wood stove help

[sweetk30]

so i have a wood stove in the shop . i keep it cleaned out every 3rd-4th burn down . i have a mix of hard maple / ash / oak / apple / some soft wood like bass wood and other soft i got for free .

this summer around late june early july i cut / split the and had it piled up until the first week of oct when i pilled it all up and put it in winter storage to keep the freezing rain and snow off it . i have been starting to use it and the wood is just not burning real fast / good size flame so my stack temps are under 300* range so the shop is taking for ever to heat up past the 55* temp i have the nat gas heater set at .

any idea's to look at and try different ?

the top cap is wide open no plugged screens or birds nest . the inside of the stove burn box has no massive piles of ash built up on the outlet stack flange area .

maybe the mr.heatr heat exchanger is plugged with stuff ? choking the flow of air drafting threw the stove ?

the shop is not 100% air tight so i know its getting air from outside .

 

[walrus]

so i have a wood stove in the shop . i keep it cleaned out every 3rd-4th burn down . i have a mix of hard maple / ash / oak / apple / some soft wood like bass wood and other soft i got for free .

this summer around late june early july i cut / split the and had it piled up until the first week of oct when i pilled it all up and put it in winter storage to keep the freezing rain and snow off it . i have been starting to use it and the wood is just not burning real fast / good size flame so my stack temps are under 300* range so the shop is taking for ever to heat up past the 55* temp i have the nat gas heater set at .

any idea's to look at and try different ?

the top cap is wide open no plugged screens or birds nest . the inside of the stove burn box has no massive piles of ash built up on the outlet stack flange area .

maybe the mr.heatr heat exchanger is plugged with stuff ? choking the flow of air drafting threw the stove ?

the shop is not 100% air tight so i know its getting air from outside .

If they were living trees when cut that **** is as green as green can be.

 

[Racy2]

It needs to dry for at least a year after cut and split. Wood has way to much moisture in it to burn well

 

[sweetk30]

If they were living trees when cut that **** is as green as green can be.

you see this is the kind of thing that pisses me off to no end . i even asked a few friends who burn wood and thay all said not a problem let it sit all summer in a pile ( i had 3 piles ) and it will be ready to burn by winter no problem . half of the wood was log length on the ground for a year or so give or take . i cut it up and split it my self . the rest was dropped this spring and given to me from friends .

now do i suffer all winter with a big gas bill or try and find a honest wood seller with TRUE seasoned wood ready to go and take my chances . i am so about ready to say screw this **** on firewood for 2nd main source of heat in the shop and just use my hot dawg nat gas heater .

last winter near the end i ran out as i had wood left over from 4-5 years old and wanted it all gone . i got some so-called ready to burn wood and had this same problem . . son-of-a-b!tch

 

[Buckgnarly]

I let mine sit out for a year before moving in the wood shed for the coming Winter, usually about April time. A year is min, two is better.

 

[Copymutt]

Prove to yourself it’s not a draft issue. Buy a couple packs of wood from a convenience store. If that burns well, you’ve got your answer.

 

[930dreamer]

Hard wood is a year minimum.

 

[shaggyant]

You may be best off buying a pallet of presto logs at this point. Most firewood sellers know it’s game on and are charging full bore prices to the late buyers.

I always dry for the first year in rounds outside and then split it and store it in a Harbor Freight canvas garage for the second year. Planning ahead with firewood generally pays off big.

 

[Dagny]

Hard maple ash oak and basswood. The maple should burn fine. If the ash is white ash it will also burn fine. Oak is a different story it has some sponge like qualities and takes a long time to dry. basswood is just not very good firewood.

 

[tom-ky]

I have burned many loads of wood that had only been cut a few months, ash always burnt well even when cut a short time ago. I know it wasn't the best idea but I had to stay warm and we had just moved into a house that was mostly all wood heat in early October.

 

[PelicanPines]

I'm a two year guy... split stacked covered for two years... covered but has airflow.

Watch for snakes and spiders that will kill you...

Move to the covered ... to be used space.

Burn baby burn.

 

[NUTTSGT]

When was the last time the chimney was cleaned and inspected ?

 

[checkthisout]

so i have a wood stove in the shop . i keep it cleaned out every 3rd-4th burn down . i have a mix of hard maple / ash / oak / apple / some soft wood like bass wood and other soft i got for free .

this summer around late june early july i cut / split the and had it piled up until the first week of oct when i pilled it all up and put it in winter storage to keep the freezing rain and snow off it . i have been starting to use it and the wood is just not burning real fast / good size flame so my stack temps are under 300* range so the shop is taking for ever to heat up past the 55* temp i have the nat gas heater set at .

any idea's to look at and try different ?

the top cap is wide open no plugged screens or birds nest . the inside of the stove burn box has no massive piles of ash built up on the outlet stack flange area .

maybe the mr.heatr heat exchanger is plugged with stuff ? choking the flow of air drafting threw the stove ?

the shop is not 100% air tight so i know its getting air from outside .

So you have a stack robber that's possibly plugged? A plugged chimney is usually fairly obvious. When you open the stove and let a lot of air in it usually won't be able to draft all the smoke.

I have burnt some real wet and green stuff and while it takes longer to get going and requires a strong bed of coals to be present to cook the moisture out of the added wood, it certainly has very little impact on heat output from the stove.

It only takes about 20 minutes to cook the moisture out of a split piece of wood. After that it's burning like normal and turning into coals.

 

[Bretny]

Short of a dirty chimney your wood is most likely to wet anyway.

Logs dont dry and neither to cut rounds. You really need to split it and cover it for a year. Leaving it out in the rain/sun is just letting the bottom stay wet and the top get UV faded. Its doing nothing to actualy dry it. A moisture meter will tell you this.

Any type of oak needs to be split and sit for 2 years. Get a moisture meter, there very cheap off amazon.

 

[JPinSTL]

1st year with the stove? Or did it run great last year and no heat this year? Which wood were you running when the stove was running great? Whats the difference between then and now?

Pinterest has killed the free pallet option, but still work asking around. Stock pile some kiln dried pallet or lumber scraps to get the coal bed started with.
What kind of stove? Old Smoke Dragon or newer EPA rated? I've ran a wood stove for YEARS, while growing up and in my own place, I'm 45. Current house as an Englander 13 and the pole barn has an older wood furnace.

New EPA rated higher efficiency stoves are amazing things, they burn the wood AND THE SMOKE. They use half the wood that an old smoke dragon would require in the same setting. BUT BUT that wood better be POPCORN FART DRY and for Red Oak around here that means 3yrs seasoning after being split. EPA stoves don't like "wet" wood and older smoke dragons are not picky if you have a good coal bed. So at my place the house gets the "pretty" wood and the shop gets all the cut too long, too wet, junk wood.

 

[sweetk30]

as said mix of hard wood i use . last season i ran out of old stock . got some semi dry stuff from a friend but that was a p.i.t.a to burn and low heat output .

this year so far its my wood i got my self / split my self / stock piled in a few piles for almost the whole summer/fall .

old hot blast wood stove / coal combo unit like they use to sell at tractor supply but now they sell the green units .

going to pop apart the exhaust pipe and check it out for some blockage maybe or massive reduced flow .

 

[walrus]

So you have a stack robber that's possibly plugged? A plugged chimney is usually fairly obvious. When you open the stove and let a lot of air in it usually won't be able to draft all the smoke.



I have burnt some real wet and green stuff and while it takes longer to get going and requires a strong bed of coals to be present to cook the moisture out of the added wood, it certainly has very little impact on heat output from the stove.



It only takes about 20 minutes to cook the moisture out of a split piece of wood. After that it's burning like normal and turning into coals.

So it takes very little energy to boil the water out of wood.? Sure it does.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[2level]

My guess is that the wood is too green. Buy a $20 moisture meter and you'll know. If it's over 20% moisture it's too wet.

 

[checkthisout]

So it takes very little energy to boil the water out of wood.? Sure it does.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

If the coal bed is producing 40k btus and I add a certain quantity of wet green wood on top, how many btus does my coal bed produce?

 

[shaggyant]

If the coal bed is producing 40k btus and I add a certain quantity of wet green wood on top, how many btus does my coal bed produce?

It produces the same BTU but a significant portion is absorbed by turning water into steam. You’ll have to do the calculations since you don’t specify the moisture percentage or quantity of the “green wood” in your equation but it takes 1112 btus to turn a pound of 70 degree water into steam.

The phase change (latent heat of vaporization) from water into steam absorbs enormous amounts of energy (970 btu per pound of water with zero temperature increase). That is why steam engines work and why power plants operate on steam.

 

[checkthisout]

It produces the same BTU but a significant portion is absorbed by turning water into steam. You’ll have to do the calculations since you don’t specify the moisture percentage or quantity of the “green wood” in your equation but it takes 1112 btus to turn a pound of 70 degree water into steam.

The phase change (latent heat of vaporization) from water into steam absorbs enormous amounts of energy (970 btu per pound of water with zero temperature increase). That is why steam engines work and why power plants operate on steam.

I agree with all of this. All it means is that the piece of wet, green wood I put on top of the coals will stay colder longer than a dry piece.

It doesn't affect heat output from *most* stoves unless of course it's resulting in a smaller fire.

 

[shaggyant]

I agree with all of this. All it means is that the piece of wet, green wood I put on top of the coals will stay colder longer than a dry piece.

It doesn't affect heat output from *most* stoves unless of course it's resulting in a smaller fire.

Where do you think the steam produced goes? Out the chimney along with the btus absorbed. These are btus that would have otherwise been used to heat your home.

 

[checkthisout]

Where do you think the steam produced goes? Out the chimney along with the btus absorbed. These are btus that would have otherwise been used to heat your home.

I agree the steam goes out of the chimney.

Does it pass by a heat exchanger before it does that?

 

[ClappedOutBport]

you really don't want all the heat to leave the stack. That's how you get creosote. I have a 35ft pipe so I try to run my chimney pretty hot. Otherwise I get creosote like crazy.

And yes, even after a year of drying I try to put in in the shed or basement for a bit before I burn it to get the outside good and dry. Heat is my primary heat source, so I have most of the wood I'll need for winter 2020 already drying.

 

[MarineScott]

Like stated above, get a moisture meter. I have a General brand from Lowes. Also correct as stated above, your wood is wet (not seasoned) . If you burn it you should here a sizzle sound. Obtain some seasoned wood for this year, stack your newer wood, split, and cover only the top for it to breathe.

 

[kelpaso1]

Leaving wood in piles like you show will not dry. Need to stack it in rows and leave at least 2 feet between rows. I get my wood -maple and yellow birch (cut and split) dropped off in my driveway in Apr. I stack it and let it dry till the fall and it is perfectly dry to burn this fall/winter.

 

[Jackfre]

Go to a friend and get a bunch of known good dry wood. Try that out and see how it works compared to your wood.

 

[lakeroadster]

so i have a wood stove in the shop . i keep it cleaned out every 3rd-4th burn down . i have a mix of hard maple / ash / oak / apple / some soft wood like bass wood and other soft i got for free .

this summer around late june early july i cut / split the and had it piled up until the first week of oct when i pilled it all up and put it in winter storage to keep the freezing rain and snow off it . i have been starting to use it and the wood is just not burning real fast / good size flame so my stack temps are under 300* range so the shop is taking for ever to heat up past the 55* temp i have the nat gas heater set at .

any idea's to look at and try different ?

the top cap is wide open no plugged screens or birds nest . the inside of the stove burn box has no massive piles of ash built up on the outlet stack flange area .

maybe the mr.heatr heat exchanger is plugged with stuff ? choking the flow of air drafting threw the stove ?

the shop is not 100% air tight so i know its getting air from outside .

Take out all the guess work and buy a moisture meter... Like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008V6I840/?tag=atomicindus08-20

More here: https://www.firewood-for-life.com/firewood-moisture-meter.html

 

[Jazz1]

^ thats cool, never seen one. I agree with others,, needs seasoned wood. Green wood makes for a cold fire.

I got pile of wood free,bucked up and just back up to the pile. Guy could not give it away because it was green. Not a problem for me, it won't be green 2 years from now. You have to look ahead if you are burning wood.

 

[Copymutt]

Couldn’t resist bragging on my go to for kindling. Except for 6 yrs living in Phx area I’ve always had a wood stove. That’s almost 70 yrs.
If, you come across weathered, scrap, delaminated plywood it is the best kindling you’ll find.
It’s free or really cheap.
In one hr. you can strip apart the laminations and bust up enough of the 1/8” thick strips to get through a whole season. No axe, No saw. Wear gloves, lots of splinters. If it still has too much integrity, leave it exposed to the weather for next yr.
Yes it does have glue, but it’s degraded and helps with lighting it. Been doing this for 10 yrs. from a 20 sheet stack. Still have enough to will to my beneficiaries
It also has knot and insect hole character that make it suitable for rustic items such as picture frames, etc.

 

[sweetk30]

o.k. local big stores didnt have **** for a tester . . . hit up the harbor fright and got the last one for under 15.00 out the door .

picked half a dozen decent chunks of mixed wood and then fresh split them with a splitter .

i got 18-21% average readings on the insides . . . . i guess time to hit up a local guy and get 20 bucks worth of his seasoned wood and if good then it looks like i need to go buy some wood for this season and mix mine in a little bit at a time .

 

[2level]

Your new meter could be wrong/inaccurate. Report back with stove temps after you've done your test burn with known dry firewood, or test-run the stove with a temporary straight flue setup and the firewood that you already have.

 

[Robby321]

4 MONTH cut fresh? Damn right green as its gets. Let it sit at LEAST one year..

 

[greenskeeper]

old hot blast wood stove / coal combo unit like they use to sell at tractor supply but now they sell the green units .

going to pop apart the exhaust pipe and check it out for some blockage maybe or massive reduced flow .

did the stove work well last winter or is this the first time using it? If I recall correctly there are modifications that need to be done to burn wood vs coal in some combo units. I would think less air when burning coal....maybe it is setup for coal and you're not getting enough air to the wood fire?

 

[sweetk30]

always wood for me since i owned it .

worked good last season until i got some semi dry **** at the tail end of the season that was damp . ran that for a few weeks then spring hit .

this was the first few fire off''s this season i noticed the problem .

most of the time i do 4-5 decent fat split chunks and half way threw i am roasting in here since i have spray foam insulation in the 1800sq ft shop .

 

[rburke65]

After experimenting with my wood stove, I’m better off burning a little hotter and avoiding the creosote build up.

 

[TractorJeff]

Take the Heat Exchanger out of the Chimney pipe!
That Heater runs on a T-Stat for its air flow into the Firebox!
Yes the Wood is probably kind of wet but You are doing the system no favors by taking more Draft heat out of the flow!

 

[Jazz1]

Burnt unseasoned wood my first winter and gave chimney a scrub every few weeks to avoid creosote buildup. It’s a 5 minute job well worth the peace of mind

 

[dfiler2]

The only way to test the moisture with one of those little testers is to split a piece and then check the center immediately. Any split piece laying for a couple of days will read 15-20% on the surface, oh and if the tester says "OL" it stands for over limit and is more than 40%.

You really can't burn green wood, you can get a fire going with dry wood and use that fire to dry the wood to the point it will burn but it takes a lot more wood.