does wood season in winter?

[jatoxico]

Of course it does.
4 most important factors drying wood: heat, humidity, time, wind.

That's it, heat, humidity and rainfall. Rainfall you can control by covering the others mostly not.

USDA Bulletin FPL-GTR-F17 Air Drying of Lumber has a lot of info if anyone is looking for a summary to read up on including drying times of different species in the various zones.

 

[CTBurner]

HAVEN;T YOU HEARD OF FREEZE-DRYED

 

[Oldman47]

Freeze drying is done using a vacuum. My back yard is pretty much at atmospheric pressure.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Freeze drying is done using a vacuum. My back yard is pretty much at atmospheric pressure.

Ah man, don't make me go into an explanation of vapor pressure too...

You're right, freeze drying is done by vacuum. By freezing the food and pulling a high vacuum you can drastically increase the rate of sublimation (water going from solid state directly to vapor state) where-in the sublimed water is then removed from the atmosphere in order to keep the humidity low (to keep sublimation rate high). It is a somewhat complex process and rather expensive, I don't recommend it for firewood.

 

[Oldman47]

I completely understand vapor pressure and can read and use a Molier diagram. Some people just know that they have heard of a process and do not understand why it works and when it cannot. Do you really want to talk about things like the triple point. Don't go there for me.

 

[DoubleB]

To the OP: weigh some of the splits now, weigh them again in April, then see for yourself if they actually dried in the winter.

I love a good thermodynamics and heat/mass transfer discussion, but sometimes it's just easier to measure what's really happening.

 

[claydogg84]

I get a chuckle when I hear people putting a stack of wood near the stove thinking that it will actually season in the time that it sits there and is waiting in a warm place to be put in the stove in the near future.....the main issue is getting ahead and allowing each type of species to let go of their own moisture. We help them out when we split it, stack it, put it in the sun, in a windy spot through summer, fall winter and spring..... And then repeat the process of keeping it stacked till the wood finally hits the under 20% MC......

You laugh, but it does dry the wood out. Last year I mixed all species including Oak in my stacks. So far I've been throwing the Oak back into the pile to restack in spring, but the other night I loaded my cart in the dark. Put about 13 pieces next to the stove that were 32% MC in the middle. 6 days later those same pieces were all under 20%. In a perfect world, everyone would be able to have a 4 year supply of seasoned Oak. Unfortunately, I don't live in that world.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Hey listen, it takes TIME with the proper conditions to dry wood normally but if your building a kiln drying oven in your family room then that's a different story.....

 

[claydogg84]

Hey listen, it takes TIME with the proper conditions to dry wood normally but if your building a kiln drying oven in your family room then that's a different story.....

It was more or less just an experiment. I won't do it again because the wife yelled at me for stacking the firewood where she likes to sit. But in a pinch, it will work.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Ha, I got you bud, I'm finally having the wife and one of the girls telling me to lay off the wood tonight, ( got the room stoking) cause I finally figured out how to burn correctly after 2 years, but most importantly burning red oak thats been sitting in the sun and wind, singled stacked..,,, hey I had bad years too wondering if it was my stove or me....... But it was my wood and me.....

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

I love your insert and stone by the way, is that a Clydesdale?.....

 

[claydogg84]

I love your insert and stone by the way, is that a Clydesdale?.....

Mine? It's actually a freestander - Jotul Oslo. Thanks, wish I could have gone bigger but it does the job.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Ok, I see it now, looks great though....... Yeah we all wish we went bigger

 

[j7art2]

Luckily my unit is in the basement, so I can get almost a full cord down there without much difficulty and get it drying. A lot of my wood had surface moisture on it and that ended up freezing since I stacked it so tightly.

My buddy on the other hand has 5 cord in his basement. I think 2/3 of his basement is designated to wood.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

does wood season in winter?

Uh, it depends,,,,?

 

[spirilis]

Hey kiln drying by the stove is just another form of humidifier for your house!

 

[sportbikerider78]

Luckily my unit is in the basement, so I can get almost a full cord down there without much difficulty and get it drying. A lot of my wood had surface moisture on it and that ended up freezing since I stacked it so tightly.

My buddy on the other hand has 5 cord in his basement. I think 2/3 of his basement is designated to wood.

I'm looking at this for next year. Late Fall, bring 3-4 cord into the basement. Would be nice not to have to walk outside to get wood. Half the reason I bought my home is the walk out 1900 sqft basement.
Do any of you guys build an enclosure to contain any kind of bugs? I will continue to spray every 4 months anyway.

 

[j7art2]

I don't have an enclosure per say really. I have a 4x4x3 foot box that I toss my wood into from an egress window. Once its overflowing, I stack it along the wall. I'm not noticing much of a bug problem. I see the occasional one, and it gets squished by the wood, then added to the blaze. Thank you for your service and added fractional BTU, Mr. Spider.

 

[bag of hammers]

I completely understand vapor pressure and can read and use a Molier diagram. Some people just know that they have heard of a process and do not understand why it works and when it cannot. Do you really want to talk about things like the triple point. Don't go there for me.

Not only do I not understand vapor pressure, I don't even know if you guys are arguing or agreeing ....