# Can firewood be too dry?



## woodslinger (Oct 2, 2009)

I have some soft maple stacked that reads between 8-13%.  Can it be too dry and produce too much flame making it hard to control the fire?  I try to mix the real dry stuff with wood around 18-20% dryness.


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## SolarAndWood (Oct 2, 2009)

You don't hear that concern too often.  What are you burning it in?


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## rich81 (Oct 2, 2009)

put in the bath tub overnight before burning.  ....................i think ur r just fine. mix it with some oak for a good combo


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## smokinj (Oct 2, 2009)

That silver maple seem to burn up real fast when that dry but it will throw the heat just keep it "damper down" and it will be great heat


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## LLigetfa (Oct 2, 2009)

Too dry is mostly a myth perpetuated by old skool smoke dragon burners that justify their lazyness to not stay ahead with their supply.  As mentioned, it really depends on what you are burning it in.


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## Hurricane (Oct 2, 2009)

Some places sell kiln dried wood which must bring the moisture content down pretty low. 
Burning kiln dried lumber can make a really hot fire if not controlled with the damper / air intake depending on the stove, and it burns great when done right.
It will be fine, or if you want I will trade you some 30% wood for it


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## LLigetfa (Oct 2, 2009)

I generally buy a 2 or 3 year supply at a time and try to stay ahead.  One year I had way more than would fit in my shed and being Birch, I didn't want to stack it outside so I put a bunch of it in my roundtop shelter.  It was 3 years later that I burned it and it was the nicest burning stuff I ever had.  If it weren't for the stink, the slivers, and the PITA bark, I would choose Birch over Ash.


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## Bubbavh (Oct 2, 2009)

woodslinger said:
			
		

> I have some soft maple stacked that reads between 8-13%.  Can it be too dry and produce too much flame making it hard to control the fire?  I try to mix the real dry stuff with wood around 18-20% dryness.



No such thing as too dry IMHO!  Are you resplitting the wood and checking the center of the split?  I got some 2yo pine at and under 10%  sure is nice to get things going.  Mix it with your other wood for longer burns.


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## Danno77 (Oct 2, 2009)

I don't know if it can be too dry, but I think MY woodstack has all gone bad, what should I do with all this gray wood, the ends are even starting to split, that can't be right. should I just throw the stuff out?


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## karri0n (Oct 2, 2009)

Danno77 said:
			
		

> I don't know if it can be too dry, but I think MY woodstack has all gone bad, what should I do with all this gray wood, the ends are even starting to split, that can't be right. should I just throw the stuff out?



Yeah, that stuff's no good. Ship it to me, and I'll dispose of it properly.


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## Danno77 (Oct 2, 2009)

karri0n said:
			
		

> Danno77 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'll mail it USPS as soon as I find a box big enough.


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## Backwoods Savage (Oct 2, 2009)

If you think yours has turned gray, you should see some of ours that has sit for 7 years! Nope. It is not too dry.


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## Nonprophet (Oct 2, 2009)

At least a couple of the owner's manuals for stoves we've had have warned against burning kiln dried wood scraps (i.e. 2x4's, etc) as they would get the stove too hot too fast.

I used to think that your wood couldn't be too dry, but now I know different.  

Madrone is one of our premium hardwoods out west.  Seasoned Doug Fir sells for about $150 a cord, Madrone is usually about $225-250 a cord.  I bought 2 cords 2 years ago.  It was purported to be seasoned two years (which Madrone really needs) and it was nice and light with good checking on the ends, and it burned really well.  I only burned 1.5 cords of it that first season, and then wound up stacking some Oak in front of it so the remaining 1/2 cord of Madrone sat for another year--so now it's been drying for 5 years.  I've checked the splits with my moisture meter, they're right about 8-10%.  Make no mistake, it burns just fine, but now it burns more like a softwood than a hardwood.  Madrone is prized as a firewood because it burns hot and long, but I've found out that at least in my climatic environment it burns best at 2-3 year old, and burns too fast after that. I'm actually thinking about taking the cover of the top of the stack to let it get a little rain on the splits.....

On the other hand that White Oak that I stacked in front of the Madrone just keeps getting better and better..........

NP


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## gzecc (Oct 2, 2009)

Wood can definitely be too dry. After 3 yrs it is no longer up to its potential.  Its too hot, be careful you can get burned.  In NJ call me I will take it off your hands.


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## Backwoods Savage (Oct 2, 2009)

Boy, it sounds like I am in trouble. I hope quads doesn't see this or he is also in deep crap.


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## Corey (Oct 3, 2009)

If it's still in the stack, you're not getting a proper moisture reading.  To get something close to the true moisture, you need to take a log, split it, then take a reading near the center of the freshly split face.  I'm betting wood in Ill isn't 6-12% mc at the center unless it was kiln dried.

IMHO - wood in itself can never be 'too dry'.  You can put too much or too small wood in the stove but the moisture is just another condition to account for.  Just like you know not to stack twenty pieces of 2"x2" pine sticks in the firebox, you know not to pack it full of small bits of super dry wood.  I've burned piles of pallets, furniture making scraps, 2x4's etc - never had a problem.  Just don't stuff the firebox full and think it's going to be an overnight burn - there will be an overnight burn but it may not be contained to the stove.


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## quads (Oct 3, 2009)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> Boy, it sounds like I am in trouble. I hope quads doesn't see this or he is also in deep crap.


Ha ha!  My firewood is ok, it gets moisturized every time it rains or snows.  If it's still a little too dry after five years, I just throw a bucket of wet newspapers in the stove with it to help compensate.


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## Backwoods Savage (Oct 3, 2009)

One thing that always got me is people worry about wood being too dry. Yet, what happens when you load the stove with wood? The first thing that happens is the moisture in the wood is evaporated. Once that happens, the wood is pretty darned dry, isn't it? So, how can wood be too dry? If I put my dry wood in the stove, it does not have to use so much energy evaporating moisture so I get more heat from the wood.


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## Corey (Oct 4, 2009)

Definitely see what you are saying, Dennis.  The wood does have to be essentially 100% dry to burn.  But that evaporation and water up the flue helps slow down the fire and cools off the flue gas some.  If someone was expecting that to happen and it didn't, they might be in for a big (hot) surprise.  But if you are aware the wood is dry, all you get is a nice, efficient fire.


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## billb3 (Oct 4, 2009)

I wouldn't fill a stove with kiln dried wood scraps for the same reason I wouldn't fill it with kindling.
Too much surface area to burn all at once.


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## Tony H (Oct 4, 2009)

billb3 said:
			
		

> I wouldn't fill a stove with kiln dried wood scraps for the same reason I wouldn't fill it with kindling.
> Too much surface area to burn all at once.



Same for the eko boiler it generates too much wood gas to burn and it starts to puff even strong enough to open the damper a couple of times so that I had to clamp it shut so it wouldn't overheat


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