Collected firewood wisdom

[iofthetaiga]

Iofthetaiga, why zip the birch bark off? That is why burning birch is in such demand is because of the bark it makes the logs easy to burn. From now on just cover your birch so you don't have to trouble yourself zipping the bark off those precious logs.

Because there are times when you're clearing land for construction, or otherwise have trees on the ground and simply don't have time to attend to them. Unziping the bark will prevent birch from rotting until you have time to come back and buck it. And I hold no romance toward the bark. Barkless birch burns clean and hot.

And as far as seasoning your wood,..everyone needs to relax. Spruce is dry enough when cut that it doesent need to be seasoned in order to burn, and birch is far better with some moisture in the wood because it will burn longer, as long as you know how to operate your wood stove properly you will see.

Not wanting to start, or continue an argument, but this is simply untrue. I've been burning wood for heat all my life, and have used many different types of stoves. Yes, it's possible to force green wood with a MC greater than 20% to burn, but by doing so most of the potential caloric energy of the fuel is wasted, and not transferred to to your living space, which is the whole object of burning wood. Wet wood may "burn longer" but the overall amount of heat gained from it is much much less than when it's dry and burned cleanly and efficiently.

And if you're a person reading this while living in an area like Fairbanks, where we have challenging air conditions in winter, and you're not burning cleanly and efficiently, YOU are the problem and the reason we currently risk having wood burning restrictions imposed on us. Do yourself and all the rest of us a favor and learn how to burn properly. You'll use much less wood, clean your chimney less, and not pollute the air we all breath in the process.

 

[iofthetaiga]

I think taiga actually has a good grasp on firewood knowledge. Learn to control your stove and you will appreciate dry wood. I have not cleaned my chimney since October. With our warm year I actually had to use a lighter three times this winter. If I could, I would never burn birch bark. My tip, split birch before it dries.

Thank you. Yeah, I too only clean my chimney once a year just on principle, tho it's not really ever necessary. If your chimney gets crudded up and needs cleaning it means you're doing something wrong. All that creasote and carbon loading represents huge amounts of potential heat that you dumped up your chimney and into the atmosphere, rather than capturing inside your house.

 

[Daveinthebush]

I burn every day. So I clean the stack about every 3 months. Tall stack though, 16'.

Another thing that helps is a bunch of wedges made from oak. If you pinch the blade you can sometimes drive one in enough to loosen the bar.

Another thing is a good length of 1/2" rope. More that once I have buried the wood sled, detached it, moved snowgo to better ground and then jerked the sled out. A good hook on one end that fits the openings in the tracks helps too. If the machine is buried you put the hook in the track in the front, tie the other to a tree. Then easy on the throttle and you can winch your self out.

I have an associates degree from the school of, Been there Done That.

 

[swmn]

And if you're a person reading this while living in an area like Fairbanks, where we have challenging air conditions in winter, and you're not burning cleanly and efficiently, YOU are the problem and the reason we currently risk having wood burning restrictions imposed on us. Do yourself and all the rest of us a favor and learn how to burn properly. You'll use much less wood, clean your chimney less, and not pollute the air we all breath in the process.

Amen brother.

 

[swmn]

SWMN, why wait to split the wood and keep it in rounds, it only takes a few hours to split any time of the year, might as well get it split and put in the shed.

I live on a tiny suburban lot. I can season about five cords at a time, my sheds hold five cords. So I got five cords up now, they go in the sheds as soon as possible in early July, then another five cords go on the seasoning stacks, I hope to carry those straight from the racks to the stove.
What I am going to do this year is split my rounds once as they come off the truck over the next couple months and pile them in the driveway where one of the kids used to park before he moved out. The smaller I split them the more space they'll take up, but getting them opened should get them started drying.

Iofthetaiga, why zip the birch bark off? That is why burning birch is in such demand is because of the bark it makes the logs easy to burn. From now on just cover your birch so you don't have to trouble yourself zipping the bark off those precious logs.

I think we are talking about just cutting a strip through the bark one chain saw blade wide. Quick, easy, but starts letting water out.

And as far as seasoning your wood,..everyone needs to relax. Spruce is dry enough when cut that it doesent need to be seasoned in order to burn, and birch is far better with some moisture in the wood because it will burn longer, as long as you know how to operate your wood stove properly you will see.

I disagree with both of these observations. Live standing spruce can hold almost as much water as birch - in the interior, and I can't tell a white spruce from a black spruce - but a ten pound piece of "firewood" from a live spruce tree cut down today can easily be four pounds of water spread around in six pounds of burnable wood. That's 66%MC dry basis and 40% MC wet basis.

I find desirable MC range to be somewhat stove specific with a broad brush. My current stove, EPA cert non-cat will burn birch at 20% MC wet basis (25% MC showing on the electronic gizmo) just like the mfr claims, but it runs a lot better and leaves less crap in the stack if I get it on down to about 17% wet basis (20% MC showing on the electronic dry basis gizmo). Below 12% on the electronic gizmo (10%MC wet basis) my stove likes to run away and make that whoompa-whoompa noise that makes the cat hide in the corner while my wife wrings her hands and the stove top starts glowing red.

My grandpa's old smoke dragon - the woodstove I am running out in my shop- is a lot more tolerant of MC, but it has both an intake air control, a draft, _and_ a damper in the flue pipe so I can really put the brakes on it if I have really dry wood in it.

FWIW every pound of water I put in my firebox costs me 970.4 BTUs of wasted heat - http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/fluids-evaporation-latent-heat-d_147.html - I wouldn't be surprised if the same law of physics applies at your house.

 

[iofthetaiga]

My current stove, EPA cert non-cat will burn birch at 20% MC wet basis (25% MC showing on the electronic gizmo) just like the mfr claims, but it runs a lot better and leaves less crap in the stack if I get it on down to about 17% wet basis (20% MC showing on the electronic dry basis gizmo). Below 12% on the electronic gizmo (10%MC wet basis) my stove likes to run away and make that whoompa-whoompa noise that makes the cat hide in the corner while my wife wrings her hands and the stove top starts glowing red.

My current stove (also non-cat, high efficiency, EPA cert) is engineered for a 12-13 foot draft at my altitude. If I ran it with a taller stack it would require a damper to prevent it overdrafting and running away. Maybe you have the same thing occurring?

 

[iyouktug]

I live on a tiny suburban lot. I can season about five cords at a time, my sheds hold five cords. So I got five cords up now, they go in the sheds as soon as possible in early July, then another five cords go on the seasoning stacks, I hope to carry those straight from the racks to the stove.
What I am going to do this year is split my rounds once as they come off the truck over the next couple months and pile them in the driveway where one of the kids used to park before he moved out. The smaller I split them the more space they'll take up, but getting them opened should get them started drying.



I think we are talking about just cutting a strip through the bark one chain saw blade wide. Quick, easy, but starts letting water out.



I disagree with both of these observations. Live standing spruce can hold almost as much water as birch - in the interior, and I can't tell a white spruce from a black spruce - but a ten pound piece of "firewood" from a live spruce tree cut down today can easily be four pounds of water spread around in six pounds of burnable wood. That's 66%MC dry basis and 40% MC wet basis.

I find desirable MC range to be somewhat stove specific with a broad brush. My current stove, EPA cert non-cat will burn birch at 20% MC wet basis (25% MC showing on the electronic gizmo) just like the mfr claims, but it runs a lot better and leaves less crap in the stack if I get it on down to about 17% wet basis (20% MC showing on the electronic dry basis gizmo). Below 12% on the electronic gizmo (10%MC wet basis) my stove likes to run away and make that whoompa-whoompa noise that makes the cat hide in the corner while my wife wrings her hands and the stove top starts glowing red.

My grandpa's old smoke dragon - the woodstove I am running out in my shop- is a lot more tolerant of MC, but it has both an intake air control, a draft, _and_ a damper in the flue pipe so I can really put the brakes on it if I have really dry wood in it.

FWIW every pound of water I put in my firebox costs me 970.4 BTUs of wasted heat - http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/fluids-evaporation-latent-heat-d_147.html - I wouldn't be surprised if the same law of physics applies at your house.

But SWMN I just think you are handling your wood more than you need to,...Iofthetaiga you have made some clear points and I have noted them.

 

[swmn]

But SWMN I just think you are handling your wood more than you need to...

I don't disagree. If I had enough lawn, I could build a wood shed with a 320sq ft foot print. Stack wood inside it 6' tall, so not crazy tall stacks. 16" long splits, with 8" open air space between each stack of wood. Stabilize the framing with some diagonals, and then sheath it with that clear corrugated plastic stuff like they make greenhouses from. Leave plenty of air gaps around where the roofing meets the walls, and put a vent in each gable end. Maybe a fan in the gable vents.

There are a few of these around Fairbanks, pretty much anything in there by May 15 this year, no matter how green, will be dry enough to burn this fall. Having two winter's worth in shed or sheds that spacious and loosely stacked, pretty much never run out of dry wood.

With that set up I could put ten cords of green splits straight into the shed this spring and most likely be able to burn it this fall. If I built two of those, 640sq ft of lawn committed, then I would have ten cords of seasoned wood going into this winter in shed number one, and all I have to do between now and May 15 next year is fill shed number two back up with green splits.

No tarps, no re-stacking, no wet wood in the stove.

I just don't have enough acreage to do that- in the sheds I do have the rows of stacks are firm against each other, all the wood in there is end to end touching a piece in the next row.

 

[akgun&ammo]

Personally, I have gotten where I really like my "wood shed" due to roof slope and depth...
I stack in increasing heights to the outside- starts at four feet high and ends up at eight feet tall...

by using the left side in odd years and the right side in even... I can stay one year ahead of the drying curve..

last spring I got a "cat-ed" insert for my fireplace- any moisture over 20 % just won't burn good..

my moisture reader usaully says 16- 18 % for what I'm using this year and I still seeing some soot

hopefully by me cutting an extra 10 cord last year I can get a littler further ahead on drying and cut that % down to 10-14 % which is supposed to be the optimum.

(deleted)

Chris

 

[akgun&ammo]

by the way a 300 sq ft footprint is only 10 x 30...

with that size you should be able to get at least 14 cords under cover....

Mine is slightly shorter and deeper, and divided into two "halves"

each half holding just over 6 cord.....

for a total on hand of twelve cord- or 6 a year using my even and odd system

Chris

 

[akgun&ammo]

iyou,

I do agree about why wait to split and stack...

just take a long weekend, and have a cookout and wood splitting party

it's a wonder what a few moose burgers and hotdogs and some cold beer and soda can do to get that wood split and stacked

Chris

 

[ferns]

Does anyone have any tips for me to get my firewood drying faster? I'm cutting 10-15 cords of downed birch. I was thinking of getting some black landscape fabric and laying the split wood on top in a sunny spot. I'll be gone all summer so I hope that it will be burnable by this next winter.

 

[bullbuster]

See above.
One thing is that if you haven't cut them into stove lengths, then run a cut or 2 thru the bark all the way along the log. That will open the inner wood to the air.

 

[MacGyver]

I prefer stacking my firewood on two pallet that way it all stay dry. You can even put a pallet on top to keep the rain and snow off.

 

[swmn]

Holy cow, I have dry wood for next winter already. I got together with a pro who does tree work from GVEA in the summertime, on Feb 27, out at the Cache Creek public woodlot.

We dropped about two cords of live standing spruce on the 27th. I ran the saw blade down each log making a one blade width wide cut from crown to butt. I have gotten in the habit of zipping or striping everything. I don't know of anyone making spruce bark canoes, but I would rather burn a little extra gas on the spruce than have some not-sipped birch rotting.

So everyday after work i would run out there and bring home a truckload of rounds. After dinner I would get splitting and stacking, I am going to say I had both cords of live live standing spruce that was felled on 02-27 home split and stacked by march 15th or 20th or so. I got a small truck and a full time day job. I was splitting kinda small, 4" maximum dimension on each split.

I was out there tonight, May 4th and got the itch. The three layers at the top of my 4 foot tall stacks are showing 18-25% (dry basis with e-meter) on the inside when I split them open. That works out to 16-20% wet basis, ready to burn in my non cat stove. In six weeks. I don't have any birch ready to burn yet, but this spruce is drying right out.

This particular stack is oriented N-S out in full sun, with morning E-W and evening W-E breezes blowing perpendicular to the stack. If we have a late cold snap I have a half cord already ready already.

If anyone cares to call BS I invite iofthetaiga to bring his own moisture meter. Pics in the next couple weeks, I am up to my hoo-hah in springtime chores.

(Schweet!!)

 

[iofthetaiga]

If anyone cares to call BS I invite iofthetaiga to bring his own moisture meter.

Ouch!:fight:

I dropped some big aspen this weekend that will be ready this winter too...They've been standing girdled for two summers now...

 

[swmn]

Ouch!:fight:

No, not like fencing ouch. I meant to imply that you have some credibility around here as a second opinion.

I burnt some of it last night. A little more crackle-ly than I would like, but plenty of time to dry it out a bit more.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

[cruzer17]

Ouch!:fight:

I dropped some big aspen this weekend that will be ready this winter too...They've been standing girdled for two summers now...

Can someone explain to me the benefits of girdling? I'll try some research on my own also.

 

[NRick]

Can someone explain to me the benefits of girdling? I'll try some research on my own also.

It kills the tree while it is still standing. That way it starts to dry out without lying on the ground, and so, it doesn't rot for a long time. You come back when you have time, cut it down, cut it up, and it is ready, or close to ready, to burn.

 

[swmn]

Ran an experiment this summer. A question I hear at almost every firewood / wood burning seminar I go to, doesn't matter if CCHRC is running it, or the foresters, or a local business - every time someone will say, "I don't have very much sun in my yard. How long will it take split firewood to dry in the shade?" And every time the only good answer is "Longer, but it really depends on how much shade, how much rain we get, and so on."

The six week data from CCHRC is based on wood piles out in the field with no nearby shade and really good airflow from every direction. I got this experimental pile up about 10 PM on May 14th, but it was up and starting to season on May 15th.

I have five images, might take two posts...

"Looking south" is the side yard of my house where the experimental pile went. I just didn't have anymore room in the sunshine, and a nearby friend had a couple trees down, and I wanted to find out, so I ended up putting about a cord of wood in the left side of this picture, my boat goes in the middle foreground of this pic, and the fuel delivery guy has to use the right hand third of the space open in this pic. I live between a river and a ridge. I get decent airflow left to right in the AM, and right to left in the PM, but the house blocks a lot of it from the side yard.

"Looking north" is after the birches leafed out. The four tires on the ground are about to get my 14' fishing skiff back, its still on the trailer from having gone dipnetting a couple weeks ago.

"Map" is a top view of the foliage blocking the sunshine...

"Sample piece" was the piece of birch I pulled out of the pile to check moisture content on. Notice the gravel - on essentially bare dirt I have a layer of landscape fabric, then 2-4" of gravel, then pallets with the wood above. So no grass growing up around the pallets to lessen air circulation even more... Notice also the ends of these splits have hardly any cracks in them.

"MC" tells the story. The surface of the piece I pulled out showed 18-24% MC per e-gizmo, but split open a lot of the interior was still at 35+% MC, the highest my e-meter will read.