# mold on firewood



## killian (Sep 18, 2006)

Hello everyone, Im new here at the forum. I have been reading for few months, but this is my first post. My question is about moldy firewood. I cut my wood this year, it is some type of a softer wood. Im not really sure of the exact species, but 75% is the softer type and 25 is red oak. The softer stuff may be sassafrass or poplar. Any way I stacked it all a little to close and only put some old plywood scraps underneath it. It is also in a shady part of the yard. I covered the top with a blue tarp and in 2 days it started to mold.It seems to be only the softer stuff thats affected(but thats 75% of my heat this year). The ends are the worst, they are mostly  covered. Its starting to spread to the insides of the pieces also. It smells real fruity, you can smell it like 50ft away sometimes. I have decieded to move the piles to a new location. I have put pallets down this time underneath and its going to get sun for half the day. Also 2 long piles spaced 10ft apart. My question I guess is if anyone else has had a similiar situation. Does anyone know what type of mold or mildew this is? Will it ruin the wood. Can it be stopped now that its growing? I usually leave the wood uncovered and then bring in a weeks worth at a time into the garage and a days worth into the living room. Is this stuff going to be safe to bring in. I have considered putting bleach into a garden sprayer and hitting the sides of the new pile when im done stacking it. 
Im hoping that its only temporary and my new improved stack will clear up the problem. I have enough dry unmoldy wood  to get me until about january, so its got time still. Any help, thoughts, suggestions would be appreciated.


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## BikeMedic2709 (Sep 18, 2006)

I've had mold on mine in the past, but it burned just the same. No worries.


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## wtyamamoto (Sep 18, 2006)

I've always had mold at the ends of pieces here and there.  I've never had any issues burning them.  As the weather gets colder, most of mold gets killed off anyway.


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## BrotherBart (Sep 18, 2006)

The pic of the ends of the pieces look like my old firend Tulip Poplar. It will mold if you don't keep it dry and in the sun. I have burned a bunch of it over the years. One year moldy ended Pop was the entire woodpile. In big splits like that it will burn for a reasonable time. Not overnight stuff though.

Give it some sun and it will be fine and give ya a buncha heat.


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## killian (Sep 18, 2006)

I am in the process of moving the piles to a sunny location. What a pain in the a$$ that is. I was worried it would overtake the whole pile and possibly keep the water from leaving the wood causing it to rot.


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## begreen (Sep 18, 2006)

If possible, stack the wood so that more air can get through it and cover just the top with a tarp. As to the wood, I'm wondering if it might be beech. Does is smell a little like wintergreen?

Edit - nope, the bark doesn't look like beech to me.


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## killian (Sep 18, 2006)

pictures of new piles and closeup


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## killian (Sep 18, 2006)

More pictures. Thats my new stove and install. Did it myself.Thats one heavy stove!


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## killian (Sep 18, 2006)

It does have sort of minty smell to it. It did at least. Not anymore. Now it reaks of a apple cider sort of smell!


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## suematteva (Sep 18, 2006)

You will be fine.

We burn about a cord of poplar every year and it ends up looking somewhat like the last picture in your hand...

Nice stove..

Might want to save that nice oak for the overnights..


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## Sandor (Sep 18, 2006)

Your old stacking arangement looks way too close together. Your new stacking arangement looks perfect.

Here in Virginia, the poplar I burnt last year had mold that resembled elephant ears growing off the end. I was warm.


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## BrotherBart (Sep 18, 2006)

Sandor said:
			
		

> Your old stacking arangement looks way too close together. Your new stacking arangement looks perfect.
> 
> Here in Virginia, the poplar I burnt last year had mold that resembled elephant ears growing off the end. I was warm.



I have that elephant ear looking fungus coming out of the ends of some pine this year. On the sunny end of the stack. I think the storm blew it up here from your stack on The Neck. Maybe the mushroom smoke will make that bitchy neighbor of mine mellow out and start liking my wood smoke.

Great looking hunka wood burning iron ya got there.


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## suematteva (Sep 18, 2006)

[quote author="killian" date="1158634685"]It does have sort of minty smell to it. It did at least. Not anymore. Now it reaks of a apple cider sort of smell![/quote

got about a 1/2 cord at the brush dump fresh cut ,end of july, and i stacked it at the farthest corner of the lot...it takes a while for that stuff to lose the stink...it is ripe....


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## suematteva (Sep 18, 2006)

BrotherBart said:
			
		

> Sandor said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Head over with the chardonay in one hand and the peace pipe in the other 


Better yet tell her they are truffles you imported from France!


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## BrotherBart (Sep 18, 2006)

Vintage 181:

"Better yet tell her they are truffles you imported from France! "

If they were truffles she would have rooted them out herself already. If you get my implication.


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## suematteva (Sep 18, 2006)

BrotherBart said:
			
		

> Vintage 181:
> 
> "Better yet tell her they are truffles you imported from France! "
> 
> If they were truffles she would have rooted them out herself already. If you get my implication.




That is a good one!! thanks for the laughs!


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## My_3_Girls (Sep 19, 2006)

killian said:
			
		

> pictures of new piles and closeup




Beautiful start.  I wish I had that much room to stack.  I'm looking into making a cordwood fence around my (neighborhood) backyard.  Easy access, and super dry.


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## begreen (Sep 19, 2006)

Killian, it might just be the photo, but the stove install looks a very precarious and not to recommendations for a proper hearth. I'd want a bit more brick on each side so that the leg is not so close to the edge. The front legs look like they're right at the edge of the brick. VC requires 6" on the sides and 16" in front for the US - total 39" wide and extending 16" in front of the stove. The last thing you want is that 400 pound monster losing it's footing, especially if it's hot!


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## Roospike (Sep 19, 2006)

Yeppers, Wood pile needs to be in the SUN and in an airy spot up off the ground . Wood can dry in the shade but not in 9 months like setting in the sun.  I knew someone that had mold from sitting on the ground , covered with lack of wind ......... Spray some bleach on the wood. Bleach and mold dont get along. I wouldnt spray the wood and then start burning with in 2 weeks ........ need to dry out. A tarp is going to hold moisture too . You can cover just the very top and not the sides and that will work.  Good pictures & Welcome to the pack .


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## elkimmeg (Sep 19, 2006)

Just curious   by any chance this that install pass inspections?  there is some sort of thermal resistance under those patio blocks? 
 16" or thermal resistances  and concombustiable heartyh extention infront othe front loading doors?


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## ourhouse (Sep 19, 2006)

Nice looking stove. The mold on the wood will be all right. I have it on mine too.


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## velvetfoot (Sep 19, 2006)

It looks like a long way to the house now!


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## killian (Sep 20, 2006)

ahhh....it is a bit farther to the house but only 20ft or so. I do pickup truck beds to the garage weekly, so it won't matter much. The stove is close to edge of the patio blocks, about an inch. It doesn't seem like its going anywhere though. It has about 3 inches on the sides. The sides then drop down to old asbestos type tiles that are very fire resistant. I am in the process of figuring a way to extend the front though. At the end of the patio blocks in the front it drops down to carpet, or a fireresistant hearth rug over carpet. I never load from the front so it hasn't been an issue( I used it last year this way, with different stove though). What would you suggest to extend the fireproof hearth area in front(over carpet) if possible.


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## ourhouse (Sep 20, 2006)

killian said:
			
		

> pictures of new piles and closeup



Does it snow where you live? You'r piles look very close to the edge of you'r driveway. Looks like the snow from the driveway would be pushed into you'r wood piles.


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## DavidV (Sep 20, 2006)

mold is normal.  if it's tulip poplar I'm surprised you can stand to be near it. I think it smells like cat pee.  I don't burn the stuff any more.  I think it creates more ash than other wood and pops a bit more than I would like. burns too fast yada yada yada.   But it it will burn, and you will get heat off it.  I get mold on my wood every year get mushrooms, etc. it dries in the winter and burns just the same. That's why I use a big tupperware tub to put my wood in in the house.  Gonna build a "faux" woodbox surround for it this year.


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## DavidV (Sep 20, 2006)

Just took a close look at that piece you were holding. Sweet smell, gets moldy thru out, rots easy.   I think you have sweet gum on your hands. did you split it by hand?  It's an absolute PITA to split.  maul bounces out, or just sticks in it and when you wrestle it out, it closes right back up.  if you leave it on the ground it rots really fast.  I have a bunch of rounds of it from a monster that I had taken down in the front yard. It's also heavy as lead when green and light as balsa wood when dry.  it burns ok but it requires more sunshine than oak to get dry.  When you first split it there is a super sweet smell.  I would imagine that molding, it smells kind of rank.  it has a very smooth look to it's surface(the wood).  It turns nicely and you can make some very cool bowels out of it.  I have also found that if the rot starts in it you get tons of insects in it quickly.  But that could just be local to my area.


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## daninohio (Sep 20, 2006)

killian said:
			
		

> pictures of new piles and closeup


killian,

I'm just a novice, but I think you'll have a stability problem with that stack being so long and narrow.  I've seen pictures of Eric Johnson's stacks like that, but I think his wood is 2' long.  My experience was that my 16-20" splits were unstable in a long single row -- to the point that I was worried a strong windstorm might knock it over.  I ended up restacking them onto a run of standard pallets (40x48" pallets) so I have two rows of wood back-to-back on each pallet.  It is ten times more stable that way with them bracing each other.  Just my experience.  You might do a smaller sample run first to see if your rows are stable enough for you.


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## begreen (Sep 20, 2006)

killian said:
			
		

> ahhh....it is a bit farther to the house but only 20ft or so. I do pickup truck beds to the garage weekly, so it won't matter much. The stove is close to edge of the patio blocks, about an inch. It doesn't seem like its going anywhere though. It has about 3 inches on the sides. The sides then drop down to old asbestos type tiles that are very fire resistant. I am in the process of figuring a way to extend the front though. At the end of the patio blocks in the front it drops down to carpet, or a fireresistant hearth rug over carpet. I never load from the front so it hasn't been an issue( I used it last year this way, with different stove though). What would you suggest to extend the fireproof hearth area in front(over carpet) if possible.



   It's a bit hard to tell from the picture what all the options are.  So that it looks good, and meets code, I might consider extending the current hearth (behind the stove) until it fully supports the stove. It looks like the stove could move backward about 10-12"? If so that would reduce the extension. Then at floor level, create a non-combustible, permanent hearth extension out of tile, slate, brick, or even sheet metal, that extends 16" in front of the door of the stove.

   By the size of the wood pile it looks like this is intended to be a long term operation. Why set up the stove on temporary supports?  You have quite an investment in stove and house. A little more in the hearth is cheap insurance. Though the setup may seem temporarilly ok, almost certainly over time accidents happen. The question is not if it will happen, but when. If the stove is at full temp when it does, that extra measure of safety can really pay off.  

   In the least, stick to the stove manufacturer's clearances on all sides as specified in the manual. I don't think a hearth rug qualifies as a non-combustible surface, but will let the stove shop folk confirm that.  Out here in earthquake territory. I wouldn't burn kindling without knowing the stove setup can stand a good bump and shake. At the very least, for your own safety, at least go out an buy several more patio blocks and build it out to meet stove specs.


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## killian (Sep 20, 2006)

I believe it is a yellow poplar. I got some pics of the net of live trees and went and compared to the area where I cut it down. They match. It actually is charm to split. I do all my splitting by hand so thats always nice. I finished most of the relocation. 2 piles of red oak are going to stay in the original piles, due to them not molding really at all. I will post some pics in a bit when i get outside again. Its been a tough day relocating about 4 cords of wood!


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## killian (Sep 20, 2006)

Here they are. Im going out for dinner and beer now...have a nice evening everyone.


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## killian (Sep 20, 2006)

Two more.  The stove actually has about an inch in front of it. That picture looks closer than it is. It is level and feels very secure though.  It would take a large quake to move that thing. I can bump it hard, it doesn't budge.The stove pipes are also screwed together. I probably will add another row of patio blocks to it to be safe. And concerning snow, I live in northeast Ohio snow belt, we get it. I have a plow on  an ATV that I think I can just push straight outta there and not hinder the piles too much. Thats it....I promise for now


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## MountainStoveGuy (Sep 21, 2006)

wohhh wait till elk sees this one.  Nice looking stack! you might want to get some floor protection in front of that stove, or is that a temporary thing?


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## BrotherBart (Sep 21, 2006)

MountainStoveGuy said:
			
		

> wohhh wait till elk sees this one.  Nice looking stack! you might want to get some floor protection in front of that stove, or is that a temporary thing?



I think he must have already seen it. And they must not have an Internet connection in the cardiac ward.


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## ourhouse (Sep 21, 2006)

That looks a little sketchy!


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## begreen (Sep 21, 2006)

Yikes. And I was worried about earthquakes. That is not a safe install. 

Dude you have a nice house, a great stove and we'd like to have you hang around awhile. Get off the wallet and do a proper installation. In the meantime, invite your insurance agent over, have a camera rolling and a doctor standing by.


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## DonCT (Sep 21, 2006)

BrotherBart said:
			
		

> MountainStoveGuy said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



OMG, I almost fell out of my chair laughing when I read that


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## Roospike (Sep 21, 2006)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> And I was worried about earthquakes. That is not a safe install.
> 
> Dude you have a nice house, a great stove and we'd like to have you hang around awhile. Get off the wallet and do a proper installation.


I second that 





> In the meantime, invite your insurance agent over, have a camera rolling and a doctor standing by.


 Now that i would *really* like to see ! He woud be in the cardiac ward with Elk.  :bug:  





			
				BrotherBart said:
			
		

> I think he must have already seen it. And they must not have an Internet connection in the cardiac ward.


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## elkimmeg (Sep 21, 2006)

I already noted the code violations in a prior. This Poster is only concerned about his wood piles and not his or famillies personal safety.   David V and warren also mentioned the setup. One can only help people willing to be helped.


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## BikeMedic2709 (Sep 21, 2006)

Killian,

  Seriously! Don't use your stove like this. It is incredibly dangerous. It may seem secure, but is not. Temperature changes could potentially cause the bricks to crack or crumble. (Heating and cooling will degrade the composition of most building materials.) With the weight of that particular stove it would come down with a resounding crash! Your home would be toast. 
  The postings here are not to be mean or cruel, but are intended for you safety. Really. Now, learn from the mistakes of others and put in a real hearth. You can do it quite inexpensively! Like in Elks signature line. "Better safe, than sorry."


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## Eric Johnson (Sep 21, 2006)

killian,

Why don't you just set the stove on that slab in front of the fireplace? I've seen stoves and boilers "walk" due to expansion and contraction of the metal. I think you risk that beautiful stove falling off that pile of bricks. Then you'd be screwed, dude.


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## BikeMedic2709 (Sep 21, 2006)

Eric, I love your signature line. I am right there with ya'!


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## Eric Johnson (Sep 22, 2006)

I like your avatar, BikeMedic.


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## Homefire (Sep 22, 2006)

Have burned the stove yet?
Maybe have the guys from the local VFD over
for a smoker this weekend. Ask them to bring some pics 
of wood stove fires with them.
If your VFD says your stove is ok then don't worry about it. Plus if 
a bunch of drunk fire fighter don't tip your wood pile over it's ok too.


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## BrotherBart (Sep 22, 2006)

homefire said:
			
		

> Have burned the stove yet?
> Maybe have the guys from the local VFD over
> for a smoker this weekend. Ask them to bring some pics
> of wood stove fires with them.
> ...



Get vollies together with beer and my breakable furniture. I dun tink so Lucy.


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## killian (Sep 22, 2006)

I have burned it several times, not for extended times, it is only September. I got some more blocks that I am going to arrange to give it proper distance in front of the stove.  I just had to wait till a day off. The wood was more a concern, as it needs to dry now, not mold and I haven't been burning the stove to heat yet. Someone mentioned moving the stove back onto existing hearth, If I did this it would put it under a wood mantle that would get too hot. It extends about 6 inches over the existing hearth. The way I have it  now its  far enough out that the mantle doesnt even get warm.


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## Homefire (Sep 22, 2006)

killian said:
			
		

> I have burned it several times, not for extended times, it is only September. I got some more blocks that I am going to arrange to give it proper distance in front of the stove.  I just had to wait till a day off. The wood was more a concern, as it needs to dry now, not mold and I haven't been burning the stove to heat yet. Someone mentioned moving the stove back onto existing hearth, If I did this it would put it under a wood mantle that would get too hot. It extends about 6 inches over the existing hearth. The way I have it  now its  far enough out that the mantle doesnt even get warm.



Well then; it seems you have all the answers you need so good luck to you with your wood-piles.


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## BikeMedic2709 (Sep 22, 2006)

Thanks ! Eric. It is a pic of the bike I ride/race.


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## Sandor (Sep 23, 2006)

Eric Johnson said:
			
		

> killian,
> 
> Why don't you just set the stove on that slab in front of the fireplace? I've seen stoves and boilers "walk" due to expansion and contraction of the metal. I think you risk that beautiful stove falling off that pile of bricks. Then you'd be screwed, dude.



When BCMF super chief editor uses a phrase "Then you'e be screwed, dude", I take notice.

I have this picture in my head of a blazing 500 pound, 600 degree chunk of steel falling over in my living room with a conflagration within, and I truly appriciate the "you'd be screwed" line. Perfect Eric


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