How am I going to get the stove in position

[Mikelly]

Hate to tell you but oak split and stacked last spring probably wont be dry enough even next winter.

You probably have a lot more wood burning experience than I do but I don't agree. By next fall the wood will have seasoned 18 months and it's already turned gray.

 

[Mojappa]

best way to know for sure is spend 20-30 bucks on a moisture meter and test a few pieces from different parts of the stack. If it's stacked in single rows, top covered, and the weather's been good to ya then it should be burnable by 2019/2020 winter....might be just barely but should be below 20% by then

 

[Chimney Smoke]

I paid the local stove shop an extra $50 to move mine from the basement up to the first floor when they were here to install my class a chimney. I used to do everything myself to save a few bucks and now I realize sometimes paying is cheaper and easier.

 

[MAD MARK]

You probably have a lot more wood burning experience than I do but I don't agree. By next fall the wood will have seasoned 18 months and it's already turned gray.

The consensus here with proven data is some oak takes 3 years to season properly.

Just cause its GRAY on the outside, doesn't mean its DRY on the inside.

 

[Chuck the Canuck]

Mad Mark Said:


I walked mine up these blocks 1 side at a time the way Highbeam said.

Took 1 hour and did it myself with the door off, bricks in.
_______________________________________________________

Hey Mad Mark, that's a Jim-Dandy set-up you got there! Love it. I think I'd like to do that with my stove; sure would beat the heck out of getting down on hands and knees all the time to load 'er up....

 

[Chuck the Canuck]

Cool. Looks familiar.

That's an awesome looking stove/shop/floor; the whole set up of your shop is just plain perfect, homey and inviting......

 

[wooduser]

You probably have a lot more wood burning experience than I do but I don't agree. By next fall the wood will have seasoned 18 months and it's already turned gray.

Here's the problem ----

As I said in an earlier post, the wood you burn is MORE IMPORTANT than the stove you burn it in. You've spent a lot of time and money to investigate and install a stove, but have you spent comparable time and money to insure that your wood supply is up to snuff, meaning dry enough to burn properly?

Based on your comment above, the answer is, "no." You are guessing and supposing that 18 months will have the wood dry enough to burn properly. Intuitively, that seems reasonable, but it's really just a guess on your part.

Others are suggesting that if you are going to rely on guessing and supposing, you should guess that drying oak for three years will do the job adequately.

But the way to resolve the issue without guessing is to get and use a moisture meter so that you are measuring rather than guessing. Your guess has been contradicted by several other people who warn that you may well be wrong ----isn't the smart move to make the small investment in a moisture meter so that you will know for sure?

How would you feel if you go with your current plans but discover next winter that the wood barely burns in your new stove? If that happens, you are stuck, like too many other people with new stoves that we see here.

Furthermore, you may discover that not only do you need to have your wood supply for 2019-2020 in hand, but also for 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 as well.

These are the realities of heating with wood. Guessing and supposing are not adequate substitutes for measuring and knowing. If you were to discover, now, that your wood isn't as dry as you'd hoped, you still have a Texas summer to help dry it out, and you could find advice on how to deal with that problem now. But if you discover that next winter, you are stuck.

In short, you might be wrong. Find out now and know for sure!

 

[WinterinWI]

Cut split and stacked outside in Texas for 18 months may be ok. No doubt one of the better climates for seasoning wood in the US.

How many days per year do you need to fire up the stove? 2 or 3?

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

 

[wooduser]

Cut split and stacked outside in Texas for 18 months may be ok. No doubt one of the better climates for seasoning wood in the US.

True, no doubt.

 

[Mikelly]

A moisture meter sounds like real good advice. I'll look for 20% or lower.
Thanks.

 

[kborndale]

A moisture meter sounds like real good advice. I'll look for 20% or lower.
Thanks.

When you get one, remember that to get an true reading you need the wood to be at about 70 degrees and you have to split a piece and test the freshly split side.

 

[Woody5506]

Regardless of the oak, just keep splitting and stacking wood now. There are other species of wood that will likely season fine if you were to split them now and burn next winter. Either way, you won't regret having "too much" wood when it comes time to use it.