Man there is something to wood being too dry.I called a tree man that I know recently to see what was up.He told me he was selling some property and had a half cord of seasoned oak for sale for fifty bucks if I picked it up I said I'll take it.That wood is so seasoned that even in the Blaze King I can't get more than a 6 hour burn.The wood is just too dry and burns too quickly.Good for me the load was closer to 3/4 of a cord than a half cord since I'm going through the wood much faster than usual.So in the future when dealing with wood that's too dry I'll be asking for a lower price since it takes more wood for the usual heat times.
Even the Blaze King King can’t
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When wood gets really old it has been breaking down a long time and the next stop is punky wood. It might be your wood is so old that it burns like paper? I use to burn old wood but gave up on it. I am not going to say how old is too old because we all live in different climates and one has to find out whats right in their area. If it feels to light then it might be to old. You will get the feel. Dry is good but dry punk is bad. Of course wet punk is worse.
Funny thing though that this wood was light it had that beautiful tanned look to it.No way near the punk stage.However like you say and I now agree if it's too light it's too old for that sustained burn.I won't give up on it and I wouldn't pay top dollar for it either.snowtime said:
This is what worries me about my 16 cord stockpile of evergreen and alder. Perhaps it will spoil over time. I don't know why it happens since I have 2x4 lumber in my house that is 40 years old and does not go punky or get light.
House lumber does not go punk because its protected. Getting wet then drying out a few times a year will cause lumber to rot as well. Its the getting wet then drying out that ruins wood. You can store wood in a dry covered spot and it will not rot you can store wood underwater and it will not rot. Its not good for burning as it will be saturated but it will not rot. In fact loggers go after timber thats been submerged for decades when lakes are flooded and the wood still is sound.
I bought a trailer load from a local guy (about 3/4 cord) and maybe 1/3 of it is good, 1/3 is too dry and burns like yours is and about 1/3 is punky, now I know why he said he would unload it for me. I thought it was a good deal but for the little amount of good wood I got it really wasnt.
Rich L said:
If you have a good draft would using a pipe damper help get a longer burn with wood like this?
The Blaze King is one stove I don't think you'll need a pipe damper for.This stove can be shut down till the fire starts to smolder.However this wood just burns up in no time even when the stove is shut down almost as far as it will go.Though I've never shut the air down completely.I've heard of wood sellers complain about some customers complain about their wood being too dry.Now I know what the customer is talking about.nojo said:
As far as light weight oak goes. I have been building cabinets for some 25+ yrs. and have gone through thousands of board feet of red oak and yes their is some of it that is light and soft the same in ash.
Make certain your door gasket is sealed tight and if you have a newer Blaze King like my 1107, the bypass has an adjustable tension too.
Do you have a moisture meter? My dealer sold me one with my BKK and I know it's not super accurate, but maybe you have a world record load! My wood is usually 12-15% moisture content.
Happy New Year!
Do you have a moisture meter? My dealer sold me one with my BKK and I know it's not super accurate, but maybe you have a world record load! My wood is usually 12-15% moisture content.
Happy New Year!
You said "air turned way down" Is it all the way closed? I would just mix some greener wood in with it. Make it a 50/50 Or Even Steven according to Seinfeld
Franks said:
I haven't been burning that long, but I was thinking that as well. I sort of do the same thing with some very old / punky wood I have. I have to mix in other wood to get it to burn, though, not slow it down.
BigBlockChevy said:
Hey Big Block,I think my gasket is sealed well and the bypass is operating properly.With my other wood my burn times are good as usual.However with this super seasoned wood it's gone in no time.I don't have a meter though right away when picking it up you'd say to yourself,"man this wood is super light weight".
Ya Franks I think your right about mixing some semi-seasoned wood with it.It does burn hot.No to the air being closed all the way.With my usual wood I can put the fire out or smolder by turning down all the way so I don't do it.Turned way down is as close to all the way as I'll go.It goes to show me that a cord of very light wood is much less efficient than a cord seasoned a year or so.I don't know how long the wood was seasoned for and the tree man couldn't remember.One thing is for certain I'll never forget the lightnest of that wood.If I come in contact with a load like that again I'll always push for a much lower price or no sale.I'm still happy with the price of that load of $50.00 for nearly 3/4 of a cord.Franks said:
Wood too dry? Wood too old? Bull!
If the wood is kept dry, it will last for many years and you will still get a lot of heat from it with no worries. If not kept dry, then it will go punky; that is a different story.
Here is some of that supposed "too dry" wood. It is still sitting right where it was when this picture was taken and we won't get to it until next year or perhaps the following year.
![[Hearth.com] Even the Blaze King King can’t](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/woodcovered-gif.211383/ "[Hearth.com] Even the Blaze King King can’t")
btw, that wood was cut in 2005. It will be some beautiful firewood when we get to it.
Oh yes, it seems I remember a fellow in Texas who is burning 20 year old wood. I wonder how he makes out?
If the wood is kept dry, it will last for many years and you will still get a lot of heat from it with no worries. If not kept dry, then it will go punky; that is a different story.
Here is some of that supposed "too dry" wood. It is still sitting right where it was when this picture was taken and we won't get to it until next year or perhaps the following year.
btw, that wood was cut in 2005. It will be some beautiful firewood when we get to it.
Oh yes, it seems I remember a fellow in Texas who is burning 20 year old wood. I wonder how he makes out?
Backwoods Savage said:Wood too dry? Wood too old? Bull!
If the wood is kept dry, it will last for many years and you will still get a lot of heat from it with no worries. If not kept dry, then it will go punky; that is a different story.
Here is some of that supposed "too dry" wood. It is still sitting right where it was when this picture was taken and we won't get to it until next year or perhaps the following year.
![[Hearth.com] Even the Blaze King King can’t](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/woodcovered-gif.211392/ "[Hearth.com] Even the Blaze King King can’t")
btw, that wood was cut in 2005. It will be some beautiful firewood when we get to it.
Oh yes, it seems I remember a fellow in Texas who is burning 20 year old wood. I wonder how he makes out?
Yo Backwoods your account is very interesting and yes my wood did burn just fine.It was just too light in weight and didn't burn as long as my heavier seasoned wood.How heavy are your 4 year old splits compared to your 1-2 year old splits.
You got me wondering how long that Texan's 20 year old wood last in a fire and how heavy are his splits after 20 years.
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