"Almost" tragedy.

[Waltzie]

I am thinking about a horse being led to water.

 

[bayard]

darwin for sure

 

[sundance]

Why do you figure ~6 month seasoned wood isn't dry?

Spoken like a true firewood seller. Mine seasons two to three years (hardwood, mostly oak). Southwestern Pennsylvania.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Why do you figure ~6 month seasoned wood isn't dry?

The woods the OP was talking about definitely want more than 6 months. Oak is not ready in a year. Maybe if it's cut short, split small, stacked in a single row with good wind and sun exposure you can get away with 6 months, but not under usual circumstances.

 

[greenskeeper]

Are you sure the CO wasn't drawn into the house because the wood fire was burning?

A choked off wood fire is going to smoke like hell and wake you up before any CO gets you.

I have a CO detector. The ONLY time it went off was the first time using a portable genset (about 20 years ago) during an ice storm. The genset was outside, away from the house in the driveway. The woodstove we had burning apparently pulled the CO exhaust from the genset into the house and made the CO detector rise (below alarm level). I re-positioned the genset (further from the house) once I noticed the CO detector rising and it quickly went back to zero

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Spoken like a true firewood seller. Mine seasons two to three years (hardwood, mostly oak). Southwestern Pennsylvania.

From a study done by the University of Fairbanks as well as info from the state.

I actually recently started a state DEC run "burn dry wood" program called Burn Wise in this borough (an area the size of W Virginia).

All wood we sell comes with this form:



It can only be called seasoned if it measures under 20% on 3 random pieces.


That being said, we burn whatever in the shop. Have never clogged the chimney.

 

[Waltzie]

Choppy,

I would venture to guess that you are not selling a lot of Oak, Maple, Locust and Cherry up there. WAY different drying times. Compounded by our way above average rainfall this spring/summer/fall/right now, there is no way fresh cut wood would be under 40%.

The only thing we have here in Pa that dries quickly is Ash, and with this years weather, that is not ready in it’s normal 8-10 months.

 

[turnkey4099]

You cannot build that level of creosote by stoking the stove full and damping it down low for overnight burn. I know because that's exactly how I've operated my stove for many years and have had no creosote issues. Your friend has more problems than just that. I strongly suspect he is burning green wood also and possibly does not do at least one hot burn a day to dry out any creosote buildup like he should be doing.

I also put on big chunk as I go to bed and shut all the drafts. All I ever get when I clean the chimney (once at start of season) is about a coffee cup of dry creosote, no buildup on the liner.

 

[turnkey4099]

Why do you figure ~6 month seasoned wood isn't dry?

Depends on how it is stacked, how small the wood is split, species, etc. I would not consider any of my wood cured at 6 months. Minimum one year.

 

[turnkey4099]

Are you sure the CO wasn't drawn into the house because the wood fire was burning?

A choked off wood fire is going to smoke like hell and wake you up before any CO gets you.

I have a CO detector. The ONLY time it went off was the first time using a portable genset (about 20 years ago) during an ice storm. The genset was outside, away from the house in the driveway. The woodstove we had burning apparently pulled the CO exhaust from the genset into the house and made the CO detector rise (below alarm level). I re-positioned the genset (further from the house) once I noticed the CO detector rising and it quickly went back to zero

My stove doesn't smoke me out...in fact one cannot even tell the stove is burning by smell unless one is outside. My stove burns 24/7 from start of season to end and rarely has to relighted. It is also loaded and all drafts shut when I go to bed. No smoke in house, no creosote except very dry powder in chimney.

 

[Little Al]

Did you mean CO carbon monoxide or CO2 carbon dioxide? CO is a true killer. As I understand it, CO latches onto your red blood cells and cannot be removed. Even at low levels, it builds up over time and you suffocate to death. Wicked dangerous. CO2 can also be deadly but only if it is in high enough concentrations to compete with breathable oxygen.

CO (Monoxide )is the life taker What a silly man not accepting knowledgeable help when offered on separate occasions you have to be a strange person to refuse help in life threatening situations I like you would be worried but the reply's to your offers of help lead me to treat this as a walk away situation & hope a tragedy is not the end result

 

[farmer steve]

CO (Monoxide )is the life taker What a silly man not accepting knowledgeable help when offered on separate occasions you have to be a strange person to refuse help in life threatening situations I like you would be worried but the reply's to your offers of help lead me to treat this as a walk away situation & hope a tragedy is not the end result

Al I believe he won't accept my help is because of our religious differences. He wouldn't want any of his brethern seeing an English helping him.

 

[Little Al]

Why do you figure ~6 month seasoned wood isn't dry?

The period oft ime a stack of wood has stood often has no correlation to its burning properties it's the MC that is the overriding yea or nah a content 20% or any where south is good to go All the green wood I'v come across has an MC of north of 20% need a good meter though the Chi Com ones are a bit Iffy A 4 prong is also better

 

[Little Al]

Al I believe he won't accept my help is because of our religious differences. He wouldn't want any of his brethern seeing an English helping him.

Are you as well as me good old Anglo Saxon origin ? In that case walk away MAYBE one of these days he will require help & although it will be a shame It will feel real good to say Sorry I'm busy you've tried Can't educate PORK comes to mind

 

[Little Al]

The oak cut/split in the last month or so will be the first for sale for the 21/22 burn season it will all be less than 20% or less MC With the locals all wood burning they are pretty clued up on the state of the splits & you have to be spot on with your description if you want repeat orders

 

[James Miller]

I work nights and the first thing I do when I wake up is load the stove full and let it run wide open while I get ready for work. Usually 20 minutes or so. Then close everything down before I walk out the door. Never had a problem doing it that way.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

Wow very interesting info. I can not imagine any wood under any circumstance taking longer than six months to be under 20%. We have many days where as humidity is well under 20%. If green Oak is cut and split by June or July it will be ready by October. With all the rain you guys get probably do not have any where near the problems we have with wild fires. Here in California we often burn down entire towns just because. Thanks

 

[farmer steve]

Wow very interesting info. I can not imagine any wood under any circumstance taking longer than six months to be under 20%. We have many days where as humidity is well under 20%. If green Oak is cut and split by June or July it will be ready by October. With all the rain you guys get probably do not have any where near the problems we have with wild fires. Here in California we often burn down entire towns just because. Thanks

Ted even with hot dry summers most green wood here on the right coast takes a solid year to get below 20%. i like the wood i sell to be around 15% or less. We are cutting lots of dead ash thanks to EAB and that dries pretty quick but also burns faster than oak. Another close to 2 inches of rain this weekend.

 

[Bobby Kirbos]

Ted even with hot dry summers most green wood here on the right coast takes a solid year to get below 20%. i like the wood i sell to be around 15% or less. We are cutting lots of dead ash thanks to EAB and that dries pretty quick but also burns faster than oak. Another close to 2 inches of rain this weekend.

Yeah, we just had the longest stretch of days with no measurable precipitation for the year; a whole 10 days. The next 7 days... rain is forecasted for 4 of them. Grrrrrrr......

 

[Little Al]

Wow very interesting info. I can not imagine any wood under any circumstance taking longer than six months to be under 20%. We have many days where as humidity is well under 20%. If green Oak is cut and split by June or July it will be ready by October. With all the rain you guys get probably do not have any where near the problems we have with wild fires. Here in California we often burn down entire towns just because. Thanks

More than likely the cut's/splits processed now would be OK for next winter as we have the space & stock it's better to leave as long as possible the all singing /dancing tracked "Gizmo " makes short work of coppicing wood some 12/15" dia so we just bumble on getting whatever quantity passes the "devils own device on the boom's end" this is a side line most of our downed timber is processed into pieces like oversized corn flakes made into ply wood sheet + a fair bit of 30cmr square for Terrace uprights /cross beams & logs for beams /joists in oak for old building restoration I've spent a good bit of the morning searching for an oak capable of producing a beam 18inch sqre & 54 ft long just delivered it to the yard for squaring off the sides