> > HOW TO TELL IF FIREWOOD IS DRY (10/22/99) > > CORVALLIS - You want to buy a load of firewood for the winter? Firewood is > usually sold either "green" or "seasoned." But buyer beware. > > "Seasoned" is a relative term, warned Larry Giardina, energy agent with > the Oregon State University Extension Service. > > "What you really want to know is whether it's dry enough to burn > efficiently," said Giardina. > > Here are some ways to tell how dry firewood is: > > * Look for cracking at the ends of split wood. Cracks indicate that > the ends are dry, although the center of the wood may still be wet. Knock > two pieces of firewood with cracked ends together. They'll make a sharp > cracking noise if they're dry. A dull thud indicates the pieces are wet. > > * Borrow or purchase a device that determines the moisture content of > firewood by measuring its resistance to an electric current. > > * Weigh a small piece of firewood cut from the middle of a large > piece. Record the weight in ounces. Dry the small piece overnight at 200 > to 300 degrees F in your oven. Weigh it again while it is still warm. The > difference in weight is the weight of the water in the wood. Divide the > weight of the water by the oven-dry weight in the wood to find the > moisture content of your firewood. Wood is ready to burn when the moisture > content is less than 20 percent. > > To learn more about burning and drying firewood effectively, the OSU > Extension offers a publication called "Burn Dry Firewood for Safer, > Cleaner Burning and Efficiency." EC 1387 is available...Send your request and check or money order payable to OSU to: > Publication Orders, Extension and Station Communications, OSU, 422 Kerr > Administration, Corvallis, OR 97331-2119. > > Or view it on the Web at: eesc.orst.edu. Go to "Publications and Videos," > then "Family and Home," then "Housing and Energy." > > By Carol Savonen, 541-737-3380 > SOURCE: Larry Giardina, 541-776-7371 > > > > > GREEN FIREWOOD MEANS LESS HEAT, MORE POLLUTION AND WORK (10/22/99) > > CORVALLIS - Autumn often turns people's thoughts to cutting and buying > firewood for the winter, especially this year, with Y2K looming. > > For the most heat for your time and money, burn dry firewood. > > "The higher your firewood's moisture content, the less efficiently it > burns," explained Larry Giardina, energy agent with the Oregon State > University Extension Service. "If you don't let it dry long enough under > the right conditions before you burn it, you'll get a smoky fire without > much heat." > > The smoke from a low-temperature fire contains gases and acids that > condense on your chimney to form creosote - a substance that can ignite > and cause a major fire, said Giardina. > > Beside giving off less heat, burning green wood means you have to clean > your chimney more often. It also means you'll have to work harder to get > your fire going. > > "Some of the wood's water must boil and evaporate before the wood will > support a flame," he said. To avoid the hassles of burning green wood, > Giardina advises: > > * Season firewood until it contains less than 20 percent moisture. > This generally takes six to eight months, depending on the weather, the > type of wood and how you prepare and store it. Hardwood such as oak takes > longer to dry than softwood like Douglas, fir, or pine. > > * If you cut your own firewood, do it each year by late winter or > early spring in order to allow enough drying time during the hot, dry > summer months for moisture to move through the wood's fibers and > evaporate. If you buy firewood, buy it dry. It might cost more, but will > start more easily, give off more heat and burn cleaner. > > * Split wood right after you cut it. It dries faster split. Remember > to cut kindling, too, and let it dry. > > * Stack firewood off the ground to allow air to circulate under the > stack and around the pieces. Crossing the wood log-cabin style promotes > good air flow within the stack. Do not stack wood directly up against an > outbuilding or house. > > A simple and effective way to stack and shelter firewood is on a pallet, > stacked log cabin-style, with a sheet of clear UV - inhibited polyethylene > draped over the top of the stack to allow sunlight through to heat the > stack. Leave the sides open to allow air to circulate. Secure the > polyethylene with a few pieces of wood or rocks. Once the firewood is dry, > replace it with a sturdier nylon or canvas tarp. > > The OSU Extension Service offers plans for building a solar wood dryer > that costs about $30 in materials to make. With a solar dryer, you can cut > wood drying time in half, down to three or four months, said Giardina. > > "Build a Solar Wood Dryer", EC 1389, 25 cents for each copy. > Send your request and check or money order payable to OSU to: Publication > Orders, Extension and Station Communications, OSU, 422 Kerr > Administration, Corvallis, OR 97331-2119. > > Or view it on the Web at: eesc.orst.edu. Go to "Publications and Videos," > then "Family and Home," then "Housing and Energy." > > By Carol Savonen, 541-737-3380 > SOURCE: Larry Giardina, 541-776-7371 >

Al K. Lloyd >

-- Al K. Lloyd (all@ready.now), October 28, 1999

Answers

All pretty much "second nature" for someone who burns wood.

While weighing and measuring might be good if I were to buy 100 cords and wanted to assure myself that it were according to "specifications," most wood sellers would look at you like you're ready for the loony bin if you asked for a "cut" from the middle of the cord and had him wait while you did the weighing and drying.

Lets talk the "real world" here...

Mostly the outward signs are the best ones...

Is it all hardwood? (Quality - most dealers like to "slip in" a few pieces of softwood now and then, or maybe more frequently)

Is it "checked" on the ends and appear to have "set" for a while outside? (Most dealers won't go to the additional trouble or cost to shelter their wood from the elements.)

Is an individual piece "heavy" or "light?" (Dryness)

Can it be stacked inside? Under cover outside? With pieces placed "bark side up" to shed water? Tossed casually in a big pile? (each of these are lesser in drying capability but greater in ease or cost savings.)

End supports available for your stack? Or will you have to resort to "criss-crossing" to keep the pile from tumbling down? Can you get to your piles in the winter? (logistics)

Having read the whole article at length, it sounds more like a government agency trying to "justify it's existence." I don't think they burn wood to heat their office.

-- Joe (Wood@wood.org), October 29, 1999.

Test a piece of wood by holding the grain end against your upper lip (that is, the space between your nose and your lip). That area is very sensitive to moisture.

For those of you who thought I was joking about using your finger to make a pinhole lens, this isn't a joke, either.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), October 29, 1999.

.

While weighing and measuring might be good if I were to buy 100 cords and wanted to assure myself that it were according to "specifications," most wood sellers would look at you like you're ready for the loony bin if you asked for a "cut" from the middle of the cord and had him wait while you did the weighing and drying.

Lets talk the "real world" here...

Mostly the outward signs are the best ones...

Is it all hardwood? (Quality - most dealers like to "slip in" a few pieces of softwood now and then, or maybe more frequently)

Is it "checked" on the ends and appear to have "set" for a while outside? (Most dealers won't go to the additional trouble or cost to shelter their wood from the elements.)

Is an individual piece "heavy" or "light?" (Dryness)

Can it be stacked inside? Under cover outside? With pieces placed "bark side up" to shed water? Tossed casually in a big pile? (each of these are lesser in drying capability but greater in ease or cost savings.)

End supports available for your stack? Or will you have to resort to "criss-crossing" to keep the pile from tumbling down? Can you get to your piles in the winter? (logistics)

Having read the whole article at length, it sounds more like a government agency trying to "justify it's existence." I don't think they burn wood to heat their office.

-- Joe (Wood@wood.org), October 29, 1999.

Thanks for the comments, Joe. However, I would disagree that this is "All pretty much "second nature" for someone who burns wood" You may have noticed that a lot of the people on this forum are recommending stocking up on wood NOW. This is way late in the game, as any wood they buy will most likely be wetter than it should be. Furthermore, I still know lots of old timers who have been burning wood for many decades, who still burn green wood on purpose because it burns more slowly. Another bad idea.

But really, I didn't post this article for experienced wood burners. It's for the many folks who haven't ever used wood as a primary heating source. I know that most people just starting out don't have a clue about the best way to do this.

I can pretty much tell the dryness of wood by hefting it, as you say you can; but can a person without experience? I don't think so.

I have never reverted to weighing a piece of wood to determine its dryness, and perhaps no one else will do so. On the other hand, it might not be such a bad idea for someone who needs to experience how heavy a piece of dry vs. green wood feels.

All in all, I recommend this article to you folks who need information and experience in wood burning.

Al

-- Al K. Lloyd (all@ready.now), November 01, 1999.