Well, the tree people don't know me from Eve, and if it's actually seasoned wood, I will be HAPPY to pay $600 for four full cords. Still cheaper than paying for my old gas furnace.
I just don't know what the hell I'll do if it's NOT seasoned (besides rip these people a new one). I'm in a real pickle here- what was originally going to be a leisurely sort of process of looking into firewood over the rest of the month before it gets really cold while I wait for the home remodel and the stove delivery/install has turned into OMG MUST FIND WOOD NOW since I'll be leaving on the 25th to go care for my dad during his first round of chemo. I won't be back until the 1st of December, and I do NOT want to wait that long- the price will have gone up astronomically.
What I've managed to glean on how to buy firewood is:
1. Don't let them short you on the cords, get out your measuring tape for a TIGHT stack not a loose pile
2. Test at least 3 splits for moisture content
3. If it's not to your satisfaction, don't accept it
So basically I've got first year woodburner's syndrome and don't have any wood and it's getting cold and I wish I had a time machine to last spring so I could start my freaking wood pile like a smart person. I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that 25% MC is probably what i'm going to wind up with, here. I will schedule a chimney cleaning for very shortly after my stove is installed and hopefully he won't mind showing me how to do it so I can check on it 3-4 times during the season.
My stove is going to be installed RIGHT before I leave, and my husband has trouble with a barbecue fighter with matches and lighterfluid and easy-start charcoal. Needless to say, he is not allowed to try and light the stove, let alone deal with the break-in fires and all that. So he's just going to hole up in the bedroom with the space heater (which does a fine job, we did this for months last year when our furnace first went kablooey) and on Dec. 1st when I get back, the stove'll be ready for me.
I live in Utah, as previously stated, and so far we are having a very mild fall- they aren't calling for a hard freeze until late November, and hopefully that means not very much snow (please God I am begging you) and we normally get less than 5 inches of rain this time of year. Even when it's been drizzling for days like it has been, the humidity stays around 50%. On a dry sunny day, it'll be less than 20%. If I end up with not-really-awesome wood (which is likely, it seems like), would I be better served stacking my wood outside in the sun along my fenceline (which gets very nice afternoon sun), or in my open-sided woodshed until the snow starts? It would be a month out in the sun tops, maybe five or six weeks if I'm ridiculously lucky. Would it be worth the hassle of stacking it on the fence and then in the shed for just one month?
So, if you have less than perfect wood, the basic plan is to clean your chimney to within an inch of its life, and be prepared to burn more wood for less heat. I think we'll still be okay with four cords if we supplement with the space heaters, especially since we aren't starting until December. I'll probably want to burn through March, but it usually starts to lighten up by then, so maybe just some overnight fires by then?
Man, I tell you. Some days I wonder if my grandparents look down on me from the great beyond, and see me bitching about not wanting to wash dishes with my running hot water and not wanting to do laundry with my automatic washing machine and electric dryer or because the Internet isn't working and just want to SLAP me. This is one of those days. =P
~Rose
