# Drying wood in the oven???



## barrettdp (Jan 18, 2011)

Obviously dangerous but just curious has anyone else tried it? I place metal pans on the lowest rack to prevent any contact with the element.

I don't have access to true seasoned wood (maybe next year) so I have been putting several splits into a 300* oven for several hours.

We run space heaters in the kids rooms, so I turned them off to offset the electric bill for running the oven and left their doors open instead. Been warmer here the last few days as well.

The first time I did it I felt the wood was noticeably lighter. I re-split it and got a puff of steam out as it was not completely dried. So the next load I left in for several hours.

Every 30 mins or so I open the door just to get a chuckle out of how much steam come bellowing out. 

By the way I would never attempt this if I wasn't in constant attention of the oven. 

Seems to me to be a better option than trying to burn wet wood.


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## North of 60 (Jan 18, 2011)

I dont know, seems not worth the effort or energy. Kinda takes the point out of burning wood to save. Was the wood free at least? I know what your getting at about the heat not leaving the house from the stove, even humidifying and everything, but its the Cart before the horse kinda thing. Turn your thermostat up, and burn it next year is my feeling. Not trying to rain on your parade. Just not getting it.


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## barrettdp (Jan 18, 2011)

The thought to just save it for next year and run the central has crossed my mind. However our house has "builder grade" heat pumps and will stay on darn near non-stop to keep the house at 66* even in mild temps. We use a couple of space heaters and electric blankets as well. When it gets colder we just freeze AND pay a ridiculous electric bill. Since we installed the new stove a couple weeks ago it is easy to get the temp up to 75*. My wife doesn't seem to care about reloading the stove when I am at work so I am regularly starting fires from a cold stove with wet wood this year.


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## Battenkiller (Jan 18, 2011)

As a guy who does some things that are considered pretty wacky to some folks here, I have to say that is something that never even crossed my mind.  You are using a lot more energy than you can possibly gain from doing that, and you run the risk of creating a product that is dangerously dry (although you might have to bake it for several days to get to that point). 

Try some of those compressed BioBricks that seem to be the current fad this year on Hearth.  They burn great and put out lots of clean heat, and they will cost a lot less than the extra electric would cost.  Mix in some of the unseasoned wood, tweak the air a bit, and you might even get a decent burn between the two.


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## granpajohn (Jan 18, 2011)

This idea, on the face of it, appears ridiculous from the standpoint of energy/economics.

But, I'm not so sure...let's look at a few simple items.

1. Heat from the electric oven stays in the building envelope...none wasted.
2. It is probably no more of a fire hazard to bake oak than it is to bake a turkey. All a question of moisture content. Let either one get too dry and it could flame up. But not likely at typical oven temps. In fact, I recall a cooking fad years ago that involved baking a pie in a paper grocery sack. My aunt baked quite a few pies this way, and nothing burned. (I was always waiting for the bag to light up. Eh, I young.)
3. We place steamer kettles on our stoves to add moisture to the air. The cooked wood adds moisture. This all stays within the building envelope.

I've known several stories of old timers who placed splits atop the stove to dry them before burning. Of course, I've heard of at least one of these causing a fire. But if you intend to cook wood, I think that would be the most efficient way to do it. The heat and moisture both stay in the building.

I would be very interested in some data from your actions that might indicate how much moisture you get out of those splits. 
The problem is, of course, the cooking split can't be left unattended. Too risky.

Well, I see my post is long enough that no one will read it.


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## Hanko (Jan 18, 2011)

Put it on broil, it will dry faster. try doing a steak along side of it and you will be considered a multi tasker. While your waiting for it to dry, you can ponder more stupid ideas.


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## ControlFreak (Jan 18, 2011)

I have dried wood in our cooking oven, but only a couple times when I wanted to check the reading my moisture meter was giving me.  

I have done all kinds of crazy things to accelerate the drying of wood in those instances when I was desperate.  I only did these things when I was home, never at night while sleeping.  
1.  Put wood on top of the stove.  I actually had a split sprout flames - never did that again.
2.  Stand the wood on end in front of the stove glass.  This works OK, but is a hassle as you have to turn the splits.
3.  Pack the wet wood into a hot firebox with a good coal bed.  Fully close the damper and let it cook for an hour.  Then come back, blow on the coals to get a flame and open the draft.  It burns very nicely then.  I did this for nearly a full winter when I first started heating with wood, before I started getting my wood a season in advance.  

This was the best solution for getting through poorly seasoned wood.


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## DanCorcoran (Jan 18, 2011)

An electric oven is really no different from an electric baseboard heater...an electric heating element.  If you turn off other heat sources and use the oven to heat the house, you're just paying for the difference in efficiency between the oven and the heat pumps.  Drying the wood is a free byproduct of the oven heat, which you don't get with the heat pumps.  So, if not a wash, certainly not a "stupid idea".  Except for the fire hazard, which could be minimized by ensuring you have a smoke detector and fire extinguisher in the kitchen.  Probably smells kind of funny, too.


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## oldspark (Jan 18, 2011)

Some people would lead you to believe you should be putting it in the freezer to dry.


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## CarbonNeutral (Jan 18, 2011)

I would be out searching for pallets - especially oak ones from stone masons.....


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## mywaynow (Jan 18, 2011)

Hanko said:
			
		

> Put it on broil, it will dry faster. try doing a steak along side of it and you will be considered a multi tasker. While your waiting for it to dry, you can ponder more stupid ideas.



Hmmmm, did you just say that out loud? or was I just thinking it? :roll:


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## pen (Jan 18, 2011)

something in my gut just doesn't like this process.  however, the electric oven is 100% efficient whereas the heat pump is not.  I am just wondering what the cost is for the electric versus just buying wood from some other source that is well seasoned.  Anyone local to you on this site that is willing to do a trade who has lots of wood on hand to help you out?

pen


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## CarbonNeutral (Jan 18, 2011)

pen said:
			
		

> something in my gut just doesn't like this process.  however, the electric oven is 100% efficient whereas the heat pump is not.  I am just wondering what the cost is for the electric versus just buying wood from some other source that is well seasoned.  Anyone local to you on this site that is willing to do a trade who has lots of wood on hand to help you out?
> 
> pen



A heat pump has an efficiency greater than 100% - that's the point of them - you're not generating heat, you're moving it from one place (underground) to another (your house). If it was less than 100% efficient there would be no reason for using them.


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## jharkin (Jan 18, 2011)

pen said:
			
		

> however, the electric oven is 100% efficient whereas the heat pump is not.
> 
> pen



Not an apples to apple comparison.  Heat pumps deliver more BTU per watt consumed than electric resistance heaters. Heat pumps dont have an efficiency rating that can be compared to electric or fuel burning heating systems because unlike those, they dont convert energy directly to heat, rather they use energy to *move* heat.

Every electric resistance heater will driveler exactly 3413 BTU per KWh consumed.

A heat pump rated at SEER 12 will deliver *12,000 BTU* for that same 1 KWh.


We could do the math but I'm pretty much positive its costing you more to dry the wood in the oven than you are saving on electricity burning it.


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## Wood Duck (Jan 18, 2011)

I agree with what some others have written - using the oven for heat is no less efficient than using electric baseboard heaters, except that the oven might not be in the room you want to heat. Also, I don't see why firewood would be more likely to burst into flames than many other things that you bake in ovens. Just don't dry it out too much. We have all electric heat (except for the wood stove) and I try to schedule baking stuff like turkeys on cold nights because the extra heat from the oven offsets the need for the electric baseboard heaters to kick on.

If I was going to choose dry firewood or dry kindling, I'd choose dry kindling. I suggest you bake kindling and small splits in the oven so that you can get clean, convenient starts. Once you have a fire burning, you can add some underseasoned wood and it will be a pain, but at least you won't have to fight to get a fire started.


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## flash49 (Jan 18, 2011)

I use a hair dryer...it's faster than an oven.


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## WhitePine (Jan 18, 2011)

barrettdp said:
			
		

> The thought to just save it for next year and run the central has crossed my mind. However our house has "builder grade" heat pumps and will stay on darn near non-stop to keep the house at 66* even in mild temps. We use a couple of space heaters and electric blankets as well. When it gets colder we just freeze AND pay a ridiculous electric bill. Since we installed the new stove a couple weeks ago it is easy to get the temp up to 75*. My wife doesn't seem to care about reloading the stove when I am at work so I am regularly starting fires from a cold stove with wet wood this year.



A correctly sized basic (builders grade) air source heat pump will run almost continuously in cold temperatures, even in Georgia. Heat pumps are sized for cooling, not heating. Since they lose efficiency as the temperature drops, a correctly sized air source heat pump will usually require supplemental heat in cold temperatures. The cheapest form of supplemental heat, equipment wise, is electric resistance heat, aka heat strips, which is probably what you have. Unfortunately, they are very expensive to operate. It's likely that they are coming on a lot, which would explain your high electric bill. Their set point can be adjusted on some models. It is not uncommon to have them set incorrectly. Some thermostats will turn them on too soon. Honeywell smart thermostats are notorious for it.

However, your heat pump should not operate almost continuously in mild weather, so there may actually be something wrong. The residential forum at http://hvac-talk.com would be one place that may be able to help in that regard. There are some real pros there.  Unfortunately, they are anti-DIY, so their help is limited to generalities regarding what may be wrong with your system. They won't/can't tell you how to fix it. They also go bonkers if _any_ price information is posted.

It is possible to heat entirely with an air source heat pump in your cimate without an auxilliary heat source coming on all the time. The heat pump has to be oversized for cooling. That requires a dual stage heat pump, so that the house doesn't cool too fast in summer, which can cause all kinds of problems, including mold. Dual stage heat pumps are not cheap. Builders just don't install them unless the buyer demands it, which generates a significant up-charge.

Running your oven to provide heat for the house is exactly the same as having the heat pump's heat strips come on. If you are already into the heat strips because of the temperature, the oven won't make any difference in your heating expense. Any moisture driven off the logs will probably help humidify a too dry house, so that would be a plus. The possible safety hazard would be the only real downside, other than having your oven tied up. It's hard to bake a pizza with a bunch of splits in the way.


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## barrettdp (Jan 18, 2011)

WhitePine said:
			
		

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Great info on the heat pumps! This explains why our digital controls will pop up "emergency heat" on the reading alot.
Thanks again


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## barrettdp (Jan 18, 2011)

I work nights and have (unfortunately) been up the last couple of nights. I baked several loads of splits at 300* for several hours. I can say that it does indeed work, especially for smaller splits, but at who knows what cost on the electric bill.

The smell in the house was unpleasant to say the least. And the constant attention for sake of mind is just annoying.
Getting the kids ready for school this morning as I was unloading the wood from the oven I had one of those "wtf are you doing" moments. Felt pretty stupid all of a sudden. Will not be trying it again.

I also tried placing several pieces on top of the wood stove. Even with metal spacers keeping the wood off the stove something would start smoldering after awhile. Way to dangerous.

The idea to just reload a little sooner with a lot of coals and longer start up times seems like the way to go. Thanks to those who mentioned it.


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 18, 2011)

oldspark said:
			
		

> Some people would lead you to believe you should be putting it in the freezer to dry.




 :lol:  :lol:  :lol:


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 18, 2011)

barrettdp said:
			
		

> Obviously dangerous but just curious has anyone else tried it? I place metal pans on the lowest rack to prevent any contact with the element.
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> I don't have access to true seasoned wood (maybe next year) so I have been putting several splits into a 300* oven for several hours.
> 
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I guess it would work, at least partially. Still, wood needs air circulation to dry the best. Overall, it is certainly something I would never consider. If that had to be done, I'd simply quit trying to burn the wood and turn the furnace on.


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## WhitePine (Jan 18, 2011)

barrettdp said:
			
		

> Great info on the heat pumps! This explains why our digital controls will pop up "emergency heat" on the reading alot.
> Thanks again



Yep, that's it. Some thermostats have an adjustable setting for the differential or swing which controls how much temperature drop sets off the aux heat. When we had a non-Honeywell thermostat, I set the swing to 4 degrees (its max). The default tends to be 1 or 2 degrees. The Honeywells I have seen don't allow you to change this setting. Some of them do allow you to lock out the auxiliary heat above a certain temperature, but only if an outdoor sensor is installed. I have ours locked out above 10F. Our high efficiency two stage heat pump works down to that temperature, although it can't quite keep up at such low temperatures.

You can also install an outdoor thermostat right in the heat pump. They can be used to lock out the heat strips above a certain temperature, or to lock out the heat pump itself below a certain temperature.

There is also the brute force method, if the aux heat strips have a separate breaker, either at the panel or on the heat pump itself, they can simply be turned off. There are two downsides. You have to remember to turn the breaker back on if you need emergency heat in case the heat pump itself fails or it gets really cold out, and the big one, your system will blow freezing cold air during the defrost cycle.

On the positive side, it keeps the cats from sitting on the registers.  :lol:


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## barrettdp (Jan 18, 2011)

WhitePine said:
			
		

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Great info again! I may look into ours a little more. The thought of overriding the back up heat strips intrigues me plenty. My wife tends to run the central if she forgets to reload the stove when I'm at work.

Thanks again


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## logger (Jan 18, 2011)

Wood in the oven, huh?  Well that would suprise me if I hadnt seen the pic of your dogs in the stove first.. get them the h*ll outta there! lol.  As far as cooking your wood, I'd make sure you have a low insurance premium and a good escape route with a family meeting area.


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## DanCorcoran (Jan 18, 2011)

Logger,

Did you receive the PM I sent regarding your avatar?


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## cptoneleg (Jan 18, 2011)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

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 Alot of post really get blown out of site, a simple question does wood season below 32 deg. Nothing about more in summer, From u guys comments When you are bragging on your 2 -3 yr seasoned wood be sure and subtract time below 32 deg.  But this wood in the oven thing, hope he does't accidently get a dry stick of wood it will probably catch fire right there in his oven that would keep him warm.

 L O L


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## VCBurner (Jan 18, 2011)

jharkin said:
			
		

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I know nothing about heat pumps.  However, if this comment is correct, then it would seem pretty correct to assume you'd spend less heating with the pumps.  But, I'm assuming the OP knows how much $ is going into drying these splits in the oven as oppesed to heating with the heat pump.  

If you can get some of the wood inside somewhere and can get a fan blowing into it...  This could help getting some of the moisture out of the wood without using the oven.  

I also second the comment about the bio bricks.  Get yourself a pallet of these or even half a pallet and add some of the unseasoned wood with it.  Wait longer to damper down.  Thermal shock is harmfull to the cat due to adding wet wood into a hot firebox.  So don't have the smoke go through the cat until the wood is hot and dry after loading the stove.  This could take 1/2 hour or more with unseasoned wood.


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## Adios Pantalones (Jan 18, 2011)

cptoneleg said:
			
		

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I think people throw in the "more or less" because it's very useful information.  Telling a new person "yes it dries" is maybe not useful without context.  Wood dries in the winter.  Glass flows at room temperature as well.


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## yanksforever (Jan 18, 2011)

I have a way better idea...In the early spring, cut your wood, split it and stack it in the sun. Let it season for a year or two
and then bring it in and burn it in your wood stove. Pretty good idea huh??? :ahhh:


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## WhitePine (Jan 18, 2011)

VCBurner said:
			
		

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SEER is a seasonal measurement of _cooling_ efficiency at given indoor and outdoor temperatures. EER is used for heating.  Air source heat pump heating efficiency drops as the outside temperature drops. No BTU output per KWH can be given without specifying the outside temperature at which it occurs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_energy_efficiency_ratio

Also, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSPF


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## cptoneleg (Jan 18, 2011)

Adios Pantalones said:
			
		

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I really like the really scientific stuff, don't have a clue what they are talking about but sounds good.


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## pen (Jan 18, 2011)

CarbonNeutral said:
			
		

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Poor statement on my part.  I know those folks w/ heat pumps don't do well in my area for heating unless they are geothermal.  I translated that into a statement which didn't fit.  My apologies.  

Back to the original point, I just don't like the idea of putting wood in the oven.  Perhaps it really is no more dangerous than a turkey, but in the end it simply doesn't sit well.

pen


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## oldspark (Jan 18, 2011)

Have you tried the microwave?


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## Deadcalm (Jan 18, 2011)

I use a woodburning range (I think you lot call them "cookstoves").  I often stick a few splits in the lower (cooler) oven overnight, as the drier wood makes an easier restart in the morning.

(As an afterthought, I should add that this idea was recommended by the manufacturer, and included as a suggestion in the manual).


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## KeepItNatural (Jan 18, 2011)

Buy some eco bricks and lay your wood around your woodstove, i wouldn't put it in the oven.


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## Blizzard (Jan 18, 2011)

Thought I had heard just about everything but I think this takes the cake. Using your oven to dry wood, sounds like a good way to get yourself killed.


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## oldspark (Jan 18, 2011)

Blizzard said:
			
		

> Thought I had heard just about everything but I think this takes the cake. Using your oven to dry wood, sounds like a good way to get yourself killed.


 I think everyone was being nice and you just ruined it.


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## Blizzard (Jan 18, 2011)

oldspark said:
			
		

> Have you tried the microwave?



This doesn't sound like you were being too nice either. I guess you ruined it too.


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## oldspark (Jan 18, 2011)

Blizzard said:
			
		

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 Not really (maybe) I was reading about people drying their wood projects in the microwave and wondered how firewood might dry in the microwave. I do agree not a good idea.


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## TX-L (Jan 18, 2011)

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this, but here goes:

When I was a kid, 1977, we heated with wood only in our house.  Apparently, my dad and I did not harvest enough wood that previous year, as we were running low in the end of Feb or maybe into Mar, I can't recall.  We went up back and my dad cut down and cut up dead elm trees in a swamp; I hauled them to the house with a home-made sleigh and a 1971 Arctic Cat Panther, would throw the pieces into the woodshed, pile it, and return to the swamp for another load.  It was more like play than work for me, as I got to drive the snowmobile all day.  Our neighbor came over on his Sno-Bug and helped, too.  Although I think he drank more beer than he helped.

Anyway, this wood wasn't dry, but better than live green wood.  My parents used to fill the oven on our Home Comfort cookstove with these pieces to try and dry them out.  They got sort of hot and you always had to use gloves for removal, but they never combusted.  They would sometimes get a brown spot on them if the oven were particularly hot in certain areas.  We would take them back out into the woodshed and put the hot "dried" load on the concrete floor until cooled off.  This didn't work all that well to season the wood, and we never ran low on wood again.

I still have the Home Comfort cookstove in the kitchen of my house.  Food cooked with this stove always seems to taste better.  Probably that's just in my head, BUT, there is no substitute for pancakes cooked on a cast iron griddle on that stove!


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## Blizzard (Jan 18, 2011)

oldspark said:
			
		

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Yea it just seems so dangerous to me.


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## benjamin (Jan 18, 2011)

If there was ever a place for a dehumidifier this is it. If you have a room indoors that you can use for a kiln a dehumidifer will remove more moisture per watt hour than the oven will and it won't waste any heat either (compared to electric space heaters or the oven).  Still more expensive than the heat pump.  Storing the wood inside will make a big difference too. 

I'll second everything that's been said about heat pumps.  It may be a better idea to figure out if there's anything you can do that will help the heat pump keep up so you're not using resistance heat.  Duct sealing and air sealing the attic and basement would likely be the first places to look at.  Maybe cleaning the coils and changeing filters too.


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## Battenkiller (Jan 18, 2011)

Adios Pantalones said:
			
		

> Glass flows at room temperature as well.



That's the 'scrooms talkin' at ya, dude. ;-P


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## HouseCrusher (Jan 19, 2011)

I put a small piece of wood in the microwave one time. A real small piece.  I did this just for fun. It was hickory so it did smell good. Then my wife came in the kitchen and told me to remove that from her microwave. When I saw the title to this thread I though wow some people are really goin to rip on this guy. All in all not to bad though.


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## Fake coal burner (Jan 19, 2011)

How does it taste?  %-P  Some people put soil (dirt) in the oven to sterilize it for seed starting mix. < I bet that smells really good in the house.  :wow:


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## woodgeek (Jan 19, 2011)

oldspark said:
			
		

> Some people would lead you to believe you should be putting it in the freezer to dry.



Keep in mind--better be a frost free model.


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## woodgeek (Jan 19, 2011)

Battenkiller said:
			
		

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Indeed, those medieval glassmakers set you up for that one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass


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## sesmith (Jan 19, 2011)

Use the microwave...it's more efficient.

Seriously, lets say your oven burner runs 3 hours in the time you have your wood in the oven and the element is 2500 watts (may be more).  So that's 2500 x 3 = 7500 watts or 7.5 kWh used.  If you had 40 lbs of wood in the stove (weight after seasoning), it would take you 80 loads to dry a full cord of beech (at 3200 lbs per cord seasoned).  Now you're not even doing that good cause there's no way you are actually fully seasoning the wood in the oven.  So 80 loads at 7.5kWh per load is 600 kWh to dry the cord of wood.  If you're paying 15 cents per kWh, that's $90 to partially dry the wood.  No savings in that.  Might as well heat the house with the oven and save the wood for next year.  The kitchen stove won't load up your chimney with creosote either.


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## barrettdp (Jan 19, 2011)

Fake coal burner said:
			
		

> How does it taste?  %-P  Some people put soil (dirt) in the oven to sterilize it for seed starting mix. < I bet that smells really good in the house.  :wow:




I did this several times last year to start seedlings. I believe it was a manure compost mix. Not the most pleasant of smells


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## tsojess (Jan 19, 2011)

Sounds a lot like an electric smoker.  I have one of those and it's really just a low temp heating element with a pan of wood on top of it.  You'd want to be REALLY careful of that, and what kind of wood you're doing this with.  If you get an oven full of hickory smoke, you're not likely to ever get it out.  It might be ok if you're doing fish, but I don't think hickory cake would be good.


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## Dune (Jan 19, 2011)

Use your woodstove as a de-humidifier. Stack as much firewood in the stove room as posible. Keep it a few feet from the stove. Buy a pallet of bio-bricks and burn them. There are many threads on bio-bricks. Use the search feature. Have patience with the wood. It will dry inside due to the heat and low humidity. A couple weeks or more.  Never seen a turkey in the oven burst into flames.


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## Battenkiller (Jan 19, 2011)

woodgeek said:
			
		

> Indeed, those medieval glassmakers set you up for that one



We speak fluent glass here.  Well, my wife does, I only dabble with the stuff... just because it's playing with fire and all.  It's funny how often we hear that.  I think I even remember my chemistry professor telling us that when we were studying crystal structure.  We once bought some antique poured glass panels, and the guy was showing my wife how it was thicker at the bottom because it slowly "melted" over the years.  How he knew which end was up when it was glazed into the window frame I'll never know.

Of course, in this place, we have no problem getting it to flow at slightly higher than room temperature....


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## jlove1974 (Jan 19, 2011)

If  you do this, make sure you use Hickory, Apple, or a similar wood. Put in oven at around 270 degrees.
Wet wood thoroughly before putting into oven. Add desired white meat. Smoke til done


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## logger (Jan 19, 2011)

DanCorcoran said:
			
		

> Logger,
> 
> Did you receive the PM I sent regarding your avatar?


Didn't get it.  Ill send you one and see if that works, but my inbox is empty.


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## Rachel Porter (Nov 28, 2013)

Hanko said:


> Put it on broil, it will dry faster. try doing a steak along side of it and you will be considered a multi tasker. While your waiting for it to dry, you can ponder more stupid ideas.



Wow, talk about unsolicited rudeness. I've been trying to figure out how to quickly dry firewood and so far, all the responses I have found have been: 1) "It needs to dry for a year" (I understand that is how you're SUPPOSED to do it, but this is obviously not what I am asking about) or 2) "What a stupid idea, city folk etc etc"

I'd like to point out that in order to be a "city person" you must be resourceful, creative, and brave enough to try new things. City people do not do things a certain way just because that's how generations of family members have done them, and unlike some "country folk", are not incapable of imagining new ways to get things done. Before you're rude to someone who doesn't know how to start a fire (because there are, actually, higher callings than fire starting) try to have some compassion. It takes all kinds.


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## begreen (Nov 28, 2013)

Welcome Rachel. You are responding to a 2+ year old thread. This is a common topic which has many other threads on it. In an urban environment your best bet is going to be bring the wood indoors and if possible have a fan blow across it. Wood that has been in the house in boxes or rubbermaid containers will dry out considerably faster in a warm ventilated space. If you have a good axe or splitting maul, splitting the larger splits and rounds in half will accelerate their drying. I would not try using the oven to do this. If you can set up the wood as stacks with a fan blowing through them it will be fairly effective and safer. 

Here's another thread with some good tips on drying wood:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/uh-oh-wood-is-wetter-than-i-thought-advice.81238/


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## Dave A. (Nov 28, 2013)

300F sounds a little high to me.  I'd try somewhere between 200 and 250 for an hour or so.


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## Hogwildz (Nov 28, 2013)

If you go to Walmart, buy a few of their larges storage totes, and fill them with wood inside the stove room, they will dry well. You may have to watch for insects or not coming from the wood.
Reload each tote as it is emptied and you will have a revolving supply of dry wood.
I loaded 5 large totes in 2010 when I had a hernia op and was not very mobile.Worked very well.


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## tsquini (Nov 28, 2013)

Instead of baking logs why not just bake bread. Bread bakes at 400* and at the end you have something to eat. 

If I were to bake logs I would defiantly bast it every 30 min. Until the internal core temperature hit 180* . Then let I'd sit for 30 min before you split it against the grain. Then let it burn.


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## My Oslo heats my home (Nov 28, 2013)

As others have said, try trading for dry wood. There might be someone that is will to help you out.
Pallets are another options, as well as bio bricks.
Mixed options, putting in dried wood with a portion of unseasoned.
And I like Hog's idea, I have done it too in a pinch. Place unseasoned wood near your stove and 
it will help dry it a bit more before burning.


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## Woody Stover (Nov 28, 2013)

Rachel Porter said:


> I've been trying to figure out how to quickly dry firewood and so far, all the responses I have found have been: 1) "It needs to dry for a year" (I understand that is how you're SUPPOSED to do it, but this is obviously not what I am asking about)


I had pretty good luck a couple years ago, stacking wood that was split small in the house with a fan blowing on it. Took it from 25% to 20% in two weeks. If your stove is a non-cat, you might be able to go ahead and burn 25% wood and still get some heat off it....


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## Big Dan (Nov 29, 2013)

I would soak your wood in gas. remember to get the high-octane because the longer burn time.


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## dmmoss51 (Nov 29, 2013)

I think if your goal is to have a nice little fire for ombiance during the holidays and you're just talking about a few splits drying wood this way will get you what you need.

However, as pointed out before, for home heating purposes the quantities of wood needed would make this very inefficient.


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## Tenn Dave (Nov 29, 2013)

Make sure you season the wood liberally with plenty of salt and pepper.  Another southern favorite is to deep fry it.


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## dmmoss51 (Nov 29, 2013)

Tenn Dave said:


> Make sure you season the wood liberally with plenty of salt and pepper.  Another southern favorite is to deep fry it.


 

The problem is your wood needs to be completely dry before putting it in the oil or else there could be a dangerous boilover which can cause a fire.  Only use your turkey frier to dry wood outside in a well ventilated area


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## Tenn Dave (Nov 29, 2013)

dmmoss51 said:


> The problem is your wood needs to be completely dry before putting it in the oil or else there could be a dangerous boilover which can cause a fire.  Only use your turkey frier to dry wood outside in a well ventilated area


 point well taken..........


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## begreen (Nov 29, 2013)

and with that note, Good night, Gracie.


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