Firewood Cure time

[Bills Oak]

Question for all--How much time do you allow for drying time of split woods for firewood?In pieces that average 16 inches long about 3-4 inch diameter--I generally allow 9 Months covered at the top, off the ground, with plenty of air circulation area--especially for oak. I have been told by some that 6 months is long enough & by some that almost a year is best!

 

[a_lopa]

all wood burns the same amount of time per kilogram

 

[Bills Oak]

Aussie, here in Florida we have very high humidity most of the year that effects drying time drastically---Do you have the same problem down under?

 

[Stumper]

Bill, You probably have it right for soggy Florida. In my low humidity area wood can be burnable after 3 weeks stacked in the summer sun where the dry wind can get to it. Bone dry in 3 months.

 

[a_lopa]

not really bill,where i live its snowing at 600 meters although most of aust inland you would dry timber in no time,only right up the top would you have any trouble

 

[The Best GM]

STUMPER is SOOO right, I love to see some realism, thats exactly right, the old 1-2 years is WAY to long, summer heat dries it in know time.

 

[Bills Oak]

Firewood

Thanks, that's what I thought, I've been stacking in oppossing layers covered up for 3-6 months & that seems to be enough for even the wettest of woods, any longer & I have had some troubles with dry rot....

 

[The Best GM]

Right on Bill, you loose sometimes to because the wood burns to fast, it (I guess) is a standard to have 20% moisture give or take. Ive burned wood the same day that i cut it wet as hell and it rocked, ash is awsome for doing that as well as sugar.

 

[rmihalek]

Hey Bill,

You split the wood right? Even the 4 to 6 inch rounds I'll split in half. I stack it up on wood pallets and cover with a tarp. I've burned red oak 2 to 3 months after felling it. The only problem with semi-cured wood is the overnight burn in a wood stove with the air intake vents closed down: if there's too much moisture, it won't burn slow, the fire just goes out. In an open fireplace, pretty much anything will burn with a good bed a coals under it.

 

[Bills Oak]

Bob, I agree, with hot enough coals the wood will steam & pop some but it all burns up if you can get air to it..

 

[NeTree]

Originally posted by The Best GM
STUMPER is SOOO right, I love to see some realism, thats exactly right, the old 1-2 years is WAY to long, summer heat dries it in know time.

I agree.

Split and stacked properly, 2 months in plenty around here.

1 to 2 years? If you're leaving the whole log to season, maybe- otherwise, the ole 1 to 2 is a waste of drying time.

 

[Tree Machine]

I encourage my firewood takers to use a black tarp. Bungee it over the pile enough to keep it capped and covered, but not so much that you cut circulation. Stacked on a pallet, let er cook. sorry no image

 

[rb_in_va]

Holz Hausen

Ever here of this? Supposedly you can cure firewood in three months. Check out the link.

http://www.thechimneysweep.ca/6seasoningwood.html

 

[Bills Oak]

Yes heard of this last year but never tried it, might be worth a try!--since it freezes in Germany I'm guessing that a lot of the bugs are either dead or inactive past early October or so. My fear is that being not covered other than with the top layer of wood(bark side up) will still allow a lot of water to get between the layers of wood & between the carpenter ants & termites it would get infested rather quickly.

 

[Dadatwins]

Answer I think depends on the area you are in. In N.Y. we had property that was on salt water canal and salt air dried split firewood in 2 -3 months, along with rusting every piece of metal around. In Richmond va area is damp so it takes longer. Never was a big fan of covering wood that is stored either. Always thought even those breathable cover allow some moisture to stay in. Prefer open pile except if delivery scheduled right before rain or snow then we covered up what we needed.

 

[Bills Oak]

I agree, I have constructed some firewood racks built out of STACK IT BRACKETS & pressure treated 2X4's. I have the racks covered with aluminum porch roof material that I get for free from a local guy who installs carports, sheds, etc. These roof panels are 10 foot long & have a small connector piece that slides the length of a lip on the top of each roof panel & locks them together. I use 1 inch roofing nails to hold them down to the two by fours. These Racks are 5 years old now & holding up well. I currently have 30 of them in groups of 5 each with wood curing in them, I'll try to get pics posted if anybody wants to see the finished product..Each rack holds about 1.5 cords of split wood.

 

[Newfie]

top of the stack covered,sides open to allow air to circulate through the stack. The only time I completely enclose a stack is when the snow flies, to keep the snow and ice out of my racks.

 

[Bills Oak]

Pics???

 

[glens]

It totally depends on both the climate and the type of wood.  There's no way to say what works best in a general way.  Whatever it takes to get the wood to about 20% moisture content is what's best.  White Ash stands green at about that figure so it'll burn the same day it's cut.  Take something like Apple or just about any Hickory, and you're going to need a full year to get the most out of it here in the middle of Indiana.  Sure, it'll burn sooner, but it's wasteful to do it that way.

I've only been burning wood for heat for a couple of decades so I leave room to learn more about it, but in my experience, wood does not even <i>start</i> to season until it's been split and stacked.&nbsp; Covered is okay so long as full air circulation is available; uncovered is fine too.

Don't forget to fetch <a href="http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?postid=165043">this PDF document</a> attached to a post of mine in the "Cord of wood" thread here.&nbsp; It has data about moisture content and weight of a bunch of different midwest fuelwoods.

Glen

 

[rb_in_va]

Originally posted by Bills Oak
Pics???

Post them if you've got them. Also, let us know where we can score some of these free roof panels.