Not all firewood sellers are selling wet wood. Also, one thing to consider is that the OP is burning in a fireplace; so super dry 3 or 4 year old oak isn't entirely necessary. Nice? Of course. But 25% wood will burn just fine in an open fireplace. Any oak I've ever had has been right in that area after 1 year
Even in January. Wood sellers aren't ALL the evil boogeymen that they get made out to be sometimes. If the OP asks the right questions, I imagine they could find some wood to use in a fireplace. Itll take some research and some phone call time, but it isn't impossible
I'm not saying they are evil. I buy all my wood. Finding dry or "seasoned" wood in January is a long shot at best. I think the wood he has will work for a fireplace. I am assuming OP isn't trying to heat his house with the fireplace, though.
Probably a long shot, but some will still have it. I still do And yeah, the wood in the OP will be easier to use in a fireplace than a stove. Fireplaces are much more forgiving when it comes to moisture content
Get a moisture meter and test it. You can't tell anything by looks. If it comes out above 25% mixing in some of those compressed bricks (bio bricks?) might be an option to get your average load moisture content down. You can burn wet wood. Its not fun to do and you should keep a close eye on your flue for build-up (which is an excellent idea for any new wood burner). Is this a fireplace or a wood stove? If you are just burning for "atmosphere" in a fireplace then you should be fine with less than ideal wood. If it is a free-standing stove or insert you need to be pickier about your wood.
Welcome to the forum wagsgt. Congratulations on the new home. Being a new wood burner, it would be a good idea to go to this link and download a file. It is all about burning wood: http://firewoodhoardersclub.com/forums/resources/primer-on-woodburning-by-backwoods-savage.6/ As for the pictures, one can not tell too much just by looking at pictures to tell if or how much it has been "seasoned." But we know from experience that it is extremely difficult to buy good dry wood from a wood seller. As someone stated, they don't want to handle the wood more than necessary and most will not have room for storing wood. They may cut it to length then stack up the rounds. Then they split just before delivery. Many times someone will point to the ends of the wood and see it cracked and to them it is proof the wood is dry. Well, it is, sort of. It does show that the ends are drying but it says nothing for what is not seen and when you split wood, the interior is always wetter then the ends. Therefore we split and then stack. The stacking is just as important as the splitting because if the wood is just thrown in a heap, only the outside layer of the wood will dry. It needs to be stacked in an area that has good air circulation and that means where wind can hit the stacks. You'll notice as you are this form we talk about the 3 year plan. Simply put, that means to always be 3 years ahead on your wood. This will assure you always have excellent firewood. You will also get more heat from that wood which also means you use less wood. I could go on and on but if you download that file you'll find lots of information. Good luck.
First, I don't want to imply that they are "ripping anyone off" or mean "evil" (evil do-ers?? ahhh, I miss G W! As Letterman used to say, that was the golden era of comedy!). And n LI, they don't claim to sell "seasoned" wood, most of them just sell "Firewood", and NONE of it that I have ever seen or herd of is seasoned in any way whatsoever. Your area may be different, but that's how it is down here.
Like others have said, looks recently split to me. If you buy a MM be sure to split the wood open and check the inside of the splits, measuring just the end will give you a little different reading. As far as the ad you posted, looks decent but prices seem to be cheap to me, but that all depends on the area you are in. Ask the seller if it is possible to come by and have a look at the wood first. Good luck and keep asking questions.
Yes I'm burning in an open fireplace, not so much for heat, except for the dog and kids who like to sit near it. Grabbed the meter. Cut each piece in half then measured on fresh cut. First piece(17.9%) was left by previous homeowners. Second and Third are from the delivery. Meter has error +/- 2% . And its 10 degrees out but looks like its right in that range of greater than 20%. Also measured a piece of the Mulberry that was 32%
What's the "low" mid and high do on the MM? And, how'd ya get them in so deep? Looks like the points are way in the wood....
What'd you cut those with? I think you'd get a more accurate measurement by re-splitting a piece. Friction and heat from a saw can throw off the moisture reading
That's how I do it. I usually don't tote the MM around with me nor split a split on the garage floor, but it is #$@%^& cold out and I got that split from the cold outside stack. Meter seems to read a couple points higher on a ice cold split. I'm not doing a batch test under different heat conditions.
