Newbee looking to buy firewood

[SCRich]

I am in the upstate of SC near Charlotte, I know prices vary. Most of the wood in this area is pine, I got 30 acres of it but I refuse to start problems with burning pine in my new fireplace/home. Last year we said we would buy some wood and store it so we could use it for this winter...well it did not happen. Mostly because we were short of cash but also because I did not have the time and could not decide where to build a shelter for the wood to dry but yet have air flow.

Well it's only November and I have fired up the fireplace 2 times, we are down to 27 degrees and may even go lower this week. Last year we burned maybe 3-4 times "supermarket" wood but even that stuff is not seasoned, it was hard to start. I have 3-4 packages that I bought last year and it lights better and lasts longer with what appears to be more heat this year.

What should I look for in firewood and what should I expect to pay? There are a bunch of places that advertise wood delivered but I don't need delivery, if they will load it in my pick up or on a trailer I can get it home and unloaded. What I don't like is that all of the wood that I see for sale is out in the open just getting soaked all the time. One place has had the wood outside for 2 years now and it's so much they built a cabin (800+ sq ft) out of split wood. The wood the cabin is made out of looks black now, probably mold but they also have fresher split wood. Which would be better out of the 2, Old wood out in the elements for a long time or fresh split with no seasoning?

For this year I guess I have no other choice than to buy a bunch more of this bagged supermarket wood. It may not be super dry but it's got to be better than the freshly cut stuff, I'll just have to put off using the fireplace nightly during the winter season and maybe use it a couple of times a week.

[Alex]

Hi,

I don't think there is anything wrong with Pine. We have a Blaze King which has a catalytic converter, which burns it clean. And every so often we burn it hot. No problems.

Our favorite wood is Pine, we love it. It is much hotter than Poplar, which others like but I don't. Brich is hotter than Pine and last longer, but I like Pine odor and ease of getting it.

Good luck,

Ale

[clovis]

I too agree that pine isn't bad. It does give off a hot fire. I would not be afraid of burning it.

I think there are alot of urban myths about firewood, and these myths persist in the country too.

I know a guy that can get the same free hardwood slab wood that I can get, but will not burn it because it is not round. This is a true story.

My dad scored some elm one year, and alot of it. I remember ALL the people that swore it would never burn, and that because it wasn't seasoned outside in the elements, it wasn't worth burning. "Only seasoned American red oak for us" they proclaimed. Dad heated over 2 years with that wood that had been dried in the barn.

As a side note, sometimes I believe that the people that say the word "seasoned" the most in a conversation about firewood, actually know the least about it, LOL.

Of course, if you are buying, get the most BTU's for your money, which is hardwood. You can find a list of of the BTU values on the net.

As well, you are going to have to find a straight shooter offering a square deal for the wood they sell. Sadly, there are some people that will promise the moon, but then cheat you in the end. I think the best way is always to visually inspect the wood you get before its delivered.

My dad agreed to buy wood one time years ago from a guy that promised "walnut or oak, split if needed, delivered and stacked". Well, the wood got delivered, and my mom paid the man. It wasn't stacked, and as we went thru the wood, it was evident that the wood was cut from tops. The majority was about as big around in circumference as a fist, or less. And that guy must have had a special ruler for measuring, because his ricks were about 3x6, and the limbs were about 12 inches long.

Clove

[tamsam]

How close to Monroe are you? My son in law's dad runs a wood service. He is west of Monroe near Parkwood School. If you are interested pm me and I will get his number for you or he may be listed in the phone book. I think Thomas Wood Service is what he goes by, Sam

[jasper]

i live near charlotte and want to encourage you to check craigslist. i see listings all the time for free wood. check the free section

i had a neighbor with wood stacked at the street for 2 weeks as the waste management company wouldn't pick it up, it was huge pieces.

i have fireplaces and wood on my own property, but i always go pick it up when people cut down a tree and stack it at the street.

[haypoint]

I guess the blackend wood could be mold, but seasoned wood darkens down alot. When wood dries, it mostly stays dry and a rain shower now and then doesn't put moisture back into the core again. Insist that everything you buy is split at least once.
If you didn't buy wood last year so you could have dry wood now, there isn't much of a "quick fix".
Many fireplaces don't put out much heat. The heat is mostly sucked up the chimney.
Dry wood puts out more heat than wet wood.
All dry wood puts out the same amount of heat, pound for pound. A pound of dry red oak will provide only as much heat as a pound of pine. Dry Oak weighs a lot more, so you get more heat out of each piece of wood.
There is more pitch in pine than hardwood. A hot fire will burn pitch. A cooler fire won't, leaving a gooey creasote lining in your chimney. Chimneys will sometimes "self-clean" by way of a chimney fire. A small amount of creasote burning in your chimney won't harm anything. A large amount of creasote will damage your liner and could burn your house down.
If I'm selling delivered firewood, I won't want folks dropping by for me to run out and load their truck. I may be filling my truck from wood way out in my woodlot. For me to load my truck, dump it someplace you can get your truck to, then run over there to load your truck, isn't worth it to me. I doubt the price for delivered wood is much more that stuff you'd have to haul.

[Hooligan]

All wood has the same BTU's per pound when seasoned to the same moisture content. What makes some species more attractive for firewood then others is the density of the particular species. 1 lb of seasoned pine puts out the same BTU's as one pound of seasoned oak. The difference is that 1 lb if seasoned pine might be twice as many chunks as 1lb of seasoned oak.

Pine is ok to burn. Make sure it is seasoned and burn it hot. It will dirty up your chimney easier then hardwoods so keep an eye on that.

I cut all of my wood from my property. I stick to hardwood for the most part just because it is less work to get the same BTU's. I will cut up a poplar or white birch if it is down to burn in the fall or spring but I don't go out of my way for the lighter woods like poplar or basswood or pine of white birch.

Around here a full cord of seasoned hardwood is going for 250 ish. You rarely if ever see people advertising anything but hardwood for sale.

You can tell pretty easily if that wood that has been sitting outside is still good by looking at it. Chances are you would be better off with the old stuff. Just get it under cover as soon as possible.

[Iddee]

Call all your local tree service companies and ask if they need a place to dump hardwood trees that they remove. I keep more hardwood than I can use and it is free, and delivered. You may have to cut it to length and split it, then stack and age it.

[ginnie5]

I agree with Craigslist and freecycle. We're just outside of Charlotte and so far I've yet to pay for wood.

[clovis]

Rich,
Are you following the thread by cc-rider entitled "Burning dimensional lumber"? Some good posts debunking the myths about burning pine.
Clove

[SCRich]

I was on a yahoo wood burner mailing list about 2 years ago when I was building the house. On that list everyone stated pine was bad, actually most soft woods due to sap and the creation of creasote.

As a child (prior to 1st grade) my parents had a fireplace in Mass. I missed it even at 42 I still missed it and when we built the house we installed a Heatalator Constitution fireplace (inclosed steel fireplace) in the living room and a 2100 wood stove in the unheated basement which will be a media room eventually. The constitution has a catalytic converter and is claimed to have one of the highest outputs and best EPA rating.

I don't know much about fireplaces but I do know that I don't want frequent chimney sweep bills and can't do it myself due to the 12/12 pitch and it's difficult to get to the main chimney and just tough to the other due to the height and pitch.

From hearing everyone on that list who seem to change fireplaces as often as I change sneakers (it's a hobby in itself!) they all went crazy over the idea of burning pine due to the sap and the high chances of a creasote fire. I did some internet searches and read it in other places but I guess I have to re-research it again and maybe I am sitting on a lot of wood and don't even know it. I got several (20 or so) full size trees that were fell when we built the house and have been set aside for an outside firpit. I have been lazy and somewhat broke for a splitter. I am guessing the wood is probably hard as all "Hedouble hockey sticks" now that it's so old but I am going to give it a try this weekend to at least cut 20in or so lengths and see. MAYBE I can talk my Mom and wife into buying me a big splitter for a Christmas present.

As far as where am I, I am in York SC which is South of Gastonia NC and West of Rock Hill SC. Monroe is not super far from here but still far enough, I am guessing 50-60 miles or so. Air miles it's close but no direct routes from here to there as far as I know, either country roads or got to drive around and through Charlotte to get there.

[SCRich]

Originally Posted by clovis

Rich,
Are you following the thread by cc-rider entitled "Burning dimensional lumber"? Some good posts debunking the myths about burning pine.
Clove

No I have not..honestly I have been all wraped up working as much overtime as I can and spending that cash on some "heavy metal" considering the new faces that will be walking the streets in DC.

Now that I have stocked up well on some items I'll have to start frequenting this forum a bit more, I'll take a look at that thread.

Rich