coming out of the sauna chimney!

The creosote tended to burn a tad bit on the hot and rich side.

 

[zogger]

Walnut?

Don't know the location of the op here in Missouri, but having lived here all my life, I've seen everything burned. Everything on your list is more than useable. I find our climate lets wood cure fairly quickly once you have split it and stacked it up to facilitate good air circulation throughout the stack. One of the species that is often overlooked,shunned and can be almost always be had for free is walnut. When places are logged and we go in and clean up the tops we often leave loads and loads of walnut tops because no one will buy it. We only have one customer with a OWB that will buy it, not much of a demand, and he always wants s major discount, not worth messing with. Same thing with sycamore tops, we just leave them laying, no market. If your new to the area, find one of the local loggers, find out the last logging job they did and contact the land owner, most will let you clean up the tops for dang near nothing for stacking up all the small limbs that are left.

For real, the people won't burn walnut and sycamore? I burn some and it seems to do OK. The walnut is denser heavier than the sycamore but it burns pretty good, one of my better woods here, the sycamore is "fair" about like my sweetgum. I pull sycamore outta the creekbed once it is standing dead or any branches that fall. And walnut I get here and there, I won't take any big live ones though, unless really crippled already.

OK, I just looked it up, walnut is 20 mil BTU/cord, red oak is 22. I mean, that is dang close.

All I got to say is "wow" those are some picky people!

Let them lose their jobs and still have to find heat, I bet they stop being so picky!

 

[Chris-PA]

For real, the people won't burn walnut and sycamore? I burn some and it seems to do OK. The walnut is denser heavier than the sycamore but it burns pretty good, one of my better woods here, the sycamore is "fair" about like my sweetgum. I pull sycamore outta the creekbed once it is standing dead or any branches that fall. And walnut I get here and there, I won't take any big live ones though, unless really crippled already.

OK, I just looked it up, walnut is 20 mil BTU/cord, red oak is 22. I mean, that is dang close.

All I got to say is "wow" those are some picky people!

Let them lose their jobs and still have to find heat, I bet they stop being so picky!

I think the "problem" is that walnut seems to need to be very well seasoned, more so than oak. I have not burned a huge amount of it, but enough to know it's fine firewood.

 

[Ayatollah]

I think the "problem" is that walnut seems to need to be very well seasoned, more so than oak. I have not burned a huge amount of it, but enough to know it's fine firewood.

Walnut is dense and heavy to load when it's fresh. Walnut is also dense and solid when splitting. And finally, Walnut is dense when curing. But once you get past that, good split walnut is good coaling and decent aroma. The heat output is barely discernable from oak when it's burning away.

I got 2 cords of 80+ year old Walnut for the carrying away this summer from a tree guy who didn't have enough crew to load it. Hard work in 102 degrees, had to push some big rounds up onto the trailer, and when it was on there...ooooohhh weee, was the trailer a lumbering beast.
Walnut is good stuff
Here's a picture of it when the trailer was almost unloaded

 

[Whitespider]

It is often said that oak requires 2 years of seasoning... something I disagree with because... (well, that's an argument for another day). But I can say from experience that you will most likely be very disappointed burning Black Walnut that has not been given at least 2 years (after splitting) to season... three is better. This ain't scientific fact, just a thought, but I think it must have something to do with the high percentages of oil and juglone.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Walnut Deserves a Second Look

Walnut is not the best firewood that there is (ash probably deserves that distinction), but it sure works well after sufficient drying for two or three main reasons: easy to split, reasonable density, and easy to light.

I happened to mention that I liked walnut to a sawmill owner last August. The bossman overheard me. The following week, 75 logs arrived on a flatbed truck, each about 15' long and 9" to 16" in diameter. These were rejects due to insufficient diameter, too many knots, lack of straightness, and possible embedded metal. I cut them all into rounds, split, and stacked the booty--nearly 12 cords. Most was ready to burn within a month after splitting. Mix walnut with dry hackberry, ash, or elm, and you have a fabulous fire. Even oak enjoys its company.

I'm in heaven. :msp_smile:

 

[Steve NW WI]

Walnut is not the best firewood that there is (ash probably deserves that distinction), but it sure works well after sufficient drying for two or three main reasons: easy to split, reasonable density, and easy to light.

I happened to mention that I liked walnut to a sawmill owner last August. The bossman overheard me. The following week, 75 logs arrived on a flatbed truck, each about 15' long and 9" to 16" in diameter. These were rejects due to insufficient diameter, too many knots, lack of straightness, and possible embedded metal. I cut them all into rounds, split, and stacked the booty--nearly 12 cords. Most was ready to burn within a month after splitting. Mix walnut with dry hackberry, ash, or elm, and you have a fabulous fire. Even oak enjoys its company.

I'm in heaven. :msp_smile:

I'd be mentioning to that mill owner that I also like oak, ash, maple, birch, elm, and whatever else he wants to haul my way!

 

[Ayatollah]

I don't remember it being mentioned here yet, but palm trees haven't been a good wood to burn. The question is, are they even really wood?

But...coconut shells seemed decent enough. Trouble is; if you have them, you don't really need to burn anything to stay warm

 

[WoodChuck'r]

I have a wood stove. I burn wood in it. I cut the wood with my chainsaw.


The wood is used for fuel so I can heat my home with the wood stove.


I heat in the winter, no need to in the summer.


I'm hungry.

Is this necessary...? You're an idiot....

 

[Hedgerow]

Is this necessary...? You're an idiot....

Don't get me started on hard wood v.s. Soft wood bro'...
Just sayin...
:msp_rolleyes:

 

[sb47]

Yeah, I don't burn any pressure treated stuff but will burn kiln dried lumber scraps as kindling. I have also been known to pick up pallets at the lumberyard as they set them out back for free. These can be cut up into nice pieces that make good kindling. Since there is a lot of open space, I tend to get these as needed and don't want to store a lot of them. I do find that using these as bases to stack firewood works well. When that stack of wood is gone, I generally burn that pallet in a brush pile and replace it with a fresh one as they only last so long.

Thanks,

Conor

Be carful with burning pallet wood as some of it has been treated or sprayed for bugs.
Also some pallets have had toxic chemicals stored on them and could have soaked up some nasty stuff. I only burn them outside when they have out lived there purpose.

Dennis

 

[woodbooga]

Poison ivy, etc aside, the question really comes down to - sorry to be boring - facility management.

The facility is your storage area - and maximizing storage volume.

128 cu ft of white pine throws off less warm then a comparable volume of red oak.

I'm fortunate to have enough under-roof storage to have pine and punkwood for Sept-Nov and April-June heat and cooking, as well as Dec-Feb hard winter heating.