# Petrified wood??



## Kindred Kynd (Jan 22, 2010)

I have been dealing with some issues with my stove not getting a big enough fire, and recently while I had a chimney sweep at my house he said my problem may not be wet wood put overseasoned or "petrified" wood....  The wood I have was in a wood shed when I moved in 6 years ago...so it is at least that old and maybe older...but I had never heard of this before...

True of BS?...

thanks!

Kind


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## BrowningBAR (Jan 22, 2010)

I'm going with 'BS'.


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## ohio woodburner (Jan 22, 2010)

I dunno if it's all BS.  If the wood is punky it will def. not get up to temp.  I mix in some of my punky wood with my good stuff


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## BrowningBAR (Jan 22, 2010)

ohio woodburner said:
			
		

> I dunno if it's all BS.  If the wood is punky it will def. not get up to temp.  I mix in some of my punky wood with my good stuff




Punk and Petrified are two completely different things.


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## TreePapa (Jan 22, 2010)

It could be petrified ... if you'd been seasoning your firewood for 1.5 million years! Have you?

Peace,
- Sequoia


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## Valhalla (Jan 22, 2010)

When petrified it is no longer wood, as we know it. 
More like rock, as the cell structure is replaced by
minerals. Your wood shed could not be that old! 

Your old wood seems to be partially decomposed,
aka rotten.


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## fossil (Jan 23, 2010)

The guy's use of the term "petrified" was obviously metaphorical.  Well, to us, anyway.  Perhaps not to him.  He may have never heard that term before.  In any case, actual petrified wood won't burn any sooner than a chunk of basalt.  All the organic material that once comprised the wood has long since been replaced by minerals.  Like true fossils.  For all practical purposes, a piece of petrified wood is a rock.  Don't think coal here...totally different animal (or vegetable, as the case may be), so to speak.  OK, back to old wood.  I've burned wood that was split and stacked and _kept dry_ (that's key) for at least 20 years.  It burned just fine.  There's a lower limit to the moisture content, depending on the ambient conditions, below which the wood simply can't "season" any further.  It'll last a loooong time like that, provided it's _kept dry_.  If the storage environment is dry, the wood should stay pretty free from mildew/fungus, and thus won't become punky and rotten.  Rick


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## Slow1 (Jan 23, 2010)

What they said... Just ask our friend in Texas with all that 60 year old cedar to burn... talk about some old wood to burn eh?

Now let's get to the main point - what is the problem you are having burning and how can we help solve it?

I'll be glad to swap out some of my wood with you as a test if you would like....


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## prajna101 (Jan 23, 2010)

BS.  I am burning that cedar that I took out of a guys basement.  It had been there for 35 year after it was dry.  My moisture meter cant even get readings and when ti does they are the base 4% which is the lowest reading it will do.  Trust me when I saw that cedar burns well


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## ohio woodburner (Jan 23, 2010)

How about a picture of this wood in question.


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 23, 2010)

fossil said:
			
		

> I've burned wood that was split and stacked and _kept dry_ (that's key) for at least 20 years.  It burned just fine.  There's a lower limit to the moisture content, depending on the ambient conditions, below which the wood simply can't "season" any further.  It'll last a loooong time like that, provided it's _kept dry_.  If the storage environment is dry, the wood should stay pretty free from mildew/fungus, and thus won't become punky and rotten.  Rick



Rick nailed it. That guy does not know what he is talking about. We even burned some wood this year that was 6 or 7 years in the stack. It burned just fine, albeit a bit fast.

The only other reason would be if it were punky but that is unlikely with the wood being in a shed...unless it was already punky when put into the shed. 

What kind of wood are we talking about here? Yes, pictures of that wood would help.


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## Lumber-Jack (Jan 23, 2010)

Kindred Kynd said:
			
		

> I have been dealing with some issues with my stove not getting a big enough fire, and recently while I had a chimney sweep at my house he said my problem may not be wet wood put overseasoned or "petrified" wood....  The wood I have was in a wood shed when I moved in 6 years ago...so it is at least that old and maybe older...but I had never heard of this before...
> 
> True of BS?...
> 
> ...



LOL   I love these posts.

Actually it is possible the Kindred Kynd has a stack of petrified wood in his shed, the previous owner of the house may have found a quarry of the stuff somewhere and collected some and stacked it in his shed and left it there. Of course if it was truly petrified wood the problem wouldn't be the fire not getting hot, "or big" enough, the problem would be the stuff doesn't burn at all, and is incredibly heavy to move around.
There is no such thing as "over seasoned" wood. It is possible there are other issues with the wood, but most likely it is as others have suggested,  you have a problem with your stove or chimney.


On a side note, if I had a guy at my house, claiming to be a experienced chimney sweep, telling me my well seasoned wood was at risk of becoming "petrified" I would question his credentials.


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## Archie (Jan 24, 2010)

No kidding.  For some reason, this reminds me of the guy who took down a beech tree in my yard a couple of weeks ago.  Seemed like a nice enough fellow, and he and his crew took down the tree without incident, no complaints there.  But this was a healthy live tree, and he says to me:  "you can start throwing this wood in the stove now (after I split it of course), just throw it in on top of some seasoned wood."  For crying out loud.  Be careful who you take advice from.


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## golfandwoodnut (Jan 24, 2010)

I found out today that wood can turn into multch after a long enough period of time.  I stacked some wood about 14 years ago under a tarp.  I never got around to burning it.  I managed to get the cover off today and picked it up with my Skid Steer.  It was perfect mulch.  I guess that proves you should not completey cover your wood with a tarp.  I have not burned any Beech yet but supposedly it is second to only Ash in low moisture content so Archie the guy may not have been too far off since many claim you can burn Ash right away.  The closest wood I have to petrified is some dead Locust I am burning now that was standing dead for atleast 15 to 20 years.  It takes awhile to get going but burns hot and great.


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