Ash???

[iod0816]

I was running low on wood and I called my wood guy whose pretty trust worthy so far in my dealings... He delivered me some Ash that he said had been sitting in log form for 14 months (according to him) and had been split into quarters only in the past 48 hours... From seeing the "newness" of the wood I was convinced it wouldn't burn btu I began to bring it from the front of my house to the back because I wanted it anyways. I noticed some clunked like a wood bat, some were very light in weight for their size and some were somewhat green... I'd say its about 80-20 of really light stuff that sounds great to green wood. Now I put a few pieces in the stove to try out. They don't burn that great to start but then after a while they actually aren't bad and burned long/hot. Esp when I mix them in with some good stuff... There's no hissing, no bubbling, no sign of any water escaping except a new piece does damper the fire out a bit when initially (so there it is I guess)... I am a little stumped being my first year and having not burned ash before. Is this how it burns?

Second, I emailed him saying I am not paying season price for this and his response was that in two weeks these will be "bone" dry. I don't believe him and was a bit skeptical until I looked at a few pieces after they have sat for a day and there was significant cracks on the ends of the splits as if I had left the wood by the stove over night... Could the wood really be bone dry in two weeks? I know Ash is already low in MC but two weeks? I just wanted to see what other people's input were and I guess I will see in two weeks haha...

I don't have a moisture meter as that would be a simple solution.

Thanks,

Ian

 

[Adios Pantalones]

cracks forming means almost nothing. You can cut a piece, weigh accurately, dry in an oven, reweigh, and calculate the moisture content very accurately. You'd need several pieces to get a good average value.

 

[karri0n]

Wood needs to sit for a year.

Ash might season within 6 months, but it's a low enough moisture content wen green that it can be used as "emergency" wood if you really can't get anything else. No, it won't dry in 2 weeks, and no, it's not seasoned.

However, You probably won't get anywhere with your "I'm not paying the seasoned price" argument, as you won't actually get seasoned wood from any wood dealer no matter what they say about it being seasoned.

 

[iod0816]

Actually with him I did get seasoned wood, legit seasoned wood really late in the season and a lot of it... Saved my rear with the wife essentially but in this case, yes, I see your point. Next year won't be an issue and I was really wondering with the whole Ash type of wood seasoning thing...

but thanks!

 

[firefighterjake]

As you mentioned white ash is lower in moisture content than many tree species . . . and in the past folks have used semi-seasoned or even unseasned ash to get by in an emergency . . . but doing so is generally not advised as unseasoned or partially seasoned ash will still have more moisture than you want when dealing with an EPA stove . . . you can burn the wood, but generally it's at the expense of not burning longer, hotter, efficiently or as clean vs. burning ash that has been seasoned.

The fact that your dealer was honest when the wood was split is good . . . and he is technically right you could use the wood . . . but I really think the best thing to do to get wood that is burning cleanly (i.e. to reduce creosote build up) and efficiently (more heat) is to give ash that has been bucked, split and stacked 6-12 months to season . . . and the longer it sits stacked the happier you will be when it comes to burning this wood. Trust me on this . . . there is a world of difference in the way the wood catches on fire, the heat produced, the burn time and how clean the stove's glass looks when you burn ash seasoned for 12 months or longer vs. ash that has been seasoned for even 6 months.

Seeing no spitting and hissing is a good sign . . . having the fire die out when you start closing off the air is not a good sign. Black glass is also a bad sign. Two weeks to season? Guess it depends on a person's definition of seasoning . . . around here I suspect this length of time would not fit the definition of seasoning of most of us.

How does well seasoned ash burn . . . typically you put it on a bed of coals and it will light up in under a minute and burn long and hot.

As AP mentioned . . . cracks are not necessarily indicative of well seasoned wood . . . one of the possible signs to be sure . . . but not a definitive sign.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Many, many moons ago we were forced to burn green wood one whole winter. We burned all ash. No, it was not ideal but we also did not freeze. We had to make sure we loaded the stove when there was still a big bed of coals and we also had to clean our chimney several times. Point is, we did it because we had to and got along fine only because we knew what to do.

Now what about that 2 weeks the wood being bone dry? Pure baloney. That winter I was forced to buy wood because I was laid up for a few years I bought the wood in November. By the following March the wood was still pretty much as it was when we bought it.

Today we burn about 60% ash and it is very dry. It lights quickly and gives a good fire. We'll be burning it for several years thanks to the EAB.


During those months that we burned the green ash I do not ever recall any hissing or bubbling moisture. There just is not much moisture there. I will say that occasionally, but rarely, we do get a few pieces that just don't seem to burn well. I have no idea why but it happens every so often and it is usually only one log or maybe a couple and then we won't get another one for years. Odd, but true. The same can be said for splitting. Ash usually splits extremely easy but occasionally you will get a few that do not split well. We just roll with the punches.

Good luck.

 

[Wood Duck]

I agree with B.S. that the claim ash will season in two weeks is b.s. No wood seasons that fast. Ash may burn when freshly cut, but that doesn't mean it has miraculous seasoning properties.

 

[Tony H]

I have been burning some ash that was cut into rounds about 18 months ago and split about 3 months ago and while it's not ideal it does measure around 25-28 % moisture and burns pretty good.

 

[Todd]

Seperate the lighter pieces and any splits with loose bark and burn them first.

 

[Battenkiller]

I remember a wood dealer proudly proclaiming that the white ash he just sold me had "0% creosote sitting on the stump in the woods". I just smiled at him, thinking to myself, "Well, so does red oak."

The ash will burn fine, but it still has about a 30-35% MC. That's not the 20% which is recommended as a minimum for newer stoves. You'll need to keep things real hot if you expect those secondaries to kick in. Expect about a 5-10% reduction in heat output per volume of wood as well. This may not be noticeable until you realize at the end of the season that you may have burned a bit more than you planned on.

If you can squeeze in a week's supply in the room where you keep the stove, it will dry out quite a bit in that time. Everyday just bring in enough more for a day's burn and you'll always have drier wood. How much drier? A 5lb split of ash should lose about 1/2 - 1 lb of water in a week at an indoor relative humidity of about 25-30% - typical RH for heated spaces in northern climates. A small fan played over the wood will help even more.