Firewood is NOT seasoned!

[Aura]

Fourth year. Fourth supplier. And STILL the supposedly seasoned firewood is NOT SEASONED! I'm beginning to wonder if/how I can find someone that sells the stuff around here.  :cursing:

 

Every year, my new firewood is a pain to get going, requires constant babying to keep burning, and it doesn't produce a very good heat. Contrast that with the firewood left-over from the previous year, which is easy to start and burns well. It's pretty obvious that the new firewood just needs more time to season.

 

And this year is  now, I'm thinking the truckload we just bought should just sit until next year...but what do I do in the meantime? We have heating, so it's not like we rely on the fireplace to heat the home, but I REALLY enjoy using the fireplace to warm up the living room on cold nights, or days like today where I have sick kiddos camped out in the living room and I'd like it a little warmer.

 

I'm wondering if those fire logs they sell at the stores are worth it. Would they produce any heat or just show? Thoughts?

[Aura]

I did think about contacting him and being honest about it NOT burning. We know this man. I would consider him and his family as friends, though not super-close. I think he would be willing to work with us.

 

BUT, in the long run, I'm thinking I should be making firewood purchases a YEAR before I need them so that they could season before I need them. So, I should just keep this and let it season for next year. And then next year, buy for the following, etc.

 

But what do I do in the mean time?

[Arcadia]

The fire logs we bought at the grocers for camping did produce enough heat to roast corn and marshmallows as well as keep us warm.

 

There are many different types there so we ask the staff which one is for camp fire pit cooking.

 

ETA:

Would buying a small bag of coals and mixing it in work?

[Liz CA]

When this happened to us, we would buy those wax logs made from recycled material. These would catch on fire fast and burn relatively hot so the not so seasoned wood would catch on fire as well. It's frustrating to look at a couple cords of wood that cannot be used until next year.

[unsinkable]

Fourth year. Fourth supplier. And STILL the supposedly seasoned firewood is NOT SEASONED! I'm beginning to wonder if/how I can find someone that sells the stuff around here. :cursing:

 

Every year, my new firewood is a pain to get going, requires constant babying to keep burning, and it doesn't produce a very good heat. Contrast that with the firewood left-over from the previous year, which is easy to start and burns well. It's pretty obvious that the new firewood just needs more time to season.

 

And this year is now, I'm thinking the truckload we just bought should just sit until next year...but what do I do in the meantime? We have heating, so it's not like we rely on the fireplace to heat the home, but I REALLY enjoy using the fireplace to warm up the living room on cold nights, or days like today where I have sick kiddos camped out in the living room and I'd like it a little warmer.

 

I'm wondering if those fire logs they sell at the stores are worth it. Would they produce any heat or just show? Thoughts?

Can you make homemade fire starters to tuck in so you don't have to baby it along?

[Erica in OR]

We ended up buying Bear Bricks this year from Coastal Ranch & Supply to use in our woodstove since we weren't able to get our normal wood supply. Easy to stack, easy to use.

 

Erica in OR

[Aura]

I have thought about using coals or the processed logs to help the wood burn. I may try that.

 

Any fire STARTERS just don't burn long enough to really get the wood going. I've tried homemade and store-bought. And they work great if the wood is well-seasoned. Not for what I've got.

 

Thanks for the tip on the Bear Bricks, but it doesn't look like they service the southeast. 

 

It IS frustrating. 

 

[Vida Winter]

You may be able to get a log lighter installed in your fireplace. It is a pipe attached to a propane source that you can turn on when you start the fire, let it burn for a while and turn it back off when the fire is well established.

[gardenmom5]

different kinds of wood put out different amounts of btus.  I remember some, basically, rotten firewood we bought at a campground once. don't think it put out any btus.  it was quite noteworthy for its lacks.  couldn't even roast marshmallows.

 

hard wood also takes longer to season than a softer wood.  (but it burns hotter and longer than a softer wood.)

 

that said - I wouldn't bother with pressed wood firelogs unless all you want is ambiance. untreated wood scraps can also make good firewood.  (hardwood flooring scraps are fabulous - they're seasoned and hardwood burns hotter)

 

we cut up blow-downs, and stack them according to species.  they sit - some have sat undercover for years.  hardwoods are saved for when we need heat (e.g. power outages).

[In The Great White North]

 

 

BUT, in the long run, I'm thinking I should be making firewood purchases a YEAR before I need them so that they could season before I need them. 

 

Buy it in the spring.  It is cheaper then and will have at least the summer to season.

[Liz CA]

 

I have thought about using coals or the processed logs to help the wood burn. I may try that.

 

Any fire STARTERS just don't burn long enough to really get the wood going. I've tried homemade and store-bought. And they work great if the wood is well-seasoned. Not for what I've got.

 

Thanks for the tip on the Bear Bricks, but it doesn't look like they service the southeast. 

 

It IS frustrating. 

 

 

The recycled logs are more than fire starters; they burn on their own for about 2 - 3 hours.

 

[Angela in GA]

We burn about 10 cords of wood per year.  Unfortunately, the best way to get seasoned wood is to cut it yourself.  Seasoned wood is wood with a moisture content of 20% or lower.  Twenty percent is still pretty wet. We found a great supplier who sells only green wood.  It's cheaper, and he doesn't have to worry about people not being happy with the level of "seasoned" they think it should be.  We buy it by the log truck load (5 cords).  My husband cuts it all up, we all split it (we borrow or rent a splitter for a weekend) and the kids stack it.  We bought this years wood in May, had it split and stacked by the end of June.  Our long summer days here in Alaska will season the wood pretty quickly.  So far, our wood has burned GREAT this winter!  It has been a warm winter, and our stove is not quite big enough to heat our entire house, but I have no complaints.  

[KungFuPanda]

Order another truckload and stay a year ahead.

[NCMom]

Fourth year. Fourth supplier. And STILL the supposedly seasoned firewood is NOT SEASONED! I'm beginning to wonder if/how I can find someone that sells the stuff around here.  :cursing:

 

Every year, my new firewood is a pain to get going, requires constant babying to keep burning, and it doesn't produce a very good heat. Contrast that with the firewood left-over from the previous year, which is easy to start and burns well. It's pretty obvious that the new firewood just needs more time to season.

 

And this year is  now, I'm thinking the truckload we just bought should just sit until next year...but what do I do in the meantime? We have heating, so it's not like we rely on the fireplace to heat the home, but I REALLY enjoy using the fireplace to warm up the living room on cold nights, or days like today where I have sick kiddos camped out in the living room and I'd like it a little warmer.

 

I'm wondering if those fire logs they sell at the stores are worth it. Would they produce any heat or just show? Thoughts?

 

We live in the South and have the same problem. We do buy a year (at least ahead). People here literally do not know what dry wood is. Also they sell it by the "truck" load.  Took me one season to ask to see the guy's truck first.  :glare:  LOL

 

And we actually heat with wood.

 

Georgia

 

[barnwife]

 

But what do I do in the mean time?

 

Bring it in the house a few weeks before you want to burn it.  The outside will be dry enough to start and it will burn nice and sloowwww once it's burning nice.  Otherwise it's not seasoned unless you've tested it, or it's kiln dried.  

[Aura]

I brought quite a bit inside to to dry. I also stacked up some on our patio where it gets full sun...we're supposed to have sunny, dry weather all week. I'm hoping that will help. I've considered cleaning out a part of the garage and moving all the firewood in there, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea. 

 

I also bought the 4-hr logs from the grocery store. I threw a couple of regular firewood on top of one and so far it's burning well and producing heat, so I think that will work for now.

 

But, yes, I talked to my dh, and I think we will get some more come springtime and make sure it has all summer to season.

[Lucy the Valiant]

You could criss-cross stack it to help it season faster, but I would just buy ahead, too (assuming you have the room to stack it).

 

We rely on wood as well, but we also buy it in the spring for MUCH cheaper as "green" wood. We've also used pallets as very dry kindling - it does burn so hot that it helps the greener wood burn (but it's never as good as properly seasoned wood, for sure).

[Onceuponatime]

We store our split wood in our garage so it stays dry, but it is an old fashioned open bay garage with a gravel floor. We have it on raised platforms against the walls. It helps a lot to have the wood out of the elements. At least 3 months drying *after splitting* is essential, 6 months is optimum.

[KatieJ]

Might I suggest a couple things.

 

Wood for immediate use needs to be out of the wet weather. That could mean your garage, or a tarp when it's stored outside.

If it rained, your wood is going to struggle to burn.

 

We have a large wood rack in the garage that holds enough wood for several weeks.

 

Are you starting your fire with enough kindling to keep it going before you add the bigger logs? We use a combo of fire starters and cardboard.

[Amy in NH]

I did think about contacting him and being honest about it NOT burning. We know this man. I would consider him and his family as friends, though not super-close. I think he would be willing to work with us.

 

BUT, in the long run, I'm thinking I should be making firewood purchases a YEAR before I need them so that they could season before I need them. So, I should just keep this and let it season for next year. And then next year, buy for the following, etc.

 

But what do I do in the mean time?

 

This.

[Aura]

Might I suggest a couple things.

 

Wood for immediate use needs to be out of the wet weather. That could mean your garage, or a tarp when it's stored outside.

If it rained, your wood is going to struggle to burn.

 

We have a large wood rack in the garage that holds enough wood for several weeks.

 

Are you starting your fire with enough kindling to keep it going before you add the bigger logs? We use a combo of fire starters and cardboard.

 

We keep the wood stacked on a pallet and covered with a tarp.

 

I prefer to use pinecones and starter logs to start the fire. I make a nice bed of pinecones, then put the starter logs, then smaller pieces of wood before larger ones. I don't skimp on the starters. I don't like to baby the fire. Once I start it, I want it to get going and keep going. And when I do this with properly seasoned wood, it does just that. But when I do this with new wood, it doesn't.

 

FTR, my dh has a tendency to skimp on the starters. I fuss at him because he won't put down enough pinecones to really get it going and then I have to come behind him and redo it. LOL. It's his frugal side that shows through...except that the pinecones are free! I make the kids go pick them up for me.