Nurning green wood

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Saturday, October 29. 2011

A tree guy I know just dumped me off a cord or so of green wood, for free and freshly cut from one of his jobs. Some logs large enough for splitting, but much of easily-burnable size.

People who are not fireplace experts think you need kiln-dried split wood for heat or for fireplaces. You do not.

As readers know, I keep the fire going in the MF HQ from October to May. I keep a supply of split and outdoor-dried wood, but once a fire is happy with coals I like to burn either green or wet logs. More heat, less flame, slower burn. Green wood burns fine once you have some coals. Sometimes, I throw a couple of hunks of charcoal in there to keep it hot and happy.

Posted by Bird Dog in Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 16:00 | Comments (12) | Trackbacks (0)

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Ever have a chimney fire?

#1 Talnik on 2011-10-29 18:16 (Reply)

Outrageous! Everyone knows that wood fires cause greenhouse gases!!!

#2 jpm on 2011-10-29 19:45 (Reply)

And green wood obviously produces even worse greenhouse gases.

#2.1 JKB on 2011-10-29 22:42 (Reply)

Growing up in South Carolina I had a cousin who seemed to have a fire going in the living room way into spring and starting early in the fall. In exchange for being let run free on his farm for hunting, horse riding etc. I did chores, including split his green firewood. Once the coals were established there were never more than one or two logs on the fire, slowly hissing, steaming, and burning away. Anytime I smell (or hear) green wood burning it brings back memories of his farm.

#3 T.K. Tortch on 2011-10-29 21:30 (Reply)

If you have a good coal bed under it, the cresote goes up the chimney, mostly, or burns off.

Beyond that, most of us who burn very much wood clean our chimney every year. It's not a huge job, actually.

The next thing you know, someone will have a cow about burning Pine. And yes. I do that, too. It burns quick, but it's awesomely hot.

Paranoia is not a good way to be, if you have a fireplace. Otherwise, you will lose way more sleep than you should.

#4 jefferson101 on 2011-10-29 21:36 (Reply)

Kiln drying seems a bit overkill. If you go that far, you might as well make charcoal.

Obviously, the seasoned wood has more effective BTUs since there is less water to take up the energy changing state to steam. This is important if you are in a steam engine race but for an open fire, a slow ember burn will maintain heat better than are roaring flame blasting the heat up the chimney. I would expect some of the steam produced would increase the humidity a bit also producing a warmer sensation in the space.

On trick I read in an old farm book for quick seasoning wood, is to cut it when it is in leaf then let it lie until all the leaves have fallen off, then limb and buck it. As long as their is sap, the leaves will hang on till it is all used up.

#5 JKB on 2011-10-29 23:22 (Reply)

Now that looks like a mighty comfortable setting. But where's the footstool for the armchair by the fireplace to make it perfect?

#6 Agent Cooper on 2011-10-30 01:34 (Reply)

Ha - exactly my thought. That could be it under a pile of books next to the desk.

#6.1 XRay on 2011-10-30 16:44 (Reply)

Do you also enjoy the greatest pleasure of a fireplace; open fire cooking? Dutch oven, pans on long legged trivits, roasts or fowl hanging from strings in front of the coals. Everyone should try it.

#7 GoneWithTheWind on 2011-10-30 11:19 (Reply)

I have a hard time reconciling the image of this space with the oft posted picture of you after your successful turkey hunt. I have a hunch this image of a comfortable office might be ruse. Still, in the interest of science I have to ask, is this the place of blogging?

#8 Jephnol (Link) on 2011-10-30 22:55 (Reply)

#9 Jephnol (Link) on 2011-10-30 22:57 (Reply)

Pardon my amusement, but comments #8 and #9 came from a single commenting session interrupted by preventative spam measures. I edited one bit to jink around the anti-spam monster and successfully comment twice with the same page. Please tell me this is a first at Maggie's.

#10 Jephnol (Link) on 2011-10-30 23:05 (Reply)

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Saturday, October 29. 2011

Nurning green wood