CB- VT...I agree, drier is better up to a point I guess, I read from one of the university sites that below 10% moisture allows the wood to break down and puts out less BTUs but that is too boring a topic. Dry- good, wet- bad (unless you are using it for smoking). Texas has no rules and regulations about moving firewood so Kiln dried/ heat treated has not caught on down here
Looks like it may have hit it's equalibrium. People forget or are blissfully unaware that wood takes moisture back on after being kiln dried. If you dry wood to 6% and leave it outside covered it will rise to 12-15-18%. I doubt they dried it anymore than 15.
I managed to get a little done before the rain started here yesterday. First I cleaned up a small pile that was too long using my JawHorse as a sawbuck. That thing is really handy if you’re not familiar. It will hold the gnarliest piece of wood while you cut or noodle it. Sorry I didn’t think to take an action picture but here’s a link if you’re curious. Shop ROCKWELL Jawhorse 35-in W x 39-in H Steel Adjustable Saw Horse (1000-lb) at Lowes.com It helped fill the pile in a little more... Then I blocked up some dead stuff I’ve been hoarding so I can get it split and under cover before the fall rains come. After a muggy day and a good break today I’ll get to filling the racks tomorrow. We had a 91 year old neighborhood pass away in the spring who I used to do little chores for and keep her lawn mowed and driveway cleaned the past 10 years since her husband died. Her only daughter is finally getting around to cleaning out the house and told me I can have the firewood that’s piled out back. Some of it came from me originally and I’m glad to get it back now. There might be a cord under cover that’s been there for several years. It looks like most of it is still solid, so I’ll start with that. She was a sweet lady who I loved to sit and drink tea with and listen to her stories of growing up in the Great Depression. She’s sorely missed and I’ll think of her with every stick of that wood that I handle.
Sorry she passed, but glad you are getting your gift returned just when you needed it! A good turn is rewarded.
My wife helped out today and we got quite a bit done. All the burnable wood is under cover and we’re about 1/2 cord short of filling it up so that’s about 2 cord. I still have some dead stuff to CSS so it might make up the difference. Either way I’m not too concerned. I always have the option of buying another cord of KD if we need it, and I’m planning to play around with bricks and logs a little to see what my stove likes. I’m thinking the 3 cord we have total with the cord inside might do it. I’d like to do an unscientific cost comparison between KD and the best compressed logs to see which is more cost effective. I’m guessing at $330 a cord the wood will win out but it will be an interesting comparison. My gut feeling is any processed product has to be more expensive but of course the advertising claims dispute that. Locally I believe that’s about the same price as a ton of bricks or logs. They always compare a ton of bricks or pellet to a cord of wood but who’s done a real world comparison? Pellets are another matter. I’ve been burning 3.5-4.5 tons of pellets every year over the past decade and it’ll be interesting to see how that compares to how many cord of wood I’ll burn. I’m thinking 3 and planning on 4. Only time will tell. I had to buy premium pellets at over $300 a ton, and green firewood is available around $200. If you’re on the 3 year plan, which you can’t do with pellets, you’re way ahead even if you have to buy your wood around here as long as you have the space to store it. I’m certainly ahead at 2/3 the cost assuming 1 ton = 1 cord. I’m betting it’s even better than that with properly seasoned wood. On the left is pine CSS in April, on the right is 3 year old beech, and the center is dead wood that was mostly CSS this spring.
Place too much wood into the box. Kiln dried will burn hotter and faster. Just need to use less wood or you run the risk of over firing. Hope this helps.
I wasn’t sure what you meant, but earlier in the thread I posted the moisture content is at 15% with some a little higher, so no worries. This isn’t as dry as KD lumber and it burns perfectly. I was worried about that when I ordered it but was pleasantly surprised.
