How Load Wood In Wood Boiler?

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iBurnWood

iBurnWood

Member
Sep 18, 2010
6
Minnesota
I'm going into my 4th year of using a wood boiler to heat my home. I don't know the exact depth of the stove, but I'm guessing it's approx. 44" deep. I figured I don't like the idea of messing with large logs or split pieces, so I cut my wood to approx. 17" to 19" and make 2 rows in the stove. For me it's easier to stack and handle these type typical firewood pieces.

Now my thoughts are changing. I'm thinking maybe I should have wood that is approx. 36" to 39" long and just make one stack. I'm thinking maybe it's not so bad handling the larger pieces, but also thinking maybe I can get longer burns from each load too. Nothing like having it 6:10am and have to go outside to stoke the stove... especially when using wood with less btu's.

What are your thoughts, suggestions and previous experiences showed you?

Thanks,

iBurnWood
 
My boiler has a pretty large firebox too. I still cut my logs to around 17" to make stacking and handling easier. I only fill up the firebox with wood when it's in the single digits (which isn't very often in southwestern OH), but when I do I normally just cris-cross the logs until it's completely full.
 
bassJAM, thanks for the reply! I appreciate it.

===========================
consider this post closed.

Have to consider elsewhere for a quick reply as am getting wood each day and need answers.

Thanks.
 
I'm going to move this over to the boiler room, where you are more apt to get a good response.

Good luck

pen
 
Everything else being equal, length of burn is determined by the weight of the wood load to be burned.
 
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I've been chunking all kind of wood in my Hardy for 11 years. I've settled on about 24" in length. That seems to be a pretty good balance for me. Stacks well, and yet still small enough that I can handle it without any problems. Picking up a bunch of big 36" pieces could get pretty old in Minnesota. I usually just stack one row, however, I'm in Tennessee and check it twice a day most of the time. On those occasions when we get down in single digit or below 0 temps I'll just load it up with the best stuff and squeeze more in. Of course one of the advantages of the big fireboxes on these boilers is that if you can get it in the door it will burn. Doesn't mean you should, or that it allows for best burning practices, but you can.
 
Thank you very much for moving the question.

Many people, myself included are often stubborn, and have found I do like my system because of the ease of handling the firewood at the lengths described.

I also have vivid memories and the pain I once felt while throwing a chunk in last year. It resulted in pain of my thumb for about 5 weeks because I tried to throw a "chunk" in the stove and jammed my thumb with the resulting nail turning black and blue.

This ol' butt is not getting any younger and handling smaller pieces works for me. The 8" bed on my truck fits 5 rows at 17" very comfortably and hand splitting lengths beyond that is not fun. LOL!

Thank you all very much for the replies, but this ol' fella is set on his ways and will keep on at the shorter lengths until I'm shown something better that suits me!

Take care guys. And thanks again for your help and considerations.

iBurnWood!
 
I help deliver 2 cord of standard wood stove size firewood (~16 inches long, palm size) to a guy with a good sized outdoor boiler.

He has time to cut big pieces up for the stove, but not to mess with smaller pieces. When things are really cold, he uses that smaller stuff to fill in the gaps between the bigger rounds to help give him a burn time that he likes.

In all, it never hurts to have a variety around, and use whatever works.
 
bassJAM said:
My boiler has a pretty large firebox too. I still cut my logs to around 17" to make stacking and handling easier. I only fill up the firebox with wood when it's in the single digits (which isn't very often in southwestern OH), but when I do I normally just cris-cross the logs until it's completely full.
Click to expand...

Hey bassJAM,
You're the first local I have stumbled across. I'm in Northern KY. Rabbit Hash to be exact not far from Union and Florence. Where about are you in Cincy? Which boiler do you have? I have a very hungry Wood Master 5500. Great heat but the wood is another full time job. I got on here looking into pellet stoves and am going to buy one to use like now at the beginning of the heating season and end to cut down on my overall wood use. I hate firing it up when I only need to move the stat up a few degrees. Haven't started it yet but it's not going to be long. If the wife had her way it would have been pumping heat the first day it dropped below 70 degrees. LOL! I told her to go ahead and load it up and laughed. She didn't find that very amusing.....
 
bags said:
Hey bassJAM,
You're the first local I have stumbled across. I'm in Northern KY. Rabbit Hash to be exact not far from Union and Florence. Where about are you in Cincy? Which boiler do you have? I have a very hungry Wood Master 5500. Great heat but the wood is another full time job. I got on here looking into pellet stoves and am going to buy one to use like now at the beginning of the heating season and end to cut down on my overall wood use. I hate firing it up when I only need to move the stat up a few degrees. Haven't started it yet but it's not going to be long. If the wife had her way it would have been pumping heat the first day it dropped below 70 degrees. LOL! I told her to go ahead and load it up and laughed. She didn't find that very amusing.....
Click to expand...

I've been to Rabbit Hash a couple times back when I still had a motorcycle, it's a cool area! I'm east of Cincy near Milford/Batavia. My boiler is an older indoor Carolina Water Stove. I think it was installed in the late 80's, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it lasts awhile longer for me. It's really nice just going to the garage to light the fire, and I can get by with less than 3 cords in a normal winter. I think last year I used just over 3 cords, but I often had to fire up the stove twice a day when it got in the single digits.

Funny, my wife is the exact opposite. Her parents kept their house in the mid 60's in the winter so she's used to layering up inside in the winter and thinks I'm wasting time and money with firewood. I for one love coming home and wearing a t-shirt in the house!
 
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