Tractor Supply is cutting me off. I'm jonesing.

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Mrs. Krabappel

Minister of Fire
Jan 31, 2010
1,569
Blue Ridge Mountains NC
I've gotten pretty fond of the eco bricks. I use about 1 per load and I like how they influence the burn. They really help manage marginal wood or big splits, and they fit so nicely. After I left work today I went in to pick up a few more and tripped over the lawn and garden tools in the wood burning section. TS is no longer carrying them, as they are a winter product and they are setting the stage for spring. It looks like they are moving out the last of their pellets too.

Friday afternoons/evenings I am cranky. Sleep deprived. Over-stimulated. The unfailingly polite gentleman in the red vest who wanted to help me out just nodded and smiled at my "DUDE! It's the middle of JANUARY. You're not WALMART!"
 
I bought 9 packages last sat.
I have mixed emotions about them.
Now way do they put out 2.5 times the heat pound for pound.
That said if you could get them for maybe 2 bucks a package instead of four I would get a skid.
I was surprised how long my cat stayed lit with them....they can put out way more smoke then I thought on a slow burn.
I could get them to burn really hot with the air up...nice blue flames.
 
I'm using Envi Bricks for the first time this weekend, same situation as you, K, not enough wood (rectifying that, concurrently ).

A friend is using them to supplement his wood pile. Recommended them highly, and he's a Tech teacher, researches everything up the ying yang, ya know?

;-P

If I like them, I'm ordering a ton, it'll get me through.
 
I'm picking up some more seasoned wood tomorrow (thanks David!!) but I liked how they helped those big splits get chugging.
 
~*~Kathleen~*~ said:
I'm picking up some more seasoned wood tomorrow (thanks David!!) but I liked how they helped those big splits get chugging.
They are a great product..but the cost is up there.
Very little ash..they coal kinda funny...sorta stay in brick shape.
 
HotCoals said:
They are a great product..but the cost is up there.
Very little ash..they coal kinda funny...sorta stay in brick shape.

They are too $$. I was pretty stingy with them. I'm down to my last two and I feel like Elaine on Sienfeld with her sponges. I'm looking at the fire like "are you brick worthy?!"

They do burn weird.
 
~*~Kathleen~*~ said:
HotCoals said:
They are a great product..but the cost is up there.
Very little ash..they coal kinda funny...sorta stay in brick shape.

They are too $$. I was pretty stingy with them. I'm down to my last two and I feel like Elaine on Sienfeld with her sponges. I'm looking at the fire like "are you brick worthy?!"

They do burn weird.
LOL.on "are you brick worthy!"
Love that show.

A few times I was to lazy to go down to the basement for wood and I used a few just because I could..lol.
I bet I could fit 40 of those in my BK but would not dare..lol.
Did put 12 in there and it went good..close to 650-700 stove top at one point and that was running her 1/4 throttle.
 
I Have about 20 bricks and throw them in on really cold days and when the wood is just being a beoch. I did cut them into four pieces as they burn way hot and im afraid it will overheat the stove.
 
Teacher called somebody "Dude". Love it. :p
 
BrotherBart said:
Teacher called somebody "Dude". Love it. :p


yep, in public places I need to remember to either

A. Lose the work i.d. from around my neck
or
B. Lose the attitude

:red:
 
I've got 3 bio bricks in the stove now, coals raked to a hill in the middle, and the 3 bricks going uphill on 3 sides of the hill. This heats better, hotter, and longer than stuffing 12 of the things into the stove like the manufacturer recommends.
 
Heem said:
I've got 3 bio bricks in the stove now, coals raked to a hill in the middle, and the 3 bricks going uphill on 3 sides of the hill. This heats better, hotter, and longer than stuffing 12 of the things into the stove like the manufacturer recommends.
Cool tip..or should I say hot tip?

I'll try it tomorrow.
With 12 I did not get the burn time that I would have off a 2/3 load of maple and ash mix.,but that was running the air as if it was a regular wood load.
I have to experiment some more.
 
K, if you burn those bricks in the 13, can you get an overnight?
 
HotCoals said:
Heem said:
I've got 3 bio bricks in the stove now, coals raked to a hill in the middle, and the 3 bricks going uphill on 3 sides of the hill. This heats better, hotter, and longer than stuffing 12 of the things into the stove like the manufacturer recommends.
Cool tip..or should I say hot tip?

I'll try it tomorrow.
With 12 I did not get the burn time that I would have off a 2/3 load of maple and ash mix.,but that was running the air as if it was a regular wood load.
I have to experiment some more.

I let them crank till about 550-600, and close air back 50% while it's still flaming up. You need to keep them aflame or else they just putter around 300 stove top, which for us anyway, itsn't hot enough to really heat this place unless it's just NOT cold out.
 
Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:
K, if you burn those bricks in the 13, can you get an overnight?

I've never used more than two, but twice this week I had good coals and a warm house left over from a morning fire started 12 hours before. BIG splits. 1-2 bricks, and another couple of smaller splits.
 
~*~Kathleen~*~ said:
Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:
K, if you burn those bricks in the 13, can you get an overnight?

I've never used more than two, but twice this week I had good coals and a warm house left over from a morning fire started 12 hours before. BIG splits. 1-2 bricks, and another couple of smaller splits.

Awesome, thank you !!

We can stagger the stoves, and not have 2 hours of crazy time getting them both up & running !
 
~*~Kathleen~*~ said:
The unfailingly polite gentleman in the red vest who wanted to help me out just nodded and smiled at my "DUDE! It's the middle of JANUARY. You're not WALMART!"

Just remember why the vest is red -- it's to hide the blood.
 
~*~Kathleen~*~ said:
HotCoals said:
They are a great product..but the cost is up there.
Very little ash..they coal kinda funny...sorta stay in brick shape.

They are too $$. I was pretty stingy with them. I'm down to my last two and I feel like Elaine on Sienfeld with her sponges. I'm looking at the fire like "are you brick worthy?!"

They do burn weird.

Now that's funny! Pretty crazy that TS is already losing the heating fuel to make room for spring stuff - seems a classic case of not really considering what the consumer might NEED vs. WANT - in a store that big, seems like keeping on pallet of bricks on hand wouldn't mess things up too much! Cheers!
 
You can not beat the supplemental advantage of the saw dust forgings! I get really long burns from the Idaho logs. It is so nice to get up in the morning and open it up and stir, then chuck in a piece or two, 5 minutes later whoof! There is a dog in the stove! The logs, the bricks, what ever form you choose they are good... :)
 
I mix BioBricks with my wood, that way you get some coaling. The bricks work very well in a Cat stove as they like to smolder which suits the Cat just fine and gives a nice long burn in my smaller stove. I will get one more pallet of bricks toward the end of the winter.
 
The BioBricks don't smolder like wood. I like to think them more as time-release outgassers. This works very well with secondary combustion also when burning a full, tightly packed load in the stove. I was very impressed with how long they maintained the stove top temp with a long steady secondary burn.
 
The densely packed BioBricks don't smolder like wood. I like to think them more as time-release outgassers. This works very well with secondary combustion also when burning a full, tightly packed load in the stove. I was very impressed with how long they maintained the stove top temp with a long steady secondary burn.
 
mabey I should open a store and supply things that are " out of season" I hate it when you can't get what you need when you need it ! Like a bathing suit in the winter, charcole for the grill,
a wood stove in the summer, etc....

BTW I thougt it was still winter ? It sure feels like it here.
 
"Like a bathing suit in the winter".

Sorry, Target's got you there. Saw 'em today. Right inside the front door. Bikini's even. And it's going to hit -10 and then some tonight.

Still running 100% bricks. So far I'm on track to burn a little more than 3 tons this season. Not so expensive if you don't get your wood for free. 8 to 12 bricks a load, maybe 3 loads a day.
 
This reminds me of four years ago when HD and Lowes decided that winter was over and dropped the prices of stoves and accessories in mid January. I mean whacked the prices fifty percent right off the bat. And the next week all cold hell broke loose. That was back when the local stores here really stocked up on that stuff. Me and a lot of other people had a field day and a week later people were clamoring to pay any price and the shelves were empty.

The manager at the local Lowe's was not a happy camper. He still talks about it.
 
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