Review of Villager A
VILLAGER A STOVES
BRILLIANT WOODBURNING STOVE FOR MY THATCHED COTTAGE. AS SAFE AS IT CAN BE DELIVERING A HUGE AMOUNT OF HEAT. MY ONLY PROBLEM IS GETTING HOLD OF AFFORDABLE, PROPERLY SEASONED HARDWOOD. PLENTY OF OF 'COWBOYS' OFFERING SEASONED WOOD WHICH ISN'T!!
Stove expert replied: I couldn't agree more. Selling logs at 30-40% moisture and claiming they are seasoned is simply unacceptable. How to get around it? Get a moisture meter and split some logs open and test them then and there before accepting a delivery. They should be around 20% if they are seasoned. A few at 25% is OK but not all of them. Failing that seasoned logs will tend to have cracks in the end grain so look for those. The warmer months is the right time to buy in cheaper wet logs. Stack them up so that the wind can get at them but keep the rain off the top of them and they will probably be dry by the end of the summer. In Denmark they keep them all 2 years but beggars can't be choosers, but if you can eventually plan to keep them for 2 years, and you have the space, all the better.