NIELS-ho!!!

[brazilbl]

After finding out that my trusted wood supplier may be a victim of the No. Cal. Wildfires, I made the decision to burn NIELS as my fuel source this winter. I expect that I might burn as long as 6 months, so I purchased a few pallets to store on my garage, which arrived yesterday. The fellow who sold me the pallets shared with me his burning habits burning NIELS exclusively for his home, which is up at a higher altitude and nearly twice the size of my home. Some testing I’ve done is showing me how many logs I will burn per day and it appears that I have the right amount for the winter burning season. I burned a half-pallet of NIELS at the end of last season which gave me a true sense of its heating capabilities.

A couple of early observations:

1. It sure will be nice to stay inside the home to fetch logs out of the garage! I’m still working on the optimum solution for kindling. I’ve got a new batch of Super Cedars and now all I have to line up is the pine kindling for the season. Hope to have that lined up by end of the week. If you love the smell of wood, your garage will smell like “the great outdoors”!
2. I believe that I will have no worries about high-moisture wood fuel problems. Not having my wood supplier available forced me to use this viable option to use NIELS as my primary wood fuel source. I wasn’t going to tramp around up here, looking for dry firewood as good as his (especially in mid-October). The NIELS option has always been my “Plan B”, and now, I will get to test the option out.

For those who may not have a “Plan B” or are in the unenviable position of having wet wood, the NIELS option should be investigated.

 

[gthomas785]

Sorry if I'm out of the loop but what is a NIELS?

 

[Highbeam]

North Idaho Energy Log. A compressed sawdust “pellet” for woodstoves. There are several manufacturers across the country of similar products. These are not the wax logs used for fireplace ambiance but pure wood.

 

[gthomas785]

North Idaho Energy Log. A compressed sawdust “pellet” for woodstoves. There are several manufacturers across the country of similar products. These are not the wax logs used for fireplace ambiance but pure wood.

Thanks, I figured it was something like that but had never heard this name before.

 

[SpaceBus]

I wish there were log shaped products on the east coast, but we only get various brick shaped sawdust products. I suspect those NIELs would burn really well in my long box stove or my cookstove.

 

[begreen]

North Idaho Energy Log. A compressed sawdust “pellet” for woodstoves. There are several manufacturers across the country of similar products. These are not the wax logs used for fireplace ambiance but pure wood.

I've only found one other company that makes these hyper-densified logs, HomeFire Prest-Logs. The equipment to make them is patented and licensed. The other log brands are compressed under less pressure and don't burn as long or as hot as the NIELs. These pressed logs are so dense that they sink in water rather than float.

 

[begreen]

I wish there were log shaped products on the east coast, but we only get various brick shaped sawdust products. I suspect those NIELs would burn really well in my long box stove or my cookstove.

Yes, they have limited distribution. If you want to try HomeFires, they are sold at:
Hearthwise
44 Mead St, Leominster, MA 01453
978-479-0925
or in Canada:
Eco-Logic
40 Rue du Pacifique E, Bromont, QC J2L 1J5 Canada
450-534-3235

 

[Highbeam]

I've only found one other company that makes these hyper-densified logs, HomeFire Prest-Logs. The equipment to make them is patented and licensed. The other log brands are compressed under less pressure and don't burn as long or as hot as the NIELs. These pressed logs are so dense that they sink in water rather than float.

Right, I said similar, not identical. While I prefer the densest pellet I can find because my stove controls combustion air better than most, it is important to note that most stoves can't be loaded very full with these things so a lower density product will still fit the same number of pounds of fuel into the firebox. Try a few brands out. There are bricks, logs, high density, low density, just don't use the wax logs.

These wood products are a real handy tool to have when firewood is somehow unavailable so it's good to have some experience with them.

 

[begreen]

I have tested and reported here on several of these products. Several were not even worth mentioning due to the inferior burn characteristics, especially the low density logs. BioBricks & EcoBricks on the otherhand were pretty good.