Time drying wood heating

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airsp
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Time drying wood heating




by airsp » 13/02/13, 19:19

Hello,

I plan to store my firewood in crates like here: http://www.gfservices.fr/THERMOSYSTEM.asp
A wooden pallet + welded mesh on the periphery.
1,5m3 bulk storage.

I live in Avignon, how long should I leave these pallets in the open air? Full mistral?
What can we optimize:
- energy absorbing roof (black sheet behind a window)
- closed dimensions
- .....

What dries best?
- the wind
- the outside temperature

Thank you
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by Ahmed » 13/02/13, 20:04

There are 3 main parameters which influence the rate of evaporation of the water contained in the logs:
- the format of the logs (especially the length and also the fact of being split).
- exposure to wind (+ duration as force).
- heat (wood dries mainly in summer).

I think that in your case the wind would be a very favorable element, probably more decisive than the temperature.

If you can shape the wood and put it on these pallets before the start of the hot season, it will be good to burn the following fall (be sure to cover the top of the pallets, at least before the return of precipitation) .
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by Did67 » 14/02/13, 16:11

Ahmed wrote:
- heat (wood dries mainly in summer).

.


We generally agree. You will allow me to correct you slightly:

- it is the hygrometric degree of the ambient air which will create a "gradient" with the humidity of the wood

- therefore the cold dry air (the one that makes cracks) can dry more than hot humid air type "before a thunderstorm" in summer!

Therefore :

- shelter from the rain, everywhere
- effectively cutting and splitting will increase the heat exchange surface and reduce the "distance" over which the moisture must be extracted; so this will facilitate drying ...
- a warming of the air in the "greenhouse effect" way will always reduce the humidity of the ambient air and promote drying on condition that the air is always circulated (a closed greenhouse accumulates humidity and "drips" as soon as it cools) ... This is the principle of industrial dryers with forced ventilation ...
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by Christophe » 14/02/13, 18:31

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by airsp » 14/02/13, 18:47

Hello,

Unless I am mistaken, no indication is given of the drying time.

cordially
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by Christophe » 14/02/13, 19:03

We can read however in the 3rd link about timber:

I'm not a wood pro, but an old carpenter told me that wood dries on average 1cm thick / year (2cm for fir).
==> A 2cm oak / beech plank dries in 1 year (1cm on each side)
==> a 6cm white fir beam dries over 1,5 years ...


So 8 cm thick softwood logs will take 2 years to dry (2 cm / year on both sides = 2 x 2 cm / year) ...
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by jean.caissepas » 14/02/13, 19:19

airsp wrote:Hello,

Unless I am mistaken, no indication is given of the drying time.

cordially


Hello,
Since my childhood, I cut down wood (firewood made up of ash, chestnut, oak, acacia, hornbeam, ...) with my father who heats his old farm with a stove, and an insert when it is colder ( three chimneys in the adobe house which dates from 1890)

He always told me that you have to leave the wood in the rain and in the wind for at least 2 years, to "rinse" it. The rain removes the tannin from the wood which clogs the chimney pipes. The wind makes it dry quickly and prevents rotting after the rain.
He cuts it in August and puts the cut wood in a dry shelter.
Since it has its insert, it uses larger logs of 12 to 25 cm in diameter while spreading the larger ones.

In addition, wood that is not dry enough "pests" in the fireplace, especially chestnut. You must therefore be very careful if you have an open fireplace, because embers can spurt out several meters (risk of fire).

With 8 hectares of wood, we manage to rotate around 30 years.

As my father said, wood heats you three times:
- when we cut and split it
- when we saw it
- when we burn it.
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by Ahmed » 14/02/13, 19:23

@Did67: I agree with you, I did not mention the humidity of the air to simplify and, indeed, hot air is not effective when it is saturated with water ...

@ Christophe: the drying data for sawn timber (planks, blocks, beams, etc.) are not applicable to wood in logs because drying by the vessels accelerates the process when the latter are short (the migration of water from the logs is preferably longitudinal).
Drying is therefore faster ...
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by airsp » 14/02/13, 20:33

Hello,

I agree with the tradition of waiting two years.

However, to date, it is quite possible to dry the wood more quickly, especially with artificial dryers, which dry 450 steres in 10 days.

My goal is not to make a dryer, but to know the drying time.

cordially
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by Gaston » 15/02/13, 09:08

airsp wrote:My goal is not to make a dryer, but to know the drying time.
To sum up: it takes a while and it depends on the conditions ...
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