bio-bricks anyone??

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
Status
Not open for further replies.

mikeyny

Feeling the Heat
Hearth Supporter
Nov 16, 2007
294
upstate ny
My neighbor saw an add for bio-bricks. Aound 200 bucks per ton. Has anyone here had any experiance with them. the web sit is (broken link removed).
 
Yes. We love them. Puts off a ton of heat.
 
Were the biobricks good for a long burn? I just found out our local truss plant sells them. I was thinking of trying them since much of my wood will be a little damp for next year.
 
Anyone know what a ton of bricks equals in firewood? Face cord, half cord...

Also how does the BTU value compare to wood?
 
Try taking a look at http://biopellet.net .If you go to the 'Data' section, there is a fair amount of info there. Roughly speaking, 1800 lbs of biobricks is about the same as a cord of hardwood. This is all based on averages of BTUs of hardwoods....

I've had good experiences overall with biobricks in our Caddy furnace. I usually mention that given the low moisture content of these, it is important to be careful of overfire situations. Other than that, I have no complaints about them, except they are purchased, and I've been fortunate this year to have access to my FIL's woodlot!

Hope this helps.
 
They rate them at about 16 million btu a ton, same as soft wood. A ton is supposed to equal a cord. I been burning them, they are ok I guess better than wet wood, not very cheap when compared to hard wood. Also no coals in the morning
 
sounds interesting. I suppose you could mix them in with some wood, and then maybe have some coals in the morning.
 
jersey boy said:
Were the biobricks good for a long burn? I just found out our local truss plant sells them. I was thinking of trying them since much of my wood will be a little damp for next year.

Ah.... Not like wood. I get about 6 hours on 12 bricks packed tight. I suppose if you have a steel stove you could pack more in and get a longer burn, but I have to be careful because I have a soapstone stove. I have no problem with a re-light in the morning by just throwing a few bricks in. Do be careful if you are mixing wood and the bricks..... It can suprise you and give you some scary temps on your pipe aven with the air shut down..... Trust me!
 
I bought a ton last season and burned about half of them. I didn't like them for overnight burns because there were no coals left in the morning. I had to start a new fire and I found that they left a hard, black coating on the glass. This year, I'm using the leftovers for burning in the mornings, as they throw out a ton of heat and quickly heat up the stove. I will probably buy another ton next year and use them like this to supplement my wood supply. I suppose if I didn't have an adequate supply of well-seasoned wood, I would burn these more frequently. In my opinion, they are OK!
 
My information shows that a standard cord of wood produces about 15mil BTU's, assuming it is below 20% moisture, and 1 ton of BioBrick is about 17mil BTU's.
If you lay the bricks flat and fill the fire box with cordwood then turn the air down, I found I can burn about 10 hrs. before reloading. It does get hot.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.