# Wood warm or cold??



## shaggy205 (Feb 16, 2013)

I was just curious if you burn wood directly from stack or let it warm indoors before it is thrown in the stove?? Or does this even matter??


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## milleo (Feb 16, 2013)

As long as it is well seasoned it does not matter to me, preferably top covered so no snow or ice on it. Welcome to the forum.


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## swagler85 (Feb 16, 2013)

Burn mine cold, I bring 1/3 cord into the garage at a time. Burns just fine cold.


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## bogydave (Feb 16, 2013)

Both, either; but mostly room temp.
a week to 10 days worth in the wood box when full.


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## andybaker (Feb 16, 2013)

Never really thought about that one.  I wonder if warm wood would take off from left over coals better than cold.  I guess it makes sense.  Welcome on board Shaggy


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## red oak (Feb 16, 2013)

Never noticed a difference, but when possible I like to let it sit by the fire for a few days to get rid of any surface moisture.  Welcome to the forum!


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## WarmGuy (Feb 16, 2013)

I realize I'm overthinking it, but I always try to burn warmed wood.

Here's my thinking:

I only burn during the day, so my living room is cold in the morning.  If I bring in cold wood in the AM, my firestarter (veg oil in a dixie cup), has to heat the wood up an additional 20 degrees.  With a couple of logs, that's a significant amount of thermal mass. It's significantly easier to start warmer wood.

Plus, if I bring cold wood into the room in the morning, it's almost like bringing a few big chunks of ice into a cold room.

Alternatively, if I bring wood into the house and put it in my wood box later in the afternoon, when the room is already 70+ degrees, who cares if it cools the room down a bit?  A small effect, but we're talking a big wood box of cold wood. 

Also, by the afternoon the outside wood has been warmed by the sun instead of by my fire.

Next morning, the wood will be warmer for starting.

As you can tell, I try to squeeze every bit of efficiency from my wood.


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## billb3 (Feb 16, 2013)

Cold, but there is ( usually ) a couple days worth on the porch high and dry.

I've had to  thaw  out  some on the basement floor before to dry up the ice caked on it every now and then.


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## lopiliberty (Feb 16, 2013)

I bring in at least two days worth by the stove to dry and surface moisture and I fined that warm wood lights faster and gets the firebox temps up faster on a reload than cold wood


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## lukem (Feb 17, 2013)

Doubt it really matters much.  50* temp difference of warm wood vs cold in a fire is like throwing an ice cube in a volcano.


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## Gark (Feb 17, 2013)

I can't grok how a 50 or 60 degree f. difference between cold or warm fuel added to a firebox running internal temps of 1100 degrees f. or better would matter.


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## red oak (Feb 17, 2013)

lukem said:


> Doubt it really matters much. 50* temp difference of warm wood vs cold in a fire is like throwing an ice cube in a volcano.


 
Lukem hit the nail on the head, with a great example as well!


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## Backwoods Savage (Feb 17, 2013)

As you can see, there is a sliding glass door right by the stove. Reach out and grab a few splits and put them right into the stove. In the past we kept some wood in the house occasionally but I don't like it so we stopped. We noticed no difference in how the fire gets started.


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## Dix (Feb 17, 2013)

Mine is usually house temp, sits inside for a few days before burning.

That said, the bottom half of my indoor wood rack has been inside for 2 years. I think I could burn anything with it


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## NH_Wood (Feb 17, 2013)

Almost always cold, but very dry - no problems that I can see. Cheers!


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## Butcher (Feb 17, 2013)

I'm not gonna coment on the warm wood thing. Sorry, I just ainta gonna go there today. But that reminds me, I do have a promise for some chores I did yesterday.


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## suprz (Feb 17, 2013)

Once the stove is up and running, I usually put a few splits on the top of the stove to warm them before i put them in the stove


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## milleo (Feb 17, 2013)

suprz said:


> Once the stove is up and running, I usually put a few splits on the top of the stove to warm them before i put them in the stove


Bad and dangerous habit to put wood on top of the stove!


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## suprz (Feb 17, 2013)

milleo said:


> Bad and dangerous habit to put wood on top of the stove!



I know, but with "not so seasoned" wood, and it being outside in the cold, that is how i warm it for 5 MINS  (yes, i have a timer) before i put it on the hearth to wait to be loaded into the stove.  When my stove is running, it does not get left alone, i do not leave the house when the stove is running. Nor do i go to bed unless the stove is down to coals. I believe, that i am a worry wart, but thats fine with me and my wife.


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## red oak (Feb 17, 2013)

suprz said:


> Once the stove is up and running, I usually put a few splits on the top of the stove to warm them before i put them in the stove


 
I know someone who nearly burned their house down doing this.  I think I'd rather burn cold wood.


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## Butcher (Feb 17, 2013)

suprz said:


> Once the stove is up and running, I usually put a few splits on the top of the stove to warm them before i put them in the stove


 Sorry but thats bout the dumest ider I ever heard yet. I put the wood in the stove and a cheese sammich on top of it.


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## firefighterjake (Mar 4, 2013)

No difference . . . but typically I take wood out of the woodbox beside the stove . . . but in the past I've also got wood from outside on the porch or even made a trip to the woodshed.


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## NortheastAl (Mar 4, 2013)

Like Dennis, through the sliding glass door and into the stove. Unless the wood has gotten wet from snow or rain I can't see much of a difference when burning cold.


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## Blue2ndaries (Mar 4, 2013)

I do both...like Dennis I have a few racks w/~1cord on the covered patio that's about 10ft from the stove (you can see the stove thru the windows in the 1st pic). Every once in a while I carry a few armloads in to set by the stove on the hearth.


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## Mr A (Mar 4, 2013)

Backwoods Savage said:


> In the past we kept some wood in the house occasionally but I don't like it so we stopped.


Bugs?


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## ScotO (Mar 4, 2013)

Warm or cold isn't what makes the difference.....wet or dry does.....


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## Blue2ndaries (Mar 4, 2013)

Scotty Overkill said:


> Warm or cold isn't what makes the difference.....wet or dry does.....


 
True. True.


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## westkywood (Mar 4, 2013)

I keep about 5 days of wood stacked in my fireplace near the wood stove..Not to warm it up, just for convenience.


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## Ashful (Mar 4, 2013)

The only time any wood sits indoors is when my wife will be home alone long enough to require a reload.  Then I load up the big copper kettle next to each stove with wood, so she doesn't need to go fetch it from outside.  I don't like having any wood sitting indoors, due to the bugs that seem to inevitably come in with it... be it moths, stink bugs, or other more destructive critters.


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## ArsenalDon (Mar 5, 2013)

I keep it covered to make sure there is no snow or ice, but it is cold. I could see if you were trying to burn wood that was 25% moisture content that you would not want to burn it cold as the moisture would be frozen and cause even worse issues that just the wet wood at room temp, but I am burning 11% wood and thus it burns just the same if it comes in from 5 or is at 75


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## Redlegs (Mar 5, 2013)

I keep about 2 days worth in by the fireplace.  Prob 3+ weeks worth up under the porch.  I like to have it warmed inside, plus if there is any surface moisture a day or two in next to the fireplace has that resolved.


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## Redlegs (Mar 5, 2013)

WarmGuy said:


> If I bring in cold wood in the AM, my firestarter *(veg oil in a dixie cup*),​


 
Is that like the stuff from the kitchen "veg oil"?


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