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[coolidge]

I know there will be lots of variables, but if you had 2 to 3 year seasoned wood, how much would you save over 6 to 8 month wood.   All mixed hardwood.

[coolidge]

Guesstimates?

[kommandokenny]

2- 3 year wood, might not save you anything.
I'm thinking it wood burn up quicker.

Importantly, there isn't any point seasoning wood longer than it needs to be. Over-dried wood will have less energy as volatile esters in the wood evaporate. These waxy substances contain a great deal of heat energy, so it is a mistake to think that longer is necessarily better.


They say ya gotta let Oak dry right out,, maybe 2 years, I don't know.
I wood not let my wood sit for 3 years.
6 months to a year is good to go..

my usual 2 cents

[Michael]

I am cutting wood now to sell or my use for next winter. I can sell all that I can get worked up. No complaints.

[aries9245]

2- 3 year wood, might not save you anything.
I'm thinking it wood burn up quicker.

Importantly, there isn't any point seasoning wood longer than it needs to be. Over-dried wood will have less energy as volatile esters in the wood evaporate. These waxy substances contain a great deal of heat energy, so it is a mistake to think that longer is necessarily better.


They say ya gotta let Oak dry right out,, maybe 2 years, I don't know.
I wood not let my wood sit for 3 years.y
6 months to a year is good to go..

my usual 2 cents

I have to agree I don't like burning wood over a yr it seems to disappear fast 6-8 months for me some greener mixed in on top works ideal for me longer burn times..

[mlappin]

Burning faster and "loosing" heat is a sign that your boiler can't capture the heat that is being produced. Personally I like dry wood, the dryer the better, but for my conventional I also don't split excessively small, the more small pieces the more faces of the wood exposed and the faster and hotter it burns. I split em just enough to be convenient for me to handle.

A better question might be how dry do you like for a conventional versus a gasser?

[coolidge]

Good point, I do have a gasser

[JTS717]

I always go by the rule split wood will season 2-3 inches from the outside in a year.  which means a 4-6 inch diameter piece will be seasoned in one year.  Oak and harder woods probably closer to the 4 inch range.  All the wood I sell I let season for just over a year.  Most of the people I sell to burn it in their fireplaces and I have had nothing but great responses. 

I agree that you can "over season wood".  As far as dry seasoned wood burning up faster, I believe it will burn up faster but you also get more heat out of it.  The moisture in the wood will not burn, and it requires energy to be turned to steam before it will leave.  That energy is coming from your wood.  For anyone who has been around someone making maple syrup you realize how much heat it takes to get all that moisture out of the sap.     

[mlappin]

Good point, I do have a gasser

May I suggest a little experiment then?

Set some wood aside somewhere and let is set until it might be considered very dry, like lets say 15% or under, then find a way to monitor you're stack temps. Load it once with what you normally burn, then again with the very dry wood and see if stack temps go up or even drop if what kenny says is true about any volatile esters evaporating.

[kommandokenny]

 
".  As far as dry seasoned wood burning up faster, I believe it will burn up faster but you also get more heat out of it.  The moisture in the wood will not burn, and it requires energy to be turned to steam before it will leave.  That energy is coming from your wood.  sap.   

JT You have more experience, as your in the biz
But the more heat and the quick burn would cancel each other out in my limited imagination

kk

[coolidge]

We will see in a few years, I am well on my way too a three year plan, but I am also splitting year 3 into bigger splits, like twice the size I am currently burning.

[JTS717]

JT You have more experience, as your in the biz
But the more heat and the quick burn would cancel each other out in my limited imagination

kk

The way I look at it is if you have two cords of wood let just say oak, one seasoned and one green.  A cord of oak gives off 36.6 million BTUs.  A green cord of oak weighs 7830lbs, a dry cord of oak weighs 4840 lbs.  The main difference in weight between green and dry wood is due to the larger amount of moisture in the wood.  Therefore a green cord of oak has approximately 3030 more pounds of moisture in it.   So the green cord of oak gives off 36.6 million BTUs but before those BTUs can be used for heat a good amount of them need to be used to evaporate 3030 lbs of moisture.  Most of us keep our wood stored outside or in an unheated building.  It requires a lot of BTUs to bring that extra 3030lbs from outside ambient temperature up to 212°F then convert it to steam.

Green wood will burn longer but much cooler.  Depending on the atmospheric pressure water cannot rise above 210-212°F.  The reason it is burning longer is because it is boiling off that water before it can rise up to the temperature at which the wood can burn.  In my eyes the best is to not use the energy from the wood to boil water in the fire and instead let the solar and wind energy evaporate the moisture while it is seasoning. 

I also agree with mlappin with the hotter burning fire there will be higher stack temps.  If you have a boiler that can transfer that extra heat to the water before going out the stack the cycle times your fan is running becomes much shorter.  Which means longer idle times and longer times between loading.

I think everyone can agree burning a tree that was just cut down is less efficient than one that has been seasoned.  Since this thread is focused on comparing slightly seasoned to very seasoned wood, everywhere green wood is mentioned you can change it to slightly seasoned wood and the differences become less dramatic.  I realize there are hundreds of other variables and factors that play a role in how long each of us season our wood.  Everyone has their own experiences with their own boiler and what works best for them.  At the end of the day it is all about peace of mind, it feels good going to bed in a warm house knowing your boiler will keep you warm whether you have it loaded full of green or seasoned wood. 

Note: All numbers used in this post are from an average of a few charts I have used which were found on various websites which I consider reputable.
 

[atvalaska]

my booklet sayz my stoves needs 20-25%  ...and that really dry wood makes creosote

[Jwood]

That is interesting I've never heard really dry wood making creosote! Guess you learn new things every day lol

[kommandokenny]

We will see in a few years, I am well on my way too a three year plan, but I am also splitting year 3 into bigger splits, like twice the size I am currently burning.

Save some money,,,,, and sell year 3