therealdbeau
Burning Hunk
Consider the BTU value. 1 cord of oak is approx 24 million BTUs. 1 pallet (1 ton) of Bio bricks is 18 million BTUs
Redstone eco bricks
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therealdbeau
Burning Hunk
Okay, from the above link see that the Bio Bricks are only available in New England/New York.
About 3 hours away from you in Central VA there is a small company called Liberty Bricks that makes "bio bricks". They sell a pallet (1 ton) for $180. Pick up only.
I guess you also have to consider the state of the cordwood like if it is "Seasoned" or "Kiln dried". Around here a cord of "seasoned" hardwood is anywhere from $150-400 and at the lower end of that the definition of "seasoned" is still too wet. However a cord of kiln dried hardwood starts at $500/cord I guess these bio bricks are more comparable to kiln dried cordwood considering their moisture content.
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I've heard that often kiln dried is not as good as seasoned in that the moisture content is higher
The plus side is kiln dried is supposed to kill all the bugs.
Me, I don't mind bugs.. it was cat theater back when I had a cat
The plus side is kiln dried is supposed to kill all the bugs.
Me, I don't mind bugs.. it was cat theater back when I had a cat
therealdbeau
Burning Hunk
Yeah I've always assumed kiln dried meant the wood was essentially baked until absolutely dry. I'm thinking a kiln like a big oven not a plastic tent I've seen some users here use to speed up seasoning.
SpaceBus
Minister of Fire
Based on BTU/$
1 ton (2 pallets) bio bricks = 36 mil BTU and ~$700 = 51k BTU/$
1 ton (one cord) seasoned oak = 24 mil BTU (best case scenario) and ~$400 = 60k BTU/$
It's not that far off when you look at it in this fashion. If you are buying firewood, it's not a bad deal. In my case every BTU I harvest only costs fuel/maintenance on the chainsaw plus my time. However, I might still buy some to supplement my wood since I don't have ton of seasoned wood. These are also very rough figures.
I just realized that one pallet of bricks is a ton, I misread something. Nevermind, the math really doesn't work in the favor of bricks. This is also assuming that you get the full 24 mil BTUs out of the oak, but as others have noted, it still seems a better deal to buy cord wood over the bricks.
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Running with the numbers you presented, 2 cord of Oak is 48 mil BTU, not 24. 24mil is only for one cord
Jan Pijpelink
Minister of Fire
SpaceBus
Minister of Fire
Plain wood is cheaper than processed firewood. No one can argue that but it has benefits. No drying time, burns hot, no bugs. They're also to mix with non seasoned wood. Some of them like NIEL'S burn longer and gives you a longer, hotter fire.
SpaceBus
Minister of Fire
I wish I could get Niels, but the delivery fee is too expensive. The place is 250 miles away so I'm spending $100 on fuel to pick it up or $540 for delivery of up to four pallets. It just isn't economical for me. There is a place local to me that sells Envirowood Briquettes which are comparable to the rest of the bricks. They are 6x2x4 which will be easy to load into my long narrow stove.
SpaceBus
Minister of Fire
I don't think I could get those either. At least the Enviro Wood bricks are made here.
Canawicks can be bought in Maine but your state is so big there might not be a place close to you. Theres a place in Bangor.
SpaceBus
Minister of Fire
Bangor is about two hours from me. It might be worth it. The other listed location was Caribou, and that's even further.
Simple solution to the wood shaving problem... bought a dustbuster.
Stelcom66
Minister of Fire
Just bought several 3 packs at TSC. I should have waited for a sale, they were $3.99 each. As noted in other posts I saw right away that some cleanup will be required due to the crumbling. I have some split wood 8-9 months old so will use them with that to see how they do.
24 MBTU / cord of red or white oak looks like a good number.
http://worldforestindustries.com/forest-biofuel/firewood/firewood-btu-ratings/
18 MBTU / 24 MBTU = 75% heat value of a cord of dry oak.
I get Liberty Bricks, mentioned above, for $180 at the factory. I figure it's like getting a cord of dry oak for $240, which is about as cheap as I've seen a cord of oak lately. . .and we all know that nobody sells 2-3-year-dried oak. Basically paying a 30% premium for dry fuel ~ 10% moisture content.
The only way I see doing better on the open market is to buy a dump truck load of 2+ cord for maybe $350 and stack it for 2+ years. Gotta wonder how many pieces in that load are > 18" long and won't fit in the stove. . .
After burning bricks for a few seasons, product uniformity is something I've come to appreciate. I pretty much know how a 30-lb load of bricks is going to burn, every time. If I want a lil' less heat, I'll do 26 lbs. Yeah, you can do this with splits of wood, but not in 2-lb increments. I also find value in being able to stack them like Legos. I usually burn 12+ hours, then I rake the small amount of coals to front-center and arrange stacks of 3 bricks in a 'U' shape around the mound of coals.
therealdbeau
Burning Hunk
https://www.libertybricks.com/contact-us/
pick-up service by appointment
16300 International St
Doswell, VA 23047
(804) 937-5300
pick-up service by appointment
16300 International St
Doswell, VA 23047
(804) 937-5300
Yep, been by there several times not knowing they were there. About three hours for me (one way).
therealdbeau
Burning Hunk
I don't think Liberty Bricks owns or utilizes the entire facility. When I was there it looked more like they used a small portion of the facility and other companies had the rest. Lots of other stuff going on there from what I could tell.
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