Thoughts on Mixing Seasoned & Unseasoned Wood?

[jscs.moore]

Hey Guys...So I have started my second season of wood burning with my Hampton HI300, I had a block off plate installed in September and can already see the difference in efficiency (firebox stays hotter longer and burn times extended). So I have about 2 cords of dry hard wood c,s,s with most splits reading about 15 to 17% moisture content. I had a local wood supplier deliver another 3 cords in September, which I have single stacked and drying in the sun & wind. My concern is that I will burn through the 2 cords of dry/seasoned wood by late mid January and be left with only unseasoned wood in the coldest part of the winter.

Should I start burning with a mix of 70% to 30% seasoned to unseasoned wood to make sure I get through the whole winter with enough wood? Or is that ill advised...and should scrounge every wood supplier/neighbor/stranger I can find to purchase some more dry wood to burn for this season?
Thanks

 

[Jutt77]

Hey Guys...So I have started my second season of wood burning with my Hampton HI300, I had a block off plate installed in September and can already see the difference in efficiency (firebox stays hotter longer and burn times extended). So I have about 2 cords of dry hard wood c,s,s with most splits reading about 15 to 17% moisture content. I had a local wood supplier deliver another 3 cords in September, which I have single stacked and drying in the sun & wind. My concern is that I will burn through the 2 cords of dry/seasoned wood by late mid January and be left with only unseasoned wood in the coldest part of the winter.

Should I start burning with a mix of 70% to 30% seasoned to unseasoned wood to make sure I get through the whole winter with enough wood? Or is that ill advised...and should scrounge every wood supplier/neighbor/stranger I can find to purchase some more dry wood to burn for this season?
Thanks

If you can keep your mixed wood average MC around 20-25% then go for it. Personally, I wouldn't exceed 25% and would just crank up the furnace and wait for the wood to season. I've mixed before but its been extremely dry 2x scraps (7-10% MC) with a small bit of stuff that was around 35-40%. Like a 1 to 5 wet to dry ratio.

Regardless, at the end of the day, you will stretch your seasoned supply and you'll get heat, just not nearly as efficient and you'll get more creosote so up your cleaning intervals.

 

[bcrtops]

It is possible, & not recommended to to do by manufacturer, etc. & your fire-box is fairly small to accommodate:

You can get a clean burn, by drying out the wetter wood -- load a piece or two to one side & build hot fire on other side with the dry wood. The fire will dry out the wetter wood to the point it will burn fine. Reverse the process on a reload (wet wood on other side). If you load it right, & keep the air supply to stove at a good level, you can run the stove without any creosote buildup. You are, however, wasting your btu's by using the heat to dry your wood, as opposed to getting it into you room. Dry wood is ALWAYS the best, & recommended way!

 

[begreen]

If you mix, watch the chimney closely for creosote buildup and expect decrease heating. If possible, bring the wood inside, maybe stored in rubbermaid totes or something similar. A month of indoor drying in a heated area will help.

 

[kennyp2339]

Buy a ton of compressed wood bricks and mix those with your seasoned wood, 1 ton = 1 cord.

 

[jatoxico]

I've done it to get by. I wouldn't start the stove with any but a split or two mixed in on a good coal bed and warm stove worked just fine. Don't over do it, keep an eye on your cap (it's your canary) and stay on top of sweeping.

 

[jscs.moore]

Thanks for all of the feedback guys! I'm leaning toward trying to scrounge up some more seasoned wood at this point...it's definitely the best way to go. I'll mix some if I have to

 

[WayneN]

I bring in a few pieces of wet and set it near the stove so it gets warm for a day or 2. Then mix 2 dry and 1 that's been drying. Haven't had any issues yet. I checked and not a lot of creosote so far. No problems catching flame either.

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[jetsam]

I burn green wood all the time. As I split for future years, I make a separate "bugwood" pile- anything with holes from wood eating beasties gets burned ASAP, often the same day it gets split.

Bear in mind that a lot of your energy goes to evaporating all that water. This has several practical consequences.

Stove temps are lower, flue temps are lower, burn times are shorter.

Expect less heat. You may have to set the air higher to keep it going at all.

Inspect/sweep your flue often. I do mine once every 2 weeks if I am burning a lot of green stuff. Before I took the mesh off my cap, I had to clean that once or twice a week when burning green wood at low burn rates.

Always start a new fire with dry wood. Wet wood over a big angry bed of red hot coals? Burns fine. Wet wood over a few burning sticks? Good luck.

When you mix wet and dry wood, it mitigates the effects of the wet wood. You'd still be better off burning dry stuff, but mixing in some wet isn't the end of the world.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Find a source of pallets. They are dry and you can often get them for free. They got me through the start of my wood burning.

 

[Supersurvey]

What happened to all that old talk about lumber and pallets containing salt that would damage your insert? Is that a myth?

 

[jetsam]

What happened to all that old talk about lumber and pallets containing salt that would damage your insert? Is that a myth?

Salt damaging your stove is no myth.

As to whether a pallet is salty.... That will be pretty unknowable to you. Did the tree it was made from float around in salt water before milling? Did it get drenched with something unfortunate during its career touring the country as a shipping pallet? You don't know.

As far as lumber scraps being salty, I would guess probably not unless you live within reasonable trucking distance of a coastal logging area? I'm no expert though.

 

[heavy hammer]

See if you could trade some green wood for some better seasoned wood with your neighbors. Sounds kinda corney, but you would be surprised wood burners help each other out. Plus nothing better than getting in with others who burn, helps when a large tree comes up, big pieces need split etc. good people will help others out. You might even come across and old timer who has a lot of seasoned stuff that doesn't burn any more that just wants it gone. Never hurts to ask.

 

[firefighterjake]

What happened to all that old talk about lumber and pallets containing salt that would damage your insert? Is that a myth?

That's a new one on me . . . I mean salt-laden wood like driftwood is not good to use in a woodstove . . . and loading up a woodstove with scrap wood from a construction site and touching it off is a good way to overfire a stove, but the judicious use of lumber and pallets is generally fine for use in a woodstove . . . with the caveat of course being that it should not be painted, pressure treated, etc. The general consensus is that pallets with a HT stamp on them often mean they are not treated with chemicals, but heat treated to kill off bugs.

 

[Simonkenton]

Yes, if you can stack some green wood close to the stove for a day or two it will dry out pretty quick.

 

[Poindexter]

Having done both i would rather pay a little more for bio-log products this year and let my wet wood finish seasoning.

Dont let me talk you out of cocktailing with you never having tried it.

 

[Hogwildz]

Buy a few large plastic storage totes at Walmart, and stuff them with the new wood inside the stove room. They will dry out nicely.
I had to do this when I was laid up after a hernia op.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I bet the heat dried the wood out!

I had to use the pallets back in 04 or 05. The stove, my little Century, just went out of service and into storage this year. The stove is still in prime shape. It could use a new rattle can coat of high temp paint to cover cooking scars and dust. It was not harmed by pallets.

 

[WayneN]

I bet the heat dried the wood out!

I had to use the pallets back in 04 or 05. The stove, my little Century, just went out of service and into storage this year. The stove is still in prime shape. It could use a new rattle can coat of high temp paint to cover cooking scars and dust. It was not harmed by pallets.

I've been laying a few pieces at a time next to the stove for a day or 2 and mix it in while burning. No creosote issues so far lol

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[Hogwildz]

I bet the heat dried the wood out!

I had to use the pallets back in 04 or 05. The stove, my little Century, just went out of service and into storage this year. The stove is still in prime shape. It could use a new rattle can coat of high temp paint to cover cooking scars and dust. It was not harmed by pallets.

Sure did. Kind of liked the wood only a couple steps away for loading. The hernia didn't like to even lift a split, but made it as easy as I could get it. I could have run the furnace, but that has been on backup on the bench, and didn't make it into the game. Forced air just does not compete with wood fire heat.