Most of what you are saying here is absolutely true. With one exception that I noticed as a professional logger who grew up on a farm and has always heated with wood. The black you are seeing is not necessary and is not always a good thing. Wood that has been seasoned under cover in a wood shed will not turn black even after 2-3 years of seasoning. The black is a sign that the wood has been getting wet during the seasoning process and is starting to decompose. Ideally, red oak should be seasoned under cover for 2 years and not be turning completely black. (Though some darkening is acceptable and unavoidable)
I have some firewood that has been in my garage for years. Definitely seasoned and looks beautiful. I have firewood behind my house that is open to the elements and is already black and has not been out very long
I don't have a fireplace or wood stove, but if I ever do, I will know all I need to know about firewood. I've learned more here than all I've ever learned. I know how to acquire it, cut it, dry it, split it, cure it, and store it. And then I know how to build a fire and burn the wood. This is one of the reasons I love this channel, learning new things.
Having a wood burning stove as a backup is nice but burning wood is a huge amount of work, not to mention the mess associated with it. We have a fireplace insert but I would hate to rely solely on it for heat.
I’m 61. I can longer swing a maul to split wood as I was recently diagnosed with degenerative disc disease. It sucks and has left me very depressed. I’m looking forward to buying my first gas powered log splitter next spring. I know that will turn the “free” firewood from my own land into an expensive hobby but I enjoy cutting, splitting and stacking my own firewood so I will be OK with it. Those of you similar in age who can still split wood with a maul should consider yourself very fortunate. There’s nothing like the sound of splitting a round section of wood. I miss it already.
I use a moisture meter and don’t burn anything over 23% moisture. Also it depends on the type of wood stove/heater because mine is a catalytic wood heater and it destroys the creosote, it burns it in the firebox producing extra heat in the house that would otherwise go up the flue. There is also a product from here in Australia called Smart burn, it helps lower the temperature that the creosote gas burns, it helps keep your flue clean and your fire hot.
Using a moistire meter you also have to take into consideration that the wood contains much more moisture in the middle than on the ends or outer edges so 23% on the outside means its higher than that in the middle I stick with 20% at most but I also use a kiln which I built for 300$ plus a 100$ propane forced air heater. 1.5 hrs run time approx. and I can turn green wood into burnable wood in a very short period of time.
@@danielhershman7051 that’s a good idea with the kiln, but I live in Australia, so when the wood is split and left out over summer there is not a lot of moisture left in it.
So you poke every piece, that must be fun, there is other ways, bark separation, and I can personally hold a piece and tell you what the mc is, just from how heavy it is, I have 30 years in the hardwood lumber industry, moisture meters are not very accurate to begin with, and like someone else said, wetter on the inside, we did all our measurements by weighing sections and samples. Moisture meter will only get ballpark figures.
@@douglasfick4817 so don’t use a moisture meter but take your word for it because you can pick up a piece and know the moisture content.. seems legit. When did you weight the sections you used? Was it straight after the wood was cut? Was it re-weighed just before burning? Lots of variables with that. When you use a meter you split the wood and use it on a bit that has just been split.
@@Achilliez I won't use one, I have handled so many pieces, it is not hard to tell, I just think that would be a lot of work to be checking with a meter, honestly, try it with different mc's between your pieces, it's actually kind of easy, just have 2 pieces side by side and compare, in the dry kilns I used to operate we would cut 8 section/sample pieces so every day I'd weigh 50 to 70 of them. 🙂
Good video, well done. I am a Brit who lives in rural France and burns wood on my wood burner. I generally uses mixed hardwood that is at least a year old when burned. However a few years ago I got hold of some oak that was 9 yrs seasoned. Wow what a difference. It gave out so much heat it was almost unbelievable. I would love to get to that stage but doubt it will happen. I do plan to get several years wood into my garden and barn so that I know it is well seasoned when I use it.
Exactly. My grandfather would wait until the weather was below freezing for a day or two to split wood. Some hardwoods are harder to split the dryer they become.
Beechwood fires are bright and clear If the logs are kept a year, Chestnut's only good they say, If for logs 'tis laid away. Make a fire of Elder tree, Death within your house will be; But ash new or ash old, Is fit for a queen with crown of gold Birch and fir logs burn too fast Blaze up bright and do not last, it is by the Irish said Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread. Elm wood burns like churchyard mould, E'en the very flames are cold But ash green or ash brown Is fit for a queen with golden crown Poplar gives a bitter smoke, Fills your eyes and makes you choke, Apple wood will scent your room Pear wood smells like flowers in bloom Oaken logs, if dry and old keep away the winter's cold But ash wet or ash dry a king shall warm his slippers by. The Word Seasoned In Firewood Means the Wood's Been Split for a Year. Splitting the Wood is Important. A Log Left Whole & Round Will Take On More Moisture than it Releases. It Doesn't Really Season.
@@akbychoice Sorry for the confusion. Yeah birch isn't a great wood for the fireplace or stove but it's wonderful paired with a longer burning wood for a campfire
Good explanation regarding firewood seasoning! I split everything to size where it falls for easy handling. It also dries/seasons faster that way. I only go through about 5 cords a year, so I split everything with an 8 pound maul. I give the split red oak one year per inch, (thickness) stacked in the weather before covering it for final drying. Never had any trouble with buildup in my chimney. White oak is much easier to split manually when dry.
If you keep firewood outside and not covered,you are starting a "rotting" process not a "seasoning" process. The wood will dry,then get soaked with rain or snow,then dry again etc.etc.,breaking down the cellular structure of the wood fibers,turning it to "punky" wood.All of your money or efforts getting the wood will be wasted! Just look at any woodlot to see what Mother Nature does with breaking down wood and turning it into organic matter.A woodshed with a roof and good airflow across the firewood is a good start to seasoning firewood.Your firewood when seasoned correctly will sound like bowling pins bouncing off of each other when you knock two pieces together,not a dull clunk or thunk.
I have noticed this sound over the 3 winters I’ve been using a wood coal burner (in new England mind you, lol, city girlish) with no prior experience. Had a quick half season teacher that cleaned, the system and showed me how to burn half seasoned ( incase I couldn’t get full seasoned, but died before the next season, so I’ve been observing and then searching answers . I am heating an entire house from the basement with this unit, done quite well, and getting all manner of seasoned wood, have noticed more seasoned, without decay, is hotter and burns longer, which surprised me, but I imagine it’s because of the burn off off moisture, glad to see I was right! I use a granular product every 5 fires or so for creosote. And have someone coming to put new chimney pieces, clean and change brick, a lot of the wood I’ve had to burn recently got wet in our odd weather pattern this year, so more concerned about creosote, than hitting 70 ( just aiming for 55.) ave temp outside is been 38/42 with rain or damp. So what’s the best safest wood burn?
@@corrinnegarfield2460 oak, ash, walnut, cherry are probably the best woods for your area and are plentiful. Stack off the ground...preferably in a covered building and allow air flow to permeate your stash for at least 6mos...longer is better!
Thank you for that info. I'm on my 2nd season of burning. Last year I put 2 stacks of split wood next to each other and covered one but not the other. The pile I left uncovered seemed to season faster but it grew fungus and the outside of the wood started to rot. The covered pile has seasoned but I like the ends to look like they were dipped in black oil so I'll let them sit one more year. What I've learned is to cover the wood when it rains or snows, but keep it uncovered otherwise. Also keep the wood under the sun and out in the open for the wind to hit as much as possible.
I would agree. My wood, if cut, split and then stored in my wood shed, does not turn dark and grow fungus. If left exposed to elements it does, even if covered with a tarp. I am trying to let my firewood have at least two years split and covered before I need it. This winter, the wood I will be burning has been cut, split and stored in a shed since at least Spring 2020, some longer. The wood I will burn for the Winter of 2022-23 was all cut and split last year. I am currently cutting and splitting would that I plan on not needing until the Fall of 2023. I would like to cut for one more year, 2024-25 this fall, but I may not get all of that done.
The Emerald Ash Borer is providing me with lots of ash for burning. It is a very thin silver lining to a devestating situation. Thanks for educating me on the difference between dry and seasoned.
I've cut, split and burned wood my whole life . I use 6 face cords or (ricks) per year in an air tight free standing stove . I think it works best to cut, split, stack and cure your wood one year in advance . Right now in December i have all of my wood cured for this winter and almost have all of my green oak for next winter . Buy a verticle wood splitter you won't regret it and they resale very easily . Get one with a Kolher or a Honda engine they will start when it's very cold , a Briggs and Stratton won't. Predators are good too as they are a (Chinese) Honda . It's a good feeling to have your whole heating bill paid for a year in advance .
I have been burning wood for a couple decades, that said I generally burm dry red oak. I would love to burn seasoned but it rarely happens. I have a hydraulic splitter so it all splits easy.
I've kept data on drying wood for many years. After the wood gets through the drying stage, about 3 to 9 months depending on species, the wood's moisture content goes up and down with the prevailing humidity; less moisture in the summer than the winter. I don't buy the argument that wood somehow gains magical seasoning properties after the initial drying from green.
Well said. Fully seasoned wood that has been out in the rain tends to gain bugs and fall apart. Cut it, split it, and stack it out of the rain and off the ground. For the best wood burn I put the wood in a rack in the same room as the stove and let it dry it out more before I burn it. Get two racks and rotate wood in and out. The smaller pieces you split it the faster it will dry and burn, but you will also have to load the stove more often and watch your temperature more. A wood stove is a machine you must watch and manage to fully function well.
Thanks a lot on the tutorial, I’ve been searching for awhile now looking for a video or even just info about if it’s harder to split wood weeks or months after tree has fallen. You answered it for me! Definitely helped me from stressing on all the trees that fell after hurricane.
My grandfather would cut down trees in the late fall once all the leaves were off, buck them up and split them on the coldest days of the winter and stack them bark up and then cover the topmost layer with a waterproof tarp near an open field so the wind and sun would assist in drying.
Been splitting northern hardwoods by hand for almost 50 years. Green wood is always easier to split than dry--the moisture acts as a lubricant. Tried a log splitter once-- too damn noisy and the finished product looked more shredded than cleanly split. I get more satisfaction when I do it by hand, and I can pass on the skill to others. My all-time favorite woods: Black Cherry, Hard Maple, Oak, and Ash.
I know it is 2 years since your post here, but I have been happy to find out and use Beech wood from my property to burn. We only use the fireplace about 8 to 10 time per year here in SE PA, but the Beech leaves some hot coals. I only season it for about 6 months or so - sometimes I try to speed it up and lay as many logs out on the driveway in sunny hot weather. I love Black Cherry too. Don't have much Oak and Ash on my property.
"Green wood is always easier to split than dry?" Not where I'm from. I split mostly hardwoods and all of them split easier if they're dry, especially elm.
@mackenziemitchell1109 Elm splits better when it's cold, IMO. That said, I would rather split the wood ASAP and get it stacked and drying. If it doesn't want to split (my splitting maul says, "I want asking"), a bit of noodling with a chainsaw will take care of it and provide some good shavings to use as a fire starter.
I find fallen branches in the woods on the ground, the type with no bark but the wood is still solid but been on the ground enough to be seasoned. I bring them home, cut them up and stack them around the stove until dry. They are only surface wet if exposed to rain so they dry very quick.
Get the use of wood dryness gauge. Stack the wood outside in a single 4 foot high row, being sure to have the pile face the low humidity winds of the summer. After some months get a few pieces that 'seem' dry-ish. Split them open and use the gauge to test the newly open wood surfaces. If the reading is 20% or less, you're ready to burn the pile. Seasoning and drying are synonyms for our concerns here. Luthiers may want to wait years for all the wood saps to harden (seasoning)
I'm not real clear how "warmth" from different sources differs. I'm guessing you mean something more specific. How do you figure "warmth" from a wood fire differs from a water-pipe radiator?
@@squirlmy well, you see, warmth has a literary definition and a connotative one. Sometimes, when people speak, they are not 100% literal like the blue guy from Watchmen or Spock. Often times, they have a little Ryan Reynolds in them. I know I wish I did ;)
@@squirlmy have you ever warmed up next to a cast iron stove? It's quite unique, it's radiating heat, and it's definitely warmer than water pipes... Cast iron warms different compared to water pipes.
Good for you that you have so much wood that you can let it dry for several seasons before splitting. I don’t think most people have that luxury or wood storage space. My experience with oak and cedar is that it is easier to split green wood, so I like to use a 25 ton hydraulic splitter. I can easily do that myself, split rounds down to a size that I can easily list with one hand: it not only dried out to less than 20% moisture quickly, it’s easy to handle, stack, and move as needed. I have a few friends that own splitters, and we help each other out, so I haven’t purchased one yet. My easy-build fire in a wood stove or fireplace: 2-3 oak logs on the bottom; 3 cedar smaller logs crosswise on top of oak; remove the middle cedar log, and place crumpled paper there: replace the third cedar log when the paper is burned; stack kindling and bark strips crosswise above the cedar; light with match or propane torch; leave door partly open until paper is burned and kindling is going well, them replace the third cedar piece, close the door, and give full air until the oak on the bottom is burning. Takes 5 minutes max for a cold start with 20% or better dried wood.
Another drying aid is to bring the firewood inside a day or two before hand and stack or rack it near the stove to drive out as much moister as possible. You will notice the heat output and combust ability for sure.
Plus, you’re raising the temperature of it. If it’s 15°F outside and your indoor wood is 75°F when you burn it, that’s a 60°F headstart towards combustion.
@@davegarber7964 yes most people dont understand this. dont ever throw frozen wood in your wood stove, bad news. bring it 8 hours in advance, at least, and let it get up to temperature. if its very frozen it could take even longer.
@@Motoko1134 All true but bringing in frozen wood has a cooling effect to the indoor temp. i.e. heat energy from the indoor air conducts to the cooler wood. So, it doesn't really matter - burn cold wood or bring it in the night before - the energy transfer relating to heating your home is the same either way.
@@JJG84679 This thread is about drying wood, not insects. Although I appreciate the insect thing - I got bombarded with ash borers - came out of hibernation and flew everywhere inside last winter - when I brought inside the ash wood of which they bored. Alas!
I burn wood that has been shed kept, stacked and air dried for 3 -5 yrs before burning for heat. I rarely touch a chain saw or a wood splitter, I pay $120 for full cords (4x4x8) delivered of split mixed hardwood, red oak, white oak, ash, hickory. I heat my 2,000 sq ft shop with 2 wood heaters, I bring in 1/2 cord of wood in a box built on a pallet that I move with the forks on my tractor. I get trailer loads of hard wood left overs from a company that makes commercial moldings and trim, the wood is free and they load it on my trailer. I use this wood for kindling. I currently have about 7 years worth of wood ( stacked 8 ft wide x 18 ft long x 5 ft high) under my wood shed and plenty of kindling stacked in racks. I think I have a good thing going, all I do is stack the wood when delivered then load it in the wood box to be moved inside as needed. life is good.,
Thank you. BTW, I HAVE THE SAME SUNJOE SPLITTER, CANT SAY ENOUGH ABOUT HOW GOOD IT WORKS. I CAN KEEP WITH A GAS POWERED SPLITTER WITH THIS LITTLE GUY. AND THE PRICE, ABOUT 120. Is worth it.
Here is South Texas, I use mesquite a lot. Usually, I just cut what Mother Nature brings down in a hurricane, strong wind, or storms. I don't cut it into small sections. I trim the sections so that they are as large as I can manage to carry to my truck which and take these logs and place them upright against a main tree and let them dry for 3-5 (or more) years. Don't even cover them. Even the small branches - 2-4 inches thick - I also take and stack them upright and dry. I then use them as needed and cut them so that I can BBQ or just enjoy a pit fire. Never had a problem with them being rotted by weather or fungus or ants, etc. They are superbly seasoned and easy to cut to size. I have found a few that had the end touching the ground a little rotted but they were easily trimmed and used that small piece to start a fire. Mesquite bark seems to be waterproof even when dried and seasoned.
The way i understand you determine if wood is suitable to burn is to use a moisture meter. Anything 20% or below is ready to burn. I do not go by dry or seasoning terminology , just moisture content .
@@markpashia7067 Thanks for your feedback. - In books and a government publications I have here where I live it reads 15% to 20% moisture content is ideal . I can imagine getting it lower than that would be difficult unless you have a dry kiln. But I been burning cedar, fir, hemlock , pine, aspen, maple and arbutus for 20 years not had any problem
I am no expert here, but I cut, dry and burn a lot of wood. I would suggest there is no difference between dried and seasoned wood except for moisture content unless there has been some degradation by fungi which is undesirable for wood heating. Any appearance of fungi indicates biological degradation ie. respiration where organic carbon, wood, is converted into gaseous carbon dioxide. Fungi will eventually convert about 80% of the wood into humus which wii be further degraded by bacteria until virtually all of it is in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Thus, if fungi are allowed to thrive in cut wood, it’s heating capacity is rapidly diminished. Fungi permeate throughout the wood and surface fungi may not be indicative of what is happing inside the log. All of us just toss those fungi worked logs aside if they are unusually lite. They will burn fine, but rapidly if dry, but with little heat output. Rapidly drying wood by keeping it under cover will prevent or stop fungal growth. Again all fungal growth is undesirable with regard to preserving the potential heat content of wood. If I see any evidence of fungi I get it covered immediately to stop the growth. Moisture content can only be reliably measured by weighing before and after oven drying at about 220 F. I use a moisture meter which is good enough for us wood heaters. Wood will dry without fungal growth if it is kept under cover with sides mostly open for ventilation. It will not dry (just rots) in my climate, zone 4, with about 30 inches rain per year if is not covered on top. I like to see a moisture content of less than 15% when I check a piece just split off the pile. I read that less than 20% moisture is fine for most stoves.
Yes, burning green wood will add to creosote buildup, but stove, chimney, and flue conditions all contribute to the build up as well. A well insulated flue will keep the smoke hot enough not to build up as much. A poor insulated chimney or flue will allow the smoke to cool and slow down, making much worse draw, therefor building up creosote much much faster. Best thing you can do is get a thermostat on your stovepipe and try to keep your output at the proper temps and clean the chimney at least 1 if not 2 times a year. From Maine, we know a thing or 2 about burning wood
It's been my experience that large rounds of red oak absorb moisture more than they dry out. Only after they have been broken do they start to dry. The smaller the split the faster it dries. I'm in Michigan.
Seasoned fire wood, since the 1800's has been defined as 20% moisture content. The term seasoned comes from steam railroad companies. The wood was to be split and stacked for a season. If stacked according to their instructions the wood would acclimatize to 20% moisture content. Back then the percentage was determined by weighing a sample then drying it in an oven and weighing it again. Divide the later by the former and you get the percent moisture content. Today you can get a moisture meter inexpensively to the same thing in a split second. As a master chimney sweep of 25 years I have seen the results of burning wood of the proper moisture content versus wet wood both in the field and at home. Wood that is much more than 20% moisture burns cooler until that latent energy is lost. A cooler fire results in less combustion efficiency. Less efficient fires waste energy in the form of unburnt gasses to the flue where it condenses to form creosote. As an anecdote I will describe the effect of moisture content in my stove. My stove has been burning non-stop for the last 45 days.My stove has a tested combustion efficiency of 80%. But where I can actually see the effect of moisture in on the glass. With wood of 30% moisture creosote deposits form on the glass needing to be cleaned off daily. With wood measuring 20% moisture the glass stay clean. In the chimney, after burning 1.5 cords of wood at 20% moisture content there is so little soot that I do not yet feel a need to sweep.
I found that finding the right types of local wood and stacking the wood properly makes firewood so easy. I use a “crappy beater” axe to split maple or black walnut on the ground. Bucking billy ray had a video on it. You’re basically playing golf splitting wood. It goes super fast because I’m on stopping to pick up wood to stack in a pile. Building a wood wall helps get maximum air flow through it and sun and helps to dry it faster.
This really helped! i bought firewood that was just cut and had some moisture and it took forever to burn. It just produced smoke mainly. I'm gonna try seasoned wood like I did last time. It produced a lot of heat like you described
Do you seriously store and "season" your wood under plastic tarp? 😢 The black on the wood has zero to do with how seasoned it is. Moisture content is the one and only number you need to know. Under 20% recommended. For all watching, most of what is stated in this video is bad advice.
Your right ! I fucking HATE SPLITTING WOOD, that is why I showed my wife and children how to properly split wood . I just sit back and have a cold Canadian Molson Beer while they split wood on a HOT SUMMER day ! ! LG = Life is Good ! Cheers from Canada . Polar Bear country .
I don’t agree with this method entirely. Wood will only evaporate out so much moisture. Once the internal moisture content acclimates to the relative humidity it will stop “seasoning”. Usually this only takes about six months for most species cut less than 36” in length, which no one has a stove that large. After that it’s pointless. Just gonna rot. If you really want dry wood, build a solar kiln from scrap lumber and some 3mil clear plastic. Your red oak will be 9% moisture in six weeks. This is up in the North East where the average humidity is roughly 60%. I’ve moisture tested oak and maple left out to season for 3 years and the internal moisture was barely 18%. Same results after testing oak and maple left out from May to October.
I don’t disagree with your opinion. As long as your ‘six month’ period doesn’t include winter! I always cut and split in the spring, air dry all summer, and move the wood to the shed late fall. It’s fully seasoned at that point.
Folks, get an inexpensive wood moisture meter and test your firewood, or any wood you're thinking of buying. It's trivial. In my experience, the General Tools meter works well. About 15% moisture or lower is good. Generally, the lower the better. In a pinch, you can bang two chunks of firewood together and listen for the sound. You want to hear something like two bowling pins being banged together. For many years, a buddy of mine and I cut firewood from a nearby mid-western forest managed for making oak, walnut, hickory and cherry furniture. The furniture company would take the trunks leaving the tree-tops for local citizens who needed firewood. Most of it was no bigger than 6-8 inches in diameter, and you could cut, literally, all the firewood you could haul out of there for.....$5 per YEAR. When I sold my old farmhouse, I also sold 3 cords of seasoned oak and a Lange woodstove.
Green red oak is much easier splitting green in my experience. May be different for others. Ash and Douglas fur is a joy to split. Wish we had some around here
I’m new to using wood as a primary heating source is it normal for wood to smell like poop? Also, if it’s seasoned, is it normally bright on the inside? I’m working with hardwood.
I don't know what kind of wood it is but I have cut some that smells like poop I leave it in the woods I can smell it when I cut it if it's stacked in my barn I walk in my barn smells like an outhouse I don't get back in the woods if it smells in my house will smell in my customers houses
Red oak takes 3 years to fully season. Birtch beach and ash you can burn almost green. But you need too cover it when it rains or it will rot. And it depends on the stove and temperature to burn semi seasoned and fully seasoned wood. I mix both. Haven't had a problem doing that
Or 3 months in a greenhouse. “Haven't had a problem doing that”, except you’re losing Btu’s and sacrificing efficiency by mixing-in the improperly seasoned wood.
The definition of seasoned wood is: wood that has been kept out of the elements (it can’t get rained on or snowed on for at least 7 to 12 months, and some hardwoods even longer, and has a moisture content of less than 20%.
And another definition of seasoned wood is: it has a moisture content of less than 20%, regardless of any other factors. Here in Central New York, a carefully vented greenhouse can take care of the process in a couple of months for hophornbeam, osage orange, persimmon and even hickory.
A tip for people trying to heat a small cabin. Burning logs that aren’t seasoned is sometimes better. Yes the heat won’t be as hot because it’s also trying to dry the log, but it also means the log will last longer. So use 6 month old wood when lots of heat isn’t needed. It’ll save time, real estate, and it might even save you a couple bucks if you’re buying it, because people usually pay a premium for totally seasoned wood.
I use pretty fresh (5 month old) birch and mountain ash that I make myself and mix it in seasoned wood as needed. I find it helps not having to baby the fireplace that often, it can be 3-5 hours between each load in stead of every half hour with 2-3 year old seasoned wood. I assume I have to sweep the chimney more often, but I will find out.
@@Snurre86 : I leave most of my wood in the round because it burns slower and also because i dont feel like splitting all my wood . if the wood is not green , it will burn just fine , even if its a little wet . this is all nonsense about having to have the best and driest of firewood . basically i only split large rounds and then only in half , so they can fit through the door opening in the wood stove , except i do split some cedar kindling , not because i need to but because i want to .
Not true at all. If you have a modern wood burning stove your best results and heat output will be with well seasoned wood under 20% moisture content. Of course you can do whatever you want including being a hack.@@tjlee9901
@@tjlee9901So far, my experience with rounds is that they just won't burn unless they have something else helping them burn. They'll even go out half burned if I don't keep adding smaller stuff to help them keep burning (this was from an elm that had been down for nearly 5 years). As a result, any rounds I burn are on the smaller side and will almost always be accompanied by larger split pieces that seem to catch easier and stay burning longer.
I learned the difference between dry and green wood the hard way, when we moved into a dump and the only heat source was a wood stove. Nearly burned down the house trying to get the sizzling wood to dry out by stacking it on the stove. “Nothing is as frightening as watching ignorance in action.”
Oh man, I wish I would have watched this before getting some wood at the store…got some green red oak…I live in central Texas and well it’s cold today and I keep having to fan my fire to get it to somewhat burn. Rookie mistake on my part. That’s what I get from buying it at the grocery store. Lesson learned.
Invest in a moisture meter you will be surprised how wet you're oak is if it is not split I try to cut dead trees sometimes they are a little drier than green trees but some are pretty wet just because a piece of oak been laying there for a year does not mean it is dry
@@thedude5435 Poplar splits better when green . As it dries it stiffens up and you don't get a clean split . In the winter all wood splits best when it's frozen . I use a 4 ton electric splitter and it splits anything that doesn't have a knot.
I love burning dead red elm but it won't split (using a splitting maul) wet or dry. Have to use a power splitter on it. Maple, ash, locust, etc. split better when it is about zero out; the colder the better.
I can't ever seem to store up any wood for more than one season for it to dry properly. I chop a few big piles during summer/fall. Pile is almost finished now in early January. Its cold in PA
Got some wood from my grandfather for the wood stove. Old growth Douglas Fir, kept in a large woodshed for about 15 years.. talk about well seasoned! (And made very nice kindling)
Rexford L beautiful place I love Oregon! I could definitely live there it feels like home in Oregon! That’s so cool!! I use to live in Everett for a bit went to high school there for a couple years!
In Europe most wood in kiln fried so it look like your green wood . So people in Europe seasoned wood is often kiln dried to below 20% moisture content. I am currently using 12 month barn seasoned wood it a mixture of English oak, apple trees, silver birch beech Manchester poplar, non of its that dark colour. But it's all below 20% so it depends on wood.
UK here. Yep, Ash is among the best of firewoods and it is said can be burned green, but it's not a great idea. Fresh, green Ash has a moisture content of about 32%. It is best cut at latest in early Spring, so as to be down to 20% or below by winter. Oak is also of course a great firewood, but it's nowhere near as easy to obtain as will be the case in the US. It needs to be split at once and then needs long seasoning of at least a whole year. Birch is decent firewood - again split and long season. Hawthorn is very good, and burns very hot but there isn't a lot available and it also needs long seasoning. Regulations around bituminous coal burning and firewood are set to change here in the UK - in a years time, from February 2021. Basically, bituminous coal will be banned for domestic use from 2021 (small bags) and from 2023 (bulk supplies from a registered coal merchant). Small quantities of 'wet' firewood will be banned from 2021, while larger quantities will have to have seasoning (or drying) information supplied at the point of sale - a little bit lame I feel, because you can lead a horse to water ...... Good video anyway.
I know I'll get static but 60 years ago we would not cut trees for firewood until late fall, after the sap stopped flowing. Thus the term seasoned. I am not aware of when it changed or why. Maybe it is just a western Pennsylvania thing.
Great video, but one question you sure that’s ash u held in your hand ? I’m In Pennsylvania and we have a lot of ash up here but the bark looks nothing? We have white Ash here
Wondering if my wood is bad. Ive had it outside on a patio getting wet in the rain and drying for a year now. It splinters really easy. Its not rotten its a very grey color. But it just refuses too burn. It just smolders in my fireplace. Any ideas? Not sure what kind of wood it is. I live in Houston Texas and the wood was bought back during the ice storm of Feb 2020. So its probably some sort of oak.
That purple means it Has/Had oak wilt. It spreads on the spring. Like pollination and it’s suppose to be Burnt rite away or tossed away I was told.because it can still Spread covered up. Just what I was told by a Older Logger and DNR Person. All I know maybe you can tell me more?.. thanks
Red Oak holds an abundance of moisture, one of the last trees to lose it's leaves in fall. Split those rounds quickly to speed up drying, In Wisconsin it may take two years to season red oak depending on weather and how it's stored,
Omg…I’ve just decided that I’m the arbiter of all things wood related. I speak from the high ground of not knowing what I’m on about.. There’s hardwoods and soft woods. I live in the northwest of England and people here seem to be determined to buy plastic plants, artificial grass or pave everything On the other hand I didn’t expect those previously small trees to grow so quickly or so big. ‘
@8:24 good tip! Keep uncovered so moisture can escape! Only problem is if it rains all that rain will sit underneath the stacks adding more moisture to get rid off. + if you got leaves falling you dont want those in there. Tough call.
@@WeatherNut27 a roof keeps rain water off the wood but allows the wood to still breathe and dry on it's own. With a tarp you get protection from rain but no air circulation.
@@900stx7 you're not supposed to tarp the whole thing. Just the top. Wind and air still flows through the stack from front, sides and back. I get your point though that humidity can rise up and and out but how much faster is it to season? 1 month? Tarps are more practical
@@rogerknight2267 Yeah, I started doing something similar. On sunny days I just take the whole tarp off. Lol. Kinda annoying but definitely helps. One day I forgot to cover it back up and a surprise Thunderstorm hit. Whoops.
Most of what you are saying here is absolutely true. With one exception that I noticed as a professional logger who grew up on a farm and has always heated with wood. The black you are seeing is not necessary and is not always a good thing. Wood that has been seasoned under cover in a wood shed will not turn black even after 2-3 years of seasoning. The black is a sign that the wood has been getting wet during the seasoning process and is starting to decompose. Ideally, red oak should be seasoned under cover for 2 years and not be turning completely black. (Though some darkening is acceptable and unavoidable)
Definitely right brother
I have some firewood that has been in my garage for years. Definitely seasoned and looks beautiful. I have firewood behind my house that is open to the elements and is already black and has not been out very long
Once you see fungus the wood is past it’s prime. Punk wood sucks.
Can you burn wood with the fungus on it will it make you sick or no
Btw I’m burning it outside in a fire pit
@@aviator1017 just burn it brother
I don't have a fireplace or wood stove, but if I ever do, I will know all I need to know about firewood. I've learned more here than all I've ever learned. I know how to acquire it, cut it, dry it, split it, cure it, and store it. And then I know how to build a fire and burn the wood. This is one of the reasons I love this channel, learning new things.
Having a wood burning stove as a backup is nice but burning wood is a huge amount of work, not to mention the mess associated with it. We have a fireplace insert but I would hate to rely solely on it for heat.
We have been heating our home 100% with wood for 27yrs and thought we were doing it right. Learned from you video and we thank you!
I’m 61. I can longer swing a maul to split wood as I was recently diagnosed with degenerative disc disease. It sucks and has left me very depressed. I’m looking forward to buying my first gas powered log splitter next spring. I know that will turn the “free” firewood from my own land into an expensive hobby but I enjoy cutting, splitting and stacking my own firewood so I will be OK with it. Those of you similar in age who can still split wood with a maul should consider yourself very fortunate. There’s nothing like the sound of splitting a round section of wood. I miss it already.
I use a moisture meter and don’t burn anything over 23% moisture.
Also it depends on the type of wood stove/heater because mine is a catalytic wood heater and it destroys the creosote, it burns it in the firebox producing extra heat in the house that would otherwise go up the flue.
There is also a product from here in Australia called Smart burn, it helps lower the temperature that the creosote gas burns, it helps keep your flue clean and your fire hot.
Using a moistire meter you also have to take into consideration that the wood contains much more moisture in the middle than on the ends or outer edges so 23% on the outside means its higher than that in the middle I stick with 20% at most but I also use a kiln which I built for 300$ plus a 100$ propane forced air heater. 1.5 hrs run time approx. and I can turn green wood into burnable wood in a very short period of time.
@@danielhershman7051 that’s a good idea with the kiln, but I live in Australia, so when the wood is split and left out over summer there is not a lot of moisture left in it.
So you poke every piece, that must be fun, there is other ways, bark separation, and I can personally hold a piece and tell you what the mc is, just from how heavy it is, I have 30 years in the hardwood lumber industry, moisture meters are not very accurate to begin with, and like someone else said, wetter on the inside, we did all our measurements by weighing sections and samples. Moisture meter will only get ballpark figures.
@@douglasfick4817 so don’t use a moisture meter but take your word for it because you can pick up a piece and know the moisture content.. seems legit. When did you weight the sections you used? Was it straight after the wood was cut? Was it re-weighed just before burning? Lots of variables with that. When you use a meter you split the wood and use it on a bit that has just been split.
@@Achilliez I won't use one, I have handled so many pieces, it is not hard to tell, I just think that would be a lot of work to be checking with a meter, honestly, try it with different mc's between your pieces, it's actually kind of easy, just have 2 pieces side by side and compare, in the dry kilns I used to operate we would cut 8 section/sample pieces so every day I'd weigh 50 to 70 of them. 🙂
Good video, well done. I am a Brit who lives in rural France and burns wood on my wood burner. I generally uses mixed hardwood that is at least a year old when burned. However a few years ago I got hold of some oak that was 9 yrs seasoned. Wow what a difference. It gave out so much heat it was almost unbelievable. I would love to get to that stage but doubt it will happen. I do plan to get several years wood into my garden and barn so that I know it is well seasoned when I use it.
Frozen wood splits pretty well too.
Exactly. My grandfather would wait until the weather was below freezing for a day or two to split wood. Some hardwoods are harder to split the dryer they become.
@@briscoedarling3237 i can confirm that. Everything around me is hardwood and if they dry out its like hitting stone.
Beechwood fires are bright and clear
If the logs are kept a year,
Chestnut's only good they say,
If for logs 'tis laid away.
Make a fire of Elder tree,
Death within your house will be;
But ash new or ash old,
Is fit for a queen with crown of gold
Birch and fir logs burn too fast
Blaze up bright and do not last,
it is by the Irish said
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.
Elm wood burns like churchyard mould,
E'en the very flames are cold
But ash green or ash brown
Is fit for a queen with golden crown
Poplar gives a bitter smoke,
Fills your eyes and makes you choke,
Apple wood will scent your room
Pear wood smells like flowers in bloom
Oaken logs, if dry and old
keep away the winter's cold
But ash wet or ash dry
a king shall warm his slippers by.
The Word Seasoned In Firewood Means the Wood's Been Split for a Year. Splitting the Wood is Important. A Log Left Whole & Round Will Take On More Moisture than it Releases. It Doesn't Really Season.
Birch burns amazing even when green and smells even more amazing though. Mix it with oak, maple, walnut, ect and you're good to go
Doug Johnson green birch creates a lot of creosote.
@@akbychoice I don't have a wood burning stove or fireplace, I'm just talking about for a camp fire.
Doug Johnson gotcha
@@akbychoice Sorry for the confusion. Yeah birch isn't a great wood for the fireplace or stove but it's wonderful paired with a longer burning wood for a campfire
I have the SunJoe manual log splitter and I love it!
Great comparison on the difference in the woods. Hope you have a good week!
I don't even have a fireplace or fire pit and I like this video.
Love your tutorials. It feels like I didn't waste time. Thanks!
Good explanation regarding firewood seasoning! I split everything to size where it falls for easy handling. It also dries/seasons faster that way. I only go through about 5 cords a year, so I split everything with an 8 pound maul. I give the split red oak one year per inch, (thickness) stacked in the weather before covering it for final drying. Never had any trouble with buildup in my chimney. White oak is much easier to split manually when dry.
If you keep firewood outside and not covered,you are starting a "rotting" process not a "seasoning" process. The wood will dry,then get soaked with rain or snow,then dry again etc.etc.,breaking down the cellular structure of the wood fibers,turning it to "punky" wood.All of your money or efforts getting the wood will be wasted! Just look at any woodlot to see what Mother Nature does with breaking down wood and turning it into organic matter.A woodshed with a roof and good airflow across the firewood is a good start to seasoning firewood.Your firewood when seasoned correctly will sound like bowling pins bouncing off of each other when you knock two pieces together,not a dull clunk or thunk.
I have noticed this sound over the 3 winters I’ve been using a wood coal burner (in new England mind you, lol, city girlish) with no prior experience.
Had a quick half season teacher that cleaned, the system and showed me how to burn half seasoned ( incase I couldn’t get full seasoned, but died before the next season, so I’ve been observing and then searching answers .
I am heating an entire house from the basement with this unit, done quite well, and getting all manner of seasoned wood, have noticed more seasoned, without decay, is hotter and burns longer, which surprised me, but I imagine it’s because of the burn off off moisture, glad to see I was right!
I use a granular product every 5 fires or so for creosote. And have someone coming to put new chimney pieces, clean and change brick, a lot of the wood I’ve had to burn recently got wet in our odd weather pattern this year, so more concerned about creosote, than hitting 70 ( just aiming for 55.) ave temp outside is been 38/42 with rain or damp.
So what’s the best safest wood burn?
@@corrinnegarfield2460 oak, ash, walnut, cherry are probably the best woods for your area and are plentiful. Stack off the ground...preferably in a covered building and allow air flow to permeate your stash for at least 6mos...longer is better!
Thank you for that info. I'm on my 2nd season of burning. Last year I put 2 stacks of split wood next to each other and covered one but not the other. The pile I left uncovered seemed to season faster but it grew fungus and the outside of the wood started to rot. The covered pile has seasoned but I like the ends to look like they were dipped in black oil so I'll let them sit one more year.
What I've learned is to cover the wood when it rains or snows, but keep it uncovered otherwise. Also keep the wood under the sun and out in the open for the wind to hit as much as possible.
Doode. You are making wayyyy too much sense. Lol hats off to the most reasonable explanation ever.
I would agree. My wood, if cut, split and then stored in my wood shed, does not turn dark and grow fungus. If left exposed to elements it does, even if covered with a tarp. I am trying to let my firewood have at least two years split and covered before I need it. This winter, the wood I will be burning has been cut, split and stored in a shed since at least Spring 2020, some longer. The wood I will burn for the Winter of 2022-23 was all cut and split last year. I am currently cutting and splitting would that I plan on not needing until the Fall of 2023. I would like to cut for one more year, 2024-25 this fall, but I may not get all of that done.
Newbie at wood stove and you helped a lot.
The Emerald Ash Borer is providing me with lots of ash for burning. It is a very thin silver lining to a devestating situation. Thanks for educating me on the difference between dry and seasoned.
I've cut, split and burned wood my whole life . I use 6 face cords or (ricks) per year in an air tight free standing stove . I think it works best to cut, split, stack and cure your wood one year in advance . Right now in December i have all of my wood cured for this winter and almost have all of my green oak for next winter . Buy a verticle wood splitter you won't regret it and they resale very easily . Get one with a Kolher or a Honda engine they will start when it's very cold , a Briggs and Stratton won't. Predators are good too as they are a (Chinese) Honda . It's a good feeling to have your whole heating bill paid for a year in advance .
I have been burning wood for a couple decades, that said I generally burm dry red oak. I would love to burn seasoned but it rarely happens. I have a hydraulic splitter so it all splits easy.
I wish I had seen this before I bought my last load but now I know better when I go back for more.
I've kept data on drying wood for many years. After the wood gets through the drying stage, about 3 to 9 months depending on species, the wood's moisture content goes up and down with the prevailing humidity; less moisture in the summer than the winter. I don't buy the argument that wood somehow gains magical seasoning properties after the initial drying from green.
Well said. Fully seasoned wood that has been out in the rain tends to gain bugs and fall apart. Cut it, split it, and stack it out of the rain and off the ground. For the best wood burn I put the wood in a rack in the same room as the stove and let it dry it out more before I burn it. Get two racks and rotate wood in and out. The smaller pieces you split it the faster it will dry and burn, but you will also have to load the stove more often and watch your temperature more. A wood stove is a machine you must watch and manage to fully function well.
Agreed, yet you CAN build a big fire with small wood, but it's really hard to build a small fire with big wood...🤷🏻♂️
Nice video 👌 thoroughly explained to the point .. I finally learned what "seasoned"actually ment
More like wet, dry and dryer
Thanks a lot on the tutorial, I’ve been searching for awhile now looking for a video or even just info about if it’s harder to split wood weeks or months after tree has fallen. You answered it for me! Definitely helped me from stressing on all the trees that fell after hurricane.
My grandfather would cut down trees in the late fall once all the leaves were off, buck them up and split them on the coldest days of the winter and stack them bark up and then cover the topmost layer with a waterproof tarp near an open field so the wind and sun would assist in drying.
Been splitting northern hardwoods by hand for almost 50 years. Green wood is always easier to split than dry--the moisture acts as a lubricant. Tried a log splitter once-- too damn noisy and the finished product looked more shredded than cleanly split. I get more satisfaction when I do it by hand, and I can pass on the skill to others. My all-time favorite woods: Black Cherry, Hard Maple, Oak, and Ash.
I know it is 2 years since your post here, but I have been happy to find out and use Beech wood from my property to burn. We only use the fireplace about 8 to 10 time per year here in SE PA, but the Beech leaves some hot coals. I only season it for about 6 months or so - sometimes I try to speed it up and lay as many logs out on the driveway in sunny hot weather. I love Black Cherry too. Don't have much Oak and Ash on my property.
Ontario here, im with you 💯. Cherrys less heat but a beauty to handle. Ash and elm split better wet, sadly no oak on my farm lol
"Green wood is always easier to split than dry?" Not where I'm from. I split mostly hardwoods and all of them split easier if they're dry, especially elm.
for me elm is easier green than dry@@fman4234
@mackenziemitchell1109 Elm splits better when it's cold, IMO. That said, I would rather split the wood ASAP and get it stacked and drying. If it doesn't want to split (my splitting maul says, "I want asking"), a bit of noodling with a chainsaw will take care of it and provide some good shavings to use as a fire starter.
We just got into wood burning and this was was very, VERY helpful information! Thank you
I find fallen branches in the woods on the ground, the type with no bark but the wood is still solid but been on the ground enough to be seasoned. I bring them home, cut them up and stack them around the stove until dry. They are only surface wet if exposed to rain so they dry very quick.
Get the use of wood dryness gauge. Stack the wood outside in a single 4 foot high row, being sure to have the pile face the low humidity winds of the summer. After some months get a few pieces that 'seem' dry-ish. Split them open and use the gauge to test the newly open wood surfaces. If the reading is 20% or less, you're ready to burn the pile. Seasoning and drying are synonyms for our concerns here. Luthiers may want to wait years for all the wood saps to harden (seasoning)
Can't beat the warmth of wood heat.
Nuclear fission.
I'm not real clear how "warmth" from different sources differs. I'm guessing you mean something more specific. How do you figure "warmth" from a wood fire differs from a water-pipe radiator?
@@squirlmy well, you see, warmth has a literary definition and a connotative one. Sometimes, when people speak, they are not 100% literal like the blue guy from Watchmen or Spock. Often times, they have a little Ryan Reynolds in them.
I know I wish I did ;)
Cuvtixo D The experience of wood heat- smell, memory, stove warming and adding heat, etc. The affective dimension
@@squirlmy have you ever warmed up next to a cast iron stove? It's quite unique, it's radiating heat, and it's definitely warmer than water pipes...
Cast iron warms different compared to water pipes.
Good for you that you have so much wood that you can let it dry for several seasons before splitting. I don’t think most people have that luxury or wood storage space. My experience with oak and cedar is that it is easier to split green wood, so I like to use a 25 ton hydraulic splitter. I can easily do that myself, split rounds down to a size that I can easily list with one hand: it not only dried out to less than 20% moisture quickly, it’s easy to handle, stack, and move as needed. I have a few friends that own splitters, and we help each other out, so I haven’t purchased one yet. My easy-build fire in a wood stove or fireplace: 2-3 oak logs on the bottom; 3 cedar smaller logs crosswise on top of oak; remove the middle cedar log, and place crumpled paper there: replace the third cedar log when the paper is burned; stack kindling and bark strips crosswise above the cedar; light with match or propane torch; leave door partly open until paper is burned and kindling is going well, them replace the third cedar piece, close the door, and give full air until the oak on the bottom is burning. Takes 5 minutes max for a cold start with 20% or better dried wood.
Dry... Seasoned..... Sure whatever don't leave red oak in rounds it will rot it needs to be split to properly dry
christopher fitch good info!
I have some rounded up I'll need to split up.
Not true
Thank you for this video! It was very, very helpful and easy to follow along!!
Wow thank you very much! We use wood wrongly alot!
Another drying aid is to bring the firewood inside a day or two before hand and stack or rack it near the stove to drive out as much moister as possible. You will notice the heat output and combust ability for sure.
Plus, you’re raising the temperature of it. If it’s 15°F outside and your indoor wood is 75°F when you burn it, that’s a 60°F headstart towards combustion.
@@davegarber7964 yes most people dont understand this.
dont ever throw frozen wood in your wood stove, bad news.
bring it 8 hours in advance, at least, and let it get up to temperature. if its very frozen it could take even longer.
@@Motoko1134 All true but bringing in frozen wood has a cooling effect to the indoor temp. i.e. heat energy from the indoor air conducts to the cooler wood. So, it doesn't really matter - burn cold wood or bring it in the night before - the energy transfer relating to heating your home is the same either way.
I would be extremely careful about leaving wood in or near the house due to termites/insects.
@@JJG84679 This thread is about drying wood, not insects. Although I appreciate the insect thing - I got bombarded with ash borers - came out of hibernation and flew everywhere inside last winter - when I brought inside the ash wood of which they bored. Alas!
I burn wood that has been shed kept, stacked and air dried for 3 -5 yrs before burning for heat. I rarely touch a chain saw or a wood splitter, I pay $120 for full cords (4x4x8) delivered of split mixed hardwood, red oak, white oak, ash, hickory. I heat my 2,000 sq ft shop with 2 wood heaters, I bring in 1/2 cord of wood in a box built on a pallet that I move with the forks on my tractor. I get trailer loads of hard wood left overs from a company that makes commercial moldings and trim, the wood is free and they load it on my trailer. I use this wood for kindling. I currently have about 7 years worth of wood ( stacked 8 ft wide x 18 ft long x 5 ft high) under my wood shed and plenty of kindling stacked in racks. I think I have a good thing going, all I do is stack the wood when delivered then load it in the wood box to be moved inside as needed. life is good.,
Thank you. BTW, I HAVE THE SAME SUNJOE SPLITTER, CANT SAY ENOUGH ABOUT HOW GOOD IT WORKS. I CAN KEEP WITH A GAS POWERED SPLITTER WITH THIS LITTLE GUY. AND THE PRICE, ABOUT 120. Is worth it.
Here is South Texas, I use mesquite a lot. Usually, I just cut what Mother Nature brings down in a hurricane, strong wind, or storms. I don't cut it into small sections. I trim the sections so that they are as large as I can manage to carry to my truck which and take these logs and place them upright against a main tree and let them dry for 3-5 (or more) years. Don't even cover them. Even the small branches - 2-4 inches thick - I also take and stack them upright and dry. I then use them as needed and cut them so that I can BBQ or just enjoy a pit fire. Never had a problem with them being rotted by weather or fungus or ants, etc. They are superbly seasoned and easy to cut to size. I have found a few that had the end touching the ground a little rotted but they were easily trimmed and used that small piece to start a fire. Mesquite bark seems to be waterproof even when dried and seasoned.
Just starting my own small firewood business. I’m learning so much from all these videos. Thank you so much for sharing.
Same here bought the champion 27 ton splitter and split 2 cords and now it's the waiting game for it to dry and season in order to sell
@@browner400h I got the Champion 37 ton. Loving it 😁. Tip* if you haven’t already, get a “hay” hook. It’s like $8 and helps so much with lifting.
@@browner400h Injust bought a 27 ton forest king.. I’ve been cutting and splitting dead trees that were standing with out bark..
I'm looking to buy wood, this video helps us all.
The way i understand you determine if wood is suitable to burn is to use a moisture meter. Anything 20% or below is ready to burn. I do not go by dry or seasoning terminology , just moisture content .
While you can burn at twenty percent, watch your flue and chimney. Truly seasoned wood is more like twelve percent moisture.
@@markpashia7067 Thanks for your feedback. - In books and a government publications I have here where I live it reads 15% to 20% moisture content is ideal .
I can imagine getting it lower than that would be difficult unless you have a dry kiln. But I been burning cedar, fir, hemlock , pine, aspen, maple and arbutus for 20 years not had any problem
I am no expert here, but I cut, dry and burn a lot of wood. I would suggest there is no difference between dried and seasoned wood except for moisture content unless there has been some degradation by fungi which is undesirable for wood heating. Any appearance of fungi indicates biological degradation ie. respiration where organic carbon, wood, is converted into gaseous carbon dioxide. Fungi will eventually convert about 80% of the wood into humus which wii be further degraded by bacteria until virtually all of it is in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Thus, if fungi are allowed to thrive in cut wood, it’s heating capacity is rapidly diminished. Fungi permeate throughout the wood and surface fungi may not be indicative of what is happing inside the log. All of us just toss those fungi worked logs aside if they are unusually lite. They will burn fine, but rapidly if dry, but with little heat output. Rapidly drying wood by keeping it under cover will prevent or stop fungal growth. Again all fungal growth is undesirable with regard to preserving the potential heat content of wood. If I see any evidence of fungi I get it covered immediately to stop the growth. Moisture content can only be reliably measured by weighing before and after oven drying at about 220 F. I use a moisture meter which is good enough for us wood heaters. Wood will dry without fungal growth if it is kept under cover with sides mostly open for ventilation. It will not dry (just rots) in my climate, zone 4, with about 30 inches rain per year if is not covered on top. I like to see a moisture content of less than 15% when I check a piece just split off the pile. I read that less than 20% moisture is fine for most stoves.
Yes, burning green wood will add to creosote buildup, but stove, chimney, and flue conditions all contribute to the build up as well. A well insulated flue will keep the smoke hot enough not to build up as much. A poor insulated chimney or flue will allow the smoke to cool and slow down, making much worse draw, therefor building up creosote much much faster. Best thing you can do is get a thermostat on your stovepipe and try to keep your output at the proper temps and clean the chimney at least 1 if not 2 times a year. From Maine, we know a thing or 2 about burning wood
It's been my experience that large rounds of red oak absorb moisture more than they dry out. Only after they have been broken do they start to dry. The smaller the split the faster it dries. I'm in Michigan.
Amen to that
Desert air (high desert here) vs high humidity environment. BIG difference on speed of drying and what shape/form dries or not.
Seasoned fire wood, since the 1800's has been defined as 20% moisture content. The term seasoned comes from steam railroad companies. The wood was to be split and stacked for a season. If stacked according to their instructions the wood would acclimatize to 20% moisture content. Back then the percentage was determined by weighing a sample then drying it in an oven and weighing it again. Divide the later by the former and you get the percent moisture content. Today you can get a moisture meter inexpensively to the same thing in a split second.
As a master chimney sweep of 25 years I have seen the results of burning wood of the proper moisture content versus wet wood both in the field and at home. Wood that is much more than 20% moisture burns cooler until that latent energy is lost. A cooler fire results in less combustion efficiency. Less efficient fires waste energy in the form of unburnt gasses to the flue where it condenses to form creosote.
As an anecdote I will describe the effect of moisture content in my stove. My stove has been burning non-stop for the last 45 days.My stove has a tested combustion efficiency of 80%. But where I can actually see the effect of moisture in on the glass. With wood of 30% moisture creosote deposits form on the glass needing to be cleaned off daily. With wood measuring 20% moisture the glass stay clean. In the chimney, after burning 1.5 cords of wood at 20% moisture content there is so little soot that I do not yet feel a need to sweep.
🤔 hmmm... 😎🚬
Where I’m from, it snows (actually it just hails) about once every 10 years. But knowing this can be helpful pribably
Awesome video! Wish I had land like that where I could use the info!
I found that finding the right types of local wood and stacking the wood properly makes firewood so easy.
I use a “crappy beater” axe to split maple or black walnut on the ground. Bucking billy ray had a video on it. You’re basically playing golf splitting wood. It goes super fast because I’m on stopping to pick up wood to stack in a pile.
Building a wood wall helps get maximum air flow through it and sun and helps to dry it faster.
Good info, but to me green red oak splits way easier than once it starts to dry.
what type of ash was that?
Looked like maple to me
Yep, pretty sure that was maple
red maple. its the rarest type of ash
I would agree, with the appearance if it was left out.... I keep mine in a lean to and does not look like that, dry or seasoned
New to this, thanks for the tips
Great video tutorial, thank you for posting!
Very helpful information. Thank you.
I have 7 year maple in my backyard and just built a pit yesterday
Rotten and seasoned are two totally different things.
7 year is rotten
Good tip. Mushroom would not grow on that firewood unless there is moisture left.
This really helped! i bought firewood that was just cut and had some moisture and it took forever to burn. It just produced smoke mainly. I'm gonna try seasoned wood like I did last time. It produced a lot of heat like you described
Do you seriously store and "season" your wood under plastic tarp? 😢 The black on the wood has zero to do with how seasoned it is. Moisture content is the one and only number you need to know. Under 20% recommended. For all watching, most of what is stated in this video is bad advice.
man i love your voice. keep talking the way you do
Here in Germany we let it sit covered for 2 or even 3 years, before we fire it.
Have seen a chimney burning once, don´t want to have it on my own.
and remember to split as a hobby, not as a chore, you'll get more done throughout the year that way
Your right, i love splitting wood when i have the time
Your right ! I fucking HATE SPLITTING WOOD, that is why I showed my wife and children how to properly split wood . I just sit back and have a cold Canadian Molson Beer while they split wood on a HOT SUMMER day ! ! LG = Life is Good ! Cheers from Canada . Polar Bear country .
Best advice I've read today! Thank you!
Invite your friends over for a manly splitting contest...... "I can split more wood than you"👍
Concise and informative; great job. Keep up the good work. 😁
Thank-You, I learnt alot in this video.
I had to show the ol lady your video I'm pretty sure it's gonna help us out in the future
I don’t agree with this method entirely. Wood will only evaporate out so much moisture. Once the internal moisture content acclimates to the relative humidity it will stop “seasoning”. Usually this only takes about six months for most species cut less than 36” in length, which no one has a stove that large. After that it’s pointless. Just gonna rot. If you really want dry wood, build a solar kiln from scrap lumber and some 3mil clear plastic. Your red oak will be 9% moisture in six weeks. This is up in the North East where the average humidity is roughly 60%. I’ve moisture tested oak and maple left out to season for 3 years and the internal moisture was barely 18%. Same results after testing oak and maple left out from May to October.
I don’t disagree with your opinion. As long as your ‘six month’ period doesn’t include winter! I always cut and split in the spring, air dry all summer, and move the wood to the shed late fall. It’s fully seasoned at that point.
Folks, get an inexpensive wood moisture meter and test your firewood, or any wood you're thinking of buying. It's trivial. In my experience, the General Tools meter works well. About 15% moisture or lower is good. Generally, the lower the better. In a pinch, you can bang two chunks of firewood together and listen for the sound. You want to hear something like two bowling pins being banged together. For many years, a buddy of mine and I cut firewood from a nearby mid-western forest managed for making oak, walnut, hickory and cherry furniture. The furniture company would take the trunks leaving the tree-tops for local citizens who needed firewood. Most of it was no bigger than 6-8 inches in diameter, and you could cut, literally, all the firewood you could haul out of there for.....$5 per YEAR. When I sold my old farmhouse, I also sold 3 cords of seasoned oak and a Lange woodstove.
Very useful thanks
Thanks for sharing
Thank you
Green red oak is much easier splitting green in my experience. May be different for others. Ash and Douglas fur is a joy to split. Wish we had some around here
"Ash and Douglas fur is a joy to split." - Douglas fur? You may have assaulted a cat.
I’m new to using wood as a primary heating source is it normal for wood to smell like poop? Also, if it’s seasoned, is it normally bright on the inside? I’m working with hardwood.
I don't know what kind of wood it is but I have cut some that smells like poop I leave it in the woods I can smell it when I cut it if it's stacked in my barn I walk in my barn smells like an outhouse I don't get back in the woods if it smells in my house will smell in my customers houses
Thank you, this is extremely helpful to me!
Thank you ,Your video was so helpful.
Red oak takes 3 years to fully season. Birtch beach and ash you can burn almost green. But you need too cover it when it rains or it will rot. And it depends on the stove and temperature to burn semi seasoned and fully seasoned wood. I mix both. Haven't had a problem doing that
Or 3 months in a greenhouse. “Haven't had a problem doing that”, except you’re losing Btu’s and sacrificing efficiency by mixing-in the improperly seasoned wood.
Awesome explanation, THANKS! 👍
Thanks
I cant think of 1000 facebook firewood sellers that need to watch this video. 90% of people have no clue what seasoned means.
A little salt, pepper, and garlic powder is all you need.............
The definition of seasoned wood is: wood that has been kept out of the elements (it can’t get rained on or snowed on for at least 7 to 12 months, and some hardwoods even longer, and has a moisture content of less than 20%.
And another definition of seasoned wood is: it has a moisture content of less than 20%, regardless of any other factors. Here in Central New York, a carefully vented greenhouse can take care of the process in a couple of months for hophornbeam, osage orange, persimmon and even hickory.
A tip for people trying to heat a small cabin. Burning logs that aren’t seasoned is sometimes better. Yes the heat won’t be as hot because it’s also trying to dry the log, but it also means the log will last longer. So use 6 month old wood when lots of heat isn’t needed. It’ll save time, real estate, and it might even save you a couple bucks if you’re buying it, because people usually pay a premium for totally seasoned wood.
I use pretty fresh (5 month old) birch and mountain ash that I make myself and mix it in seasoned wood as needed. I find it helps not having to baby the fireplace that often, it can be 3-5 hours between each load in stead of every half hour with 2-3 year old seasoned wood. I assume I have to sweep the chimney more often, but I will find out.
@@Snurre86 : I leave most of my wood in the round because it burns slower and also because i dont feel like splitting all my wood . if the wood is not green , it will burn just fine , even if its a little wet . this is all nonsense about having to have the best and driest of firewood . basically i only split large rounds and then only in half , so they can fit through the door opening in the wood stove , except i do split some cedar kindling , not because i need to but because i want to .
Not true at all. If you have a modern wood burning stove your best results and heat output will be with well seasoned wood under 20% moisture content. Of course you can do whatever you want including being a hack.@@tjlee9901
@@tjlee9901So far, my experience with rounds is that they just won't burn unless they have something else helping them burn. They'll even go out half burned if I don't keep adding smaller stuff to help them keep burning (this was from an elm that had been down for nearly 5 years). As a result, any rounds I burn are on the smaller side and will almost always be accompanied by larger split pieces that seem to catch easier and stay burning longer.
great video. I use a moisture meter which is wonderful.
Oak needs two years covered up to dry. Covering up is important. Greetings from Germany.
Very helpful video. Thanks
Very I interesting and informative video!
I learned the difference between dry and green wood the hard way, when we moved into a dump and the only heat source was a wood stove. Nearly burned down the house trying to get the sizzling wood to dry out by stacking it on the stove. “Nothing is as frightening as watching ignorance in action.”
Haha, I learned the same lesson albeit with my smoker. I ruined part of my deck :(
Oh man, I wish I would have watched this before getting some wood at the store…got some green red oak…I live in central Texas and well it’s cold today and I keep having to fan my fire to get it to somewhat burn. Rookie mistake on my part. That’s what I get from buying it at the grocery store. Lesson learned.
Thanks!
Invest in a moisture meter you will be surprised how wet you're oak is if it is not split I try to cut dead trees sometimes they are a little drier than green trees but some are pretty wet just because a piece of oak been laying there for a year does not mean it is dry
Some wood is a lot easier to split green than seasoned. Depends on the species of tree.
I find its easier to split spruce freshly cut than to leave them seasoned
Beech is a killer to split when dry. Axe just flips right back. I always split when green.
@@thedude5435 Poplar splits better when green . As it dries it stiffens up and you don't get a clean split . In the winter all wood splits best when it's frozen . I use a 4 ton electric splitter and it splits anything that doesn't have a knot.
If you dont split locust wet, you'll be ripping it with the saw.
I love burning dead red elm but it won't split (using a splitting maul) wet or dry. Have to use a power splitter on it. Maple, ash, locust, etc. split better when it is about zero out; the colder the better.
I can't ever seem to store up any wood for more than one season for it to dry properly. I chop a few big piles during summer/fall. Pile is almost finished now in early January. Its cold in PA
Good video. Thanks for making it.
Got some wood from my grandfather for the wood stove. Old growth Douglas Fir, kept in a large woodshed for about 15 years.. talk about well seasoned! (And made very nice kindling)
Wow! Lol cool, Douglas fir hmm!!were abouts are you, I’m in Juneau Alaska burning spruce and hemlock , but grew up in Lynnwood Washington
@@jefferylawrence9812 Cascadia Oregon, born and raised.. but I know Lynnwood a bit. I served on the USS Momsen DDG-92 home ported out of Everett.
Rexford L beautiful place I love Oregon! I could definitely live there it feels like home in Oregon! That’s so cool!! I use to live in Everett for a bit went to high school there for a couple years!
You should measure the moisture with somekind od sensor becasue it is very hard to judge the water content of the wood only by looking at it.
In Europe most wood in kiln fried so it look like your green wood . So people in Europe seasoned wood is often kiln dried to below 20% moisture content.
I am currently using 12 month barn seasoned wood it a mixture of English oak, apple trees, silver birch beech Manchester poplar, non of its that dark colour. But it's all below 20% so it depends on wood.
UK here.
Yep, Ash is among the best of firewoods and it is said can be burned green, but it's not a great idea. Fresh, green Ash has a moisture content of about 32%. It is best cut at latest in early Spring, so as to be down to 20% or below by winter.
Oak is also of course a great firewood, but it's nowhere near as easy to obtain as will be the case in the US. It needs to be split at once and then needs long seasoning of at least a whole year. Birch is decent firewood - again split and long season. Hawthorn is very good, and burns very hot but there isn't a lot available and it also needs long seasoning.
Regulations around bituminous coal burning and firewood are set to change here in the UK - in a years time, from February 2021. Basically, bituminous coal will be banned for domestic use from 2021 (small bags) and from 2023 (bulk supplies from a registered coal merchant). Small quantities of 'wet' firewood will be banned from 2021, while larger quantities will have to have seasoning (or drying) information supplied at the point of sale - a little bit lame I feel, because you can lead a horse to water ......
Good video anyway.
I know I'll get static but 60 years ago we would not cut trees for firewood until late fall, after the sap stopped flowing. Thus the term seasoned. I am not aware of when it changed or why. Maybe it is just a western Pennsylvania thing.
Great video, but one question you sure that’s ash u held in your hand ? I’m In Pennsylvania and we have a lot of ash up here but the bark looks nothing? We have white Ash here
Very good informational video I live in central va too so many similar trees to this for sure
Wondering if my wood is bad. Ive had it outside on a patio getting wet in the rain and drying for a year now. It splinters really easy. Its not rotten its a very grey color. But it just refuses too burn. It just smolders in my fireplace. Any ideas? Not sure what kind of wood it is. I live in Houston Texas and the wood was bought back during the ice storm of Feb 2020. So its probably some sort of oak.
That purple means it Has/Had oak wilt. It spreads on the spring. Like pollination and it’s suppose to be Burnt rite away or tossed away I was told.because it can still Spread covered up. Just what I was told by a Older Logger and DNR Person. All I know maybe you can tell me more?.. thanks
Great vid , thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
Thanks brilliant video
Red Oak holds an abundance of moisture, one of the last trees to lose it's leaves in fall. Split those rounds quickly to speed up drying, In Wisconsin it may take two years to season red oak depending on weather and how it's stored,
....or 3 months in a greenhouse.
@@davegarber7964 not everyone has a greenhouse dude, we get the point.
I did learn something and I thank you.
Omg…I’ve just decided that I’m the arbiter of all things wood related. I speak from the high ground of not knowing what I’m on about..
There’s hardwoods and soft woods. I live in the northwest of England and people here seem to be determined to buy plastic plants, artificial grass or pave everything
On the other hand I didn’t expect those previously small trees to grow so quickly or so big. ‘
@8:24 good tip! Keep uncovered so moisture can escape! Only problem is if it rains all that rain will sit underneath the stacks adding more moisture to get rid off. + if you got leaves falling you dont want those in there. Tough call.
Covered with some type of roof is good, but just a tarp is bad.
@@900stx7 yeah because water goes through a tarp. Smh.
@@WeatherNut27 a roof keeps rain water off the wood but allows the wood to still breathe and dry on it's own.
With a tarp you get protection from rain but no air circulation.
@@900stx7 you're not supposed to tarp the whole thing. Just the top. Wind and air still flows through the stack from front, sides and back. I get your point though that humidity can rise up and and out but how much faster is it to season? 1 month? Tarps are more practical
@@rogerknight2267 Yeah, I started doing something similar. On sunny days I just take the whole tarp off. Lol. Kinda annoying but definitely helps. One day I forgot to cover it back up and a surprise Thunderstorm hit. Whoops.