Holz Hausen-Dry Wood In Three Months?

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arrow.......... I suspect the scientific math comes out equal on both sides. IE energy in = energy out. It takes less energy to get and feed rounds into the wood boiler than it does to get, split and feed splits into the boiler...... and you get less net energy out with big rounds.

So the questions might be phrased as how do you want to spend your energy? More rounds or more splits.......

Make sense?





I also had the same issue with snow inundating my outdoor, carefully stacked, round oval house of fire wood last year. I have heated with fire wood since 2007. For my money, split wood stacked in rows in my wood shed gives me the greatest all around satisfaction. And I put up and use 15 - 20 cord a year. It does take more energy to stack the wood in the shed, but I like the results much better....... I set the end of the splitter in the lip of the shed so I am not really handling the wood any more, no matter how I stack it.

No. I'm talking about getting the most "heat" energy out of a piece of wood and not all around energy to create the firewood. Besides. don't we all know making firewood is so enjoyable we don't think we're expending any energy?

 

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I never saw those claims form our boiler manufacturer (Central Boiler). They were pretty clear: you need dry wood, and it should be under 8" in thickness. Our system is one of the EPA registered gassification units (E3200). Works great, but does not like green wood.

This summer was cooler than normal, but generally we have hot and humid summers. We're basically a swamp located above sea level. It's not uncommon for 95+ degree days for weeks at a time, and we've even had 100+ degree days for more than 20 days in a row. That tends to dry anything, real fast. I've even had to wet the stacks to keep them from getting case-hard.

The stuff we're splitting now will work next year. In a pinch, a few months is 'good enough'. And during moderate temps - just cold enough for heat, but not a lot of heat - we burn the "ugly wood" scraps that are still wet, along with some dry stuff. It puts out fewer BTUs, but that's fine when the heat demand is low. When it's cold outside, I don't want to load 100+ pieces of 8 inch scrap. So doing it now it a good thing.

These claims go back some to the late 70's,80's and early 90's when I would still read some of their poppycock about their product. Glad to hear that about some manufacturers. I think with some counties across the U.S actually banning outdoor wood furnaces because of the smoke created by burning unseasoned wood, they would get there act together and not spout off some of the rhetoric they were stating just to sell this wood appliance over another..

 

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Around here, people like wood boilers because they don't worry about the creosote build up with the very short stack chimney. So if they burn green, or pine, or poplar it does not concern them the way it would in the house with the standard length chimneys. That is why they say you can burn what you want. Of course dry wood gives more heat, but green wood still can be burnt.

I always prefer round wood to split wood. After two years it is just as dry as split, and lasts longer in the stove - good for overnight burns. Split wood, unless packed in the stove gives more passageways for the flame to travel and burn. Three rounds concentrates the flame - gives heat without having to damp it down excessively to prevent a roaring fire.

I dunno T. I think a lot has to do with the type of wood. Silver maple (which is like burning paper) get's dried out real fast. I've had two year old oak splits measure to 14% moisture content but when I went to split these splits, the insides would measure from 25% to 30% if I re-split a 6" split. Explains the "hiss" even two year old oak makes when thrown in the stove.I've heard some wood dries to about an inch per year. It becomes advantageous to split it if that's the case.

 

[Dead Horse]

No. I'm talking about getting the most "heat" energy out of a piece of wood and not all around energy to create the firewood. Besides. don't we all know making firewood is so enjoyable we don't think we're expending any energy?

THAT I can agree with.......... I am completely sold on burning well seasoned wood for its heat potential, and making the effort to prepare it properly. I am not beyond burning all kinds of material that comes my way to generate heat and for ease of disposal, for sure. I really don't know why stacking my splits, nice and neat in my wood shed gives me such satisfaction, but it does. It is an additional point of pride that said fire wood burns so well, either as an atmospheric fire in the fire place of just making heat in the winter to keep me from freezing.

 

[Dead Horse]

I dunno T. I think a lot has to do with the type of wood. Silver maple (which is like burning paper) get's dried out real fast. I've had two year old oak splits measure to 14% moisture content but when I went to split these splits, the insides would measure from 25% to 30% if I re-split a 6" split. Explains the "hiss" even two year old oak makes when thrown in the stove.I've heard some wood dries to about an inch per year. It becomes advantageous to split it if that's the case.

That is the conundrum for me.. My stove can take huge rounds......... I split them ONLY because getting them dried out produces more heat. The rub is how small do you split them to? Too small and you are way over handling the fuel. I suppose that is why pellet stoves are so efficient.

The stove does tend to heat up and dry out any damp wood between cycles of the damper, and this time of the year, the cycles are longer, so I suppose if I am going to burn insufficiently dried fuel, this is the time of year to do it.

I also get your point about the smoke re damp fuel. Once my stove turns the fuel charge to charcoal, it does not smoke at all........

 

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That is the conundrum for me.. My stove can take huge rounds......... I split them ONLY because getting them dried out produces more heat. The rub is how small do you split them to? Too small and you are way over handling the fuel. I suppose that is why pellet stoves are so efficient.

The stove does tend to heat up and dry out any damp wood between cycles of the damper, and this time of the year, the cycles are longer, so I suppose if I am going to burn insufficiently dried fuel, this is the time of year to do it.

I also get your point about the smoke re damp fuel. Once my stove turns the fuel charge to charcoal, it does not smoke at all........

Years ago Dead (like 1978) The periodical "Mother Earth News" did an experiment as to just what was the most efficient size to split wood that afforded ease of handling and production, burn efficiency and dry out time. They used a variety of wood types and size differentiated splits from 3" to 8" and came to several conclusions. 6" width wood splits seemed to produce the most efficiency no matter what the wood type. Red oak was said to need at least a 2 year drying period and preferably 3 when split to this size. White oak, hickory, elm was given 1 to two years with most maples and evergreens 6 months to 1 year.

 

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THAT I really don't know why stacking my splits, nice and neat in my wood shed gives me such satisfaction, but it does. .

Its one of the few things we can control that affords us a sense of order in a world fraught with chaos. At least that's what I'm thinking between swears and curses at the rest of the world. Very therapeutic I think.

 

[GMIslander]

Originally Posted by Dead Horse

THAT I really don't know why stacking my splits, nice and neat in my wood shed gives me such satisfaction, but it does. .

every man looks upon his wood pile with a sort of affection.

― Henry David Thoreau

 

[clemsonfor]

I never saw those claims form our boiler manufacturer (Central Boiler). They were pretty clear: you need dry wood, and it should be under 8" in thickness. Our system is one of the EPA registered gassification units (E3200). Works great, but does not like green wood.

This summer was cooler than normal, but generally we have hot and humid summers. We're basically a swamp located above sea level. It's not uncommon for 95+ degree days for weeks at a time, and we've even had 100+ degree days for more than 20 days in a row. That tends to dry anything, real fast. I've even had to wet the stacks to keep them from getting case-hard.

The stuff we're splitting now will work next year. In a pinch, a few months is 'good enough'. And during moderate temps - just cold enough for heat, but not a lot of heat - we burn the "ugly wood" scraps that are still wet, along with some dry stuff. It puts out fewer BTUs, but that's fine when the heat demand is low. When it's cold outside, I don't want to load 100+ pieces of 8 inch scrap. So doing it now it a good thing.

I promise you that if you take a moisture meter and resplit a new split and check the MC that it will be in the 30% range. Every wood stove and i guess boiler recomends 20%. I live here in upstate SC and have weather probably the same as yours but hotter and less humid and i cant get oak to less than 25% in less than 2 years. It usually takes about 2-2.5 years to get it marginal in the 17-24% range based on weather the oak was live or dead when i cut it.

 

[clemsonfor]

Around here, people like wood boilers because they don't worry about the creosote build up with the very short stack chimney. So if they burn green, or pine, or poplar it does not concern them the way it would in the house with the standard length chimneys. That is why they say you can burn what you want. Of course dry wood gives more heat, but green wood still can be burnt.

I always prefer round wood to split wood. After two years it is just as dry as split, and lasts longer in the stove - good for overnight burns. Split wood, unless packed in the stove gives more passageways for the flame to travel and burn. Three rounds concentrates the flame - gives heat without having to damp it down excessively to prevent a roaring fire.

there is no issue with burning pine. If you burn GREEN pine yes there is a chance for chimney fire as there is more volitile gasses and such in it, but seasoned wood PROPERLY not split 3 months before you burn it like some here claim is perfectly safe. I burned half a cord or more of pine last year. no accumulation of creosote over if i just burned oak.

What do you think they burn in regions that only have pine?