Black locust a danger to my fireview?

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dreezon

New Member
Aug 7, 2009
173
Peoria, IL
A large portion of what I have on hand this year is black locust, and someone told me that black locust burns hot enough to damage stoves like osage orange. I know it's not as high in btu output as osage, but is this a legitimate danger? I realize we always need to be careful to regulate the damper, etc. to avoid overfiring.

I've also heard of mixing osage in with lower-output woods, but I don't have much of that this year. I have a lot of hickory (smooth bark) black locust and mulberry, and a little bit of pear, oak and cherry mixed in among it. Wishing I had a good amount of ash, walnut, cherry, hackberry or something like that.

But bottom line... does locust really burn hot enough to worry about?

Fireview owners, any tips for avoiding overfiring with osage and/or black locust?
 
I burn lots of black locust and O-orange..... I never noticed that it burned "dangerously hot". I'll have to take notice this winter if it does.
 
This stove is very controlable and you will have no problem burning Black Locust or any other wood. I burned 3 cords through my Fireview last winter and the only problem I had, it took longer to take off because it's so dense. I think it burned similar to Oak, maybe a little longer but not much.
 
Thanks for the replies. What I was referring to was reports of stoves being cracked from burning osage orange. Someone told me that some stove manufacturers count it a void of warranty if you burn osage in their products. I don't know if that's true or not. Anyway, this guy I just talked to was claiming that black locust could do the same.
 
It ain't the locust or the hedge you gotta worry about, it's that pine that will blow your stove up.
 
Never burned Osage, but I would say any type of firewood could overfire and damage your stove if you run it wide open all the time, that's why stove manuals explain proper burning techniques and to burn only dry cordwood.
 
dreezon said:
A large portion of what I have on hand this year is black locust, and someone told me that black locust burns hot enough to damage stoves like osage orange. I know it's not as high in btu output as osage, but is this a legitimate danger? I realize we always need to be careful to regulate the damper, etc. to avoid overfiring.

I've also heard of mixing osage in with lower-output woods, but I don't have much of that this year. I have a lot of hickory (smooth bark) black locust and mulberry, and a little bit of pear, oak and cherry mixed in among it. Wishing I had a good amount of ash, walnut, cherry, hackberry or something like that.

But bottom line... does locust really burn hot enough to worry about?

Fireview owners, any tips for avoiding overfiring with osage and/or black locust?
Click to expand...

Any dry wood can burn hot enough to damage a stove given enough air.
 
dreezon said:
Someone told me that some stove manufacturers count it a void of warranty if you burn osage in their products.
Click to expand...

Simply horse hockey. Stoves need dry cord wood. Any North American flavor will do. It is true the O Orange and Black Locust DO have lots of btus per stick, but it ain't dynamite. Any controllable stove will have no problem in regulating the burn rate of this stuff.
 
<> it's that pine that will blow your stove up.<>

How do you figure THAT?
Wood burners in Alaska & the northern part of The Great White North don't have any native hardwoods...(EH?)
They don't have a choice but to burn pine, birch or other softwoods...
If they have a lot of exploding stoves, the news hasn't reported it...
Maybe it's a conspiracy or a government cover-up...
 
It is on ongoing joke. I think pine is swell!
 
wendell said:
It ain't the locust or the hedge you gotta worry about, it's that pine that will blow your stove up.
Click to expand...

No, no, no . . . you've got it all wrong Wendell . . . osage orange blows up the stove . . . pine causes chimney fires. ;) :)
 
You can avoid any problems with Osage and Locust by using a "Magic Heat". ;-P
 
If I was closer I would offer to swap some pine for that locust :)

I agree that using a stove incorrectly with almost any wood can harm the stove, and using the stove correctly with any wood will not damage the stove. Locust burns a long time it might just be favorite because it seasons a lot quicker than oak.
 
Ratman said:
Vanessa told us to only burn Poplar.
:)
Click to expand...

Perhaps, but which type did she mean? Seems there are so many to choose from depending on where you live... My poplar may be totally different than her Canadian poplar... eh?
 
kork said:
You can avoid any problems with Osage and Locust by using a "Magic Heat". ;-P
Click to expand...

Better yet, send the wood to me. My Alderlea loves it.
 
Large chunks of Black locust go into my old smoke dragon and never had the stove overheat. I have never burned Osage orange so I can not speak to that...but I would bet the results would be the same....no problem.
jackpine
 
I've got about 2 cords 2yrs old I'm going to split this year. I'll let you know how it burns. If you were closer I'd trade for maple, Ive got alot.
 
It does burn hot but you as the stove operator have to control it as with any wood. Get yourself a stovepipe thermometer so that you can see how hot you are burning; might even want to put one on top of your stove, too-they're like a speedometer in your car; lets you know how you are doing. Black Locust is excellent fuelwood; just keep an eye on your stove and control it.
 
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