No idea what to do now :(

[enigmablaze]

It can be a real drag to find an honest seller. A cord of wood CANNOT be delivered in a pickup truck - The End. 1/2 at best. And these guys probably just cut it and need to move it. It'd take a big operation to store wood under cover.

I'm not sure I recall a posting where someone got their first cord delivered and it was actually a cord.

If you have to keep buying, make a storage area that holds a cord, include a stacking fee in the delivery price, and agree to pay on the dimensions delivered.

If it doesn't look like somebody dumped a Volkswagen in your driveway, you didn't get a cord. "Measuring cords by pieces"... Puh-Leazzz!! Too many sellers will say anything to close a deal and be on their way.

Haha this makes me feel better, at least we're not alone! I was so determined we wouldn't be "taken", we had our moisture meter ready and figured how much room in the yard the cord would take...Haha at least it was a very nice kid who was clearly not trying to scam us, just doesn't really know what he's doing either yet I think . We both took it as a learning experience.

Now the "gold standard" seller in the area I am much more disappointed in, while I'm sure the huge truck they brought in had a full cord in it, it was wetter than our first delivery, very disappointing especially as they said a lot of their clients are wood stove burners.

 

[enigmablaze]

The guys that install the stoves sometimes know who around to trust.
Well seasoned wood is often tough to find.

Some of us get a couple years ahead on a wood supply so we have dependably good burning wood.

I have a wood lot where I live right now, but I've played the seasoned-wood-that-isn't game before.
Cross stack what you've got in the open ( not against a solid fence or building if you can help it ) so the wind goes through it easy and that's about all you can do to get it seasoning as fast as possible.
or save it for next year and burn bio/compressed bricks.

I wish we had more yard so we could run a two-year-ahead kind of system, It will be tricky as even one cord was seriously stretching our reasonable storage and of course that's mostly up against (with about 10" in between) a wall. I am hoping that we can get it dry for next season and thinking we will probably need to go with the bricks w/maybe a few tiny splits this season. Which, considering their low moisture content I don't think it's a bad thing as we learn to run the stove safely. At least creosote buildup wouldn't be as much of a concern this way.

 

[enigmablaze]

Check put home depot, tractor supply, lowes, or mernards for compressed wood logs. If you find a brand do a post here before you buy a ton (incase they have bad reviews) make sure that its 100% compressed wood with no wax or chemical binders (wood stove safety) Keep in mind that when solely burning compressed wood products they can be tough to lite off, usually people start a fire with a load of cord wood kindling and place the bricks or logs on top of that, once you have an established coal base there easy to use.
(1) ton of compressed wood is equivalent to almost 1.5 cords of wood since you only need a few dense bricks vs a full firebox of splits for the same amount of heat.
Don't discount pallets either, as long as they don't have glue or chemical treatments, you can break them up (use them for kindling)

The only ones I've found so far are "Tennessee Volunteer" bricks at Menards (I was disappointed they are in fact NOT the eco-bricks...which I think may have changed their name to "enviro bricks") and Tractor Supply has "redstone" bricks (apparently they also used to sell the eco-bricks but now this brand).

 

[enigmablaze]

I picked up a pallet of compressed logs last year at rural king in waterloo IL. You can also get them at Tractor supply co. Your best bet is to go in and price them multiple places and get the best deal. A few years ago Menards had then on sale in the summer and I picked up 1/2 a pallets worth.

Worst case you can mix them in with a couple splits of the wet wood to help make them last.

And if you find someone that delivers wood that is actually seasoned keep there number. I have bought from many places and none has ever been dry. I always buy a cord ever spring and I keep 2 cords on hand. So all the wood I burn is at least 18 months old. I also live in a neighborhood and have limited space.

After this, I will be astonished if we ever find anyone selling actually dry wood . If there is one I have heard nothing of it, our sweep's recommendation was our sad try #2 over 30% moisture

Do you remember the brand menards had? Did you like them?

 

[enigmablaze]

Just to clarif, my post above was not meant to be rude towards OP. I thought "no pity from me" was kind of harsh.

Haha no worries at all, took it how you meant it

 

[enigmablaze]

What of IL are you in? If your close by I have some very DRY wood.

I'm central, probably 2-3 hours from you?

 

[enigmablaze]

I'm getting confused...are the Redmond bricks sold at Tractor supply actually still real Eco Bricks?

 

[kennyp2339]

I'm getting confused...are the Redmond bricks sold at Tractor supply actually still real Eco Bricks?

I don't think so, redstone is the name... eco bricks were smaller, tighter packed and had eco stamped in them, redstones are different, theres 2 sizes, a big 3 pack (5x5x10") and the smaller brick size.
I do have to say that if you stumble across compress fire bricks and the material looks like wood chips instead of saw dust, buy those immediately, that's like finding the golden egg! good stuff. Again, make sure that the packaging states that theres no binders used. Also wait for black Friday before buring a whole lot, tractor supply has amazing deals on black Friday.

 

[Soundchasm]

I did find a guy who delivered an honest cord and used him until I got good at fending for myself. I remember driving past the local Cracker Barrel and seeing a good looking stack. Called the manager and he gave me the contact info. But you have to remember that these guys have to say "yes" to every single question you ask or they don't get paid. Hard wood? Of Course. Seasoned? Been on the ground for a year with the bark off. They have the same freakin' script.

The final straw for me was a guy who said he had dry wood under cover for sale. I saw the pic in the ad and there it was. It was Feb and I was in need. When he delivered,the splits were literally encased in ICE! And since he had a truck, it was 1/2 a cord - not a cord.

He then proceeded to tell me I didn't want dry wood because it burns too fast... That was it for me. I didn't care what I had to do; I was never gonna' go through THAT again!! And so began the obsession...

 

[Hogwildz]

I'm sure we have not done everything perfectly, we are new and making mistakes but we are trying

Ignore the assinine comments. None of us are perfect, and we were all new at one time. No questions are bad ones.

 

[blades]

Ignore the assinine comments. None of us are perfect, and we were all new at one time. No questions are bad ones.

heck ya, i can well remember the first couple years, I was in a moble home only place to store wood was between the the exceptionally poorly insulated home and a small shed- don't think that stuff ever did dry enough, busting up pallets - guess what they were not any dryer, Slats on them were all made from green wood ( kiln debugging hadn't been required yet) the trials and tribulations were endless. So here I am now with a new to me home which hasn't closed on yet and its going to get cold shortly and no stove. ( propane heat- $ ouch) I can 't do anything until after the close of course which won't be till the end of this month. Had to leave most of my wood hoard behind ( like around 25 cord) but still have around ten at my shop. Delima now is inside or outside stove for main heat, perhaps a combination of an outdoor and a small inside one -decisions, decisions.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

[QUOTE="enigmablaze, post: 2190132, member: 47612"m the heater while it is in use.

Choosing your fuel
All types of natural wood can be burned on your stove, but they must be well-seasoned and dry. Once the wood is cut to length, it should be split down middle - to suit the dimensions given below - to allow moisture to evaporate. "

.[/QUOTE]

Try to find a sawmill and get a load of slabwood. It should dry quickly sawn into 1in thickness boards.

 

[gerry100]

What to do now is wait until next year ,or year after for oak.

Because of the variables and unmeasurables , even within a stack , I believe that buying seasoned wood is a fools' errand.

Burn some biobricks for fun and buy wood at the "green" price for next year.

If you figure out the "green" market price for your area, I'd offer that for any purchased wood and not a penny more.

 

[sportbikerider78]

Keep buying wood for next year and the year after now.

You guys will have to burn some sub-par wood, and that's not the end of the world..you will just go through more of it for less heat and need to make sure you don't have cresote build up.

Next year, you'll be well on your way. I made the same mistakes. Live and learn.

 

[brenndatomu]

The only ones I've found so far are "Tennessee Volunteer" bricks at Menards (I was disappointed they are in fact NOT the eco-bricks...which I think may have changed their name to "enviro bricks") and Tractor Supply has "redstone" bricks (apparently they also used to sell the eco-bricks but now this brand).

I see Menards has them listed at $2.10 per 20# pack right now...so $210 per ton...dunno the brand. If they are actually worth 1.5 times firewood on BTU output, then a ton would be comparable to having a full cord of pretty good firewood...(or two cords of Balsa wood )
So if you need 4 cords per winter to heat your home, then $840 per year wouldn't be terrible...just 'til you get ahead on wood...

 

[enigmablaze]

I don't think so, redstone is the name... eco bricks were smaller, tighter packed and had eco stamped in them, redstones are different, theres 2 sizes, a big 3 pack (5x5x10") and the smaller brick size.
I do have to say that if you stumble across compress fire bricks and the material looks like wood chips instead of saw dust, buy those immediately, that's like finding the golden egg! good stuff. Again, make sure that the packaging states that theres no binders used. Also wait for black Friday before buring a whole lot, tractor supply has amazing deals on black Friday.

Ok update
I've spoken with EnviroBrick (previously Eco Brick) and they DO sell through some TSC under their "Redstone" brand in the 6 pack (I believe NOT the 3 pack). They said it's the same material, same machine etc. Their bricks apparently still have the "eco" printed on the side (with the "O" being a recycling sign)...it's possible not all Redstone bricks are ecobricks, but it appears the eco printed ones are.
Our local TSC didn't have any but one about 30 minutes away had about a pallet so we drove out there today and the ones they had (all but one package) actually had the envirobrick packaging too. We bought 20 packs as the price was about $3.50 apiece. Hoping for this Black Friday deal to stock up on lots more. The quality of these seemed obviously superior to the ones we had found at Menards (Tennessee Volunteer bricks I believe). Hope this clears up some details

 

[enigmablaze]

Also for anyone searching for this, my husband spoke with someone who I believe consulted Morso's regional rep or something...anyway it appears that Morso has no provision against burning "wood bricks".

 

[enigmablaze]

I see Menards has them listed at $2.10 per 20# pack right now...so $210 per ton...dunno the brand. If they are actually worth 1.5 times firewood on BTU output, then a ton would be comparable to having a full cord of pretty good firewood...(or two cords of Balsa wood )
So if you need 4 cords per winter to heat your home, then $840 per year wouldn't be terrible...just 'til you get ahead on wood...

The Menards ones for approximately the same as a cord would actually come in less than what a cord goes for around here. The TSC ecobricks would come in above but not too much.

 

[enigmablaze]

Thank you everyone SO MUCH for all your time and advice, fuel this year was a learning experience but I think we have a good plan now, we're planning on holding onto our original delivery of oak (since we can't find anything better) for next year and using bits sparsely this year along with almost entirely eco bricks.
Hopefully this goes well for our rookie burning season. If anyone has ecobrick advice I'm all ears

I'm definitely going to be keeping in mind what ya'll say about scrounging for wood in the future

 

[enigmablaze]

heck ya, i can well remember the first couple years, I was in a moble home only place to store wood was between the the exceptionally poorly insulated home and a small shed- don't think that stuff ever did dry enough, busting up pallets - guess what they were not any dryer, Slats on them were all made from green wood ( kiln debugging hadn't been required yet) the trials and tribulations were endless. So here I am now with a new to me home which hasn't closed on yet and its going to get cold shortly and no stove. ( propane heat- $ ouch) I can 't do anything until after the close of course which won't be till the end of this month. Had to leave most of my wood hoard behind ( like around 25 cord) but still have around ten at my shop. Delima now is inside or outside stove for main heat, perhaps a combination of an outdoor and a small inside one -decisions, decisions.

Sounds like an exciting time though! Hope you can get a stove going as quickly as possible

 

[kennyp2339]

Thank you everyone SO MUCH for all your time and advice, fuel this year was a learning experience but I think we have a good plan now, we're planning on holding onto our original delivery of oak (since we can't find anything better) for next year and using bits sparsely this year along with almost entirely eco bricks.
Hopefully this goes well for our rookie burning season. If anyone has ecobrick advice I'm all ears

I'm definitely going to be keeping in mind what ya'll say about scrounging for wood in the future

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[Soundchasm]

Thank you everyone SO MUCH for all your time and advice, fuel this year was a learning experience but I think we have a good plan now, we're planning on holding onto our original delivery of oak (since we can't find anything better) for next year and using bits sparsely this year along with almost entirely eco bricks.
Hopefully this goes well for our rookie burning season. If anyone has ecobrick advice I'm all ears

I'm definitely going to be keeping in mind what ya'll say about scrounging for wood in the future

The nice thing is that everyone can develop a plan that works for them. Borrow a little experience from folks here and there,and that makes the path easier. There is just so much one can learn that it seems intimidating. But the results are very real, and the experiences can lead to a lot of satisfaction after the scars of learning occur.

Now you have to find out your rate of consumption, and I'll give you a hint... The more you have the more you burn. So if you use one cord this winter, you'll be looking for two cords for next winter. And if two was good, you'll wish for three.

Make sure you post in the stove forum, because you're going to have lots of questions about stove temps, burn times, blowers, starting the darn thing, running the darn thing, ash disposal, creosote, circulating heat and a hundred other things that will present themselves to you.

And you should look into a thing called a Sooteater. Fantastic device and becomes quite valuable if you have to burn damp wood.

I made a career out of running out of fuel in February, and it took me almost ten years to get a handle on the scope of running two stoves as much as desired with seasoned wood that cost nothing.

I don't think anyone mentioned Craigslist. Search for firewood, then deselect everything and select "free stuff" and update search. Then you can start to think about chainsaws, trucks and splitters!!

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

Thank you everyone SO MUCH for all your time and advice, fuel this year was a learning experience but I think we have a good plan now, we're planning on holding onto our original delivery of oak (since we can't find anything better) for next year and using bits sparsely this year along with almost entirely eco bricks.

I recommend not giving up on finding dry wood. While it won't likely be from a firewood cutter, people are always moving and the firewood is rarely included in the sale price. People also convert wood stoves and fireplaces into gas/propane appliances and have no need for their remaining wood. You might even try posting "firewood wanted" ads on Craigslist. Make it clear that you only want clean, split firewood seasoned and covered for 2 years. If you can pick it up in a truck or trailer, your chances go up.

 

[Crimson Blaze]

The nice thing is that everyone can develop a plan that works for them. Borrow a little experience from folks here and there,and that makes the path easier. There is just so much one can learn that it seems intimidating. But the results are very real, and the experiences can lead to a lot of satisfaction after the scars of learning occur.

Now you have to find out your rate of consumption, and I'll give you a hint... The more you have the more you burn. So if you use one cord this winter, you'll be looking for two cords for next winter. And if two was good, you'll wish for three.

Make sure you post in the stove forum, because you're going to have lots of questions about stove temps, burn times, blowers, starting the darn thing, running the darn thing, ash disposal, creosote, circulating heat and a hundred other things that will present themselves to you.

And you should look into a thing called a Sooteater. Fantastic device and becomes quite valuable if you have to burn damp wood.

I made a career out of running out of fuel in February, and it took me almost ten years to get a handle on the scope of running two stoves as much as desired with seasoned wood that cost nothing.

I don't think anyone mentioned Craigslist. Search for firewood, then deselect everything and select "free stuff" and update search. Then you can start to think about chainsaws, trucks and splitters!!

HI Soundchasm, I'm the husband (to enigmablaze) in this story. As mentioned we are going to need 10 inch long splits for our small stove. Do you have a recommendation of the size/brand of chainsaw to get if I'm just looking to cut delivered wood in half?

Also, last night I was doing our first burn and I had about a 1/4 of an eco brick in there and same kindling. It was time to be done with the burn (for paint curing) and so I tried to kill of the fire by turning the air flow off. About 10 minutes later we noticed the house starting to small like smoke and there was a fair amount of smoke coming from the chimney. I opened the draft back up spread out the remainder of the brick and all was well again.

My question is, if you tun off the air flow should you just expect it to smoke every time? I'm thinking maybe that eco brick was just smoldering where well seasoned wood would have gone out easier. What I do know is that I will plan on just letting my fires burn out whenever I can. Still I'd like to understand what happened last night. Thanks everyone! I don't think we could have gotten this far without all the help from our Hearth friends!

 

[brenndatomu]

The air is never totally closed off in this stove...designed that way. If you turn it down too fast, or have wood that is not really truly dry, then it will smoke and smolder when air is cut back. Could also be the outside air temp is not low enough yet to provide a strong draft to allow air being turned so far down...sounds likely here since you said it was allowing smoke smell into the house. That, or there was a bath or kitchen fan running...that will kill draft in a tight house too...