Noob learning the importance of sifting through the woodpile.
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Locust is distributed along the Front Range/Denver/Boulder, along with Osage Orange. Not sure if they were natural or introduced in the late/early 1800's/1900s That is about 200 mi away...Also natural distribution of hardwoods in the SE Corner of the state. I live near Salida, CO. Might help you out to see the geography.
Within a hundred miles of me there are sure to be hardwoods found, somehwere. But in the general vicinity, the lowest elevation is about 6,800' at the river....It just goes up and up from there to the 14ers. (14,000' peaks).
No dude, you just burn pine...Unless yer rich, or have a woodlot with introduced species.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountains
I'll be looking for hardwoods, but keeping an eye out for Pinon and Juniper are probably more fruitful out here.
Within a hundred miles of me there are sure to be hardwoods found, somehwere. But in the general vicinity, the lowest elevation is about 6,800' at the river....It just goes up and up from there to the 14ers. (14,000' peaks).
No dude, you just burn pine...Unless yer rich, or have a woodlot with introduced species.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountains
I'll be looking for hardwoods, but keeping an eye out for Pinon and Juniper are probably more fruitful out here.
I've learned this year (definitely my biggest burning year ever) that it takes several cords of seasoned wood in various sizes and species. The light and small stuff takes off easy, and the big and heavy stuff is going to start slow and burn long. I had a locust tree cut down in the late spring, and almost the whole tree is gone already. I can believe it. I have read that locust is so dry you can practically burn it when you cut it, so a single summer and fall seems to have been enough to season it.
If you need to burn it sooner, you have to split it smaller. It will dry quicker in the air and in the stove, and you don't get any heat out of the wood until the water is all burnt off. So you are wasting heat warming up all that water.
You can typically guess how hard/long it is to burn something just by its weight. More weight certainly doesn't always mean better. I only the I on the heavy stuff when I know I've got enough coals to handle it. If I fear it may still be wet, I only burn it when I know I can toss some smaller "kindling" in with it.
Another trick I have learned to utilize this year is letting the air in through the ash pan. That helps make sure you burn off the coals entirely when you are having trouble getting temps up. It really helps when something is in there that won't burn or I want to get the temps up really fast (in the morning).
I'm essentially constantly trying to feed this beast and it looks like I'm going to go through three cords before mid February, more than double what I've burned in previous seasons, but the stove has run near constantly through January (and earlier).
So if you need to burn that unseasoned pine this year, start splitting it into really thin pieces and you will get heat out of it sooner. And when you pick pieces to burn, pick the light ones.
If you need to burn it sooner, you have to split it smaller. It will dry quicker in the air and in the stove, and you don't get any heat out of the wood until the water is all burnt off. So you are wasting heat warming up all that water.
You can typically guess how hard/long it is to burn something just by its weight. More weight certainly doesn't always mean better. I only the I on the heavy stuff when I know I've got enough coals to handle it. If I fear it may still be wet, I only burn it when I know I can toss some smaller "kindling" in with it.
Another trick I have learned to utilize this year is letting the air in through the ash pan. That helps make sure you burn off the coals entirely when you are having trouble getting temps up. It really helps when something is in there that won't burn or I want to get the temps up really fast (in the morning).
I'm essentially constantly trying to feed this beast and it looks like I'm going to go through three cords before mid February, more than double what I've burned in previous seasons, but the stove has run near constantly through January (and earlier).
So if you need to burn that unseasoned pine this year, start splitting it into really thin pieces and you will get heat out of it sooner. And when you pick pieces to burn, pick the light ones.
Yeah, once this snow lets up, it's out to the woodpile with the maul and axe (just got a grinder to sharpen my salvaged axe (free head, $12 handle = score).
Gotta get that stuff split smaller for March, the wildcard month. Feb is always dependable.
Definately be needing that kindling pile for any coals that lose their steam. Have a feeling when I take the moisture meter to the 'dry' stuff it will still read over 20%, but c'est la vie.
I'm really learning that I gotta make sure to have the coals only on the front most portion of my new load, otherwise by the time I've brought it up to temp to get the secondaries going it's past 500 and climbs toward 700 before I shut her down (packing foil in every orifice).
Got mostly on the front on this load (even more in front this time), able to run her with throttle 1/2 open and keep flue warmer, minimal visible smoke (probably good as I'll get with my wood without stove approaching 700).
Halfway through load, choked down 1/2 for 15+min.
Stove : 475
Flue: 250
Going to open her up a little more and see about raising that flue, but am checking outside for excessive smoke.
Proof will be in the pudding when I pull the pipe next week when we get a good, sunny day. I guess the pipes will show me the way.
Gotta get that stuff split smaller for March, the wildcard month. Feb is always dependable.
Definately be needing that kindling pile for any coals that lose their steam. Have a feeling when I take the moisture meter to the 'dry' stuff it will still read over 20%, but c'est la vie.
I'm really learning that I gotta make sure to have the coals only on the front most portion of my new load, otherwise by the time I've brought it up to temp to get the secondaries going it's past 500 and climbs toward 700 before I shut her down (packing foil in every orifice).
Got mostly on the front on this load (even more in front this time), able to run her with throttle 1/2 open and keep flue warmer, minimal visible smoke (probably good as I'll get with my wood without stove approaching 700).
Halfway through load, choked down 1/2 for 15+min.
Stove : 475
Flue: 250
Going to open her up a little more and see about raising that flue, but am checking outside for excessive smoke.
Proof will be in the pudding when I pull the pipe next week when we get a good, sunny day. I guess the pipes will show me the way.
http://vogelzang.com.previewdns.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/tr008.pdf
page 14
"The third fire should be at a
medium-high temperature (500 F to 700 F) for twenty
minutes"
So I guess they are saying 700 is a high temperature. And 500 a medium. Guess I'll venture in to trying to stay in that range. For some reason I just feel more comfortable with the stove reading under 650. But if she climbs to 700, I'll hold my hat and see if she climbs before shutting down.
But I think getting the coals all in front and getting that cigar burn is helping to control the pine.
Not sure what effect having the 60cfm blower on high has on the stovepipe or stovetop thermometer, by the time the fan reaches the thermometer it's sucked up a bunch of heat. But if I turn the fan off, I don't get the heat pushed to the ceiling fan.
Can already tell I'm running the stove a lot hotter than without the aid of thermometers. Fingers Crossed.
page 14
"The third fire should be at a
medium-high temperature (500 F to 700 F) for twenty
minutes"
So I guess they are saying 700 is a high temperature. And 500 a medium. Guess I'll venture in to trying to stay in that range. For some reason I just feel more comfortable with the stove reading under 650. But if she climbs to 700, I'll hold my hat and see if she climbs before shutting down.
But I think getting the coals all in front and getting that cigar burn is helping to control the pine.
Not sure what effect having the 60cfm blower on high has on the stovepipe or stovetop thermometer, by the time the fan reaches the thermometer it's sucked up a bunch of heat. But if I turn the fan off, I don't get the heat pushed to the ceiling fan.
Can already tell I'm running the stove a lot hotter than without the aid of thermometers. Fingers Crossed.
lml999
Minister of Fire
Neighbor took a pine tree down and I did the tree guy a favor by taking it off his hands. I'm splitting it now and am looking forward to the FREE BTUs next year.
Haven't burned pine before, am looking forward to mixing it in with the maple and oak I'm splitting. (Well, that oak won't be ready next year...)
Haven't burned pine before, am looking forward to mixing it in with the maple and oak I'm splitting. (Well, that oak won't be ready next year...)
Buck 27000
New Member
Buck 27000
New Member
It is a crappy drive but you can probably get free hard wood for co springs craigslist. We mix a little scavenged maple with pine and it makes a big difference. I'm not sure the rest of the world knows you're in pine aspen and sage brush and nuttin else....wish I had a place in your neck of the woods.
Lots of people who use pine not as their primary fuel, just make it into kindling or use it in the shoulder season when they are making short, hot fires. If CSS, it seasons relatively quickly from what I've read.
Be careful if reloading with pine, can take off in a hurry.
I'm finding I have to make sure my coals are all the way in the front, then I lay my three pieces in N/S (two bottom, one top), with the coals touching not more than the first 1/4 to 1/8 of the wood, open the air and get a burn going, by the time I'm ready to start closing her down, bout half the wood will be charring/embers showing.
Maybe it was just me and not the wood, as the learning when and how much to cut down the fire is taking some time to hone.
But I've heard others speak of pine going up relatively quickly.
Permits are for State Forest land in the northern 2/3s of the state
- Cost is $20.00
- Permits are for up to five standard cords*
- Fuelwood is for personal use only and cannot be resold or traded
- Wood must be dead AND down and within 200 feet of a road
- One permit per household annually
- Permits are good for 90 days from purchase
- Permit period is from April 1st - December 31st
I got this off the DNR website.
Buck 27000
New Member
That sucks all we've got to do is head up on one of these strip jobs witch I'm not a fan of and they clear cut and doze it into pile, higher than most houses oak, maple, pine,walnut, just about anything you can think of, and cut and load and haul. As long as you don't get caught because it's illegal to remove this wood off of coal mine property. Then they set it on fire let it burn down and what doesn't burn they push down into a valley cut the top off the mountain and you can never tell it was even there!
osagebow
Minister of Fire
Beautiful Mt. shots, Kosmik !
-I have the same stove in my split level basement (1200 sq. ft upstairs) I like having an IR thermo to keep an eye on it. Seems to cruise good around 650. 700 isn't a huge deal. I've actually noticed opening the door for 30 secs or so helps it dump heat if you're in the 800 range by mistake. (Counter intuitive but true - learned that here).
-Keep an eye on the latch - mine gets a little wonky from time to time and needs readjusted. If it doesn't seat well You'll be running REAL hot!
-Don't hit the reburn tubes, they come off easily.
After this winter I think I'm going with an NC-30, been doing more stair runs than Rocky. Enjoy the Super Bowl!
I try not to hit the tubes, it happens, they've stayed in so far. A couple have a little wiggle room. Be giving a thorough check with next weeks sweep.
Yeah, it likes to hover at 650-700, been really having to watch it.
Part of it is probably the crappy house I'm in. One of the more run down rentals I've been in.
If I were making an investment for MY home, I'd probably spend a little more. But since it was a case of crappy pellet stove, or invest half in wood stove (about same price after pellets premium is accounted for), I found the cheapest new EPA stove I could find.
The door latch, the air control, both a little cheap. Had to loosen the latch a bit, got almost stuck shut one day. Don't think I backed it off too much, seems to shut off all air when fully packed with foil, but when it's cool next morning I'll recheck the nuts.
Been having to pack foil in it at times (main air and secondary) to keep it under 650.
It's shot up past 700, and when it does that, it keeps going (point of no return) a few times and needed to have all the air cutoff. I'll try opening the door all the way to dump heat, I read it too, and understand the concept after playing with the flow from both inlets...Was just a little scarred, but seems that might be a better option than shutting her off.
Part of it is my crappy wood bought in November.
Which is another reason to not be here next winter, damn landlord waited all summer to make a decision to fix the pellet stove or go with wood. If he'd had not tried to wait all summer and see if I just gave up, I would have had wood stacked and split in the spring.
Going to be picking up some kiln dried pine blocks in town. A place makes Christmas tree holders and bags the ends they don't use. See if I can't use that to at the very least get it up to temp in the mornings or for extra BTUs.
I figure out of the 4 cords I bought, there will be 1-2 moved to my new wood pile in the spring, just too wet to burn this year.
Which should be okay, this stove isn't going through a whole lot of wood when I get the dry stuff in it.
Learning curve is a groan, but the numbers add up that I'll be heating with wood the rest of my tenure in the mountains. Natural gas is pretty cheap around here, but even if you buy split wood, wood is still cheaper.
Saw you were running one and was going to ask you some Q's, but that all go cleared up when I read the 'noob' threads.
Culprit #1: Buying 'seasoned' wood.
The minor actors are nothing compared to the fuel problem.
I'd pick up a cord of kiln dried firewood, but no one does it around here (seems to be an East Coast thing). I just have to hope the Christmas place still has those pine blocks, that should float me into March. Then it warms a bit, sun comes out and my heating needs go way down again. A decent solar gain in temperate weather. Gain lost to leaky windows in when real cold, though.
Nice thing is: It takes about as long to sweep the chimney as it did to vac the pellet stove. So no time lost there, since I had to vac the pellet at least weekly in the winter if not twice.
Yeah, it likes to hover at 650-700, been really having to watch it.
Part of it is probably the crappy house I'm in. One of the more run down rentals I've been in.
If I were making an investment for MY home, I'd probably spend a little more. But since it was a case of crappy pellet stove, or invest half in wood stove (about same price after pellets premium is accounted for), I found the cheapest new EPA stove I could find.
The door latch, the air control, both a little cheap. Had to loosen the latch a bit, got almost stuck shut one day. Don't think I backed it off too much, seems to shut off all air when fully packed with foil, but when it's cool next morning I'll recheck the nuts.
Been having to pack foil in it at times (main air and secondary) to keep it under 650.
It's shot up past 700, and when it does that, it keeps going (point of no return) a few times and needed to have all the air cutoff. I'll try opening the door all the way to dump heat, I read it too, and understand the concept after playing with the flow from both inlets...Was just a little scarred, but seems that might be a better option than shutting her off.
Part of it is my crappy wood bought in November.
Which is another reason to not be here next winter, damn landlord waited all summer to make a decision to fix the pellet stove or go with wood. If he'd had not tried to wait all summer and see if I just gave up, I would have had wood stacked and split in the spring.
Going to be picking up some kiln dried pine blocks in town. A place makes Christmas tree holders and bags the ends they don't use. See if I can't use that to at the very least get it up to temp in the mornings or for extra BTUs.
I figure out of the 4 cords I bought, there will be 1-2 moved to my new wood pile in the spring, just too wet to burn this year.
Which should be okay, this stove isn't going through a whole lot of wood when I get the dry stuff in it.
Learning curve is a groan, but the numbers add up that I'll be heating with wood the rest of my tenure in the mountains. Natural gas is pretty cheap around here, but even if you buy split wood, wood is still cheaper.
Saw you were running one and was going to ask you some Q's, but that all go cleared up when I read the 'noob' threads.
Culprit #1: Buying 'seasoned' wood.
The minor actors are nothing compared to the fuel problem.
I'd pick up a cord of kiln dried firewood, but no one does it around here (seems to be an East Coast thing). I just have to hope the Christmas place still has those pine blocks, that should float me into March. Then it warms a bit, sun comes out and my heating needs go way down again. A decent solar gain in temperate weather. Gain lost to leaky windows in when real cold, though.
Nice thing is: It takes about as long to sweep the chimney as it did to vac the pellet stove. So no time lost there, since I had to vac the pellet at least weekly in the winter if not twice.
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My firewood partner says they are yellow pine and (most likely) over 100 years old. Been giving him some and now he is hooked as well. Liking them better than his 3+ year old oak. almost a shame to burn them.
Not mine. Random Google image. But I think it was taken near where I grew up, it looks like it might be the backside of Mt. Evans.
osagebow
Minister of Fire
I also keep a bucket of cold ashes and small shovel handy. Ashes can be thrown on a overly hot fire to tame it down. Only had to do that once, early on. Others use sand. Endless info on here.
Sorry 'bout your boys last night.
Sorry 'bout your boys last night.
jillybeansisme
Member
If pine didn't burn well, the fire departments wouldn't warn us every year to keep our Christmas trees well watered!
ArsenalDon
Minister of Fire
You are speaking from lack of knowledge here....your statements are old wives tales. Pine does not burn poorly. Out west many of us burn pine almost exclusively. Pine is less dense and therefore seasons quicker. I can cut a green tree in June and use it in Dec with 18% or less MC. I clean my own flue twice a year and get less than a coffee can of dry flakes out out it, no shiney creosote build up ever.
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