Ashful
Minister of Fire
That's great! I wish they'd do that here. I pay less in property taxes than all my neighbors, per sq.ft. and acre, but not by as much as 1:4.
What Is In Your Stove Right Now?
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stoveliker
Minister of Fire
An early minor reload and I have to leave this afternoon. Oak shorties on the coals of last night.
The locust has an interesting radial structure, quite different than the oak coals that break into chunks through the fibers.
The locust has an interesting radial structure, quite different than the oak coals that break into chunks through the fibers.
Really? I find it rots super fast. There is some big pieces of box elder right behind my house that I leave alone after finding they were just filled with water and grubs.
Bobbob
Burning Hunk
Rainy and 45 out. Started a fire this morning and just filled the box with a load if cherry. Love the smell of cherry burning. It will be below freezing by 2am, so we'll keep feeding the stove
I burn box elder in shoulder season. It can get punky quick, but solid live tree's css right away are OK. I know @Caw hates it. I think it's between pine/aspen and silver maple. Certainly isn't a *go-to" wood. Maybe @ctreitzell is not referring to box elder but a different elder species. Our box elder is actually a maple sub-species (I think...).
Burning sugar maple and a split of ash. Left the house earlier after throwing in some BL deadwood from the old growth here. Lots of insect holes. I leave that stuff outside. Came home to a nice bed of coals for the maple.
20’ s this morning got a good fire going of mostly oak. House was 64. After a reload house got to 75 by early afternoon and outside temp climbed to 38 so let it die out. House held 71 until I started the stove up again at 5:30. House now back to 75 inside temp on same load.
stoveliker
Minister of Fire
Now that you say it, yes, I think so too.
Almost looks photoshopped...
I raked the (quite a lot, b/c a bit early) of coals to the front, and put the new splits N/S on top of them, so they angled down towards the back. The result was that the splits at the top were a bit closer to the window, i.e. it was an overhanging structure. That made the flames go like this. It's nice that the coals (and that piece of locust just right of the middle) were still nicely visible.
(Obviously most flames were gone shortly after this as I dialed it down quickly - there were then only a few small bluish ones from the top split that were sustained I presume by the heat radiating from the glowing cat.)
ctreitzell
Feeling the Heat
yeah, I'm in europe...talking 100% Elder
probly a different species
I have pieces that have been sitting in the dirt
since 2015, still going strong
Chestnut is king for rotting slow in my neck of the woods
We put chestnut posts directly in the dirt and they last 10 years or longer
ctreitzell
Feeling the Heat
right, just had a look online;
box elder compared with elder with those horrible black berries are different trees, for sure
I've had many years not liking elder trees, but recently have realized how useful they are
wood that takes a very long time to rot of the ground can be very handy
box elder compared with elder with those horrible black berries are different trees, for sure
I've had many years not liking elder trees, but recently have realized how useful they are
wood that takes a very long time to rot of the ground can be very handy
stoveliker
Minister of Fire
A night reload of red oak just now. 34 and light snow outside, 71 upstairs.
Tonight's low of 27 on the way. Light snow outside. Burning another load of sugar maple now. Most likely red oak, black locust, and hickory for the overnight fiesta. Saturdays low is 16 expected. If it sticks to the forecast, I have a red oak sleeper handy along with a big split of BL.
Supply is getting low. I'm stretching it and have my eye out for a score of dead wood.
Supply is getting low. I'm stretching it and have my eye out for a score of dead wood.
snowing out now. High 20’s outside. Did a reload of Oak main floor 78 which will retain heat during the night until the thermostat calls at 64 in the morning. Upstairs 72.
Ash, cherry, sugar maple, honey locust, hickory, ironwood and a couple of little pine rounds as fillers. Going down to 20 tonight.
ctreitzell
Feeling the Heat
going down to 35F ish tonight
so a quick "top down" of kindling
apple twigs on poplar and elm splits
settling down onto some oak splits with the previously unburned betwixt the splits
I'm finally getting this down at the end of the season
had it burning in about 20 minutes, so with 10 mins of flue preHeat b4hand
so a quick "top down" of kindling
apple twigs on poplar and elm splits
settling down onto some oak splits with the previously unburned betwixt the splits
I'm finally getting this down at the end of the season
had it burning in about 20 minutes, so with 10 mins of flue preHeat b4hand
stoveliker
Minister of Fire
4 more small red oak splits to get me to the evening main reload.
36 F and WINDY outside. STill 4-5" on the ground, blue sky, very bright.
Inside 70-17.
36 F and WINDY outside. STill 4-5" on the ground, blue sky, very bright.
Inside 70-17.
Caw
Minister of Fire
I find it rots very fast as well. After 4 years half the stuff I find in my stack is balsa wood or a sponge if it got dripped on. I only processed that one big log and never will again. It was twister, sucked to split, and I'm getting almost nothing for the effort. I'd just buck it and throw it all in the fire pit bin if I get another. I just have so many better options locally it isn't worth my time. Maple and cherry for lesser loads, ash and oak for hot and long. I'd burn poplar over BE.
To each their own though. BE provides BTU just not enough to be worth it for my liking.
58 degrees today at noon. Now at 3pm its 33 and hammering winds. Low of 25 tonight. Stove stuffed with oak, after bringing her to life from the dead with some small ash and oak splits to get a coal bed started.
Dropping to 30 tonight. I just got home and gonna clean her out, light it up and throw wood at it. I baching it so I'm going to sit here with tomorrow's hangover in my hand 
Stelcom66
Minister of Fire
Yep - Big Y here too. Kind of surprised to hear about the warranty being voided, I thought the Bio Bricks were mostly just compressed sawdust. Maybe whatever holds them together is what causes harm.
Been going through a bit more than usual lately working from home a few times in the last month. Using a bit more heating oil, and at times space heaters. The wood stove certainly helps, my electric bill last month was just over $70 for the first time since March of last year. Some of the wood I paid for (unsplit), but most I did not. If I knew then - what I knew now, I would have bought property with a supply of wood.
I stand corrected re: Bio Bricks. Per the description - 100% condensed wood. No chemicals or binders.
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Caw
Minister of Fire
Ash, maple, and box elder medium load prepping a nice goal bed for tonight. Kids gloves need drying before skiing tomorrow!
stoveliker
Minister of Fire
34 outside now, a low forecast of 28. 71 upstairs and a reload of red oak (shorties, so not a full load) in the box.
31° outside right now with light snow. Forecast to drop to 27° overnight and 1”-3”. Cozy in here with a load of mostly oak, but a large piece of maple in the back and some skinny cuts of locust.
It’s late. I’m reading Fellowship of the Ring and dozing off.
It’s late. I’m reading Fellowship of the Ring and dozing off.
Sitting here with coffee, feeding the rock with pine nubsto get her back to temp.
