3+ years and same problems with wood stove

[pastorbmp]

Thanks folks for all the help. I REALLY appreciate it. Can someone recommend a good moisture meter? I had one I bought from harbor freight, I got mixed results with it. I would like something a little better.
Thanks again!

 

[BurnIt13]

Lowes/Home Depot sells one. It is still an economy brand but probably a step up from Harbor Freight. I have one and it seems to work well for me. I think it was $25-30 or somewhere around there.

 

[oldspark]

Thanks folks for all the help. I REALLY appreciate it. Can someone recommend a good moisture meter? I had one I bought from harbor freight, I got mixed results with it. I would like something a little better.
Thanks again!

That I dont understand, I have a HF one and it works fine, BB like his and BK did some testing comparing it to weighing the wood and drying it in a oven and he said it was plenty good for our uses (he also did wood working) so what kind of mixed results are you talking about? Cant help think its operator error (many have reported issuses with different brands of MM).
I think BB said he compared his HF MM to his neighbors expensive one and they were basicly the same.
I thought I had lost mine so I bought another one, just not sure what people expect.

 

[pastorbmp]

That I dont understand, I have a HF one and it works fine, BB like his and BK did some testing comparing it to weighing the wood and drying it in a oven and he said it was plenty good for our uses (he also did wood working) so what kind of mixed results are you talking about? Cant help think its operator error (many have reported issuses with different brands of MM).
I think BB said he compared his HF MM to his neighbors expensive one and they were basicly the same.
I thought I had lost mine so I bought another one, just not sure what people expect.

Green wood measure same or less moisture content than seasoned wood, wood would measure high moisture content and burn great, while wood measuring low moisture content wouldn't burn well. It was pretty obvious it left something to be desired. I may have just gotten a bad one. I am not sure what operator error there could have been, but if it could be messed up, I could mess it up!

 

[Sprinter]

How did you use the meter? You have to make a new split and push the pins firmly into a freshly split face, preferably with the grain. Also, a quick and dirty check is to place the pins on your palm.. It will usually be in the low 30's and pretty stable.

 

[brenndatomu]

Does it read 30-35% if you "test" your finger? (don't make yourself bleed!) Also, were you testing the newly exposed face of a fresh split?

Edit: I see sprinter sprinted and beat me to it!

 

[Grisu]

If you just cannot stack several years worth of firewood in your yard you may want to consider a solar kiln:

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I would still look at wood species other than oak but with enough sun you have a chance of getting your wood dry within 4 to 5 months. If you build it large enough for 2 cords you can change the wood in the middle of the summer and have 4 cords about ready for winter.

 

[Sprinter]

With less than dry wood, as dmmoss suggested, many get by with using "biobricks" or similar compressed wood products and with pallet wood, etc to mix in with the moister stuff. The proportion would depend on how moist the wood is.

 

[oldspark]

I took my HF MM and stuck it in lumber, green wood, dry wood and did the hand trick and it read fine in every case, that includes both of the ones I own.

 

[pastorbmp]

I took my HF MM and stuck it in lumber, green wood, dry wood and did the hand trick and it read fine in every case, that includes both of the ones I own.

Thanks. I ordered some new batteries for my MM. I will put fresh batteries in it and test it again. I gave up on it a couple of years ago when it did not seem give accurate readings. Probably O.E.! Thanks again.

 

[DeerHunter]

My first year (last year) I burned 10 month seasoned Oak mostly. It wasn't easy, but we got by without kicking on the diesel furnace once . Here is what I would recommend:

To get things going:
1) use small splits - if all you have is the oak, then you need to plan a day and get your hatchet sharpened in prep. I tried to get about two 35 gal container's worth of these small splits for kindling. Then you'll need a cord's worth of smaller splits (i.e. < 2 " dia) to put on once the kindling catches. I would also start off with some wax-based fire starter rather than newspaper.
2) leave the door cracked - sounds like you're already doing this. When I know I have wet wood, I'll leave the door cracked until I start to see the outside of the wood charred and starting to split. I'll only close the door once the temp reaches ~400 deg.
3) leave the damper open - once I close the door, I leave the damper fully open until the temp reaches 650 deg. Then I'll close it down to ~25% open.
4) add bigger logs when it's hot - I'll try to keep the running temp around 550-700 and add bigger logs on the higher side of this range. Amazing how quickly logs dry at this temp
5) burn continuously if possible - the above is a pita to do even once a day!

Obviously using this technique will consume more wood than using dry wood will, but at least you'll have heat.

-DH

 

[ColdNH]

I ended up re-splitting a lot of wood this fall. alot of my splits were roughly 4-5"x4-5" +/- and a bear to get burning good in the stove. re-splitting them in half has made fires 100x easier to get going

 

[Sprinter]

re-splitting them in half has made fires 100x easier to get going

And small splits will dry out a lot faster in the stack if you're still trying to season.

 

[pastorbmp]

And small splits will dry out a lot faster in the stack if you're still trying to season.

Yep. I try not to make my splits over 3-4" thick.

 

[BrowningBAR]

My first year (last year) I burned 10 month seasoned Oak mostly. It wasn't easy, but we got by without kicking on the diesel furnace once . Here is what I would recommend:

To get things going:
1) use small splits - if all you have is the oak, then you need to plan a day and get your hatchet sharpened in prep. I tried to get about two 35 gal container's worth of these small splits for kindling. Then you'll need a cord's worth of smaller splits (i.e. < 2 " dia) to put on once the kindling catches. I would also start off with some wax-based fire starter rather than newspaper.
2) leave the door cracked - sounds like you're already doing this. When I know I have wet wood, I'll leave the door cracked until I start to see the outside of the wood charred and starting to split. I'll only close the door once the temp reaches ~400 deg.
3) leave the damper open - once I close the door, I leave the damper fully open until the temp reaches 650 deg. Then I'll close it down to ~25% open.
4) add bigger logs when it's hot - I'll try to keep the running temp around 550-700 and add bigger logs on the higher side of this range. Amazing how quickly logs dry at this temp
5) burn continuously if possible - the above is a pita to do even once a day!

Obviously using this technique will consume more wood than using dry wood will, but at least you'll have heat.

-DH

I agree with everything here. Burning wet wood is possible. It is just a damn pain in the ass. I wish to never experience it again, but if that is all you have, you can heat your home with it using an EPA stove.

It just sucks doing so.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That would be a great idea, but - around here - most people don't cut their wood until November I have known of and seen them out cutting wood in December and January to burn right then.

So, I guess the answer - if I stay with this stove - is to have 3 years worth of wood on hand. One - to burn (2 years seasoned), one with a year's worth of seasoning for next year, and a third just cut for 2 years out. WHICH means, I won't have a decent fire at this point for at least 2 years, because I only have enough on hand for this year. That seems just crazy. There is no buying "seasoned" wood around here. I do not know of anyone who has to deal with wood in that way. I don't have room to store 18-20 rick of wood. Well...I guess it is, what it is.

Thanks. That is probably some good advice for me. I have mixed other woods in, but I went with only oak and hickory this year ( I have a smidgeon of maple). I really like oak. But, will probably have to cut some other for next year.

Hello pastor. You are along with many wood burners. That doesn't help you today but it will in time. Just be aware that different types of wood take different amout of time to dry enough for proper burning. This for sure creates a big problem for those who do not have enough room to stack enough wood to go onto the 3 year plan but it is not so large of a problem that it can't be a deal breaker for you.

For sure one of the worse things you could do would be to go back to the older smoke dragons. Yes, they work and did for many years; we've owned several over the years. And yes, most folks never give their wood enough time to dry properly....even in the older stoves. We learned that in our youth! While we watched neighbors having chimney fires and whenever we looked at their homes we saw lots and lots of smoke. When we entered their homes and even when we got close to them, we found they stunk....bad. Fortunately I grew up in a home where we burned dry wood and not fresh cut stuff or even year old wood. For our part, we burn wood that has dried 3 years or more. By doing this, no MM is needed or wanted.

So what types of wood might you have down there that are faster drying woods? Generally you look for the softer woods that allow the moisture to escape faster than the tight woods like oak and hickory. But still some of the harder woods can work well too, like white ash. Some say it can be burned right away but do not believe it. Oh, it could be, but you would not like the results. If you have any soft maple, I know of no other wood that will dry as fast at this. Elm can be another one but be careful. Red elm may be in your area but white elm can be terrible to split and we cut it only after it has died and the bark all or mostly all off. Then it works good. Hopefully someone in your congregation should be knowledgeable but don't follow the advice of those who cut and burn in the same year!

You can also purchase some biobricks or something similar and this could help get you through the winter. Good luck.

 

[pastorbmp]

Yep, when the wood is not seasoned sufficiently for this EPA approved stove, it is one more pain. It has to babysat constantly, leaves TONS of ashes and is just more trouble than it's worth. I am just going to have to know that my wood is going to have to be seasoned for 2years or more. OR, I am going to have to get a NON-EPA-approved stove LOL....which I haven't ruled out.

 

[pastorbmp]

Hello pastor. You are along with many wood burners. That doesn't help you today but it will in time. Just be aware that different types of wood take different amout of time to dry enough for proper burning. This for sure creates a big problem for those who do not have enough room to stack enough wood to go onto the 3 year plan but it is not so large of a problem that it can't be a deal breaker for you.

For sure one of the worse things you could do would be to go back to the older smoke dragons. Yes, they work and did for many years; we've owned several over the years. And yes, most folks never give their wood enough time to dry properly....even in the older stoves. We learned that in our youth! While we watched neighbors having chimney fires and whenever we looked at their homes we saw lots and lots of smoke. When we entered their homes and even when we got close to them, we found they stunk....bad. Fortunately I grew up in a home where we burned dry wood and not fresh cut stuff or even year old wood. For our part, we burn wood that has dried 3 years or more. By doing this, no MM is needed or wanted.

So what types of wood might you have down there that are faster drying woods? Generally you look for the softer woods that allow the moisture to escape faster than the tight woods like oak and hickory. But still some of the harder woods can work well too, like white ash. Some say it can be burned right away but do not believe it. Oh, it could be, but you would not like the results. If you have any soft maple, I know of no other wood that will dry as fast at this. Elm can be another one but be careful. Red elm may be in your area but white elm can be terrible to split and we cut it only after it has died and the bark all or mostly all off. Then it works good. Hopefully someone in your congregation should be knowledgeable but don't follow the advice of those who cut and burn in the same year!

You can also purchase some biobricks or something similar and this could help get you through the winter. Good luck.

Unfortunately, I am probably the most knowledgeable around on firewood. I am telling you - most folks cut and burn wood the same year, and never have a problem around here. They don't use much more wood than I do, and I have never heard of but one person in our area having a chimney fire in the last several years. I go in the homes of those in our congregation that have woodstoves, and I know they cut their oak that same year - their fires are beautiful, houses warm and they have no complaints. When I tell them of the problems I am having, they are in amazement. I am the only person who is having these type problems (of course I am about the only one with EPA approved stove). We have lots of maple and poplar around here, which might season in a year. I am going to make more space, I guess. I love my oak and do not want to give it up. It is the most readily available wood around here also. I will just have to make room for the 3 year plan.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

For what it is worth, this is how we stack our wood. We lay down some saplings we cut in the woods to stack the wood on. We cut in winter, which means in about a week we'll be starting to cut....but not for this year or next! We split in the spring and then stack immediately (most of the time). We do not cover the wood until about this time of the year and then we let Mother Nature do her thing by drying the wood. We also do not worry about sunshine; we want air, which means stacking it where it gets wind.



We stack 3 rows together and stack at 4 1/2' high. Doing the cutting, splitting and stacking this way, we usually find that by the time we cover the wood, the wood piles have shrunk about 6" in height. This tells us there has been lots of moisture evaporated out of the wood. Some fear that middle row and say it won't dry that way. However, we have never found this to be true. One case in point is that we find the center row stays the same height at the outer rows.

By the way, the wood pictures was cut during the winter of 2008-2009. We have moved this year's wood into the barn and there is still a cord or more of wood there for next year. Then we'll move on to the next piles. This wood burns super sweet! No, I have no idea what the moisture content is nor do I care.

 

[Grisu]

If you do try to get by and burn what you have this winter, I would suggest that you clean your chimney often. You will almost certainly get more creosote and therefore risk a chimney fire. You can try the sooteater which many people here including me use: http://gardusinc.com/sooteater.html

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Unfortunately, I am probably the most knowledgeable around on firewood. I am telling you - most folks cut and burn wood the same year, and never have a problem around here. They don't use much more wood than I do, and I have never heard of but one person in our area having a chimney fire in the last several years. I go in the homes of those in our congregation that have woodstoves, and I know they cut their oak that same year - their fires are beautiful, houses warm and they have no complaints. When I tell them of the problems I am having, they are in amazement. I am the only person who is having these type problems (of course I am about the only one with EPA approved stove). We have lots of maple and poplar around here, which might season in a year. I am going to make more space, I guess. I love my oak and do not want to give it up. It is the most readily available wood around here also. I will just have to make room for the 3 year plan.

Just because they do it does not make it right! This is why so many areas are even offering money back just to get rid of the old stoves and install the newer epa stoves. Some areas also have days when you can not burn a wood stove! This should tell folks why the old stoves and the old ways are wrong. Simply put, the old stoves make the air dirty. The new stoves will not dirty the air.....so long as they are burned rightly.

So I say, as pastor, you could even consider it your duty to inform your people. What they are doing is following the ways of grandpa and grandpa was not always right! Oh well, here I am, a great grandpa....

 

[oldspark]

The worst thing about a non EPA stove is the operator, burnt correctly many are fine stoves and smoke very little with dry wood, my old stove is in my shop and it works great.

 

[Cross Cut Saw]

Sorry if I'm repeating anything here but I wanted to share my experience with my stove and don't have time to read all of the comments.

Next time you order wood ask for no oak. I'm burning 9 month old Maple/Birch/Ash mix that is SO much better than the same aged wood I was burning last year that included oak...

 

[Seasoned Oak]

So, I guess the answer - if I stay with this stove - is to have 3 years worth of wood on hand. Well...I guess it is, what it is.

You could always scrounge some demolition wood .It will be mostly pine but very dry. Anyone nearby tearing down an old house or other structure are usually happy to give away the wood. Wall studs and floor and roof joists are the best. Avoid floorboards if they are varnished and dont use painted or pressure treated wood from decks.
It burns hot and lights up quick. I have so much of the stuff,i hardly ever burn my seasoned oak.

 

[dmmoss51]

We stack 3 rows together and stack at 4 1/2' high.

Those are some nice stacks!