Splitting wood primer: When should we do it, when is it too late?

Submitted by mkraft t3_y5xqae in Connecticut

Forgive the obtuse question, but this is our first time with this situation:

We bought our house 2 years ago. Heavily wooded area. Prior owners had cut down a tree--we don't know when--and basically chucked the sections in the backyard woodlands. We had a tall Hickory cut down last year, and added the new wood to the pile.

Couple questions: How many years is considered "good" for drying/seasoning? How long is too long--i.e. when do we just cut our losses and call that a moldy, rotten section?

I feel like we'd need to hire someone to come evaluate what's good and what's too far gone, split it, and stack it, and we'd be good on firewood for a couple years, no? My question here is, do the guys who split the wood tell you if it's good or not, or do they just do the job and take a check?

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himewaridesu t1_ismcxdk wrote

Punky wood- will disintegrate when you smack two pieces together. If it makes a wet noise or feels super moist it’s not good. If it thunks/feels dry you’re doing good. Make sure you have a wood rack OFF the ground and either metal or pressure treated wood. We just had to move our piles and they had them on barely covered pellets that were rotting. Also make sure your wood is covered on all four sides- weigh down the top with other wood pieces/rocks and the bottom with logs/rocks.

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jckdup t1_ismdl9u wrote

If the wood is falling apart when you pick it up. It’s probably done-zo. Get a good maul and metal wedge and try splitting it. I would expect the wood that is resting on the ground would likely garbage, depending on wood type and if it was able to dry out. Everything else may be good to go; once again depending how old, type and if it had a chance to dry out.

Honestly don’t get someone to do it for you. If you are physically capable then do it and in the process you will learn the difference between crap wood and good wood.

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JayB2A t1_ismfmeb wrote

Is this for primary heating via a wood stove? If so, a few logs split up won't last long. For an occasional ambiance fires in a fireplace? You'll be set for a while as long as the split wood is stored dry.

You can rent a chainsaw and logsplitter and DIY it if you're able to operate power equipment.

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woodstove7 t1_ismfziy wrote

To answer directly. Cut / split / stack wood asap. Stack off the ground and top cover. For most types of wood 2 years is good for drying. Oak needs 3.

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mkraft OP t1_ismhlmj wrote

Replying to JayB2A (#120,742)

yeah, these are big chunks, I can't wrap my arms around them. Trees must have been >100yrs old. So i think splitting will yield a lot.

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HeyaShinyObject t1_ismrb0e wrote

Best to split when the tree is dropped -- full rounds won't really dry; they'll rot eventually. Stack off the ground, and cover, but try to allow air circulation -- don't swaddle it tight. I sometimes fold my cover up in the summer for better air circulation, but leave the sides loosely covered in the winter to keep snow out. 1-2 years to fully dry depending on the condition of the tree and time of year when it was felled. If it's split smaller, it'll dry faster.

Wood that's been around too long will feel soft -- you'll come to recognize is pretty quickly. If it's not too far gone, I will mix a little in to an established fire, but if it makes a lot of smoke, you don't want to do that unless you're burning in a fire pit outdoors.

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yudkib t1_isn0xu1 wrote

If it’s dripping wet and covered in mold it’s bad

That’ll be $200 please

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legendary_fool t1_isnobj4 wrote

1 year to 18 months is perfect for harder woods like oak and ash. Burnable after 6-8 months stacked in a sunny area, but best after a year.

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silasmoeckel t1_isnz3nx wrote

Replying to mkraft (#120,857)

They will probably still be fairly wet inside if they have not starting rotting yet. Something that big you need to split up to start drying it out.

It's a lot of processing to get something that big into bits that you can deal with in normal machines to split and stack it.

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CtForrestEye t1_isunyg8 wrote

Typically seasoned wood has been cut at least one year prior. You can easily tell if wood is hard or soft when you are splitting it. Don't put it right against the house due to termites and carpenter ants. A good wood stove makes a big difference in heating a home. If the wood is soft just chuck it to become dirt.

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