Mixing dry and wet to burn?

OhioBurner© said:

Where does one find those eco brick things? For the first time since I started burning wood I have none for this winter. And as such I am replacing one of my wood burners with pellet. But leaving the other one there, so could use it if I were to get some eco bricks (or pallets, kiln dried wood, some of the drier stuff I'm cutting now, etc). As long as its still cheaper than propane or electric space heaters I'd be interested in trying them.

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RedStone Ecobrick, Pack of 6
On sale now at Tractor Supply ,Valid Oct 8-12
$2.99
Was: $3.49
save $0.50
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/redstonetrade;-ecobrick-pack-of-6

Don't confuse the ecobrick with the RedStone Fuel Blocks they are not nearly as good

JayD said:

Menards in ohio has them you have lots of stores there, Looks like all the menards stores in ohio has them in stock, search {wood fuel blocks} that how they list the on there web site . It looks like they have their 11% sale going on right now also. Just be awere they do not deliver, At lease in mich they don't, I picked some up few months ago for emgency situations and made 2 trips using a {old small pick-up with bad rear springs} and voyager van to get a ton, their easy to handle, Just spread the weight out some in the front seat area passeger floor and seats and the trunk if ya have a car. Jay

Click to expand...

Except none of them in stock... in like every store in central ohio for like 50 miles... not a single one.

HDRock said:

RedStone Ecobrick, Pack of 6
On sale now at Tractor Supply ,Valid Oct 8-12
$2.99
Was: $3.49
save $0.50
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/redstonetrade;-ecobrick-pack-of-6

Don't confuse the ecobrick with the RedStone Fuel Blocks they are not nearly as good

Click to expand...

Hmmm it does say 'in stock' for all my local TSC. Never seen them there before but maybe they are in the back or something. Might look into getting some this weekend. It does work out to be more expensive than pellets though, even on sale, but might be warranted when I need some extra heat and out of good firewood. Think thats still cheaper than electric or propane hopefully.

White ash and white birtch can be cut and burned right away. If their are still leaves on the trees leave them and let them suck out some moisture while they die. But you don't need to let them sit for a year.

efoyt said:

White ash and white birtch can be cut and burned right away. If their are still leaves on the trees leave them and let them suck out some moisture while they die. But you don't need to let them sit for a year.

Click to expand...

So what's your estimate on how long should you let green ash dry ,till it's ready to burn ????
I have cut down ash that was standing dead 5 years 22" diameter and it was not ready to burn .

I think everyone pretty much starts in your situation. I would let the wood you have or intend on getting season and burn your pallets and Eco bricks this season. Like Pen said, check out that chimney.

HDRock said:

So what's your estimate on how long should you let green ash dry ,till it's ready to burn ????
I have cut down ash that was standing dead 5 years 22" diameter and it was not ready to burn .

Click to expand...

Maybe it was dead long enough that it started sucking up water? I like to let ash sit for a year before I burn it but it can and I have burned it freshly cut. I've burned it freshly cut many years. If I'm behind on wood I'll top off my wood for the year with white ash. It does have to be white ash though. As for it working with some stoves and not others? Maybe? Fresh white ash worked in my Dutch West with VC's ever burn system and I've read that that system is as finicky as it gets.

I just cut a huge amount of Ash (white probably, not really sure how to tell). I know its one of the quicker drying woods but there are many on here who would disagree with ready to burn green. I did not make it to tsc for the eco brick sale, actually I was cutting the ash, so I may try burning some of the ash this winter. Seems like some of the limb ends of the dead trees are somewhat dry, but down the lower half the trunk most all the trees seemed to wet to me but I can't find my moisture meter off hand. I might try to sort out as I split them the stuff that is drier for this year and give it a shot.

In my first year of burning I burned white ash slash (tree tops and branches) left over from when my brother cut some wood a few months earlier . . . and some standing dead elm with the bark off most of it.

Thought I did pretty well . . . even had secondary burns. Thought maybe folks were over-exaggerating about how long wood should be seasoned since I got plenty of heat with wood that was cut, split and stacked for less than a year.

Then in Year 2 I started off by burning the wood left over from Year 1 . . . holy flaming inferno batman . . . I saw the proverbial light and realized then and there that while I was able to do well enough with what I now know was only partially seasoned wood, truly seasoned wood is a whole other critter -- longer, more intense secondaries, easier lighting and just plain more heat with each load.

You do what you have to do to get by in that first year -- pallets work very well in helping "drive" off the moisture -- but getting ahead with truly seasoned wood can be an eureka moment that will change the way you burn.