Figured out why I had a chimney fire

[Hogwildz]

No offense intended, but anyone burning firewood should easily know the difference between dry and not so dry wood merely by picking it up and noticing how heavy it is.
Maybe just comes with time & experience, but I know i feel the difference right away.

 

[Jack Fate]

the temperature of the split changes the reading ,if I remember the warmer as in room temp read higher than cold splits. I may be goofed up but the temp of the tested split changes 4-6% .Read this on arborist site couple years back

 

[Jack Fate]

If you have a Tractor Supply near you (or similar) go talk to them NOW about reserving a pallet or two of biobricks or other man made log (think huge pellet) that you can pick up from them in the fall.

Just got a flyer in the mail last week from them about pre-ordering. Those mixed with marginal wood will give you better results (more heat and cleaner chimney) than the marginal wood alone and also in all are not priced that badly generally speaking.

pen

do those work better than Gren Heat ? tried those got at Menards

so so results , We do have a TSC just wish I could try some out before ordering .Never seen them there

 

[pen]

do those work better than Gren Heat ? tried those got at Menards

so so results , We do have a TSC just wish I could try some out before ordering .Never seen them there

Not sure Jack, never tried the Gren Heat ones. I've used Eco's and was pleased but wouldn't trade them for well seasoned cord wood. However, if for some reason I came up short on the good stuff, I'd make an order for one of the bigger names.

pen

 

[Ashful]

Hearing how difficult it is to accumulate and store "seasoned" wood... i have to wonder why so many people stick to burning wood instead of maybe going to pellets?

For me, this is my first year burning wood, and the more i read about this, the more concerned i am about being able to have a stash sitting in my yard for say 1-3 years to season.. i figured i would mostly buy wood early spring each year (March/April) and let it sit until Nov/Dec burning season. Now, i dont think that is the best method anymore.

6 - 7 months thru summer will do better than many, unless you've got oak in those stacks. Stick to softwoods, ash, & maple. Better yet, find a way to get 2 years worth on your lot, and then you'll be burning at 18 months, which is good for most woods (excepting oak, of course).

 

[bag of hammers]

No offense intended, but anyone burning firewood should easily know the difference between dry and not so dry wood merely by picking it up and noticing how heavy it is.
Maybe just comes with time & experience, but I know i feel the difference right away.

That's served me pretty well too. Occasionally I get a sizzler but for the most part it's been not too bad. For me, I think it helps that I've dealt with just a couple varieties of birch / maple for the most part over the years (aside from other stuff I scrounge up - poplar, the last of my mountain ash, etc). So I have the advantage of being able to compare apples to apples when picking thru the pile - something relatively green vs something a couple years old - same species - is night and day. Looking at 3 pallets I have stacked out in the lot now with maple - some I split this past Spring, vs stuff I stacked last year, vs 2011 - dramatic difference in the look and feel.

On the other side of the coin, I recall some of the assorted hardwood ends I'd picked up kinda throwing me off a bit though - they tell me it's a mix of birch, maple, oak and I can't really tell the difference by looking at these square blocks. I'd grab 2 pieces same size - the stuff I had piled for a couple years - and I'd find a big difference in the weight - my guess was that I had one birch, and one oak in hand - oak being much more dense. It's all greyed and checked - a couple of the heavier blocks in the stove would take off and produce some awesome heat compared to the lighter pieces (also burn well, but noticeably less heat). So I still had no problem going by look and feel, but just thinking about how a dog's breakfast of species in the pile might factor in weight-wise...?

 

[Hogwildz]

Don't let the graying & checking fool you. Especially with the oak. It maybe have a nice dark gray tint, and big check cracks, but not be anywhere near ready. Oak is remarkably light when truly dry as compared to when it is fresh or even a year cut, split & stack. I had a few large blocks of oak that after 2 years were just not close to ready. By years 3 & 4, they felt like balsa wood in weight compared to fresh split or even a year on the stack. Maple will be decent in a year, even better longer. Softer woods are usually good a year sometimes less. I burn whatever I get my hands on. soft stuff has its place in the shoulder seasons, or on top of a larger coal bed to help burn them down and throw some heat until the next load etc. I see no bad wood, and will burn any natural wood without prejudice. I do favor oak for long hot burns though. Even a mix of oak and some other stuff seems to work long and and leaves minimal coal build up.
If you lift it and it feels heavy, toss it back on the rack, cause it ain't ready.

 

[BrotherBart]

do those work better than Gren Heat ? tried those got at Menards

so so results , We do have a TSC just wish I could try some out before ordering .Never seen them there

Problem is that TSC is now carrying the 21 pound six pack instead of the eight bricks that used be in the package. And didn't lower the price.

 

[Huntindog1]

The reason people use wood instead of pellets is most of use cut our own wood to save money. The main reason I am doing this is to save money plus I just love burning wood and the kind of heat it gives off is much more comfortable. Warms your bones. lol

When I got back into burning wood a couple years ago I invested around $1500 as I already had a chain saw and a masonry chimney. I disconnected my wood furnace that had been sitting idle for 6 years and hooked up a new high efficiency wood stove I purchased for $600. Then I went out and got me a $900 wood splitter. The first year of wood burning was a wash I spent around $1500 to get back into it and save around $1400 in heating cost.

So then year two last winter was free and clear I had all my investment payed for from the savings the first year. So I had extra $ last winter to spend on Christmas or what ever my family needed.

But going back to pellets I wouldnt do this If I had to go buy wood or pellets. Its not enough savings for me to justify it.

Now maybe when I get to old to cut wood I might buy it for old times sake just to still be able to mess with wood burning.

I like to add in the savings of the example that some of my friends pay like a $400 a year health club membership so they can go work out.

So if I take my $1400 heating bill savings and add in my $400 savings from not joining the health club I now save $1800.

Cutting splitting and stacking wood burns alot of calories. And I just love being outdoors.

 

[Huntindog1]

Also to the original topic of this post. If I was trying to burn 43% moisture wood I would notice it big time on how the stove operated , You wouldnt need a moisture meter. I do check my wood with a meter but 43% moisture would really be hard to get going or you would have to really open up the air on a stove. Really good dry wood will fire up really easily and quickly on hot coals even with the door shut.

 

[Ashful]

I burn wood instead of pellets because I like felling, bucking, splitting, stacking, loading. A pellet stove is nothing but a less convenient oil burner without central distribution, for which you have to manually stockpile and load fuel. No romance in that.

 

[raybonz]

The reason people use wood instead of pellets is most of use cut our own wood to save money. The main reason I am doing this is to save money plus I just love burning wood and the kind of heat it gives off is much more comfortable. Warms your bones. lol

When I got back into burning wood a couple years ago I invested around $1500 as I already had a chain saw and a masonry chimney. I disconnected my wood furnace that had been sitting idle for 6 years and hooked up a new high efficiency wood stove I purchased for $600. Then I went out and got me a $900 wood splitter. The first year of wood burning was a wash I spent around $1500 to get back into it and save around $1400 in heating cost.

So then year two last winter was free and clear I had all my investment payed for from the savings the first year. So I had extra $ last winter to spend on Christmas or what ever my family needed.

But going back to pellets I wouldnt do this If I had to go buy wood or pellets. Its not enough savings for me to justify it.

Now maybe when I get to old to cut wood I might buy it for old times sake just to still be able to mess with wood burning.

I like to add in the savings of the example that some of my friends pay like a $400 a year health club membership so they can go work out.

So if I take my $1400 heating bill savings and add in my $400 savings from not joining the health club I now save $1800.

Cutting splitting and stacking wood burns alot of calories. And I just love being outdoors.

I can heat my house for $555.00 a year on wood that is C\S\D and that is MUCH cheaper than oil!! I think it is worth every penny and add to my pile if the opportunity arises.. Just something to think about..

Ray

 

[Ashful]

I can heat my house for $555.00 a year on wood that is C\S\D and that is MUCH cheaper than oil!!

$555.00? Not $554.50? Seems an odd target.

<-- heating cost somewhere between $3k and $7k, depending on how much I burn, how frequently my wife complains about being cold, and the weather.

 

[raybonz]

$555.00? Not $554.50? Seems an odd target.

<-- heating cost somewhere between $3k and $7k, depending on how much I burn, how frequently my wife complains about being cold, and the weather.

$185.00 per cord X 3 = $555.00 .. I work in Electronics and Instrumentation so precision is important to me

Ray

 

[Ashful]

... and I am the director of development for an electronic instrumentation company, which is why I know such precision is futile. I don't believe you heat your house solely on 3.00 cords of wood every year, never less, never more.

 

[BrotherBart]

I did on average. 2 1/2 cords winter before last. 3 1/2 last winter.

 

[pen]

I think the original poster's question has been well answered, as well as that of the most recent individual looking for advice that brought the thread back to the light of day.

That said, a new thread can be started with any related inquiries.

Closed