Can I burn large wood chips in a modern EPA stove?

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RickBlaine

RickBlaine

Burning Hunk
Jan 12, 2014
161
Chicago
About two blocks from my house is this lot run by the city. They drop off dozens of trees here each week on one side of the lot, and then put them through a wood chipper to make wood chips for the other side of the lot. The chips are free. All day long, people pull up in vans or landscaper trucks and take the wood chips to use as free mulch.

The city will drop off a tree (for free) at the end of my driveway if I ask. Cutting it to log length and splitting/stacking are of course my responsibility.

My question is: Can wood chips ever be used in a modern EPA wood stove? Or are there just too many issues related to high moisture and too fast of a burn? Anyone ever use chips in an old "smoke dragon" stove? Any comments, threats, or suggestions would be appreciated, lol.

By the way, it took me a while here on this forum to realize that "smoke dragon" was a slang term, not a brand.
 

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I can't see any problem with burning chips in a wood stove, as long as you get them dry.
The city will drop off a tree at your driveway for free? What a deal!
Get a Stihl and a maul and have at it.
 
Getting the chips dry before they start composting could be a challenge. I would stick to cord wood. It's what the stove is designed to burn.
 
Thank you.

I have a "sickness" now thanks to this website.

I drive by that huge pile of logs and cry when I see the chipper being used. I keep thinking there MUST be a way to burn those chips. What a waste....
 
When I'm cutting and splitting wood that's already dead and dry, I will rake up all the chips and bark after letting them dry in the sun for a number of days. I fill brown paper bags about 1/4 full. They burn fine.

To me it's worth doing, since I have to clean up anyway. I don't think I'd ever seek out a big pile and spread it out to dry (I'd sooner cut up pallets or waste lumber) but I'm sure it could be done.
 
Yes, I've done the same. I was speaking more toward mass collection and burning of wood chips, like those that would come from a large tree company. With refinement one could have a decent burner. This is done on a commercial scale. But it takes dry storage and it helps to have a way to get air under and around the chips for a hotter burn, similar to a pellet stove or gasifier boiler. Most wood stoves are not set up for this. Here's a nifty commercial boiler system designed to burn wood chips.


Modified rocket stoves are pretty good for burning chips too.
 
Last edited:
RickBlaine said:
About two blocks from my house is this lot run by the city. They drop off dozens of trees here each week on one side of the lot, and then put them through a wood chipper to make wood chips for the other side of the lot. The chips are free. All day long, people pull up in vans or landscaper trucks and take the wood chips to use as free mulch.

The city will drop off a tree (for free) at the end of my driveway if I ask. Cutting it to log length and splitting/stacking are of course my responsibility.

My question is: Can wood chips ever be used in a modern EPA wood stove? Or are there just too many issues related to high moisture and too fast of a burn? Anyone ever use chips in an old "smoke dragon" stove? Any comments, threats, or suggestions would be appreciated, lol.

By the way, it took me a while here on this forum to realize that "smoke dragon" was a slang term, not a brand.
Click to expand...

So you said the city will drop off trees for free on your driveway, but you're considering hoarding woodchips ?!?!
Get the trees ! The moving, 'stacking', seasoning, and loading of the wood chips would be a terrible pain, and they will not give you the long burns and coaling of cord wood.
 
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RickBlaine said:
About two blocks from my house is this lot run by the city. They drop off dozens of trees here each week on one side of the lot, and then put them through a wood chipper to make wood chips for the other side of the lot. The chips are free. All day long, people pull up in vans or landscaper trucks and take the wood chips to use as free mulch.

The city will drop off a tree (for free) at the end of my driveway if I ask. Cutting it to log length and splitting/stacking are of course my responsibility.

My question is: Can wood chips ever be used in a modern EPA wood stove? Or are there just too many issues related to high moisture and too fast of a burn? Anyone ever use chips in an old "smoke dragon" stove? Any comments, threats, or suggestions would be appreciated, lol.

By the way, it took me a while here on this forum to realize that "smoke dragon" was a slang term, not a brand.
Click to expand...

I really doubt they are chipping those logs..is that what you're saying?
 
They often chip the branches up to about 6" in diameter.
 
Right.
 
They call those chips hog fuel sometimes if that helps you search for info. If the logs are to be used for paper production the harvesters will often chip whole trees. Seems like a waste but the op says they have customers for the chips.
 
HotCoals said:
I really doubt they are chipping those logs..is that what you're saying?
Click to expand...
Why if they have no other way to get rid of them chipping them is the easiest way we used to have a power plant that ran off of wood chips that they just shut down but their chipper would shred anything you put in there it was pretty impressive
 
I suppose you can burn them, getting dried out is the challenge though, when it would probably an idea to put them in some type of metal basket so you can shake them every once in a while to get rid of the loose ash.
 
begreen said:
They often chip the branches up to about 6" in diameter.
Click to expand...

They chip whole trees. I've watched them do it. I've seen one of the big tow-behind chippers eat whole Junipers up to 20+" diameter. If it fits in the big maw, it chips. They just get the butt end started in, and before you know it, the whole tree is chipped/mulched and blown into the huge bin on the back of the towing truck.
 
Yup with a big enough chipper it can be done though it takes some seriously big equipment.

 
If they can get dried, and they're large enough, I'd consider using them as kindling.

Edit: Or throw a couple handfuls on the coals to help them burn down/get additional heat during that stage of the burn.
 
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