Bit of advice needed please?

[Got_Wood?]

Yeah, I should have just stuck with the chap I used last year. They were good and dry and only about £10-£15 more than what I got these for this year. 

[Dan Maynard]

2 hours ago, Got_Wood? said:

I'm wondering if anyone could suggest roughly how long these may take to dry down to the 20% moisture they should be

Bit like a piece of string, depends on the weather. Most Octobers not much drying but with this heat and wind they will be.

 

Rough rule of thumb maybe, as a starter for discussion, wood can season in 4-6 weeks in optimal conditions outside, which means summer heat and wind. If you do something like heat and forced ventilation in a polytunnel, then quicker. 

 

Depends where you are in the country too, I'm in East Anglia which is dry.

[Got_Wood?]

Ok, thank you. I'm in North Yorkshire so not very dry, but plenty of wind. 

 

Interesting around the forced ventilation, I was half thinking of sticking a dehumidifier on in the coal shed for a couple of hours a day for the next few weeks.. maybe not a bad idea then

[monkeybusiness]

27 minutes ago, Got_Wood? said:

Ok, thank you. I'm in North Yorkshire so not very dry, but plenty of wind. 

 

Interesting around the forced ventilation, I was half thinking of sticking a dehumidifier on in the coal shed for a couple of hours a day for the next few weeks.. maybe not a bad idea then

Might as well just put the heating on! 

[Got_Wood?]

31 minutes ago, monkeybusiness said:

Might as well just put the heating on! 

Ha ha fair point 

[Dan Maynard]

12 hours ago, Got_Wood? said:

Ok, thank you. I'm in North Yorkshire so not very dry, but plenty of wind

You probably need cover then, and ideally find a windy spot so it's always blowing through the stack. I have a woodshed down the side of the garage which is a bit of a wind tunnel, something like that. Moving the damp air away from the logs is key.

 

I think people do build dehumidifier kilns, but evaporating water takes a lot of energy so kiln drying is expensive. 

[Muddy42]

Some people disagree, but I like to allow logs to sit outside in the sun/rain and break down a bit before drying.  This is easier if you are not in a rush and have >2 year cycle.  I find green wood if just split and staked undercover immediately stays very hard with moisture trapped inside.  Weathering creates natural cracks and the bark falls off, helping the moisture leave.

[Stubby]

Also , just as an aside there is a difference between seasoned logs that have got wet from rain and green unseasoned timber .

[NJA]

On 09/10/2023 at 15:16, Muddy42 said:

Some people disagree, but I like to allow logs to sit outside in the sun/rain and break down a bit before drying.  This is easier if you are not in a rush and have >2 year cycle.  I find green wood if just split and staked undercover immediately stays very hard with moisture trapped inside.  Weathering creates natural cracks and the bark falls off, helping the moisture 

Fully agree with this!

[Peasgood]

On 08/10/2023 at 19:17, Whoppa Choppa said:

20% is only a recent figure. For years, HETAS specification was 25%.

May be so but I certainly don't like trying to burn logs that are over 20%. It is very noticeable that they don't give anything like as much heat never mind the crap in the chimney/flue.

My logs are usually 17% ish but it is inevitable they creep up to 20% in the wettest times of winter as they take on atmospheric moisture.