Single wall stovepipe and unseasoned wood

[Corley5]

Primary county roads here have a 60' defined ROW while some 2ndaries only have a 30'.  We own to and pay taxes on land to the center.  It takes a court order for the county or state to move the road out of the ROW if the landowner doesn't agree.  That's how it works here 

[John Mc]

We own to the center of the road on my property here in Vermont (and no, it's not a private road). The town holds a right of way or easement (I forget which is the official term in this case). Trees along the edge are mine. If the town or a utility cuts them, I have right to the wood. I know in some cases the guys doing the trimming offer to haul it away as a "service" to the landowner.

[Corley5]

A few years ago the power company did some serious trimming along their lines that run on state land across the road from my place.  A couple guys got caught by a conservation officer cutting on the piles of sugar maple the trimmers left.  Their fines for not having fuel wood permits were pretty DanG steep.  Just because it's laying there doesn't mean it's free for the taking   

[SwampDonkey]

We own power line rights of way up here and usually if they clear the lines and trees they ask permission especially on yard trees. Not so much on woodlot frontage, they just trim and cut as they need to. But, if any need cut you get the wood of course but no money from the utility. Also, if it's along the road on woodlot frontage you better get it as quick as you can get to it because someone else will come along and just take it. Theft, but it will happen. The government here will expropriate, but there will be meetings with the public before the ground work, there is some compensation quite often, but it is what the government determines not you. This has one advantage as it doesn't hold anything up any longer than necessary. Everyone likes power and roads to drive on and most of us see it the same way. 

[downeast]

We own to the center of the road on my property here in Vermont (and no, it's not a private road). The town holds a right of way or easement (I forget which is the official term in this case). Trees along the edge are mine. If the town or a utility cuts them, I have right to the wood. I know in some cases the guys doing the trimming offer to haul it away as a "service" to the landowner.

"Right of way" is only one kind of easement. Ownership is property and rights to the property.

It all comes down to due diligence concerning who has rights/ownership to where and what. Example of our easement in the deed includes our access over our two neighbors' land on a mutually maintained road ( ~ 1 mile ) to our property. Other easements are restrictions on buildings' height and use, restriction of subdividing for any sale or gift, and easements for setbacks from mean high water.

It gets detailed and often complex. The land is also under a "current use" Tree Growth: a positive restriction of usage.

Then there are informal uses such as NOT posting against hunting, "hunting with permission"; too many deer and turkeys here. Neighbors and friends do hunt since we prefer not to. As Lord of the Manor (sic) we usually get some cuts. 

With all the serious crimes around, it's a stretch to call the cops for firewood scrounging on roadsides. Call it "theft" if you want. Ask if possible, but usually it becomes a spur-of-the-moment thing. We roadside scrounged for years in a northern Massachusetts suburb; wood would ( sorry ) sit in ditches or on the road shoulder for weeks. I'd keep work clothes and a small saw in the car for this commuting. Much of the yearly firewood came from roadsides then; a few logs picked up each week over the year made close to what was needed. No screaming 'owners', no cops (they'd wave), no court.

[SwampDonkey]

Nobody would bother reporting road side firewood pick up here either, but around here wood isn't usually left for weeks. The owner usually wants it as quick as he can get it, as wood is not treated as waste in rural NB.

[downeast]

Nobody would bother reporting road side firewood pick up here either, but around here wood isn't usually left for weeks. The owner usually wants it as quick as he can get it, as wood is not treated as waste in rural NB.

...nor in rural Maine, or any rural region. Too many depend on wood for heating since Maine has little low cost nat'l gas.....oil and propane are close to $4./gallon.

Back to the O.P.'s dilemma. I hope that he takes some of the solid advice about safe burning here. CO and smoke detectors with a safe install are mandatory for the life of your family.

[Jemclimber]

People don't "own" any land. You lease it from the government with certain rights and restrictions. If you think this is not true don't pay your lease, aka taxes, and see how long it takes the government to take what belongs to them and evict you to lease it to someone else.

[36 coupe]

Late reply but you are doing every thing wrong.I am 75 and have spent 2 winters in a house with out wood heat..Fireman for 35 years, building inspector for 15,single wall outside stove pipes are are illegal here.Single wall stove pipe rusts out fast and adjustable elbows will fall apart.The only wood you can burn green is  White Ash.Standing deadwood is good.Any thing else will just sizzle and make creosote.There are plenty of good books on heating with wood.You can buy good used books for 3 to 5 bucks.If you have children  I saw a burned 3 year old boy in 1970.People are strange, you can tell them how to set up a stove safely ,They will look at you like you are crazy.You could buy the insulated pipe one piece at a time if money is short.My friend has a wood stove in a mobile home and has no problems.He did it right.

[Yoopersaw]

All of this is excellent advice.  I reccommend listening to it.  My sister burned to death because of incorrect heating useage  this past March in Pennsylvania.

[clww]

Here's a story I'll throw in for consideration:
When I go to our property in Highland County, VA on Route 250, heading west between Staunton and Churchville, there sits an old, two-story farmhouse, about 20 yards from the roadway. Starting last fall and through the winter months, the young people living there were burning a wood stove. The problem was that they did not utilize any of the house's three chimneys, for whatever reason. Maybe these were all unusable. They had run a normal stove pipe out the kitchen window! The pipe came out maybe 18" then followed the profile of the house upward to maybe two feet above the lowest point of the roof. They DID remove part of the gutter, soffit and roof for a uninterrupted straight line upwards, too. Unbelievable! The pipe was attached to the house outside the second story window, and again at the top, with what looked like coat hangers. I told my wife one time as we drove past, "That house is going to burn down one night".
I was dumbfounded the first couple of months we'd drive by that old house and see smoke coming out the stovepipe. I also noticed in January that the otside wall had started to lose paint and become darker behind the pipe due to the heat emitted. I contacted the Augusta County fire marshal, then the sheriff's office to express my concern. I don't know if anything was ever done by the authorities, but probably not.
In early February, I was making another trip up to Williamsville one morning. The house had caught on fire, and burned a large portion of the back half down. All the windows were busted out and there was smoke and soot around them. There were two pickup trucks backed up to the front porch area, loading up whatever could be salvaged after the fire I guess.
This was like watching a car crash happen in slow motion for five months. You knew it was going to happen sooner or later. I don't know if there were any injuries or deaths associated with this house fire.

[Al_Smith]

Although a lot of people do it ,it's not a safe practice to run stove pipe up the side of a house .It's just an accident waiting to happen .

FWIW although you may pay taxes to the middle of the road,street, alley whatever in Ohio  it's public right of way including the side ditchs .

Any utility company such as natural gas ,electric etc. that has an easement also has the right to maintain .This includes trimming the trees .They usually ask and in my case there isn't much they need to do as I keep them clear any way .If somebody is going to mess up my trees I'll be the one doing it ,thank you very much . ;)

[tcsmpsi]

Once upon a time, long, long ago, I had a new bride.  She was new to the art of tending a wood heater.  Coming in from work about dusk one evening,  I could see, as I approached the homestead, great, billowing smoke coming from the stovepipe.  During my increased approach , I am pleading to please, please not open the door on the woodstove and just let me get there.  I could tell by the smoke, she had kept adding wood (more wood=more heat)(bless her heart), without letting it catch up, and it had smouldered to the nth degree.  As I was opening the door to come in, I saw her stoop to open the door.  Fortunately, the old parlor stove had eyes in the top.  Blew both of them to the ceiling.  Scared the whingdinkus out of her.  Fortunately, I was there and got everything quickly under control.  Sometimes it is good to be the 'hero'.  ;)  It was a good lesson that she was most eager to know.  A lot of what I had previously explained in the manner of operations became much more clear.

I have never found any benefit of burning green wood. 

Here, 3 or 4 years ago, I got us one of them newfangled EPA/mobile home certified, closed cell, baffeled, 'how the heck does this thing work?', woodstoves.  Shucks man, that thing is the cat's meow.  Good thing, for getting that 22" firewood burner up the stairs into the house was a doublenaught chore. 

I know how money can be tight, and heat/cooking necessary.   Single wall pipe, out the window/wall, etc. are all fine, BUT have very sincere limitations.   It can all be made as safe as anything else with proper considerations to fundamental rules of nature.  Fire.  Get some help.  On the quiet if you have to (regulations, etc.).  Being burned ain't no pleasant exercise.  A few dollars toward safety, properly applied, is cheap.

Good thoughts and suggestions throughout this thread.

[Al_Smith]

You get a big long section of stove pipe or even 6-8 inch steel pipe going up the outside of a structure the smoke will condense and fill the pipe full of oily creosote .It's only a matter of time before it catchs fire and then heavens only knows what could happen .Usually not good .

It wasn't so much of a problem back in the days of the Warm Mornings or Round Oak non air tight stoves .It is now of days though with air tights .

[SwampDonkey]

You get that stuff burning in the pipes and they are going to expand. It swells up like spray on foam insulation. Better hope it's not the snap together stuff, but it's not probably going to matter much.