green splits in basement: View attachment 6745 That's the same scale I have. I have to warn you, you may not get accurate results - mine keeps malfunctioning and telling me that I weigh a little bit more each time I use it.
Some more Data: Calling Winter "OVER" here ! CSS in Mid Oct, stacked thru mid April (6 months of Alaska winter ) Birch dries more than I expected outside , thru winter here. 5 outside green splits lost over 6 lbs of water combined. the 3 inside green splits lost more, 7 lbs of water combined Outside green splits in the uncovered stack: Outside green : #1 was 12.6 lbs now 11.4 lbs lost - 1.2 lbs of water (- 9.5% ) #2 .. 9.6 .. 8.2 .. - 1.4 .. (-14.6 % ) #3 .. 9.0 .. 7.8 .. - 1.2 .. ( -13.3 % ) #4 .. 9.2 .. 7.8 .. - 1.4 .. ( - 15.2 % ) #7 .. 7.4 .. 6.4 .. - 1.0 .. ( - 13.5 % ) Total (51.4 ) .... ( - 6.2) .... (- 12% ) The inside green splits really getting dry: #5 was 10.0 lbs now 7.0 lbs, lost - 3.0 lbs of water ( -30% ) #6 .. 8.4 .. 5.8 .. -2.6 .. ( -31 % ) #8 .. 7.0 .. 5.6 .. - 1.4 .. ( - 20% ).. (25.4) .... ( 7.0 ) .... (- 27.5 % The inside 3 years seasoned splits was 7.0 now 6.4 lost 0.6 .. ( -8.5% ) was 8.4 now 7.8 lost 0.6 .. ( - 7.1% ) was 9.2 now 8.4 lost 0.8 .. ( - 8.6 % ) So what I called dry still has moisture in it that can be reduced, not a lot but some. Shows there is still some room for improving the dryness of 3 year seasoned birch. Need one of the math wizards to check my math of % of water lost. ( divided weight of water lost by original weight )
Here is some math for you. If your 3 yr wood was at 20% when you brought it in you now have wood at 10%. If it was at 17% you now have wood at 7%. If it was 15% it is now 5%. If your inside wood is now completely dry, zero moisture, your original piece was at 8%. I think it is reasonable to assume your 3 yr wood is in the single digits. There still was moisture to be dried out of that wood but you probably are incapable of doing it outside under natural conditions. It took the elevated heat of the pseudo-kiln conditions in your basement adjacent to your stove to achieve it. If your outside wood was: 65% it is now 45% 60% it is now 41% 50% it is now 31% Clearly not dry as was expected. I wonder how much this was impacted by the unusually warm winter that you had. If the inside wood was: 65% it is now 20% 60% it is now 15% 50% it is now 8% If my high end guess is as wet as it could have been green that wood is ready to burn today. Now if you could get 2 yrs worth of wood into your basement you could dry a yearly supply the previous winter. However your basement might be pretty damp and dank when you bring in all that wet wood so that might be a bad idea.
Makes me want to buy a moisture meter It has lost several gallons of water & is quit a bit lighter than the wood I just split. Goes into the shed in August & will be in there 2 years. Should be dry & burn good by then :firepit:
3 years CSS . LOL Same as Backwoods S. I notice the bark starts to get loose after 3 years. Seems to be well seasoned then.
I go by the moisture content which is much less then 3 years in some cases. Just cut some dead Red Elm (15%) and some dead Bur Oak that was also below 20 %. My cheapie MM works just fine and has not lied to me yet, all the wood that reads below 20% has burnt well.
What surprised me was I burned a couple small uglies in the fire pit with some dry spruce, the 6 month winter seasoned birch burned ok. No steam or hissing out the ends. Being cut in late Fall, must have helped . Getting close to buying a MM, just for my curiosity more than changing my 3 year system. Looks like I'll have some left over from this year's stuff. Starting next year with some 4 year dry wood. Notice the bark is starting to let go on the 3-1/2 year stuff. Might be a good indicator of Alaska birch being really dry.
"Getting close to buying a MM, just for my curiosity more than changing my 3 year system" That's the reason I bought one, my dead oak that I had good luck with (old stove for 30 years) after only about 7 months drying made sense after finding out a lot of it was only 22% when cut. I think the 3 year plan works great for some woods but not needed for all.
I only have to worry about birch, wood varieties is not an issue. Wish I had to worry about , white oak & hickory , but boring birch will have to do. 3 years may not be needed, but in 3 years any wood should burn well. Not sure drying in outside that it can get " to dry "
"Not sure drying in outside that it can get " to dry " That's for sure, one reason many woods do not need 3 years as once it gets to a certain moisture content its done drying.
Yea, good point. That's why I'm thinking about a MM . What is the "Max Dry" I can get birch ? & "how long" does that take ? (with my methods & climate ?) If I find out it's 4 years, I may go back to burning NG for heat or leave for the winter to someplace like Hawaii. LOL
