Bless Me Father for I have Sin.
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![[Hearth.com] Bless Me Father for I have Sin.](/talk/data/attachments/26/26904-d31e10ba9d3d44a16e2cfdfd87247265.jpg?hash=humzde2QOj)
Pine, Spruce, if its big and straight I don't discriminate. The old pine from the family camp in the ADKs burned very well.
Hey Everyone,
I am just starting to get my wood pile going for next season and am planning on purchasing a Jotul Rockland 550 this week and having it installed hopefully next week.
Having read posts here for awhile I see people burning pine with no issues, but how long should it season before burning? I always thought pine was a no-no, no matter how long it seasoned. Is this an old school way of thinking? And, how does it compare btu wise?
As a side note, I hooked up with a local tree service and he told me I could have all the firewood he dumps on his property. I just have to go and get it. He told me he can't even give it away, so take what I want. I went to check it out with a buddy of mine and he has TONS of wood. Probably about an acre or more loaded with stuff he has taken down. The only problem is there is no reason or rhyme to his dumping methods making it hard to get a vehicle around and some of the logs are massive. Too big for me to mess with. I plan on getting in there next week to start working on it.
I am just starting to get my wood pile going for next season and am planning on purchasing a Jotul Rockland 550 this week and having it installed hopefully next week.
Having read posts here for awhile I see people burning pine with no issues, but how long should it season before burning? I always thought pine was a no-no, no matter how long it seasoned. Is this an old school way of thinking? And, how does it compare btu wise?
As a side note, I hooked up with a local tree service and he told me I could have all the firewood he dumps on his property. I just have to go and get it. He told me he can't even give it away, so take what I want. I went to check it out with a buddy of mine and he has TONS of wood. Probably about an acre or more loaded with stuff he has taken down. The only problem is there is no reason or rhyme to his dumping methods making it hard to get a vehicle around and some of the logs are massive. Too big for me to mess with. I plan on getting in there next week to start working on it.
Kenster,
I can do pretty much what I want according to the owner. I actually just got off the phone with him and he said he would move some stuff around with his loader. He also mentioned in a previous conversation that I can bring a splitter over if I want. Don't own one, but, hmmm... maybe I can convince the Mrs. I need one of those as well.
I can do pretty much what I want according to the owner. I actually just got off the phone with him and he said he would move some stuff around with his loader. He also mentioned in a previous conversation that I can bring a splitter over if I want. Don't own one, but, hmmm... maybe I can convince the Mrs. I need one of those as well.
Jaugust124 said:
I'll burn anything, I've burned Pine, Spruce and Hemlock. BTU wise it's softer, less dense and does not coal like hardwoods. Expect nice hot fast fires.
I used a bunch of Hemlock this year as kindling and wood to "get the fire going".
And yes that's old school thinking about pine. Green RedOak will plug your cap up faster than pine.
Since your getting started now for wood next year, get to know your species and the seasoning time needed for them (it varies quite greatly).
Your 550 (like my Oslo) is going to be sensitive to sub-par seasoned wood.
Get some pics when ya get it installed.
WoodButcher
Jaugust124 said:
Welcome to the forum Jaugust124.
Yes, old school thinking on the pine. There are many different pines and any can be burned. When I was a little boy and mother cooked on a wood stove we used a lot of pine for that. The reason is a quick and hot fire that did not last too long. We seasoned it for a year or more.
Many people live in areas where pine is the only choice for wood burning and they get along just fine. You will too.
Good luck on the wood gathering and if you once try a hydraulic splitter, you will fall in love with it fast
!
Kind of off topic here and I know it saw this on another thread, I just couldn't find it.
How far from my house should I keep the wood pile?
I have seen in this forum people posting pictures with wood piles stacked in their garages and others stating that it should be 30-50 feet away from the house. My plan was to stack 3-4 cords under my raised pressure treated deck which is connected to the screened in porch. I planned to use the 6x6 posts holding up the deck to stack the wood against. It would be about 6-8 feet away from the house and I assumed that was far enough, but now I am questioning my thinking.
Any thoughts out there?
How far from my house should I keep the wood pile?
I have seen in this forum people posting pictures with wood piles stacked in their garages and others stating that it should be 30-50 feet away from the house. My plan was to stack 3-4 cords under my raised pressure treated deck which is connected to the screened in porch. I planned to use the 6x6 posts holding up the deck to stack the wood against. It would be about 6-8 feet away from the house and I assumed that was far enough, but now I am questioning my thinking.
Any thoughts out there?
There are differences of opinion on this. I've always held the belief that wood should be stacked a minimum of 30-50 feet from the house. Even if you feel there is no chance of bugs from the wood, why not be safe rather than chancing having to fight with a bug infestation of your home; especially if it happened to be carpenter ants.
Under the deck also raises the question of air circulation. Remember that wind and sun are firewood's best friends along with time. It is best to stack the wood where wind will hit the sides of the stacks. Sun is good too but wind is even more important. After sitting in the wind for a whole summer and fall it could then be moved to a place like under the deck or inside a building because it will have dried a good deal by then and if dry, there should be no problem with bugs and ants. Be sure to stack the wood so it is off the ground. We just cut saplings in the woods and stack the wood on those. It keeps the wood off the ground and allows air to circulate better.
So to answer your question, I do not think under the deck would be the right place for the wood. Others my disagree.
btw, we do not cover our wood the first summer and fall and then cover only the top of the stacks. We also let our wood season a minimum of 3 years or more.
Under the deck also raises the question of air circulation. Remember that wind and sun are firewood's best friends along with time. It is best to stack the wood where wind will hit the sides of the stacks. Sun is good too but wind is even more important. After sitting in the wind for a whole summer and fall it could then be moved to a place like under the deck or inside a building because it will have dried a good deal by then and if dry, there should be no problem with bugs and ants. Be sure to stack the wood so it is off the ground. We just cut saplings in the woods and stack the wood on those. It keeps the wood off the ground and allows air to circulate better.
So to answer your question, I do not think under the deck would be the right place for the wood. Others my disagree.
btw, we do not cover our wood the first summer and fall and then cover only the top of the stacks. We also let our wood season a minimum of 3 years or more.
Backwoods Savage and everyone else,
Thanks for the advice.
I figured I would keep any wood I got now out in the yard for the summer and then stack it under the deck come fall. Some of the wood I have is already a couple years old and some is from last May. I hand split a few pieces of the stuff from last spring the other day (mostly ash and maple) to get a feel for it and it split like butter. I'm assuming it must be ready to burn if it splits that easy.
I'm planning om getting 1-11/2 cords of red and white oak this weekend that was split in January. I was hoping that would be ready to burn by Nov-Dec, but from what I have been reading I should probably leave that for the 11/12 season.
As a newbie to the wood stove scene I know there will be a learning curve. I'm used to using my fireplace that burns anything.
I appreciate all the good advice I've found on this site and have learned a lot already. I actually feel like I've got Obsessive Compulsive Disorder when it comes to wood and wood stoves. I am really looking forward to not having to be at the beck and call of the oil man. Something about the independence that really appeals to me.
Thanks again everyone and when I get the insert installed I will post some pictures.
Thanks for the advice.
I figured I would keep any wood I got now out in the yard for the summer and then stack it under the deck come fall. Some of the wood I have is already a couple years old and some is from last May. I hand split a few pieces of the stuff from last spring the other day (mostly ash and maple) to get a feel for it and it split like butter. I'm assuming it must be ready to burn if it splits that easy.
I'm planning om getting 1-11/2 cords of red and white oak this weekend that was split in January. I was hoping that would be ready to burn by Nov-Dec, but from what I have been reading I should probably leave that for the 11/12 season.
As a newbie to the wood stove scene I know there will be a learning curve. I'm used to using my fireplace that burns anything.
I appreciate all the good advice I've found on this site and have learned a lot already. I actually feel like I've got Obsessive Compulsive Disorder when it comes to wood and wood stoves. I am really looking forward to not having to be at the beck and call of the oil man. Something about the independence that really appeals to me.
Thanks again everyone and when I get the insert installed I will post some pictures.
Jaugust124 said:
I let mine sit in a heap away from the building until it is dry and then stack it right against the house. Bugs like moisture and it is gone before the wood comes near the building. It is nice to have the season's burn close to the stove before the snow flies.
SolarAndWood said:
Solar do you have to clean your chimney more when burning seasoned pine compared to seasoned maple or cherry?
zap
Since I got a year plus ahead in wood, there really isn't anything to clean and I burn 8+ a year. I haven't even bothered to check this year. Yes, I know, bad practice. We'll see at the end of the season.
2 cord of pine and spruce this year. Cut and split in the spring and it was bone dry by Thanksgiving. I won't hesitate to bring some more home if I come across it.
zapny said:
I cut some last summer and at confession they told me say three hail marys and start a bonfire so I did.
Jaugust124 said:
I keep all the wood 50' from the house but when it's seasoned you could move it closer with little danger of bugs however mice will still set up house so I would avoid putting it right up against the house to keep them out of your house.
Jaugust124 said:
Late to the party as usual . . . but I'll chime in anyways.
As others have said, pine is fine . . . in fact somewhere here I actually wrote a little poem about burning wood . . . Wood is Good or some other stupid title. Basically the gist of my amateur prose is that as long as your wood is seasoned you can pretty much burn anything in your stove. Seasoning is typically considered to be a year . . . although with some softwood and soft hardwood the time can be shortened a bit and with some more dense hardwoods such as oak you need to season it longer . . . some folks here go techy on us and use moisture meters to determine the moisture content of the wood . . . I just make sure to buck, split and stack my wood a year or more in advance and have good luck.
I should back up and say while burning softwoods such as pine is fine, there are some things you should not burn in your stove . . . pressure treated wood, painted or stained wood, trash, OSB, etc. . . . and of course unseasoned wood which a) will blacken your glass really fast, b) not allow you to get your full potential of heat out of your stove, c) will lead to much anger and gnashing of teeth as you struggle to get a fire going and d) perhaps most importantly can lead to excessive creosote build up which in turn can lead to a chimney fire.
So to answer your questions . . . yes, you can burn pine . . . I do myself . . . usually every winter a few large branches come down from the snow and ice.
I like to season my pine for a year . . . some folks have good luck seasoning it as little as 6-9 months . . . it helps to have it bucked up to stove length, split if necessary and stacked for good air flow.
Yes . . . pine = chimney fires is old school thinking. We've had some debates here as to why this may be . . . one theory is that oftentimes seasoned wood is lighter in weight than fresh cut wood . . . since pine is already a light-weight wood some folks may have tried to burn this wood in their woodstove assuming it would be OK to burn and instead ended up with a lot of creosote which led to a chimney fire . . . there is also a lot of pitch in pine (and ofther softwood) and this resin can burn pretty strong . . . add in the fact that pine tends to throw a lot of sparks and pops and snaps and well . . . folks were a bit shy about burning pine.
Pine is not the best wood to burn in a stove however. White pine for example is not a particularly high BTU wood. I primarily use pine in the Spring and Fall . . . and for kindling. I do not load up my stove with pine for an overnight burn in middle of January . . . it just wouldn't last the night . . . I would get a good, hot fire, but it doesn't have the lasting power as other, denser woods.
SolarAndWood said:
Good: Burning softwood.
Bad: Not inspecting the chimney.
As penitence you must split half a cord of fresh cut elm with a maul . . . no Fiskars allowed.
Jaugust124 said:
As Dennis mentioned there are some folks here who stack the wood in their basement or garage or stack it close to their home . . . some do so because that's the way their Dad did it, some do so because they don't have the space to stack elsewhere and some do so because they feel it is more convenient.
Many, if not most, report few problems . . . but once in a while you'll hear of someone who has discovered ants . . . or rodents . . . or some other bug or critter which has taken up residence in the pile.
Me, I kind of like keeping my wood away from the house . . . but not too far away. Since I built my woodshed on the concrete footings from a large swingset I ended up with a woodshed that is maybe 20-30 feet away from the house . . . since I season my wood for a year before it goes into the shed I'm OK with it being that close . . . plus it makes getting wood a little easier in the dead of winter.
Whether you choose to put the wood under your deck or not would be up to you . . . as I mentioned . . . many have done so with few issues . . . as for me I prefer to keep my wood a bit further away.
firefighterjake said:
I know Father, I know. My current chimney cap is 10+ ft above a 12/12 roof and the bottom is in the middle of the living room. My new chimney chase is going right through the peak of the roof and will have interior ladder access as there is usually a couple feet of snow on the roof.
Does it help that I burn it hot at least once a day and have never had the least bit of a rumble? I know from year 1's purchased wood what that sounds like.
SolarAndWood said:
Burning hot = good . . . but one should still check their chimney occasionally during the burning season in my own humble opinion. Ten minutes worth of work to make sure things are good always beats having the fire department hang out in your home at 2 in the morning for a half hour to an hour as they deal with a stubborn chimney fire and make sure the fire hasn't spread . . . at least that's how I feel.
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