# Worried about wood....



## mwhitnee (Jul 7, 2015)

I'm just starting to get into serious wood burning and burned 4 cords last year.  I have trees in my yard that are going to be cut that should give around 4 cords for next year. They will be down in the next few weeks and I am going to split them right away.

Problem is, I have no good source for seasoned wood this year.  I have been calling and searching everywhere and can get only semi-seasoned wood.  It's really frustrating.

I have a Blaze King King being installed in the next couple weeks and am worried about burning semi-seasoned wood in it and destroying the cat. 

I really want to burn this Fall and am really excited about it. Just venting I guess... :/


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## Oldman47 (Jul 8, 2015)

If you can find semi-seasoned, get it and start drying it yourself. I don't know of anyone local to me to even get wood that good.


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## Grisu (Jul 8, 2015)

You are not the first one with that problem. The first winter can be a challenge but it sounds you are already taking care of the subsequent ones. Some options:

- Compressed wood logs like Envi-blocks, BioBricks etc. Certainly more expensive but less hassle than cord wood and guaranteed dry. Can be burned together with semi-seasoned wood.
- Look for someone who is well ahead with their wood. Offer 1.5 cords of green wood for 1 cord of seasoned one.
- Pallets: Often free at big stores, you just need to ask. A PITA to cut up but usually dry. Be careful to not get painted or otherwise treated wood.
- Lumber scraps: Maybe you have a furniture maker etc. close by?
- Build a solar kiln: http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WoodDrying/wood_kiln.htm
- Go for pine: Split small with lots of wind and sun and top-covered you may have a chance of getting that decent until the winter.

Keep an eye on your chimney and clean it every few weeks.


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## firefighterjake (Jul 8, 2015)

Grisu said:


> You are not the first one with that problem. The first winter can be a challenge but it sounds you are already taking care of the subsequent ones. Some options:
> 
> - Compressed wood logs like Envi-blocks, BioBricks etc. Certainly more expensive but less hassle than cord wood and guaranteed dry. Can be burned together with semi-seasoned wood.
> - Look for someone who is well ahead with their wood. Offer 1.5 cords of green wood for 1 cord of seasoned one.
> ...



^ This advice . . . +1.

I survived my first year by burning pallets, ash that was standing dead when I cut it with the bark falling off and some tree tops left over from a cutting operation a year or two before. Not the best wood . . . but it got me by.


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## Beer Belly (Jul 8, 2015)

mwhitnee said:


> I'm just starting to get into serious wood burning and burned 4 cords last year.  I have trees in my yard that are going to be cut that should give around 4 cords for next year. They will be down in the next few weeks and I am going to split them right away.
> 
> Problem is, I have no good source for seasoned wood this year.  I have been calling and searching everywhere and can get only semi-seasoned wood.  It's really frustrating.
> 
> ...


 I'm in the same situation for the most part....short on wood. I'm going with a Pallet of Bio-Brick to start the season. I've got a tree guy who for the past two years would drop off free log loads for me to C/S/S, but I'm too deep into other projects to even think of giving him a call.....also have a few trees I need dropped, but again, projects that need to be finished.....gonna be a costly winter at my household this year


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## Fred Wright (Jul 8, 2015)

Agree with the suggestion of pallets. Often free for the taking, all hardwood construction and ready to burn tonight. They're quick to cut up with a chainsaw. Mind your bar nose doesn't touch the ground and avoid the nails. We used to stand 'em on end and cut 'em.

If there's a sawmill nearby, they'll likely have a mountain of slab wood and tailings available cheap for the truck or trailer load. They may not load it for you due to liability issues but you can load it yourself. Take along some help and you'll have a load in short order. Can't beat the price. Slab wood dries pretty quickly, keep it top covered.

When I started burning in the '90s Dad and I would get pickup loads of tailings from the local hardwood flooring mill. All oak, dry, it was unfinished and clean for just a few dollars. That was some sweet firewood.


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## mwhitnee (Jul 8, 2015)

Although expensive, I would buy a pallet of bio bricks as a supplement to the semi seasoned wood.

I gotta get this wood and stack it so it can start drying. It's the hot season in Mass.

Ill probably start looking for pallets at hd or lowes as im always there.  Local sawmills? Hmmm might have to look into that.

How often will i be cleaning my chimney? It snows here and I'm not getting on it with snow.


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## Wood Duck (Jul 8, 2015)

Are there any firewood sellers in your area that have a yard you can visit? Many of the ones I see have wood leftover from last winter piled behind wood freshly cut. Maybe they'll sell you the old wood if you ask for it. Most people don't care much about seasoned wood, so my impression is that many wood sellers don't care either.


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## mwhitnee (Jul 8, 2015)

No idea haven't asked. All firewood sellers here are ridiculously difficult to get in touch with.


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## Rut13 (Jul 8, 2015)

Have you looked in to bulk kiln dried? We have a place around here that will do kiln dried by the cord, haven't looked into the price, but it may be cheaper than bio bricks.


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## DougA (Jul 8, 2015)

The upside of this is that oil and propane prices appear to be headed even lower, so it may be the cheapest heating season in a decade.  I'd go with the suggestions and get your hands on some seasoned wood now, split it smaller and dry it as best possible.  Buying good seasoned wood may be a higher cost than oil in many areas.


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## mwhitnee (Jul 8, 2015)

DougA said:


> The upside of this is that oil and propane prices appear to be headed even lower, so it may be the cheapest heating season in a decade.  I'd go with the suggestions and get your hands on some seasoned wood now, split it smaller and dry it as best possible.  Buying good seasoned wood may be a higher cost than oil in many areas.




No kiln dried wood in bulk around here.  You know Doug I was thinking of splitting the larger pieces of wood again I thought that would be a good idea.




DougA said:


> The upside of this is that oil and propane prices appear to be headed even lower, so it may be the cheapest heating season in a decade.  I'd go with the suggestions and get your hands on some seasoned wood now, split it smaller and dry it as best possible.  Buying good seasoned wood may be a higher cost than oil in many areas.


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## Oldman47 (Jul 8, 2015)

My stove is going to be an emergency only stove this coming winter. I will have about a cord of fairly good hard wood in my wood piles but not much more than that. Since I am building the house where the stove will be located, I do have all of the cut off ends of boards I used during construction which might total near another half a cord of SPF lumber ends from 4 to 14 inches in length. SPF stands for Spruce/Pine/Fir. It is the basic dimensional lumber at your local lumber yard. For emergency heat, where I will babysit the stove, it should work OK. My Waterfurnace heated the space last winter for about $100 per month, so cost should not really be an issue in terms of heating costs. Actually, buying firewood would cost me far more to heat my new home. As much as I enjoy a fire, my stove is really a heat source for emergencies and ambiance, not to save money. In terms of saving money, I will wear out my new stove before it can begin to pay for itself unless the price of electrical power goes way up.


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## Big Chris (Jul 8, 2015)

Buy semi seasoned asap, try to find a guy that has mostly ash, ash has a low moisture content and drys semi fast, get it in the sun and wind.   You will be fine , still a few months of good drying time


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## JA600L (Jul 8, 2015)

With a cat stove,  load up on softer woods.  It will burn it almost as well as hardwoods.  It will dry much quicker too. 

Set aside hardwoods for next year or 3 years.


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## mwhitnee (Jul 8, 2015)

I will look into what wood is available to me. Thanks!


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## Woody Stover (Jul 9, 2015)

If you have a saw, and know someone with a wood lot, see if you can find some small, dead trees that the bark has fallen off; Those are pretty much guaranteed to be dry enough. Takes a lot of those to total 4 cords, though.  But anything you can get is a step in the right direction.


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## mwhitnee (Jul 9, 2015)

I just got some good news today!

A tree guy came over today and gave me a quote for felling some trees surrounding the yard and was way cheaper than the first quote.  I figured that tree jobs were like contractor work and the prices would vary greatly.

Best news was that many of the trees are dying and drying out, and should give me at least 2-3 cords of wood I can burn this year.  What a relief!  Most are cherry and have a grey one with no bark on it which I'm hoping I can burn if it's still good. I'm going to try and stack the wood accordingly based on M/C. My splitter I inherited has been overhauled and the motor broken in- now has synthetic oil and is ready to go.

I'm learning three ID and have a maple (duh) but also a white oak and a massive silver maple that I could have taken down at some point which will give me a lot of wood for next year.


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## firefighterjake (Jul 12, 2015)

I wouldn't count on that oak being ready for next year even if you took it down, bucked it up, split it and stacked it for next week.


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## weatherguy (Jul 12, 2015)

The cherry should be good to go, that dries quickly, now start working on 2016-17 wood this year too so you don't run into this problem again.


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## mwhitnee (Jul 12, 2015)

Yes im just counting on the half dead cherry. 

Think the tree guys are coming next week. I have lot of log splitting to do!


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## mwhitnee (Jul 12, 2015)

mwhitnee said:


> Yes im just counting on the half dead cherry.
> 
> Think the tree guys are coming next week. I have lot of log splitting to do![/quote
> 
> Weatherguy that's the plan, hoping for 6 cords with these trees.


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## peakbagger (Jul 12, 2015)

The thing that takes awhile to figure out is that 4 cords of wet wood may equal 2.5  cords of dry wood. Oil is relatively cheap so by keeping the stove for emergencies and waiting a year you end up needing less wood for the same amount of heat. Saves on chimney sweeping also. In the meantime maximize drying of the wood you have by stacking in single rows up off the ground with a overhanging top cover.


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## Soundchasm (Jul 13, 2015)

A Sooteater cleaning system will let you clean from the bottom-up.  Very handy, indeed.  Check after a cord and see how you're doing.  Don't forget to check the cap.

If you split small enough, medium woods like cherry, ash, silver maple, etc. will be good to go in six months.  I'm also using a carport and a woodshed and a hot summer to get those results.  This wet summer has me a little worried this year...


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## CountryBoy19 (Jul 13, 2015)

Grisu said:


> - Look for someone who is well ahead with their wood. Offer 1.5 cords of green wood for 1 cord of seasoned one.


This is good advice; I would definitely take that offer to help a new burner out. My only requirement would be to replace with like species/BTU content (if you take hickory or locust you replace it with hickory or locust) and I'm a bit particular on how long my wood is cut to. Other than that I'd even settle for 1.25 cords green per cord of seasoned...


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## mwhitnee (Jul 13, 2015)

Just remembered a friend is clearing a lot not too far away and I emailed him. I will be going to see what the wood situation is over there.  Maybe he even has some dead trees, only one way to find out!

I looked at the Sooteater, it's hard for me to imagine it cleaning the chimney well as opposed to a wire brush. Does it wear out quickly?


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## Grisu (Jul 13, 2015)

mwhitnee said:


> Maybe he even has some dead trees, only one way to find out!



Take a moisture meter with you when you do the cutting. Dead trees can be really variable in their moisture content. 


mwhitnee said:


> I looked at the Sooteater, it's hard for me to imagine it cleaning the chimney well as opposed to a wire brush. Does it wear out quickly?



It cleans just fine. I have used mine over a dozen times yet and very little wear and tear on it. If your chimney is over 18 ft buy two instead of just additional poles so you have a spare head for the future.


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## mwhitnee (Jul 14, 2015)

Trees being cut down tomorrow or Friday.  I had to make a place to store the wood and this was the best place for it.  I will be cutting down a few overhanging branches around this.

It measures 16 wide by around 12 deep. If I give a little space between each stack I wonder how much wood I can fit on it.

I know it's not the best, but at least it's off the ground a little.  There is a lot of sand underneath the boards so it should drain relatively well.


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## Oldman47 (Jul 14, 2015)

Why not separate the boards a few inches to get a pallet kind of platform with good air flow under the stacks? Just a suggestion.


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## mwhitnee (Jul 14, 2015)

Will do that!


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## begreen (Jul 15, 2015)

mwhitnee said:


> No kiln dried wood in bulk around here.  You know Doug I was thinking of splitting the larger pieces of wood again I thought that would be a good idea.


I'd keep searching for kiln dried. There are a lot of dealers in Mass.
http://www.firewoods.net/ne/firewood-MA.aspx
*West End Firewood*
496 Purgatory Rd
Whitinsville, MA 01588
http://westendfirewood.com/


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## FishKiller (Jul 15, 2015)

that wood platform will work.  I don't like stacking right on the ground, even with a barrier though.  i stack on 2 4x4's and keep at least 16" between rows.  if your stacking on the ground like that, make sure you leave lots of room between stacks and stack so that the prevailing winds will blow into the ends to maximize flow.  there are a lot of great ideas here on how to get through a winter that you know your not ready for, unfortunately, you gotta spend some cash. its getting late in the year to really hope that anything you drop now will be ready in time, even by late winter.  the best advise is one your already doing... that is get as far ahead as you can. it took me 3 years to get a year+ ahead, but its a great feeling.  something i personally found out is that seasoning wood is really variable. split size, sun, cover, geographic location, and most importantly airflow dictate how fast you can dry wood. i stack mine in 100% sun, with the prevailing winds blowing up the stacks, combined that with some smaller splits and you can season surprising fast.


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## Soundchasm (Jul 15, 2015)

mwhitnee said:


> I looked at the Sooteater, it's hard for me to imagine it cleaning the chimney well as opposed to a wire brush. Does it wear out quickly?



I've used mine a half-dozen times and it just gets a little dirty.  But I'll tell you, the peace of mind you get from using it only once would be worth it.  It's impossible to know what's up there, and you gain boatloads of info from reading what comes out.

I have a professional sweep come in Sept for a thorough top-down, and I try to do a bottom-up in December and Feb.  My two stoves amount to about 25 minutes each, including a shop vac with a dry-wall dust bag.


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## mwhitnee (Jul 19, 2015)

By the way I've been splitting the cherry. Moisture meter says some (not all) is between 30 and 35%. How fast you think it will dry after splitting? 

Problem is that i can't possibly test every round so they are mixed in.  Just too much wood to process right now...


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## Woody Stover (Jul 19, 2015)

mwhitnee said:


> By the way I've been splitting the cherry. Moisture meter says some (not all) is between 30 and 35%. How fast you think it will dry after splitting?
> 
> Problem is that i can't possibly test every round so they are mixed in.


30%  is pretty wet. Split small and stack it but I would go after that dead stuff, if that guy has got any.


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## EJP1234 (Jul 20, 2015)

Your screwed for this year my man, way too late in the year to be splitting and getting 30% thinking you'll be good by burning season. The best thing you can do is stack right out in the middle of your yard in the sun, single row stacks.. You might be able to get woods like cherry and maple to get close to the mark, but it's going to be unlikely.


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## mwhitnee (Jul 25, 2015)

Rut13 said:


> Have you looked in to bulk kiln dried? We have a place around here that will do kiln dried by the cord, haven't looked into the price, but it may be cheaper than bio bricks.



Thanks everybody for all the input and advice. 

The cherry I'm splitting some is at 25% MC. I actually had my moisture meter in the wrong setting. What do you think of that? It will all be stacked within the next few days. 

I see a small dead tree not far from the edge of the woods- im going after that. Also going to my friends lot to scope out trees. 

Backup so far is buying semi seasoned soon but don't i already have that? So either manufactured logs or kiln dried. Special thanks to Begreen for the kiln dried place near me!!

I'm starting to have some pride with my stack.  This was all split/stacked in a week.


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## brenndatomu (Jul 26, 2015)

@mwhitnee, Kiln dry it yourself. 1 to 2 months in a sunny spot...good to go. Here's how...

Put a pallet down, put a piece of heavy plastic on the pallet so that it covers the pallet and overhangs the edges of the pallet by 6-12" on each side. Use a nail or knife, whatever, to punch a bunch of holes in the plastic wherever it covers the pallet (between the slats preferably). Now stack your wood on the pallet (well, on the plastic) so that it will free-stand when done. Alternating the direction of the splits every layer can work pretty well to stabilize the stack (like you have done in the pic above ^^^)

Now here is where the magic happens. Fold the plastic that was overhanging the sides of the pallet so that it now goes 6-12" up the sides of the wood stack, attach it so that it will stay in place. Get a commercial sized roll of that clear stretch wrap plastic (fleabay?) Wrap the stack starting at the bottom and then working your way up, covering the top too. You want it pretty rain tight. What you will see is the first few weeks the plastic will condensate heavily when the sun hits it. Then overnight the condensate will run down the plastic, pooling in the bottom where it will run out the holes that were punched earlier.

Over a period of a few weeks (could even be 3 or 4 weeks, the more sun the better) you will notice less and less condensate. In a couple months you will be able to pull wood out of there that will test under 20% on the meter...and burn like a champ in the stove. Don't believe me...try it, it works. Pallets are easy to get for free and a roll of that plastic can be had for ~$20 or so and will do a number of stacks...so the price is right, compared to buying fully cured wood anyways...if you can even find any that is.


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## begreen (Jul 26, 2015)

mwhitnee said:


> I'm starting to have some pride with my stack.  This was all split/stacked in a week.


Looks great. Cherry dries pretty quickly but you still may want to buy some kiln dried this year to start out the season at least.


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## Frank625 (Jul 27, 2015)

Cherry does dry quick and is pretty forgiving. Get next years wood up and processed now too.


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## STIHLY DAN (Jul 27, 2015)

Cheapest heating in a decade this year. Just hold off burning wood until next year.


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## mwhitnee (Jul 27, 2015)

Wood is processed.  6 cords split and stacked took me all week just finished. Does look like oil is dropping but still more expensive i would think. 

Excited to burn some at least!


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## mwhitnee (Jul 27, 2015)

brenndatomu said:


> @mwhitnee, Kiln dry it yourself. 1 to 2 months in a sunny spot...good to go. Here's how...
> 
> Put a pallet down, put a piece of heavy plastic on the pallet so that it covers the pallet and overhangs the edges of the pallet by 6-12" on each side. Use a nail or knife, whatever, to punch a bunch of holes in the plastic wherever it covers the pallet (between the slats preferably). Now stack your wood on the pallet (well, on the plastic) so that it will free-stand when done. Alternating the direction of the splits every layer can work pretty well to stabilize the stack (like you have done in the pic above ^^^)
> 
> ...




Thanks for the tip! I can see that working.


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## mwhitnee (Sep 25, 2015)

I am officially not "worried about wood" anymore thanks to everybody's help here- so thank you to all who took the time to help.

I have a solid 5 cords (much of it cherry and near 20% MC) and two pallets of Envi blocks coming Monday.  I will supplement the wood with these.

In the spring I will get green wood and stack it immediately to get it drying for the 17-18 season.  I would imagine I will have enough wood for 2 seasons right now but we will see.

Now to clean the chimney and fire the the new BK....


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## gzax (Sep 25, 2015)

mwhitnee said:


> I am officially not "worried about wood" anymore thanks to everybody's help here- so thank you to all who took the time to help.
> 
> I have a solid 5 cords (much of it cherry and near 20% MC) and two pallets of Envi blocks coming Monday.  I will supplement the wood with these.
> 
> ...



I am doing it for the first time and had 7 Red Oaks taken down in April.. The tree service guy and my neighbors told me if I split small(less than 6 inches thick) then it will dry from April thru October and be ready.. I was told to leave it out in the open until Fall started and I have 3 cords covered(only top covered) as of 3 weeks back and now I am getting the remaining stacked up.. After reading your post, I ordered a moisture meter from Amazon and waiting on it..  

Also was counting on using a wood stove insert, which the local fireplace guy and the veterans of this forum has advised not to proceed with.. Have an appointment with a different fire place tomorrow to go see wood stove inserts and they claim they can install by first week of november..


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## lindnova (Sep 25, 2015)

mwhitnee said:


> Thanks everybody for all the input and advice.
> 
> The cherry I'm splitting some is at 25% MC. I actually had my moisture meter in the wrong setting. What do you think of that? It will all be stacked within the next few days.
> 
> ...


I love the look of cherry.  It is nice and red, clean and burns nice.  That oak looks good too and will make some good heat when dry.


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## brenndatomu (Sep 25, 2015)

gzax said:


> had 7 Red Oaks taken down in April.. The tree service guy and my neighbors told me if I split small(less than 6 inches thick) then it will dry from April thru October and be ready.. I was told to leave it out in the open until Fall started and I have 3 cords covered(only top covered) as of 3 weeks back and now I am getting the remaining stacked up.. After reading your post, I ordered a moisture meter from Amazon and waiting on it.


I'm bettin your new moisture meter is gonna say that Oak isn't ready for this winter...maybe ready for next


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## STIHLY DAN (Sep 25, 2015)

brenndatomu said:


> I'm bettin your new moisture meter is gonna say that Oak isn't ready for this winter...maybe ready for next



And if it does its faulty.


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## gzax (Sep 25, 2015)

the meter should be in Monday.. I have started biting thru my nails..... :-(


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## mwhitnee (Sep 25, 2015)

lindnova said:


> I love the look of cherry.  It is nice and red, clean and burns nice.  That oak looks good too and will make some good heat when dry.




I find myself staring at the cherry a lot it really is beautiful.   The other prominent wood in the pile is shagbark hickory and i can't wait to burn that, but know through the people on here it will not be ready this year.  I didn't even use my moisture meter on it yet.


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## gzax (Sep 27, 2015)

brenndatomu said:


> I'm bettin your new moisture meter is gonna say that Oak isn't ready for this winter...maybe ready for next



I got my meter come in today. Dr. Meter MD-812 and it is showing less than 5%. One of my friends has an MD-912 and that is showing the same.. My meter can go up to 40% and if I put the meter's leads in a glass of water, then it registers 40%. I tried it on a piece of wood that was not covered for the past few weeks and had been rained on. This wood is showing 32% for moisture.. 

So I guess my meter and Red OAK fire wood is good or do you guys have any recommendation for a meter?


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## drz1050 (Sep 27, 2015)

less than 5% on a fresh split? Or were you testing the outside/ ends?


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## brenndatomu (Sep 28, 2015)

gzax said:


> I got my meter come in today. Dr. Meter MD-812 and it is showing less than 5%.


Meter is full of poo poo, even kiln dried 2x4s are not that low. Air dried firewood is nearly impossible to get much below 15% unless you live in Arizona.
Read up on how those meters work, they only give you a rough idea, not that accurate unless you spend big $$ for a commercial grade one that has to be calbrated to what exactly you are testing...very finicky.


drz1050 said:


> less than 5% on a fresh split? Or were you testing the outside/ ends?


Yeah, ya hafta resplit the wood and then check the fresh face of the split...in the middle


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## gzax (Sep 28, 2015)

brenndatomu said:


> Meter is full of poo poo, even kiln dried 2x4s are not that low. Air dried firewood is nearly impossible to get much below 15% unless you live in Arizona.
> Read up on how those meters work, they only give you a rough idea, not accurate at all unless you spend big $$ for a commercial grade one that has to be calbrated to what exactly you are testing...very finicky.
> 
> Yeah, ya hafta resplit the wood and then check the fresh face of the split...in the middle



Will give that a try today..


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## mwhitnee (Sep 28, 2015)

find a piece of wood that is on the larger side in your stack (not huge), split it as close to the middle as you can, and then put the probes going lengthwise on the freshly cut side. It should follow the grain of the wood. 

My Envi logs are coming today!!


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## gzax (Sep 28, 2015)

mwhitnee said:


> find a piece of wood that is on the larger side in your stack (not huge), split it as close to the middle as you can, and then put the probes going lengthwise on the freshly cut side. It should follow the grain of the wood.
> 
> My Envi logs are coming today!!



I am in Framingham, MA where are you? Are you picking up the logs or getting it delivered? what was the price?


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## mwhitnee (Sep 28, 2015)

Delivered. I would have gotten them in my truck but they are very heavy. My Silverado 1500 is a quarter ton pickup and I guess they are a ton a pallet? I'm right outside Worcester.

They were around $640 for two pallets with delivery, probably around the same price for actual seasoned wood if you could find it. I decided not to take any chances and got the bricks instead. Got them from Pellets Direct in Uxbridge- they would deliver there. I would call sooner than later if you want some I heard places run out of them.


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## gzax (Sep 28, 2015)

mwhitnee said:


> Delivered. I would have gotten them in my truck but they are very heavy. My Silverado 1500 is a quarter ton pickup and I guess they are a ton a pallet? I'm right outside Worcester.
> 
> They were around $640 for two pallets with delivery, probably around the same price for actual seasoned wood if you could find it. I decided not to take any chances and got the bricks instead. Got them from Pellets Direct in Uxbridge- they would deliver there. I would call sooner than later if you want some I heard places run out of them.



Thank you for the details.. 

They have Hot bricks, Envi 8's and Envi Block.. Which one did you get?


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## mwhitnee (Sep 28, 2015)

The smaller Envi-8 at a forum Babaganoosh's recommendation as I am supplementing my wood with them.


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## Beer Belly (Sep 28, 2015)

mwhitnee said:


> Delivered. I would have gotten them in my truck but they are very heavy. My Silverado 1500 is a quarter ton pickup and I guess they are a ton a pallet? I'm right outside Worcester.
> 
> They were around $640 for two pallets with delivery, probably around the same price for actual seasoned wood if you could find it. I decided not to take any chances and got the bricks instead. Got them from Pellets Direct in Uxbridge- they would deliver there. I would call sooner than later if you want some I heard places run out of them.


 I've had 2,300 lbs. in my Silverado 1500......not gonna say I didn't feel it, but it did the job....as a matter of fact 5 trips....3/4 inch Process.


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## mwhitnee (Sep 28, 2015)

Beer Belly said:


> I've had 2,300 lbs. in my Silverado 1500......not gonna say I didn't feel it, but it did the job....as a matter of fact 5 trips....3/4 inch Process.



Yeah I would have had to go twice- half an hour away for each pallet. So that's two hours of driving and gas, getting them piece by piece off the truck, beating my new shocks, etc.  It was worth the $60 I paid in shipping..


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## gzax (Sep 28, 2015)

mwhitnee said:


> Yeah I would have had to go twice- half an hour away for each pallet. So that's two hours of driving and gas, getting them piece by piece off the truck, beating my new shocks, etc.  It was worth the $60 I paid in shipping..


$60.00 for two pallets is a deal for someone like me who doesn't have a pickup..


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## gzax (Sep 29, 2015)

brenndatomu said:


> Meter is full of poo poo, even kiln dried 2x4s are not that low. Air dried firewood is nearly impossible to get much below 15% unless you live in Arizona.
> Read up on how those meters work, they only give you a rough idea, not accurate at all unless you spend big $$ for a commercial grade one that has to be calbrated to what exactly you are testing...very finicky.
> 
> Yeah, ya hafta resplit the wood and then check the fresh face of the split...in the middle



It is showing 28%.. I guess I am out of luck with this unless I am taking the approach as mwhitnee where i get some enviro blocks and burn the green wood along (in small quantities)...


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## brhorgan (Oct 1, 2015)

Could someone explain, in detail, the theory behind using the envi logs? (How they work? What application is best?) When used in addition to not properly dry wood is it safe or just safer?

I moved into a new (for me) rental home a few months ago and haven't had as much time as I'd like to process and dry wood for this coming winter. I know I'm not going to get a clean burn but I'd like to get as close as possible. What are some other tricks to burn wet wood cleaner or to mitigate creosote buildup?


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## gzax (Oct 1, 2015)

brhorgan said:


> Could someone explain, in detail, the theory behind using the envi logs? (How they work? What application is best?) When used in addition to not properly dry wood is it safe or just safer?
> 
> I moved into a new (for me) rental home a few months ago and haven't had as much time as I'd like to process and dry wood for this coming winter. I know I'm not going to get a clean burn but I'd like to get as close as possible. What are some other tricks to burn wet wood cleaner or to mitigate creosote buildup?



I believe the overall idea is that if you have wood with 30% moisture mixed with envi logs which are less than 3% or so moisture, the combined moisture content for the entire load of firewood and envi logs is still less than 20% and it burns better since the dry envi logs are in it as well.  Let's see what the seasoned veterans have to say..


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## brenndatomu (Oct 1, 2015)

gzax said:


> I believe the overall idea is that if you have wood with 30% moisture mixed with envi logs which are less than 3% or so moisture, the combined moisture content for the entire load of firewood and envi logs is still less than 20% and it burns better since the dry envi logs are in it as well.  Let's see what the seasoned veterans have to say..


Yeah, that's more or less it. I see what you did there..."seasoned" veterans, HA! 
The other aspect of it is that the dry "log" can help get the firebox hot enough to get the secondary combustion going, and that it where the real heat and longer burn times happen, gets the fire box hot, gets secondary combustion going, turn the air down...enjoy the fire/heat! (if you try to turn the air down with a load of "not dry enough" wood, the fire just goes out, or smolders)


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## brhorgan (Oct 1, 2015)

brenndatomu said:


> Yeah, that's more or less it. I see what you did there..."seasoned" veterans, HA!
> The other aspect of it is that the dry "log" can help get the firebox hot enough to get the secondary combustion going, and that it where the real heat and longer burn times happen, gets the fire box hot, gets secondary combustion going, turn the air down...enjoy the fire/heat! (if you try to turn the air down with a load of "not dry enough" wood, the fire just goes out, or smolders)



Oh that makes a lot of sense. Thank you! It looks like I'll be off to shop for a pallet of envi logs. Any suggestions on where to start for a good price?


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## brenndatomu (Oct 1, 2015)

You can use ECO bricks (or whatever they're called in your area) too, anything that has compressed sawdust only, no wax, fillers. Hafta do a lil research to find the different brands/types and then call multiple dealers for price, they can vary a lot. In our area, ECO bricks can range from $200(ish) to over $300 per ton (pallet)


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## drz1050 (Oct 1, 2015)

brhorgan said:


> Oh that makes a lot of sense. Thank you! It looks like I'll be off to shop for a pallet of envi logs. Any suggestions on where to start for a good price?



In my area (Saratoga-ish, NY) prices range from 300ish to 500ish per pallet. 

The best way to shop around I've found was look on the manufacturer websites, at the find a dealer screen... I don't think Lowes or Home Depot carries the bricks.. Tractor Supply does, if you have those near you.


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## brhorgan (Oct 2, 2015)

Yah we have tractor supply, a big Northwest true value, and a handful of Ag supply companies down here in southwest VA.


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