Oak logs not burning

[Pacemaker1000]

Bought kiln dried oak logs as supposed to last longer but it’s really hard to get them to stay alight?

top down lighting and loads of oxygen, especially since I added an external direct vent, and softwood burns furiously. But when kindle is gone the logs go out and I have to add loads more kindle, I’m going through more of this than oak…lol.

all logs show moister of no more than 10% but maybe more in the centre

thanks

 

edit…forget to say both top and bottom vents are permanently fully open!

Edited November 9, 2022 by Pacemaker1000
Adding info

[Dan Maynard]

Split a log and test the centre, this is the only way to know if your logs are properly dried or have just been given a quick go in the kiln to dry the outside.

 

Having said that, oak doesn't burn brilliantly on it's own so I'd suggest getting some other wood to mix it with. Either a lighter hardwood or some softwood.

[Stubby]

1 minute ago, Pacemaker1000 said:

Bought kiln dried oak logs as supposed to last longer but it’s really hard to get them to stay alight?

top down lighting and loads of oxygen, especially since I added an external direct vent, and softwood burns furiously. But when kindle is gone the logs go out and I have to add loads more kindle, I’m going through more of this than oak…lol.

all logs show moister of no more than 10% but maybe more in the centre

thanks

Have always found Oak ( Quercus Robur ) Slow , and , takes a long time to season ( 3 years min )  and even then always mix it with Syc, Ash or Beech .  Holm Oak is a different kettle of fish though . I would suspect your " kiln dried " bit .

[trigger_andy]

11 minutes ago, Pacemaker1000 said:

Bought kiln dried oak logs as supposed to last longer but it’s really hard to get them to stay alight?

top down lighting and loads of oxygen, especially since I added an external direct vent, and softwood burns furiously. But when kindle is gone the logs go out and I have to add loads more kindle, I’m going through more of this than oak…lol.

all logs show moister of no more than 10% but maybe more in the centre

thanks

Oak is a slow burner and not the best hardwood to burn on its own. You generally have to mix with softwood or Birch etc and even then not add it til you have a good bed of embers going. 
Oak is not the king of firewood, far from it. I burn it but it does not get priority. 
 

You’ll get a few tall tales here of folk stating they get their oak going with a flint and their bellybutton fluff but I think it’s BS. 
 

Norway has a very high percentage of Stove Burners per capita and even in central Oslo where I am tonight I can smell the sweet smell of burning Birch. It’s by far the wood of choice here and they import huge quantities of it. 
 

Skip the Oak next time, get a mix of hardwood including Ash, Birch and Beech. But til you’ve burned through what you have your best introducing it later rather than at kindling time. 
 

Oh, and save yourself some cash and forget the kiln dried gimmick. 

[Pacemaker1000]

Looks like my research failed. Annoyingly I had to wait weeks to get oak over birch ..lol

i do notice smaller pieces are better but unfortunately most are big to huge.

what’s the best way to split them down? It’s impossible with an axe and the drill attachments don’t get good reviews?

[Squaredy]

I agree with most of what has been said here.  It is very difficult to get oak to dry right in the middle.  
 

If you can’t split a piece to test the moisture in the middle, do you have a way to saw a large piece across the grain.  This should be fairly easy with a sharp hand saw if you can hold it still!

 

 My guess is the logs are sopping wet in the middle.

[Pacemaker1000]

They do burst into flames initially then die off so possibly wet in the middle

[GarethM]

If you can't split it, I would definitely think it's still wet in the middle.

 

Usually the only wood you can't split by hand when dry is eucalyptus, that's stuff when dry is like granite.

[Puffingbilly413]

24 minutes ago, Pacemaker1000 said:

what’s the best way to split them down

Bit labour intensive but metal splitting wedge and sledge would do it.  If you bring your logs into the house a few days before you want to burn them and let them dry out more still next to the stove, then that will asisst in drying off residual moisture.

Do you have a multifuel stove by the way?  These will have the logs sitting on a grate probably - all wood burns best on a bed oh ash that embers can in turn sit.  It's harder to get this on a multifuel as everything tends to fall through the grate.  Just a thought.

[Lowestoft Firewood]

Most people without access to a big assortment of species seem to think Oak / other hardwoods are the only wood they should burn, a mix of softwood (to light the fire get the flue hot) and hard to keep it going longer with steady heat.