High Quality Chainsaw Bars Husqvarna Toys Hockfire Saws

Basement Firewood Seasoning

furb

Pinnacle OPE Member
Local time
7:39 PM
User ID
4547
Joined
Nov 8, 2017
Messages
628
Reaction score
2,767
Location
Womelsdorf
Country flag
It’s gonna be cold and my good oak stash isn’t seasoned. My basement is around 18% humidity. How dumb is it to try to dry this out. I’m planning to split it around 3x3 and spread it out.
 

Stihl036

3% Neanderthal
Local time
7:39 PM
User ID
1637
Joined
Aug 1, 2016
Messages
108
Reaction score
370
Location
Georgia
Country flag
It’s gonna be cold and my good oak stash isn’t seasoned. My basement is around 18% humidity. How dumb is it to try to dry this out. I’m planning to split it around 3x3 and spread it out.

I don't think it's going to work out. If your stove is in your basement and you use fans....maybe it would take a month or two.
 

furb

Pinnacle OPE Member
Local time
7:39 PM
User ID
4547
Joined
Nov 8, 2017
Messages
628
Reaction score
2,767
Location
Womelsdorf
Country flag
I don't think it's going to work out. If your stove is in your basement and you use fans....maybe it would take a month or two.
I figured it wouldn’t. It was cut and split in August, we had almost no rain and it’s in the sun all day. My Fisher would have burned it by now but the new stove wants under 15% to do anything. I have tons of ash and poplar but at 2 degrees and three hours of burn time out of a load it’s gonna be a rough week.
 

Woodpecker

Sassy Madam
Staff member
GoldMember
Local time
7:39 PM
User ID
570
Joined
Jan 17, 2016
Messages
7,937
Reaction score
50,730
Location
The middle of the land shaped like a hand
Country flag
It’s gonna be cold and my good oak stash isn’t seasoned. My basement is around 18% humidity. How dumb is it to try to dry this out. I’m planning to split it around 3x3 and spread it out.
What are you going to burn it in? For example, an epa rated stove with a cat has far different moisture content requirements than a basic outdoor wood boiler.
 

Bill G

Here For The Long Haul!
Yearly GoldMember
Local time
6:39 PM
User ID
2807
Joined
Mar 14, 2017
Messages
5,559
Reaction score
14,546
Location
Illinois
Country flag
What are you going to burn it in? For example, an epa rated stove with a cat has far different moisture content requirements than a basic outdoor wood boiler.

That is the great thing about old school boilers. They do not whine about what you feed them like the uppity EPA chit does.

1737217640316.jpeg
 

Bill G

Here For The Long Haul!
Yearly GoldMember
Local time
6:39 PM
User ID
2807
Joined
Mar 14, 2017
Messages
5,559
Reaction score
14,546
Location
Illinois
Country flag
As for storing firewood in your basement I would not store more than I was burning in a very short time. Lots of nasty bugs can come out of hibernation in the warm conditions.
 

Woodpecker

Sassy Madam
Staff member
GoldMember
Local time
7:39 PM
User ID
570
Joined
Jan 17, 2016
Messages
7,937
Reaction score
50,730
Location
The middle of the land shaped like a hand
Country flag
That is the great thing about old school boilers. They do not whine about what you feed them like the uppity EPA chit does.

View attachment 447096
You can throw all the shade you want at the epa “shít”, but when I put my Woodstock ideal steel in I went from burning 7 full cord a year to 3.5-4. I have friends with gasifier wood boilers who have seen similar wood use reductions. Regardless of what he’s burning it in he has a better chance of burning snowballs than oak that was only cut less than 6 months ago.
 

Bill G

Here For The Long Haul!
Yearly GoldMember
Local time
6:39 PM
User ID
2807
Joined
Mar 14, 2017
Messages
5,559
Reaction score
14,546
Location
Illinois
Country flag
You can throw all the shade you want at the epa “shít”, but when I put my Woodstock ideal steel in I went from burning 7 full cord a year to 3.5-4. I have friends with gasifier wood boilers who have seen similar wood use reductions. Regardless of what he’s burning it in he has a better chance of burning snowballs than oak that was only cut less than 6 months ago.

Everyone has to choose works best for their situation.
 

Stihl036

3% Neanderthal
Local time
7:39 PM
User ID
1637
Joined
Aug 1, 2016
Messages
108
Reaction score
370
Location
Georgia
Country flag
You can throw all the shade you want at the epa “shít”, but when I put my Woodstock ideal steel in I went from burning 7 full cord a year to 3.5-4. I have friends with gasifier wood boilers who have seen similar wood use reductions. Regardless of what he’s burning it in he has a better chance of burning snowballs than oak that was only cut less than 6 months ago.


Note the reflection of the room in the glass in our Jotul F-600CB. I was trying to get a good 'secondary burn' image not realizing I was taking my own photo. M.C. Escher-ish. We've had it a bit over 20 years now.

Secondary burn 11-14-2023 Reflection Jotul F600cb 002.JPG


Jotul F600CB secondary1 cropped.jpg
 

IffykidMn

Super OPE Member
Local time
6:39 PM
User ID
18222
Joined
Aug 13, 2021
Messages
315
Reaction score
878
Location
Minnesota
Country flag
You can throw all the shade you want at the epa “shít”, but when I put my Woodstock ideal steel in I went from burning 7 full cord a year to 3.5-4. I have friends with gasifier wood boilers who have seen similar wood use reductions. Regardless of what he’s burning it in he has a better chance of burning snowballs than oak that was only cut less than 6 months ago.
Did the moisture content of the wood burned also change when switching stoves/boilers?

some boiler wood being whatever fits through the door regardless of moisture content VS wood seasoned to less than 20%.

Not doubting your reduction of wood consumption, I have seen claims of 30% of available btu's being consumed by the fire just trying to dry the wood.
 
Last edited:

Bill G

Here For The Long Haul!
Yearly GoldMember
Local time
6:39 PM
User ID
2807
Joined
Mar 14, 2017
Messages
5,559
Reaction score
14,546
Location
Illinois
Country flag
I have cut it green and tossed it in the boiler.
 

Woodpecker

Sassy Madam
Staff member
GoldMember
Local time
7:39 PM
User ID
570
Joined
Jan 17, 2016
Messages
7,937
Reaction score
50,730
Location
The middle of the land shaped like a hand
Country flag
Did the moisture content of the wood burned also change when switching stoves/boilers?

some boiler wood being whatever fits through the door regardless of moisture content VS wood seasoned to less than 20%.

Not doubting your reduction of wood consumption, I have seen claims of 30% of available btu's being consumed by the fire just trying to dry the wood.
Nope. 15ish percent moisture content. All three years split and stacked as I’m on the 3 year plan. Which means I’m at least 3 years ahead on my firewood.

Look up Woodstock soapstone Co. Ideal Steel and you’ll find my results are the norm. The other company I would recommend to anyone interested in reducing their firewood consumption is Blaze king. There’s plenty of good information on both companies on places like Hearth.com.
 

furb

Pinnacle OPE Member
Local time
7:39 PM
User ID
4547
Joined
Nov 8, 2017
Messages
628
Reaction score
2,767
Location
Womelsdorf
Country flag
As for storing firewood in your basement I would not store more than I was burning in a very short time. Lots of nasty bugs can come out of hibernation in the warm conditions.
I had giant yellow jackets coming out of the wood last year. Only spiders and gnats this year
 

furb

Pinnacle OPE Member
Local time
7:39 PM
User ID
4547
Joined
Nov 8, 2017
Messages
628
Reaction score
2,767
Location
Womelsdorf
Country flag
What are you going to burn it in? For example, an epa rated stove with a cat has far different moisture content requirements than a basic outdoor wood boiler.
A drolet escape. It’s not a cat stove but is picky about wood to get good heat.
 

furb

Pinnacle OPE Member
Local time
7:39 PM
User ID
4547
Joined
Nov 8, 2017
Messages
628
Reaction score
2,767
Location
Womelsdorf
Country flag
You can throw all the shade you want at the epa “shít”, but when I put my Woodstock ideal steel in I went from burning 7 full cord a year to 3.5-4. I have friends with gasifier wood boilers who have seen similar wood use reductions. Regardless of what he’s burning it in he has a better chance of burning snowballs than oak that was only cut less than 6 months ago.
I significantly reduced my wood consumption going from the fisher to the drolet. This is only my third year here so the first years wood is dwindling and the current good wood is mostly ash and poplar. With everything going on and all the trees that had to come down here I didn’t have time to cut better wood elsewhere. Next year there should be about four cords ready to go. I have a pile of oak decking from a crane truck I redid I can mix in.
 

Lions fan

Super OPE Member
Local time
7:39 PM
User ID
11150
Joined
Dec 8, 2019
Messages
233
Reaction score
1,023
Location
Cheboygan, MI
Country flag
Nope. 15ish percent moisture content. All three years split and stacked as I’m on the 3 year plan. Which means I’m at least 3 years ahead on my firewood.

Look up Woodstock soapstone Co. Ideal Steel and you’ll find my results are the norm. The other company I would recommend to anyone interested in reducing their firewood consumption is Blaze king. There’s plenty of good information on both companies on places like Hearth.com.
Where did you purchase? I might be replacing a whipped out Country Hearth this year.
 

Hoser

Pinnacle OPE Member
Local time
7:39 PM
User ID
27081
Joined
Jul 9, 2023
Messages
463
Reaction score
1,806
Location
Grey county Ontario
Country flag
I grew up with Old timer wood stoves in my parents and grandparents house and thought they were fantastic.
I bought a house with a regency 3100 no cat but has secondary air tubes and it kicks the sh*t out of those old timers. I can load it at 6:30am and still have coals when I get home at 9:00 p.m, plus burns less wood and cleaner
I would keep burning seasoned ash over wet anything even oak
 
Top