propguy said:I am looking for Bio Bricks in MA.
Any ideas ? Cape Cod............
Maybe he didn't get wood in 2009 and can't find any dry wood now. Would you recommend burning unseasoned natural wood instead of dry bricks.DAKSY said:Why? You will void your warranty by burning ANYTHING other than natural wood in your stove.Your manual states that fact.Not to mention that the Defiant's NOT tested for burning bio-bricks...I realize it's your stove, your house & your life, but...propguy said:I am looking for Bio Bricks in MA. Any ideas ? Cape Cod............
BeGreen said:Warranty on a 2006 VC stove is a moot point, no?
Den said:Maybe he didn't get wood in 2009 and can't find any dry wood now. Would you recommend burning unseasoned natural wood instead of dry bricks.DAKSY said:Why? You will void your warranty by burning ANYTHING other than natural wood in your stove.Your manual states that fact.Not to mention that the Defiant's NOT tested for burning bio-bricks...I realize it's your stove, your house & your life, but...propguy said:I am looking for Bio Bricks in MA. Any ideas ? Cape Cod............
I've burned bricks, not Bio brand though. The mfr said that the bricks are made with high pressure, giving them a density double that of hardwood. . .which hardwood I dunno, but "double." Therein lies the potential for overfiring. In theory, bricks can allow you to stuff twice as much cellulose into your firebox, which means double the potential Btu's. . . maybe even more than double if packed more efficiently than logs can be. So you want to use an amount of bricks that takes up half the space in your firebox that a normal load of logs would. . .yeah, 5 - 10 bricks, depending on their size, say < 20 lbs total, and watch the stove like BB said. I too see no problem with bricks. . .other than not knowing exactly what's in them. Like with processed food, you have to trust the mfr.ANeat said:So why would using them void any warranty??? Is there some risk of overfiring? If some wood dealer was putting the screws to me and the BioBricks were an option I would sure try a few...
A couple years back I tested and reviewed the Hearthwise (Prest_Logs) and BioBrick products. The reviews are posted in the wiki section:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Home_Fire_Prest_Logs/
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/BioBricks/
spirilis said:After paying for compressed sawdust bricks, you won't be stuffing your stove that tight if you have any motivation of saving money (and making your supply last all winter) ;-)
Comparing WoodBrickFuel (similar product, probably made from the same brand of machine) to a kiln-dried hardwood cordwood (packaged in .75cuft bags, like for camping) made by a nearby logging company, my experience has been that the bricks burn a little slower than the kiln-dried cordwood, but last longer. For the most part only the surface of the bricks appear to burn, whereas with cordwood you have smoke and flame coming out the ends of the grain in addition to the surface of the log. That's my non-scientific 2 cents so take it for what it's worth. There's usually a minimum number of bricks you gotta use to get the stove hot, but going too far can be bad. However, in one experiment where I stuffed my 1980 VC Defiant II with 16 bricks (32lb total) vs my typical 6 bricks (12lb), the stove NEVER overfired, it just kept steady at ~650F griddle temp for longer. The house got really hot though. Fact of the matter is, that stove is horrendously oversized for this small house (I guess the old lady who had this house custom-built liked it warm...) This is running the stove in updraft mode where it produces maximum heat.
Bear in mind, however, that my chimney isn't the most optimal setup so the draft isn't as high as it should be with most modern EPA-certified stove installs. I'd feel rather skittish about trying that experiment with a well-drafting chimney.
I remember reading somewhere that the EPA certification process uses Douglas Fir?billb3 said:Do the stove manufacturers use cherry or maple or do they use that all natural kiln dried southern yellow pine to test their stoves ?
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