I've never run an epa tube stove. Just an old cast iron Russo and then my Ideal Steel. Maybe the difference is that you run mostly full tilt with the tube stoves while the cat stoves can be run lower and slower. That small amount of moisture probably won't affect a tube stove because of how hot you run it but it may affect the cat stove because you aren't trying to run the firebox as hot. Just a theory anyway.
Yep no problem at all, seems like some are concerned about nothing but a little moisture under the bark.
Woodsnwoods the Ideal Steel is a catalytic wood stove with a bypass.. the higher moisture does something not good to the cats... I got same stove as Babaganoosh because my wood this year is marginal 18 to 22 Mc on center fresh split. .. I am compensating by leaving the bypass open a few minutes longer ... probably got a face cord of really dry ash I will use when the cold hits this week.. may have to turn on furnace at 12 below we will see my flue Temps are a little low 350.. i like them low.. as long as still heating house
Yup. My wood is a few percent less moisture wise over last year and the difference is very noticeable.
Babaganoosh So is this what you did? the good news is i still got 3 years left stacked and covered outback
Ahhhh, makes more sense now. I am not familiar with the EPA level stoves. I certainly can understand the impact moisture would have on them though. Good bit of knowledge to know prior to getting a new stove.....
You don't have to have a sunny spot necessarily. We have stacked wood in the shade many times. Get on the 3 year plan and all will be well.
Burning dry wood in a pre-EPA stove is important also, just that people refused to believe it. One of my favorite posts was "I wonder how my old non EPA stove would have worked with dry wood."
Some of my wood is in a shaded spot (gonna change that) and it took about 10 days to dry out under the bark after a rain this past fall, much better when the sun can hit it.
That's what I was waiting for ( to cover it) , I dont cover during the seasoning of the wood just the wood to get used the winter coming up. Sun and heat are more important then some give it credit for, the heat drives the moisture to the surface and the wind takes it away.
I am really thinking I need to go do some more :stacke:.. I think this year we had 5 days above 90 .... 11 days above 80 ..... don't know where to look but I would guess year average is 55... I have had snow on and off since 10/22 Dennis will vouch for it I am 3 years ahead now... maybe us northerners need a 5 year plan!
I top cover my wood with rubber roofing as soon as I stack it. The stuff I'm burning has been split/cut and under cover for 4 to 5 years. I have absolutely no moisture problem, however, if I bring some stuff in that's been sitting for 4 years, but rained on recently, then right there is when I get the ends sizzling and bubbling til she drys out.
Once again, there ain't no cheating the three year plan. The wood won't dry no matter how much you want it to....it needs time to dry on its own. Lets see now...wood cut in summer of 2016....add three years...I've got it! It'll be ready to burn in the fall of 2019! Right? Eureka! There will be no turning back once you hit that stage of firewood processing. People have to break out of the mold of cutting wood and burning it the same or second season........Please!
With the softwood trees I have and the climate I live in, 2nd year (two summers) is quite workable. More is better.
All my wood is stored under roof. I've burnt wood that has been stored for over 10 years on a dry concrete floor that still sizzles. You can take Kiln dried lumber and store it in the atmosphere and it will GAIN moisture content once out of the kiln. Just like a slow fire in my stove(OWB) will start running some moisture when the snow starts melting hard. There is so much moisture in the air it collects and runs as that moisture has to be dried out if you will. Not much you can do about it.
When I get a decent video camera; might have to borrow my sister's camera, I should do a walk around and see what the advice is for my wood storage. Current stacks are at the end of the drive. I want to build some storage bins and not have to do this cross stacking; it takes more time and the wood has to be drawn off equally over the stack or you risk collapsing the stack.
Yes, different regions, different curing times. Here the summers can be quite humid, with humidity constantly at the high end. That humidity has to affect my drying time in the summer months.
