mixing green and seasoned wood

   / mixing green and seasoned wood #1  

blackie65

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Eastern Indiana
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I am approaching, I hope, the end of the heating season and have pretty much exhausted my supply of seasoned wood. I do have a decent start on next years wood with a decent stack of wood that was cut this winter. My question is: If I have a good fire already going in my wood furnace, is it ok to mix in a few logs of the green wood with the seasoned wood. I know I don't want to burn exclusively green wood but I still have a few nights that I need a fire. If you guys have input please let me know what an acceptable ratio of seasoned to green wood would be. Thanks for your infinite wisdom :thumbsup:
 
   / mixing green and seasoned wood #2  
Yeah you and me both I am doing it again this year I wasn't prepared as I want to be.

I don't like it but its still better than turning up the gas heat, they say its more creosote heck I don't know but if it burns I do it.

The pipe needs cleaned or replaced anyway come next winter if you use the black thin wall stove pipe like I do, 2 years is it for me fwtw.
 
   / mixing green and seasoned wood #3  
just keep check of the chimney, green wood no matter what it is will give a lot of creosote.
 
   / mixing green and seasoned wood
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Yeah you and me both I am doing it again this year I wasn't prepared as I want to be.

I don't like it but its still better than turning up the gas heat, they say its more creosote heck I don't know but if it burns I do it.

The pipe needs cleaned or replaced anyway come next winter if you use the black thin wall stove pipe like I do, 2 years is it for me fwtw.

that was kinda my thought. I'm close enough to the end of the season that I don't feel the creasote buildup will be that much
 
   / mixing green and seasoned wood #5  
Green or not, the 'creosote' percentage is the same. It condenses in the pipe due to temperature- all that water in the green wood makes it tend to burn cooler. Burn your stove hot, and it leaves the chimney as smoke.
That said, hardwoods are better, both from a BTU, and a creosote POV, than soft woods.
In a pinch, if you haven't cut a good supply by Fall, felling a tree with the leaves still on can provide an acceptable source of wood for the winter. (The leaves will transpire a lot of the moisture from the wood, before they curl up their toes.)

Wood warms you twice; once when cutting, again when burned.
 
   / mixing green and seasoned wood #6  
As stated, keep a check on the chimney. Some woods (Honey Locust, for example) burn better green than dry! The amount of heat going up the flue makes more difference than the dryness of the wood. ~~ grnspot
 
   / mixing green and seasoned wood #8  
Yes you can do it, but as others have mentioned, keep an eye on the chimney.

And I will offer two peices of advice on this subject.

Assuming you have some wood in the house ready for the next time you fix the fire (my parents start the season with about 5 cords already tossed in the basement). Try to get as MUCH of the "green" wood indoors and near the fire. Also, split it as small as you can and still keep good coals. This will help it dry out.

Second peice of advise, if you must burn green wood, try to burn ash. It has a lot less moisture even when green compared to most other woods. And it tends to burn decient when green as well.
 
   / mixing green and seasoned wood #9  
Madrone? Eucalyptus? Good for fires, yes, but here on the East Coast the delivery cost is a killer!:laughing:

-Other than that, lots of good info in the link on burning wood.:thumbsup:
 
   / mixing green and seasoned wood #10  
Green or not, the 'creosote' percentage is the same. It condenses in the pipe due to temperature- all that water in the green wood makes it tend to burn cooler. Burn your stove hot, and it leaves the chimney as smoke.
That said, hardwoods are better, both from a BTU, and a creosote POV, than soft woods.
In a pinch, if you haven't cut a good supply by Fall, felling a tree with the leaves still on can provide an acceptable source of wood for the winter. (The leaves will transpire a lot of the moisture from the wood, before they curl up their toes.)

Wood warms you twice; once when cutting, again when burned.

I agree with what you wrote except about dry soft wood. I burn pine and have been for years it makes no difference on the amount of creosote, from what I have witnessed creosote becomes a problem with wet/green wood whether it be hard or soft. With that being written, you are correct most hard wood will give more BTU's. The ole "don't burn soft wood" is nothing more then a wives tail. The key to having a good burning fire is, make sure the wood is seasoned/dry, that goes for either soft or hard.
 
 
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