Newbie question about seasoned wood

[kingOFgEEEks]

No, I was being genuine. I'm a bit surprised that the manual didn't say what it meant.

I'm one of those odd freaks that keeps all of my owner's manuals and stores them in a file box, in case I need to reference something later.

 

[svk]

I think he was posting his question as a "stupid question". Not a reflection on your OP.

 

[MountainHigh]

I can't really add anything here to the great feedback you've already received, other than exposing any split wood to really hot direct sunshine and breeze for a month or two, can get any softwood ready to burn very fast. Similarly, very dry cold snaps in dead of winter can suck the moisture right out of wood in a week or two - freeze drying!

Moisture meter is good for anyone starting out, but after a while you'll know by look and feel whether or not it's dry enough to burn well. Anything under 20% moisture will burn ok with the help of some dry palettes - 15% moisture and lower and you're getting into the sweet spot. 12% in my area is tough to maintain as we get a fair bit of rain and very dry wood tends to absorb some moisture back in again once the Fall rains hit here.

I've scattered green splits on concrete in the full direct summer sun for a few weeks and that wood was ready to burn within a month. I've also put up wood in a confined shed with too little airflow and the wood took a full 2 years to season.

Rule # 1 - Check your chimney now, before you start your first fire. You never know how the previous owner took care of it and you sure don't want a chimney fire if he was lazy.

Nothing better than a brutal cold day and your wood stove warming your home. You win both when you stay in shape cutting, packing and stacking, and win again when you see no fuel bills. Brings a smile to my face every year

Grand Fir is a softwood with a modest BTU output, so it won't last as long as Douglas Fir like we have out here. The Firs tend to be pitchy so you need to keep a close eye on creosote buildup in your chimney. But you burn what you've got, wood snobs can freeze while they wait for the perfect wood so no worries - dry it, burn it and enjoy.

http://worldforestindustries.com/forest-biofuel/firewood/firewood-btu-ratings/

 

[Country bumpkin]

Been using a stove ever since I was a kid. I like a blower & I never pack it plum full. Reason being is you need oxygen space to make it burn the best. I currently have a old warm morning that I love. I check my flu once a month. I burn oak, hickory, pecan & cherry. Seasoned around yr or longer. Mine are storm or dead trees. Good advice on here so do some searches & ask plenty of questions. Love my wood heat almost as much as my grandmas coal stove!

 

[trukn2004]

As someone who was new to burning last year, I will give you some of the things I picked up. I had wood split and stacked for about a year before I started burning. It was a mix of dead ash, maple, some live maple, and some on the ground, dead for a while red oak. Over the course of the burning season I went through probably a cord, maybe 1.5 cords. I was using a Jotul F500 hooked to a masonry chimney, with a 7x11 tile flue. All brand new. the first half of the year was learning, and with each fire I got better. I can also tell you that the dead ash and the really dry dead oak put some heat out. The pieces that weren't as dry just did run as well. Right now I am currently around 2 years ahead I think, and I just keep stacking it up. I have a moisture meter, but I haven't used it in quite a while. Just get it split, get it stacked and give it time. I don't think there is a wood out there that wont dry in two years split and stacked off the ground.

 

[WhiteMike]

For the guys that live in my area here is what I've been cutting. I put it in the 101 forum but never got an answer. At first I thought I was cutting red fir but I came to realize it's grand fir...I think.... Which burns better than subalpine but not as well as red fir. I also thought red fir was just another name for Douglas fir but on that btu rating website it shows them as two different trees? When I referred to it as sub par I was just implying that I thought it was red fir, a better fire wood than what I was actually getting but no doubt am I happy and can't wait to burn it.
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/confusion-on-tree-id.299795/

Maybe one of you from the PNW can chime in and let me know what this is. Thanks!

 

[MountainHigh]

. . . what that is, is damn fine firewood out my way! Bark looks like Sillver fir or maybe sub-alpine fir, but that's not for sure.

The orange colour resembles our Douglas Fir out here in PNW North Cascades that I've burned a lot over the years.

* Your area - Idaho - Predominant forest type: True Fir - Douglas Fir

Many varieties of Fir so it's tough to say for sure without seeing it standing, even then I don't know them all by name. Some hemlock in Idaho as well evidently.

What I can say for sure is that is decent firewood! Once it's dried, it will keep you warm and save you money

I know some old timers who refuse to burn any hardwoods in my area (Maple, Birch, Alder), and will only burn Fir saying it is the best firewood we have. However, they know enough to keep an eye on their chimney, as Firs are pitchy.

Evergreen Identification by the needles:
http://www.tlehcs.com/Special Topics/Evergreen ID/evergreen id intro.htm

Common trees of Pacific Northwest might help:
http://oregonstate.edu/trees/conifer_genera/spp/true_fir_spp.html

 

[Big_Al]

For the guys that live in my area here is what I've been cutting. I put it in the 101 forum but never got an answer. At first I thought I was cutting red fir but I came to realize it's grand fir...I think.... Which burns better than subalpine but not as well as red fir. I also thought red fir was just another name for Douglas fir but on that btu rating website it shows them as two different trees? When I referred to it as sub par I was just implying that I thought it was red fir, a better fire wood than what I was actually getting but no doubt am I happy and can't wait to burn it.
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/confusion-on-tree-id.299795/

Maybe one of you from the PNW can chime in and let me know what this is. Thanks!

Looks like white fir to me. Or piss fir as locals call it. It usually has the little blister pockets of sap in the bark. Ok for camping but burns fast.

 

[Big_Al]

Link to white fir pic, also looks like what they're calling sub alpine fir. Not familiar
with the sub alpine.


https://www.bing.com/images/search?...96757c889d569ec2dd24fcfece5d9f57o0&ajaxhist=0

 

[Big_Al]

What we call red fir




https://www.bing.com/images/search?...1201d6590b2f6b923da4b0fae5ae2d69o0&ajaxhist=0

 

[Ranchers-son]

@WhiteMike $200 / cord may not be as bad as you think. Use btu's to compare local heating costs, be sure to adjust for stove efficiency

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

++ on everything above. I will add that you might want look into getting compressed wood logs/blocks for this winter verses buying cord or 3 of wood splits ( Those guys are there to sell wood not many leave it sit in there yard for a 1-2 years to become properly dried, before selling it- frankly I do not know of any) The blocks will be at or around 6% and you can mix them with splits that are so-so for a much better overall first year experience. There is a very good mfg. of those in your area of the country ( heck I can't even get them here.) North Idaho Energy logs. A pallet of those is = to a cord of split wood. I burn from late sept. through April 24/7 and then it gets a bit sporadic for May and sometimes even June, all told that's about 4 cords ( 1 cord = 4'x8'x4' or 128 cf of splits) in a 3 cubic ft stove in a 2k sq ft ranch style house. I know you get colder weather than I do

There was a guy trying to sell those here for something like $500 a pallet. I did the math (btu of the blocks to register firewood) and it was about $800/cord.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

OL means overload on my electrical meters. Meaning trying to measure voltage/amperage/resistance etc was too high for the meter to process which also happens when you have a bad reading/connection. Your wood was either too wet for the meter to measure or just had a bad connection

OL is over limit or open loop depending on what function of a multimeter.

 

[blades]

Generally Compressed logs they are cheaper than pellets for the same volume. But as with anything got to look around some. Point being that every advertisment that I see regarding fire wood now states it is seasoned ( likely with salt and pepper) We are here because we HEAT with wood. Wood that is greater than 20% moisture content ( Internally) wastes a large percentage of its sequestered BTU's in boiling off the captivated moisture so you get a cold fire & dirty flue, burn twice as much or more than you should have to and the other half is still cold which mostly means you are not going to be a happy camper should you be fortunate(?) enough to have one of those. Get the fire wood down to the 15% content and you will swear someone switched your stove.

 

[mohick]

At least he kept the owners manual, it has some value compared to meter!! It can be used a fire starter!!!

 

[blades]

actually there are more btu's in the meter than the manual- just a bit harder to start.