Firewood Season 2023

[Cavman]

For all you experts……. I have oak that has been bucked laying on the ground for 2+ years… splits like a dream but it is still red on the inside. Does the color have anything to do with the dryness? Or is it only red from not being exposed to weather and is in fact dry?

At two years id say its dry. Red seems to always stay a little

 

[cg21]

At two years id say its dry. Red seems to always stay a little

That was my thought… especially with the way it is splitting. I have just seen a lot of people referencing color as an indicator of dryness.

 

[Cavman]

That was my thought… especially with the way it is splitting. I have just seen a lot of people referencing color as an indicator of dryness.

I always go by sound too. If ya hit two splits together and get a nice clunk I guess for lack of better words, then I says its good

 

[COOPADUP]

Split a couple ricks of locust with a good friend of mine.
Seems like a decent hardwood to burn but I'm not sure I've used it in my fireplace before.
Curious to know if anyone has used locust and what your opinions are.

 

[klausm]

It burned well in a wood stove, didn't seem to throw sparks like mulberry

 

[yetti462]

Split a couple ricks of locust with a good friend of mine.
Seems like a decent hardwood to burn but I'm not sure I've used it in my fireplace before.
Curious to know if anyone has used locust and what your opinions are.

Black locust is great heat, not the best aroma in smoke.

Honey locust (thorn) is sparky and a royal pita.

 

[Leadeye]

Red oak is a particular species and the wood itself has a red cast. This can be a problem when you make furniture out of it as the red cast has to be covered up or neutralized if it affects the desired color. Doesn't affect it's use as firewood though.

 

[DadSmith]

For all you experts……. I have oak that has been bucked laying on the ground for 2+ years… splits like a dream but it is still red on the inside. Does the color have anything to do with the dryness? Or is it only red from not being exposed to weather and is in fact dry?

If it's laying on the ground it will soak up some moisture. Once you spilt, and stack it let it cure for few weeks to a month, and it should be good to go.
You can buy moisture testers for firewood/wood to test it if you want to know how much moisture is still in it. They are inexpensive and worth it to plan which rick gets burnt next. Or so you can tell your customers the moisture level of the rick/s they plan on buying.

 

[cmann250]

I bucked some cherry, walnut, and oak today. I bust the larger diameter rounds into halves or quarters to save my back.

Pics or it didn’t happen.

 

[indyjohn]

If it's laying on the ground it will soak up some moisture. Once you spilt, and stack it let it cure for few weeks to a month, and it should be good to go.
You can buy moisture testers for firewood/wood to test it if you want to know how much moisture is still in it. They are inexpensive and worth it to plan which rick gets burnt next. Or so you can tell your customers the moisture level of the rick/s they plan on buying.

A must have tool if you're a buyer or seller, IMHO.

 

[cg21]

With the colder air outside my stove has a serious downdraft issue…. Long story short I cannot call the people who installed the stove. Any advice? There is no flue and I believe that is my issue….. but I am far from an expert so if there is a fix without adding a flue since I don’t know how I am all ears

 

[flyingsquirrel]

Your chimney should be X amount higher than X' away from the roof peak. I don't remember the exact formula but I added 3' of extra block and flue to get away from backdraft.

 

[cg21]

I’m gonna try cleaning out the inside of the box today and then get a hot fire going and see what happens

Edit: cleaned out the inside shop vac and all. I’m ruling out a damper issue since the smoke was pouring in while I was attempting to light a fire….. after having the torch in there trying to warm up the chimney for 5-10 minutes….. now the fire is going barely any flames smoking like crazy…..

 

[Leadeye]

When I get the fire started I always have a ball of loose newspaper that I light after lighting the base of the fire. This gets the draft moving up quickly.

When we shut down the fire in the evening we cover the insert with this quilted cover the gardener made. It attaches magnetically and stops any cold air infiltration.

 

[t-squared]

I’m gonna try cleaning out the inside of the box today and then get a hot fire going and see what happens

Edit: cleaned out the inside shop vac and all. I’m ruling out a damper issue since the smoke was pouring in while I was attempting to light a fire….. after having the torch in there trying to warm up the chimney for 5-10 minutes….. now the fire is going barely any flames smoking like crazy…..

Does your chimney have a cap with metal screening?

Something along the lines of these....Chimney Caps

 

[Ingomike]

With the colder air outside my stove has a serious downdraft issue…. Long story short I cannot call the people who installed the stove. Any advice? There is no flue and I believe that is my issue….. but I am far from an expert so if there is a fix without adding a flue since I don’t know how I am all ears

When you say “no flue” what are you describing as you must have some kind of flue? A chmimney has a flue and a pipe from your stove is also a flue.

My recollection is your chimney or pipe must be 3 feet above anything within 10 feet.

Found it:

The 3-2-10 Rule

This rule means that your chimney’s shortest side needs to be at least 3 feet above the roof penetration, and its top has to be 2 feet higher than any part of the building that’s within 10 feet.

 

[stocknup]

Can you share any photos of your setup ? It`s hard to speculate what might be going on with guessing .
Almost sounds like it could be a blockage in the pipe ( creosote or a possible animal nest ? ) .

 

[cg21]

Cleaned out the stove

When you say “no flue” what are you describing as you must have some kind of flue? A chmimney has a flue and a pipe from your stove is also a flue.

My recollection is your chimney or pipe must be 3 feet above anything within 10 feet.

Found it:

The 3-2-10 Rule

This rule means that your chimney’s shortest side needs to be at least 3 feet above the roof penetration, and its top has to be 2 feet higher than any part of the building that’s within 10 feet.

im saying it has no adjustment to adjust the exhaust side of the stove sorry I don’t know all the correct terms lol not an expert hense my problems…..

Can you share any photos of your setup ? It`s hard to speculate what might be going on with guessing .
Almost sounds like it could be a blockage in the pipe ( creosote or a possible animal nest ? ) .

attached pictures there is no blockage ran a brush from the top today all the way to the stove.

When you say “no flue” what are you describing as you must have some kind of flue? A chmimney has a flue and a pipe from your stove is also a flue.

My recollection is your chimney or pipe must be 3 feet above anything within 10 feet.

Found it:

The 3-2-10 Rule

This rule means that your chimney’s shortest side needs to be at least 3 feet above the roof penetration, and its top has to be 2 feet higher than any part of the building that’s within 10 feet.

the chimney is well above the peak of the roof and the peak of the roof is over 10’ away from the chimney



so I am pretty bummed out because I was looking forward to using the new stove on Christmas eve with my family….. I climbed on the roof today there are no obstructions in the chimney ran a brush down to the stove and creosote build up is minimal. And it worked perfect for about a month

 

[cg21]

Does your chimney have a cap with metal screening?

Something along the lines of these....Chimney Caps

Yes it does

 

[indyjohn]

The situation you're describing happens with my stove when the chimney outside is warm, from the sun shining on the unpainted stainless steel pipe and oftentimes when the interior of the cabin is colder than the the chimney. It takes some doing but eventually I can get the stove hot enough that the smoke starts moving up the pipe and continues to flow up and out the chimney. I will also say, even though my chimney clears the roof peak to meet code, I think I should have added an additional section outside.

Maybe you're having a similar issue? Leadeye's technique has merit. Getting heat flowing up the chimney is key.

Old pic from when before we finished the interior


Also an old pic from years ago