Have you had that in the house for a while? Hard to believe 10% MC in PA this time of year...or really almost anywhere that isn't a dry desert type environment. Hey, Daryl Lamppa of Lamppa MFG (Kuuma furnaces) and his manager Dale have both told me my 3-5 year CSS wood is too dry! JRHAWK9 has heard the same from them too...their recommended MC range is 18-28%...this is from the guy that invented/builds the cleanest burning hot air wood furnace on the market...not saying that I've personally noticed that 20% plus wood burns better than sub 18% in these things, but I dunno...the gassifier boiler guys will tell you to not load too much uber dry (sub15%) wood too...
I need to corner these people and learn their secrets to burning water. Clearly they’ve stumbled onto a new energy source that could change the course of civilization as we know it and they’re keeping the technology hidden from the public. Must be the same people that squashed all of Tesla’s revolutionary ideas
The answer I got was that it takes a little bit of water to make "combustible fluids"...I did a bit of research and found that plants that burn wood chips don't like them too dry either...seems there is a "happy place" as far as MC, at least for wood chips...dunno why cordwood would be any different. I'm not arguing with you guys here, I'm skeptical too, but the more I dig the more it seems there is something to this...
I s’pose I could buy that. What really floors me is that if I had one of these fancy stoves, I guess I could hoard a lot less, considering I wouldn’t need so much inventory to stay ahead of the drying time.
Maybe go on a 2 1/4 year plan then? I'll have to nose around and ask the local owners of a Kuuma as to what they have found.
Not in the house, and thats a fresh split.... 3 layers down from the brown metal roof of the wood show.
I tried to research the chemistry side of wood burning (and it really is chemistry) and it didn't take too long to be too deep in the weeds for me to really understand it all...I know my limits. Yeah, good luck with that...I haven't figured out how to control it yet...I have started selling a little, and now keep a stash of "pre CSS'd" wood off site, just to keep the spousal unit from beginning to question my inventory levels...
Wow, right on with wood that dry. Driest Ive ever seen was about 16 % on fresh split stores outdoors undercover. That’s in coastal CT so the humidity is always a little higher here. My usual dry stuff is 17-20%. Been burning stuff closer to 25 to get it out of the way. Burning more wide open and will check chimney sooner with that stuff.
I can draw some parallels but can’t vouch for what variables are hard and fast in a wood stove. I expect they’re limited by the damper for air and the fuel. Trying not to go to far into it, because I type with my thumbs, but in a power plant there is a lot of fixed geometry around the heat exchange surfaces. And to get that, the fuel and heat content is assumed at design. I expect a stove is designed similarly. Water takes away from the fuel heat content as it changes phase from liquid to gas; there’s no temperature change ( sensible heat ) until that is complete but it takes heat energy to accomplish the phase change. That must be what the designer are considering when drawing the heat exchange system for what can be expected as likely.
I have no doubt there is some design limitations due to "building for the masses", and everything that entails...and then you have to get past the EPA test now too...
I dunno, my 6.5 year old stuff is burning freakin' great this year. I'll be burning 7.5 old stuff next year and 8.5 the following year.....and only getting older from there. Although when I test my oak it's anywhere between 12-15%. It's hit the equilibrium point by now I'm guessing and now will just fluctuate based on atmospheric conditions.
