Just cleaned my chimney today for the second time this season and man does this furnace burn dirty. Doesn’t help I’m burning coal with it.
Pine
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Seasons quick, splits easy, burns fast (too fast IMO), catches fire easily - what's not to like?
Unfortunately, my +15 acres of woods don't have much pine. I do have a couple with some of them the pine beetle killed, so I have to process them anyway. Hence, I hoard my pine.
I use it exclusively to start fires. A handful of 1/2"x1" splits along with a couple pieces of paper, I can get a whole wood stove full of hardwoods fully engulfed in a couple minutes.
It starts fire so easily, I call it "dried gasoline".
Feel free to send me all your useless pine, I'll dispose of it properly for you!
Unfortunately, my +15 acres of woods don't have much pine. I do have a couple with some of them the pine beetle killed, so I have to process them anyway. Hence, I hoard my pine.
I use it exclusively to start fires. A handful of 1/2"x1" splits along with a couple pieces of paper, I can get a whole wood stove full of hardwoods fully engulfed in a couple minutes.
It starts fire so easily, I call it "dried gasoline".
Feel free to send me all your useless pine, I'll dispose of it properly for you!
Where I live its pine as far as your eyes can see. I took this photo while out on a forest service road (about 10 min from my house). Everyone around here burns it (mostly lodgepole, some ponderosa).
![[Hearth.com] Pine](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/upload_2018-1-9_12-39-20-webp.220249/ "[Hearth.com] Pine")
Currently burning 80% pine (and a bit of other conifers) and 20% hardwood (mostly oak & madrone).
We cut, split and pile the pine out in the sun for a full season. The pile is kept to 3' - 4' high so there's plenty of heat and airflow. We burn pine all day, and reserve a few really large hardwood logs for overnight. The energy density isn't as good, but the house stays nice and warm, and we may have to stoke the fire a bit more often than when we burned more hardwood.
I'm on 60 acres, and we've been cleaning/managing the forest for 40 years. For the first 30 years, all we burned was hardwood.
Keeping the fire hot keeps the flue clean.
We cut, split and pile the pine out in the sun for a full season. The pile is kept to 3' - 4' high so there's plenty of heat and airflow. We burn pine all day, and reserve a few really large hardwood logs for overnight. The energy density isn't as good, but the house stays nice and warm, and we may have to stoke the fire a bit more often than when we burned more hardwood.
I'm on 60 acres, and we've been cleaning/managing the forest for 40 years. For the first 30 years, all we burned was hardwood.
Keeping the fire hot keeps the flue clean.
Well . . . keeping the fire at the right temp (i.e. hot enough, but not so hot it catches any creosote on fire) AND burning seasoned wood along with inspecting the flue and cleaning when necessary truly is what keeps the flue clean.
Sorry if I didn't list all the details of keeping a flue clean.
It's been the exclusive heat in this house since '72. The flue is inspected every season or so, and creosote buildup has never been a problem, and it's swept on very few occasions. Dry wood, burned in a hot fire is how we operate.
LocustPocust
Burning Hunk
I don't burn Pine because Hardwood is by far the dominate species where I'm at. We have some patches of Pine and some random pines here and there but not a whole lot. In some parts of the world the only thing there is to burn is Pine. I use old pine lathe or pallets to start a fire but that's it. There's nothing dangerous about it if you burn a good hot fire with dry wood and maintain your system.
I think the old "Pine will burn your house down" comes from people who smolder and/or never clean their chimneys and then load up the stove with Pine or slats and end up with a chimney fire. One little spark or an extreme increase in flue temperature in a small amount of time will ignite years worth of buildup.
I think the old "Pine will burn your house down" comes from people who smolder and/or never clean their chimneys and then load up the stove with Pine or slats and end up with a chimney fire. One little spark or an extreme increase in flue temperature in a small amount of time will ignite years worth of buildup.
i think its more the old stove you could not regulate, i would never burn pine in my old stoves. the stupid boxwood would turn orange
maple1
Minister of Fire
I will burn whatever the wind blows over & I can get to easy or is in my way. As long as it isn't punky. Softwoods, hardwoods, whatever. I like a good mix in the pile - soft for fire starting, hard for serious BTUs. So no separating or such sillyness.
Procedure is the same for all. Cut split & stack right away. Wait 2 or 3 years then burn.
Procedure is the same for all. Cut split & stack right away. Wait 2 or 3 years then burn.
I burn mostly pine,and all wood should be dry not just pine. Good during the day when you can reload more often. But of course for a long overnight burn good dry hardwood is the only way to go.
LocustPocust
Burning Hunk
A little off topic but it's funny you say that. I noticed with my newer EPA stove I can load it full of locust and walk away. I wouldn't even think of doing that with the old stove.
jetsam
Minister of Fire
That was my thinking last year, and I was sorry.
I CSSed about 3/4 cord of pine. Then we had an unusually cold December, and I was wishing I'd done a lot more. Pushing the stove hard is fine, but doing it with all oak and maple makes a lot of coals. Pine's the cure.... until you run out!
I burn eastern white pine.
Not exclusively, but some.
I like to season it for at least a year and split, just like any other wood if you want it to season. Left in the round it just starts getting soft and it's soft enough to begin with.
My first fire in the morning will be pine or mostly pine and with warmer weather it is often the only one short fire in the morning.
I've burned it all day on a weekend when I could keep loading the stove.
That's about my only "complaint" re pine is the short duration . Would be nice to have a stove that can force a slow burn.
Starting a fire really isn't that hard.
Not exclusively, but some.
I like to season it for at least a year and split, just like any other wood if you want it to season. Left in the round it just starts getting soft and it's soft enough to begin with.
My first fire in the morning will be pine or mostly pine and with warmer weather it is often the only one short fire in the morning.
I've burned it all day on a weekend when I could keep loading the stove.
That's about my only "complaint" re pine is the short duration . Would be nice to have a stove that can force a slow burn.
Starting a fire really isn't that hard.
Ctwoodtick
Minister of Fire
Pine is a very valuable wood in my opinion. I’m hoping the next few months will bring much scrounged pine for next season’s kindling and shoulder season. If top covered,eastern white pine is dry enough in one summer season.
Please stop trying to give away Yellow Pine as fire wood as it can cause chimney fires.
Clean up your own trash.
Or mulch it and sell the wood chips.
Clean up your own trash.
Or mulch it and sell the wood chips.
Ctwoodtick
Minister of Fire
I loves me some smell of "I gotcha!" in the morning!
(broken link removed to https://huntsville.craigslist.org/zip/d/free-yellow-pine-firewood/6446739841.html)
Ctwoodtick
Minister of Fire
I have +16 cords of wood, mostly hardwoods such as Hickory, Hackberry, Black Cherry, Red and White Oak and probably a couple others I'm forgetting.
The firewood I hoard: Pine.
When I saw that ad on CL this morning, I remembered this thread (I'm pretty sure I've posted in it before) and I then, very naughtily, decided to see if I could troll someone. I only let one person because I didn't want [my version of] humor to derail the thread.
We good?
Ctwoodtick
Minister of Fire
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