Drying firewood too long drastically reduces Btu content?

I used a kiln to dry some red oak firewood a couple of years ago. It had been cut and split a month earlier, but I needed some dry firewood, so I'd leave the wood in the kiln for 5 days. It got so dry the moisture meter would not register anything, and if I split a piece open it registered low. I believe a fair amount of "aromatics" escaped from the wood during the drying process, significantly decreasing the heat output. That wood burned too quickly for my taste. I believe the aromatics contain flamable compounds--oils, etc. that vaporized during the drying process. In a normal wood stack, drying in the sun, you wouldn't have that problem, but using the kiln seemed to magnify the vaporization.

 

LOL, that's where I stopped reading.

H2O is completely oxidized and can not be oxidized further.
You can use H20 to suck the heat out of a fire - fire departments do this all the time. You don't want this happening to any large degree inside a wood stove. It's counter-productive.

 

I've had no issues burning dry stuff. Although, even though the stuff I'll be burning this winter is 8-9 years old (c/s/s in spring '15), it's still around that 15-17% area when I test it. The combination of our summer humidity coupled with where I have it stacked I think contributes to that. My wood rows don't get much sun/wind during summer seeing all my wood is stacked in the woods.

 

Mmm. Combustible liquids. AKA booze. Lol

That said, if I were to put in a wood furnace, it would be a kuuma.

 

No kidding, are they talking about sap or something?

 

Well yes, apparently this is a serious problem—Over-dried firewood. There is so much around that I want to do everything I can to alleviate the burden and problem from fellow wood-burners. If anyone has any of this problematic firewood I am willing to take it off their hands free of charge. Just dump it in my front yard and I will take care of it and dispose of it properly.

 

Well don't take just the worthless dry stuff, take the stuff that's 2/3 combustible fluids and get rid of that dreadful life threatening fire hazard as well.

 

Absolutely!

 

Better start peeing on my wood stacks

 

Not sure if that's combustible.. but if it is.. ya might consult a Dr.


(at least consider a different diet.. just sayin)

 

Well shoot, not sure what to think now. I have about 2 cords of black and honey locust that was split in 2016-17 that I was looking forward to burning someday. Maybe buZZsaw BRAD can give me some ideas? Otherwise, I may have to just throw it all out.

 

Yeah too bad as its no good then. Ill be over to take it off your hands.

 

I agree. I’ve never had any firewood in my stacks go to punk. I’ve found and even collected some partially punky wood that was down in wet grass, or in shady wet areas before. But once the firewood is stacked and off the ground, it will last for years. I think it may have something to do with our lack of humidity - and maybe sunny weather?

 

I hope the 5yr css'd red oak is OK. I think it'll be just fine.

 

Best hurry before I take it down to the brush pile...

...Or throw it in the stove.

 

I had some go bad stacked for 2 years but it might have been iffy before and was under a tarp that had holes in it.. we also have had 40” of rain since May so kind of like drying wood under a water fall just one layer of stack