Around here, I swear, many people burn wood that was just split and delivered! The only local guy who sells wood, he won't even start splitting until October! Sells red oak. It seems I read something recently that contradicted everything you read on here and elsewhere about seasoning oak for 3-4 years. It seems I recall that when I was young, even my dad would buy unseasoned wood. And my gf's mother. Because the oak would be VERY heavy and it would sizzle alot. It seemed to burn fine, lol, makes me wonder. I also hardly ever seen anyone cover wood around here. Granted, everybody around here is a lightweight compared to most of you guys. Nobody around here heats their house, firewood is just used for ambience and feel good around the fireplace and also for firepits. Personally, I burn it more than most, during October - March, as long as the temp allows, cuz I like a fire and most of that is firepit outside. It's amazing how much lighter seasoned wood is over newly split. Water weighs a lot! I will also add that we get a lot of rain, well, 54 inches/yr, and I often have a lot of fungus on the firewood in stacks. I know this sounds like blasphemy, calm down, lol!
Am no seasoned (pun intended) pro at burning firewood. Nothing is necessary, dry wood is strived for on a home because it burns hotter, much hotter, less emissions, little to no creosote which if left to build up can cause a chimney fire. You are not going heat your home nearly as well with unseasoned or wet wood. Now burning it outside in a fire pit people do it all the time, who cares, it's for ambiance, roasting marshmallows, etc... Also note that there is difference between seasoned wood and DRY wood. Seasoned wood is just that sitting for a season. Dry wood is wood ideally 20% or less and can take months and years to dry according to the type.
Ever have or see a chimney fire?... I have. Because my dad thought it was ok to cut wood in September and October then starting to burn it in November and December...
Longer answer: older stoves were somewhat more tolerant of unseasoned wood. The reason it seemed to burn fine is you didn't know better. That is OK. But now you do know better. Burn some properly dried wood and see the difference.
I do season my wood and I even have a moisture meter but I am the only person I know who does! As for seasoning wood 3-4 years, I am thinking that might be a stretch in the deep, humid south. It just seems to rot or bugs or fungus gets in it. I've only been in this firewood game maybe four years or so, would be interesting to hear what people know in locales such as this. I've burned wood off and on my whole life but I never really knew anything about seasoning until I got a chainsaw and started reading up on firewood. Seasoning for long periods was something new to me. I figure in about five more years, I'll have some of this figured out for down here, lol.
Yawner , yeah, in your area those drying times for Oak could be considerably shorter (although I don't really know). Easy enough to check. I just know from personal experience that I'll NEVER purposely burn wood that isn't dry. Dry, not seasoned. Our optimal drying time period is shorter than yours, I'm sure.
The best answer for us down here, I think, is to stack it where it can get sun and wind, top cover to keep rain off. Haven't been able myself to really keep any much over 2 yrs. My chunks and shorts seem to dry good in the drums they are stored in. we also run fans on the sheds as we are filling them up. Helps dry it enough to keep fungus down.
Here in NC, it keeps well in the pole barn for years. But without good protection from the rain, not so long.
Outside can be fresh but it smokes a lot and burns slowly. In the north fireplaces actually let more heat out then they produce.. If you are trying to get heat from wood, really helps it to get water out of it. This is like saying you get better gas mileage if you put 15 gallon of gas in your truck and 5 gallon of water. It will run on older models. Until you get to the water..
There’s a hilarious video of a guy who tries to start a fire with green wood. Like fresh cut. The ordeal is like 30 mins and most of us wonder how he’s doing after... all kidding aside, let’s discuss why we don’t. To express that seasoning/drying your wood for a year at least is encouraged so much here, it’s better for your home, your stove, chimney, health, and many others to tag here as the measure is extensive. Dry wood is just easier as patience is key to using it, struggle to make a fire or light it one time and stay happy with that result. The patience is worth the wait. I can’t think of how many positives since I’ve come here to recognize the value of the wood being so dry. There’s such a big difference, night and day.
If its for a pit, cut and burn today if you want. If it's -15 with 30mph sustained wind and you want to keep the Mrs in shorts... Season that farwood, son! Sorry, all the intelligent replies have already been made.
Everyone has already answered for you. I usually ask people "does water burn"? Brought my stepdaughter some wood for her fireplace last January...lives in I two hours away. She later tells me it made a beautiful fire and burned nice. Well seasoned was key. I didnt believe oak needed over two years to season until i took a 16 month seasoned oak split, square log about the size of a 4x4 post. It had no bark..heartwood. I had put it in full sun a few months prior. I split it and checked with MM and well over 20%. Threw another in the fire pit and did it sizzle. I was surprised and learned something for sure. Wouldve bet good money it was lower than 20% moisture content too...and lost! This was in July. Years back my dad and uncle would cut for their fireplaces. Make a big mound of splits and stack in the Spring. Burn it the following Winter regardless of species. It all got mixed. Dont know what you can do about fungi? Make a shed. lean to etc? Big overhangs?
I did not know older stoves were more tolerant of unseasoned. But I do know my newish Lopi insert is totally intolerant of it. It goes over like a lead balloon. Got to be airflow right? Seasoned burns great in it. Unseasoned forget about it.
Ah yes, burning unseasoned wood in the firepit. Tis okay if you like to sit around in smoke, which I don't like. Dry wood even makes fire pits better.
