# Drying Wood for Gasifier



## Eric Johnson (Jan 7, 2016)

I think the biggest problem new owners have with gasifiers is that they don't understand what's involved in adequately drying their wood. Most people seem to think it's OK to cut their wood in the spring and burn it the following winter. I don't think it's possible to get wood dry enough doing it that way.

I cut my wood supply two years in advance, moving it into my barn in the spring before the heating season. So, it sits outside, cut, split and stacked but uncovered for a year, more or less, before being moved indoors to finish drying over the summer and fall.

With this approach, getting ahead of the game is going to require cutting twice as much wood as one usually would, far enough in advance. That's a daunting task for most people.

Does anyone else have success with a shorter timeframe?

I'm glad I don't sell gasifiers for a living but if I did, I'd build the cost of a cord of dry wood into the price, so the new owner would at least know what it's like to burn adequately dry wood.


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## velvetfoot (Jan 7, 2016)

I usually move into my garage in the spring, to make room for more wood that I'm cutting.  Thing is, I think the power post beetles hatch after that, which I'm not crazy about.
Can't help you with the time frame.


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## huffdawg (Jan 7, 2016)

I think its quite a bit shorter time frame for softwoods . The douglas fir im buning now  has been felled about  18 months ago. Burns good,


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## Eric Johnson (Jan 7, 2016)

huffdawg said:


> I think its quite a bit shorter time frame for softwoods . The douglas fir im buning now  has been felled about  18 months ago. Burns good,



No doubt. And, 18 months is a lot better than 6 months, which is what I think many people allot--at least until they get hip to the gasifier requirements. Some never do (get hip), and you can pick up their used boilers for cheap.

I would imagine that the pitch in softwood acts as an accelerant, enhancing the gasification process. I've never tried to burn softwood.

I should add that my family's tree farm in Wisconsin has lots of oak-wilt killed standing trees, which fortunately rot from the outside-in. So we've got trees that have been standing dead for years before I get around to cutting them. I've noticed that the crown wood is almost dry, but the trunk and bigger limbs are still plenty wet. Not sure if the bound water has left the cells in this wood, but I kind of doubt it. You can burn the crown wood after one summer of drying, no problem. Nice to have that option.


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## huffdawg (Jan 7, 2016)

I've cut a lot of standing dead here also 3/4 of the tree is usually quite dry with the butt being green still.  Mostly fir. We have madrone here but it's almost impossible to get.. That would need a couple yrs seasoning at least..


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## Karl_northwind (Jan 7, 2016)

most of the oak you get around here is oak wilt killed.  lots is sopping wet.  I throw in a moisture meter and usually a half cord or so of dry wood (cut by me, oak, hickory, and ash)  we'll have lots of ash firewood when the emerald ash borer gets to us.  

you should see the light go on in the eyes when they hear the proper gasification roar from some 15% wood.  
I do make sure to explain to them that yes, they have to get 2 years ahead ideally, but from then on they're cutting half the wood as their old OWB, and that makes sense to them.  

karl


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## maple1 (Jan 7, 2016)

I try to go for windfalls - I don't have to fell, and it doesn't take as long to dry. Usually. I usually process it all completely where it lays, then haul out on a trailer & stack right to pallets.

I got caught short on wood after my first year with mine. So I went for windfall spruce, and smallish white birch that was easy to get at. The birch was sopping wet when I cut it in the spring, but I split it small & stacked it in the open. Looked more like toothpicks than firewood. But it was good to go that winter. The windfall spruce took no time to get dry - but you need more of it.

This past summer, I didn't start going after wood until August (drug my butt all summer I guess), but now that I'm almost 2 years ahead I am going easy on the spruce & going after more hardwood. I got into a lot of long-fallen big old sugar maple, some was too punky but most was prime. So as long as I can stay ahead, stuff I am cutting will have two years of drying time. Hopefully covered. In the open but double stacked. Up off the ground on raised pallets. I cleaned my secondary chamber glass off a few days ago for a clear view of my flame - it's pure bluish almost 100% of the time, can definitely notice the difference.

I have a pile of rounds of softwood (a lot of junky fir) that I cut up from stuff I brought out of the woods early December, that had previoulsy been laying in the woods for a year in 8' lengths, that I am hoping to get all split & stacked this coming weekend since the weather is looking so nice. If I get that all done, it will top up my pallets & should put me two years ahead. Even with getting more hardwood, I like some soft in with it for daily firestarting. Got a late start this year, but had a few steady spurts at it since then. Will try to get at it earlier next year, already have some windfalls & standing dead eyed up.


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## Eric Johnson (Jan 7, 2016)

You wouldn't think that it's wet, but it is. I wouldn't even try to burn it in that crappy OWB.


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## krinkov (Jan 7, 2016)

i own a woodgun 140 and it will burn any kind of wood wet or dry and it burns hot.


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## Hydronics (Jan 7, 2016)

I typically cut/split/stack in early spring. I stack it directly in the wood shed but leave the front open with a fan pushing out the back until I light the boiler in the fall. I find this to be adequate drying time but the wood is usually pole wood that was cut while dormant in winter. Red oak can be borderline so I usually give it more time to dry.
I do whatever possible to prevent double handling and this seems to work well.
I got a few cords of white pine from my neighbor for next season but I'll probably mix it with hardwood when I stack it. Anyone ever burn softwood by itself in a downdraft gasifier?


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## huffdawg (Jan 7, 2016)

Hydronics said:


> I typically cut/split/stack in early spring. I stack it directly in the wood shed but leave the front open with a fan pushing out the back until I light the boiler in the fall. I find this to be adequate drying time but the wood is usually pole wood that was cut while dormant in winter. Red oak can be borderline so I usually give it more time to dry.
> I do whatever possible to prevent double handling and this seems to work well.
> I got a few cords of white pine from my neighbor for next season but I'll probably mix it with hardwood when I stack it. Anyone ever burn softwood by itself in a downdraft gasifier?



I burn 99.9% softwood  mostly douglas fir  but also cypress, hemlock, broad leaf maple,spruce and balsam..   You can sure notice the difference in total BTU's when switching from fir to the other wood.


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## JohnDolz (Jan 7, 2016)

huffdawg said:


> I think its quite a bit shorter time frame for softwoods . The douglas fir im buning now  has been felled about  18 months ago. Burns good,


I had lightening kill a white giant pine, it was standing dead/fried for about 6 months, on the ground as log or round for 3-6 months and spilt for 4-6 months. I would say it was generally 10% (many of the rounds were 40"). Had a load of pine dropped off this year as rounds, split for maybe 6 months - bone dry.

That being said I am still very new at this and lived the horror of not so dry wood last year (my 1st year). Question, I have next years wood already split and stacked and am gathering wood for the following year. I was thinking of stacking it as rounds and then splitting it next fall. It would then have 1 year as a round and 1 year split - does everyone think that is enough drying time? Without getting to detailed that is the plan because it allows me to keep 1 year of split in the woodshed drying for 1 year (once it gets cold I move this years wood from the woodshed to a covered area just outside my basement door - don't want to store wood that close to the house spring/summer/fall) and another year next to the shed, outside as rounds. When I split it, it goes straight into the wood shed.

In case anyone is wondering, I did make the woodshed big enough for 2 years but I keep buying silly things and use the other 1/2 of the woodshed as my "temporary indoor storage".


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## maple1 (Jan 7, 2016)

I would definitely split it as soon as it is cut to length.


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## Eric Johnson (Jan 7, 2016)

maple1 said:


> I would definitely split it as soon as it is cut to length.



Strongly second that. It won't dry out much when blocked. Way too little exposed surface area. That's beauty of split wood--that uneven surface really exposes a lot more wood to the atmosphere. I see people stacking large, unsplit rounds and I just shake my head in sorrow.


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## JohnDolz (Jan 7, 2016)

maple1 said:


> I would definitely split it as soon as it is cut to length.


Thanks, I know that is preferable but logistically I can't split it an stack it where it is going to stay. Debating whether avoiding that extra move of split wood is worth the risk of it not being dry enough. I use about 7 cord so this is a case of moving all 7 cord once split (after it has already been split and stacked for a year. If I put up another building I am a dead man for sure!


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## JohnDolz (Jan 7, 2016)

Eric Johnson said:


> Strongly second that. It won't dry out much when blocked. Way too little exposed surface area. That's beauty of split wood--that uneven surface really exposes a lot more wood to the atmosphere. I see people stacking large, unsplit rounds and I just shake my head in sorrow.


Appreciate the opinion, thanks!


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## Born2burn (Jan 7, 2016)

Hydronics said:


> I typically cut/split/stack in early spring. I stack it directly in the wood shed but leave the front open with a fan pushing out the back until I light the boiler in the fall. I find this to be adequate drying time but the wood is usually pole wood that was cut while dormant in winter. Red oak can be borderline so I usually give it more time to dry.
> I do whatever possible to prevent double handling and this seems to work well.
> I got a few cords of white pine from my neighbor for next season but I'll probably mix it with hardwood when I stack it. Anyone ever burn softwood by itself in a downdraft gasifier?


Yes, mine is a homemade gasser and softwoods do work great, I have even burned just pallets. Always achieve good coal bed with soft woods as long as they are dry.


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## woodsmaster (Jan 7, 2016)

I can cut wood one week, split it and burn it the next week. I'm burning dead standing white ash that has been dead for six years though.


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## JohnDolz (Jan 7, 2016)

Born2burn said:


> Yes, mine is a homemade gasser and softwoods do work great, I have even burned just pallets. Always achieve good coal bed with soft woods as long as they are dry.


Yes, I did about 5 cord last year of white pine by itself in a downdraft gasifier. As it says above, as long as it is dry it burns great - just not as many btu's per load so be prepared for shorter burn. This year I plan to use about 15% softwood mixed in the the hardwood.


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## huffdawg (Jan 7, 2016)

What I've noticed burning softwoods is the Lower BTU stuff like balsom, spruce,pine is they sure seem to bridge a lot easier .. I just switched to fir a couple weeks ago and i'm liking it  a lot better.


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## JohnDolz (Jan 7, 2016)

huffdawg said:


> What I've noticed burning softwoods is the Lower BTU stuff like balsom, spruce,pine is they sure seem to bridge a lot easier .. I just switched to fir a couple weeks ago and i'm liking it  a lot better.


I had that problem at the beginning of last year (my 1st year at this), pieces were split too big and not dried enough. I have burned  7 or 8 cord of pine since last year, never had a bridging problem if it was dry. Even pieces with giant ugly knots got consumed into nothing along with everything else.


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## jebatty (Jan 8, 2016)

Got to remember that cutting a two year supply of wood is only a one-time event. After that, need to cut only a one year supply to be used in the 2nd year. I burn almost only pine (jack, white, red), plus a little mixed birch, ash, and maple, in my Tarm. This is now my 10th heating season with pine. 

As to bridging with softwoods, although the bottom of the firebox in the Tarm is somewhat sloped down from the firebox walls to the nozzle slot, I have found that letting a large ash bed build up changes this more into a V shaped slope, further concentrates the coals towards the bottom of the V, and greatly reduces the chance of any bridging. Plus, keep the splits and rounds small diameter, especially for the first load or two of wood, after that larger splits can go on top or mixed into a wood load of smaller splits. Used to have somewhat frequent bridging issues, now near 0.


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## woodsmaster (Jan 8, 2016)

A couple years ago I had some wood that wasn't as dry as Id like. I would stack a cord and a half in the boiler shed and it would be dry in a couple weeks. It's about like a kiln in there. I was a year or more ahead, but then I went threw a divorce and wasn't sure if I was going to be able to keep the house, so I used up the supply. It's been a struggle to get ahead now being a single parent and business owner. I just got a bigger saw and wagon to haul wood. Also just got my tractor going so It's time to start doing some serious wood cutting when I can make time.


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## Kristen (Jan 8, 2016)

jebatty said:


> Got to remember that cutting a two year supply of wood is only a one-time event



That was my solution too. At the outset I bought 2-years supply, had a contractor come with a big conveyor-belt machine that cut to length, split and then up a conveyor to drop onto the top of the pile. Only trouble was that the pile wasn't inside the barn  so we then spent the winter weekends carting the split logs and stacking them in the barn.

Friends in France say you need three years supply of split wood. That allows you to be ill one year ... and if you are ill for three years in a row then you've had your chips anyway!

Now I cut, split and stack during the winter and that replaces the pile that has just been used in the boiler - so I refill the barn as a row is burnt, and come Spring the barn is full.


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## Eric Johnson (Jan 8, 2016)

Kristen said:


> That allows you to be ill one year



This reminds me of a story. About 7 years ago I managed to accumulate 42 full cords of cut, split and stacked firewood in my backyard. My wife said, "You're freaking crazy. And all the neighbors think so, too." I said, "Well, you never know, I might get sick or hurt or lose access to the woodlot, or who knows what?" Not thinking, of course, that any of those things was going to happen to _me,_ but it sounded reasonable.

The next year I got sick and had to have surgery, so I couldn't cut any firewood that summer. Middle of the winter, when the house was 75 degrees and the gas bill was near zero, I asked her, "Who's freaking crazy, now?"

I'm down to just 20 cords now. Pretty nervous.


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## JohnDolz (Jan 8, 2016)

Kristen said:


> That was my solution too. At the outset I bought 2-years supply, had a contractor come with a big conveyor-belt machine that cut to length, split and then up a conveyor to drop onto the top of the pile. Only trouble was that the pile wasn't inside the barn  so we then spent the winter weekends carting the split logs and stacking them in the barn.
> 
> Friends in France say you need three years supply of split wood. That allows you to be ill one year ... and if you are ill for three years in a row then you've had your chips anyway!
> 
> Now I cut, split and stack during the winter and that replaces the pile that has just been used in the boiler - so I refill the barn as a row is burnt, and come Spring the barn is full.


I think I am on the same page as you.


Eric Johnson said:


> This reminds me of a story. About 7 years ago I managed to accumulate 42 full cords of cut, split and stacked firewood in my backyard. My wife said, "You're freaking crazy. And all the neighbors think so, too." I said, "Well, you never know, I might get sick or hurt or lose access to the woodlot, or who knows what?" Not thinking, of course, that any of those things was going to happen to _me,_ but it sounded reasonable.
> 
> The next year I got sick and had to have surgery, so I couldn't cut any firewood that summer. Middle of the winter, when the house was 75 degrees and the gas bill was near zero, I asked her, "Who's freaking crazy, now?"
> 
> I'm down to just 20 cords now. Pretty nervous.


I assume you asked "Who's freaking crazy, now?" when your wife wan't in the room.


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## Eric Johnson (Jan 8, 2016)

JohnDolz said:


> I assume you asked "Who's freaking crazy, now?" when your wife wan't in the room.



No, I'm only scared of her when we run out of hot water.


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## JohnDolz (Jan 8, 2016)

Eric Johnson said:


> No, I'm only scared of her when we run out of hot water.


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## pblormis (Jan 8, 2016)

I have and e 100 wood gun and you better have well seasoned wood or you will be clean the creosote off the floor and out of the ash box and anywhere else it can find to run. I cut in fall and season all summer out in open  if i know rain is coming i tarp wood,  them move to wood shed at the begin of heating season. all my wood comes from tress that have died. i set right in the middle of twenty acres of hard woods. and only take down what has died or blown over.  works well for me.


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## JohnDolz (Jan 9, 2016)

pblormis said:


> I have and e 100 wood gun and you better have well seasoned wood or you will be clean the creosote off the floor and out of the ash box and anywhere else it can find to run. I cut in fall and season all summer out in open  if i know rain is coming i tarp wood,  them move to wood shed at the begin of heating season. all my wood comes from tress that have died. i set right in the middle of twenty acres of hard woods. and only take down what has died or blown over.  works well for me.


Luckily I did noot have the cresote leakage issue but I prefer to never have to deal with the "poor quality fuel problem" again. My plan was to give 2 years of drying, 1 year as cut rounds, 1 year of split and stacked in a vented woodshed (this was really for logistics reasons). I think you guys have scared me into 2 years of split and stacked.


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## Kristen (Jan 9, 2016)

JohnDolz said:


> you guys have scared me into 2 years of split and stacked



Only got to do it the once ... provided you have the storage space and enough material to keep the rain off. The "year two" wood could be gerenated somewhat "late" in Year 1, so it was perhaps only 1.5 years old when bunt, so long as by Year 2 you then have two full years split and stacked.

Or accelerate the drying somehow - perhaps by using a polytunnel to store the wood in for some solar drying. Then you probably only need one year's supply ... but that doesn't help you if, for some reason, you cannot cut & split one year


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## Eric Johnson (Jan 9, 2016)

Kristen said:


> The "year two" wood could be gerenated somewhat "late" in Year 1, so it was perhaps only 1.5 years old when bunt, so long as by Year 2 you then have two full years split and stacked.



That's correct.


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## pblormis (Jan 9, 2016)

I cut into one tree last year and had to wait for about five min for water to quit coming out. it was like a fountain  must have taken on a lot of water the inside was hollow. wish i had pictures of that, the saw got washed good. that wood will be a while before i can use. A few years back cut one tree and splitting it up my wife was loading when i heard her scream wood going one way and her the other, got her calmed down went to see what was in that stick of wood. it was a milk snake i split another stick and found one more. yes i load the rest by my self


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## salecker (Jan 9, 2016)

krinkov said:


> i own a woodgun 140 and it will burn any kind of wood wet or dry and it burns hot.


That doesn't work in a gasifer.And if you really think about it you aren't getting the heat you could with your stove burning green wood.Wet or green wood contains water,the same water that firemen use to put out fires.So a lot of your usable BTU's go to heating the water up to produce steam so it can leave the wood so the wood can burn.And then there is the other byproduct ,creosote you have to deal with.


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## salecker (Jan 9, 2016)

Hydronics said:


> I typically cut/split/stack in early spring. I stack it directly in the wood shed but leave the front open with a fan pushing out the back until I light the boiler in the fall. I find this to be adequate drying time but the wood is usually pole wood that was cut while dormant in winter. Red oak can be borderline so I usually give it more time to dry.
> I do whatever possible to prevent double handling and this seems to work well.
> I got a few cords of white pine from my neighbor for next season but I'll probably mix it with hardwood when I stack it. Anyone ever burn softwood by itself in a downdraft gasifier?


Thats all we have to burn in the Yukon,spruce.I find i have to burn larger pieces then you guys with hardwood.The first year i split my wood fairly small and was plagued with lots of huffing during burns.My conclusion was that the super dry spruce we have was producing more gas then the boiler could burn.Now i split the wood in bigger sizes and don't have much huffing.My splits are probably 6-7 playing card size,nothing under a 8" round gets split.


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## Eric Johnson (Jan 9, 2016)

salecker said:


> That doesn't work in a gasifer.And if you really think about it you aren't getting the heat you could with your stove burning green wood.Wet or green wood contains water,the same water that firemen use to put out fires.So a lot of your usable BTU's go to heating the water up to produce steam so it can leave the wood so the wood can burn.And then there is the other byproduct ,creosote you have to deal with.



The Wood Gun is a gasifier, so I don't know how he gets away with burning green wood. My Eko sure won't gasify wet wood. Your explanation of the futility in trying to burn water in any wood burner is absolutely correct. No getting around it. It's just a natural fact.


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## JohnDolz (Jan 9, 2016)

Kristen said:


> Only got to do it the once ... provided you have the storage space and enough material to keep the rain off. The "year two" wood could be gerenated somewhat "late" in Year 1, so it was perhaps only 1.5 years old when bunt, so long as by Year 2 you then have two full years split and stacked.
> 
> Or accelerate the drying somehow - perhaps by using a polytunnel to store the wood in for some solar drying. Then you probably only need one year's supply ... but that doesn't help you if, for some reason, you cannot cut & split one year


Thanks. The issue isn't doing the work for me. The issue is more around I don't want top use both 1/2's of the woodshed for wood (I completely understand that is ridiculous thinking, just got spoiled with the covered space for other stuff). I like to keep it CSS in the shed for 1 year. If I split year 2 and store it outside for 1 year, I then need to move it into the woodshed. If I leave it outside for 2 years and just use it I risk my wife asking why I needed to build the giant woodshed. We all pick out battles.


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## JohnDolz (Jan 9, 2016)

Eric Johnson said:


> The Wood Gun is a gasifier, so I don't know how he gets away with burning green wood. My Eko sure won't gasify wet wood. Your explanation of the futility in trying to burn water in any wood burner is absolutely correct. No getting around it. It's just a natural fact.


I think along the lines of high end race car engine, yes you could probably get it to fire on a lot of different qualities of fuel, just don't think you will win many races. I STRUGGLED the 1st few months of last season with too wet/too big. I will do everything I can to avoid repeating that experience.


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## Kristen (Jan 10, 2016)

JohnDolz said:


> just got spoiled with the covered space for other stuff



My two-bay barn was perfect for my wood, as it had a third area for my "other stuff". Unfortunately the other-stuff collection has grown, but the amount of wood I need is constant!  I need to figure out a barn-extension plan I think 

The space-hungry bits of other stuff are attachments for my tractor that I have added over the years. I also bought a second mower (in case first one broke, so I could still mow the grass whilst first was fixed ... or MAYBE??! one of the kids would mow grass at the same time as me? <Whistles!>). Typing this I'm just wondering if I can have a tractor-attachment store that isn't a barn - none of the attachments are very tall, they are just awkward shapes and sizes.


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## JohnDolz (Jan 10, 2016)

Kristen said:


> My two-bay barn was perfect for my wood, as it had a third area for my "other stuff". Unfortunately the other-stuff collection has grown, but the amount of wood I need is constant!  I need to figure out a barn-extension plan I think
> 
> The space-hungry bits of other stuff are attachments for my tractor that I have added over the years. I also bought a second mower (in case first one broke, so I could still mow the grass whilst first was fixed ... or MAYBE??! one of the kids would mow grass at the same time as me? <Whistles!>). Typing this I'm just wondering if I can have a tractor-attachment store that isn't a barn - none of the attachments are very tall, they are just awkward shapes and sizes.


Now here is a person that understands my dilemma! I am in the middle of moving 23 tons of process stone to create a level area next to my wood shed - we'll see what trouble I can get into once that is in place...


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## Kristen (Jan 10, 2016)

JohnDolz said:


> we'll see what trouble I can get into once that is in place



Ha! I'm always in trouble. Seems far more fun to embark on a project rather than ask for permission first   My barn was like that - went to an auction to buy some benches for my greenhouse (they weren't what I needed) and I bought the barn instead!


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## JohnDolz (Jan 10, 2016)

Kristen said:


> Ha! I'm always in trouble. Seems far more fun to embark on a project rather than ask for permission first   My barn was like that - went to an auction to buy some benches for my greenhouse (they weren't what I needed) and I bought the barn instead!


Exactly!


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## muncybob (Jan 11, 2016)

Eric Johnson said:


> The Wood Gun is a gasifier, so I don't know how he gets away with burning green wood. My Eko sure won't gasify wet wood. Your explanation of the futility in trying to burn water in any wood burner is absolutely correct. No getting around it. It's just a natural fact.


 My 1st year with the WG I had less than ideal wood. I was having incomplete burns, creosote issues and clogged chimney. Once we were able to put a steady diet of reasonably dry wood(less than 25%) it ran MUCH better and wood consumption decreased.
This year we have 3+ yr seasoned oak that for some reason I split really small. WG don't like that...some huffing when fully loaded for over night burns. It turns out the solution to this is to add in some wetter wood. I mixed in some large ash that was just split 4 months ago and huffing has been resolved and so far no creosote issues. I think if my oak was split large we would be OK for the most part.
Some gassers like really dry/small split wood, WG seems to like large "reasonably" dry wood.


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## JohnDolz (Jan 11, 2016)

muncybob said:


> My 1st year with the WG I had less than ideal wood. I was having incomplete burns, creosote issues and clogged chimney. Once we were able to put a steady diet of reasonably dry wood(less than 25%) it ran MUCH better and wood consumption decreased.
> This year we have 3+ yr seasoned oak that for some reason I split really small. WG don't like that...some huffing when fully loaded for over night burns. It turns out the solution to this is to add in some wetter wood. I mixed in some large ash that was just split 4 months ago and huffing has been resolved and so far no creosote issues. I think if my oak was split large we would be OK for the most part.
> Some gassers like really dry/small split wood, WG seems to like large "reasonably" dry wood.


I think I lived the same dream/nightmare as you. I'm thinking you would probably be OK with all 3 year seasoned wood if the pieces got bigger in size as you loaded it. Just a different way to control the fire - I think.


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## wolfe64 (Jan 12, 2016)

Eric Johnson said:


> I think the biggest problem new owners have with gasifiers is that they don't understand what's involved in adequately drying their wood. Most people seem to think it's OK to cut their wood in the spring and burn it the following winter. I don't think it's possible to get wood dry enough doing it that way.
> 
> I cut my wood supply two years in advance, moving it into my barn in the spring before the heating season. So, it sits outside, cut, split and stacked but uncovered for a year, more or less, before being moved indoors to finish drying over the summer and fall.
> 
> ...


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## wolfe64 (Jan 12, 2016)

I will be installing a Tarm Bonus this May. In anticipation, I cut split and stacked 5 cords in shed last June. 1 more cord cut split and stacked in woods last June. Going in shed later this winter. This is mainly Hard Maple and I doubt that it will be quite dry enough. Will purchase wood bricks to mix in next winter. Thinking of building a solar kiln this spring. Anyone have experience with these?


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## maple1 (Jan 12, 2016)

All kinds of solar kiln stuff in the Wood Shed forum. Bit of a flurry on it lately, actually - some interesting reading.


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## Eric Johnson (Jan 12, 2016)

wolfe64 said:


> I will be installing a Tarm Bonus this May. In anticipation, I cut split and stacked 5 cords in shed last June. 1 more cord cut split and stacked in woods last June. Going in shed later this winter. This is mainly Hard Maple and I doubt that it will be quite dry enough. Will purchase wood bricks to mix in next winter. Thinking of building a solar kiln this spring. Anyone have experience with these?



The wood you cut last June should be fine for next winter. I'd burn the cord you have stacked in the woods last, but it should also be fine next heating season. I burn a mixture of hard maple and beech, and that's about what my drying schedule looks like. Keeping your wood covered for the summer prior to burning it helps a lot.


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## Woodfarmer1 (Jan 12, 2016)

I burn in a garn jr. Beech, hard maple and some ash mostly dead standing cut in winter, splt and put up in the woodshed usually by the first of May. Start burning usually the 1st of November at less than 20% mc


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## Zach Hoyt (Jan 18, 2016)

Having had a TARM and now a Wood Gun I have found that it works fine for me to fill the woodshed in early spring, ending by sometime in April and then it is ready to start to burn by the beginning of October.  The woodshed has doors on both sides that are open all summer so it gets some good ventilation.  I don't know the MC, I am not that sophisticated.
Zach


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