Thinking about replacing the old fisher smoke dragon with a Pacific Energy Alderea T5 Classic LE. I’m not really familiar with these new style stoves having been raised on smoke dragons. I guess my question is would standing dead cut in the spring be ok to burn in this stove or must I get on the 3 year plan?
Last year was my first year with an epa rated stove. There is definitely a learning curve involved but you will pick up on it pretty quick. I see you are from my area. I'm guessing you're talking about dead standing elm or ash as we have a lot of that around. My experience has been that the wood from higher up on the tree and the branches are pretty much good to go right off the stump. The base tends to still have some moisture. However if you CSS it in the spring you might be alright. At least in my area we have been fairly dry this year especially comparing to the last 2 summers. If you have a moisture meter you could easily find out if you're good or not.
The 3 year plan could be considered a plan for green cut wood. It's more of a 1 rule will cover it all plan because most wood will be seasoned in three years, so no matter what you've got you should have well enough seasoned wood. I have mostly pine, red maple and oak. The pine and maple pretty much season in a year more or less so I don't really need to be three years up on those but some years I am. The oaks I age for three years. Some times longer as I usually have a fairly good supply of pine and maple. Dead standing is tough because it depends on the species and how long it has been standing. Pine and maple - good odds it would be dry enough. Oak- it's a good idea to have a moisture meter for. Just to know what you've got and where you stand. Usually and generally with oak the top half of the tree will be good to go but the bottom half will be a bit iffy. Two years dead standing probably not, longer than that the odds start looking better. You could also live someplace less humid, more windy than here and could squeek by with a 2 year plan instead of 3. But three might also get you a year off should you have a situation where you have little or no chance to get out and cut wood to stay ahead.
I don’t even have any ash yet We go after dead standing oak. Occasionally we get it but we go with mutiple pickups into the state forest and any oak within 20-30 feet of the road is ours.
I need to pay particular attention to this, we are getting our T6 this April. (my 37th birthday is the 30th).
I have a T5. And actually it's the only wood stove I've ever burned in so I can't compare it to anything other than our regular old fire place growing up but I will say I got on the 3 year plan. My first season with the stove I burned a lot of dead maple that I had split maybe two months at most prior and then a whole lot of unseasoned ash - as in usually split and burned maybe a week later. Not ideal at all but it worked and I didn't have creosote issues, I just gave it a quick sweep twice that season. I think the T5's are regarded as a pretty easy breathing stove. Even this year I'll be starting the year with "2 summer seasoned" elm/maple but technically not even 2 year split. It will burn fine.
Oak is so unpredictable...sometimes dead standing is ready to go, sometimes its sopping wet...the upper branches are probably the only thing that you can count on being ready to go after one summer CSS...
Anything close to 20% moisture will burn right up in that stove. I learned the hard way. Split a chitload now and stack it and top cover it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If you need more dry wood, and have a wood lot to work, go find small <8" diameter standing dead, with the bark falling off. It should be dry, even Oak. I put in a T5 at my SIL's this spring. Split your wood big to slow down the burn. This is all dead stuff, ready to burn, that I swept out of the woods this spring before the brush came in..Red Elm, Mulberry and Dogwood.
