Free Heat Day

[jatoxico]

I'm home sitting in front of the stove, not as cold as its been but still burning weather. Started the stove with 3 small splits of regular cord wood but then started burning branch wood from my cutting, stuff that's fallen in the yard and all the weird little chunks that I had.

All this stuff was cut up destined to burn in the chiminea. Its hickory, oak, few odd pieces of locust sticks. None of it lasts very long but its too small to coal up much so I just keep feeding the stove.

This has been going all day and the good thing is I can keep the stove top temp in a narrow window, of about 450-550. Anyway the whole house is warm from a bunch of scrap that most people would bundle and put to the street. Not really any "free'er" than any of my other wood but still feels like a bonus somehow.

 

[JP11]

Love burning scrap. My wife gathers up sticks from the lawn, and the edge of the woods around the house. She can usually burn a week on spring clean up. Cleans up the yard.. AND puts heat in the tanks.

 

[saskwoodburner]

I was wondering if people do such a thing. I have some willow and chokecherry brush/not very big deadfall down the hill, and thought it may work for burning down the coals.

 

[jatoxico]

I was wondering if people do such a thing. I have some willow and chokecherry brush/not very big deadfall down the hill, and thought it may work for burning down the coals.

If you take a few minutes to process it up and dry it you can do that and more. I cut most of this stuff with loppers and a small electric chainsaw. I'll have plenty for next too since I have another pallet full drying in the back.

 

[Wood Duck]

I often scrounge really small amounts of firewood off the curb where someone put it out for the township to chip and haul away. Instead of measuring it in cords ("hey, look, there is 0.005 cords of firewood") I like to think about how long it will keep the stove warm. I have made lots of scrounges that were only a half day of heat, but it adds up.

 

[Dix]

I did this today, too.

It got the house and everything in it back up to temps (most everything wasn't really warm, during this cold snap, I was basically treading water ).

I also got a chance to refill the house (both sides !!), and restock by the back door.

Just in time for tonight's fun and frivolities

 

[jatoxico]

I did this today, too.

It got the house and everything in it back up to temps (most everything wasn't really warm, during this cold snap, I was basically treading water ).

I also got a chance to refill the house (both sides !!), and restock by the back door.

Just in time for tonight's fun and frivolities

Sorta liked doing it, I put a lot of heat into this house a couple little sticks at a time.

 

[BigCountryNY]

I took everything within reason when I took down 7 standing dead for some friends a couple of months ago, for that very reason. It all burns. The small stuff may not look as nice as my stacks, but it's still BTUs!

 

[Chimney Smoke]

I do this with chunks and uglies when I'm home on the weekends and don't mind feeding the stove every couple hours. It feels free because I'm not pulling from the "pretty" stacks.

 

[jatoxico]

I often scrounge really small amounts of firewood off the curb where someone put it out for the township to chip and haul away. Instead of measuring it in cords ("hey, look, there is 0.005 cords of firewood") I like to think about how long it will keep the stove warm. I have made lots of scrounges that were only a half day of heat, but it adds up.

I look at it exactly the same way, stove loads. I would guess about 2 of the 8 cords I have in the bank are from those kinds of scrounges, stove don't know the difference.

 

[bags]

It all makes heat and BTU's!

 

[WriteNoob]

The guys at work get a kick out of me taking home trunkloads of whatever scraps accumulate over the course of the day. A couple of pallets, cut up quick and dirty over 15 -20 minutes time will heat my house, for a day. We had a semi to unload, today, and the boss pitched in and helped. Guys were grousing about all the extra packing scrap, in the way, when he piped up, "Can it. That's Mike's heating bill you're bitchin' about." Glad I could add a bit of levity to the task. Got a couple days heat out of it, too. The guys were happy, since they didn't have to carry it back to the dumpster.

Win-Win!

 

[jatoxico]

The guys at work get a kick out of me taking home trunkloads of whatever scraps accumulate over the course of the day. A couple of pallets, cut up quick and dirty over 15 -20 minutes time will heat my house, for a day. We had a semi to unload, today, and the boss pitched in and helped. Guys were grousing about all the extra packing scrap, in the way, when he piped up, "Can it. That's Mike's heating bill you're bitchin' about." Glad I could add a bit of levity to the task. Got a couple days heat out of it, too. The guys were happy, since they didn't have to carry it back to the dumpster.

Win-Win!

And the boss fills up less dumpsters.

 

[Dix]

I've got my "fugly" pallets ready for a session with the circular saw.

All non treated.

I have a dozen.

Woot woot

 

[bags]

And the boss fills up less dumpsters.

I burn a lot of construction waste. I was sick of paying to take it to the dump to get a flat or another tire repair. It's like paying someone to knock your front teeth out. Makes no sense. As a contractor I also looked at how much it saved me on dumpsters alone. Not counting the truly "free wood." I wouldn't burn garbage but card board and framing cut offs along with skids........................ Fair game.

 

[sportbikerider78]

I'm home sitting in front of the stove, not as cold as its been but still burning weather. Started the stove with 3 small splits of regular cord wood but then started burning branch wood from my cutting, stuff that's fallen in the yard and all the weird little chunks that I had.

All this stuff was cut up destined to burn in the chiminea. Its hickory, oak, few odd pieces of locust sticks. None of it lasts very long but its too small to coal up much so I just keep feeding the stove.

This has been going all day and the good thing is I can keep the stove top temp in a narrow window, of about 450-550. Anyway the whole house is warm from a bunch of scrap that most people would bundle and put to the street. Not really any "free'er" than any of my other wood but still feels like a bonus somehow.

You'd love my property. I have about 15 brush/branch piles (leftovers from bucking) that are going to be burned in the spring. I have taken down about 100-200 small hard wood trees that have a max diameter of 2-3" trunks. They just get burned outside.

 

[bags]

You'd love my property. I have about 15 brush/branch piles (leftovers from bucking) that are going to be burned in the spring. I have taken down about 100-200 small hard wood trees that have a max diameter of 2-3" trunks. They just get burned outside.

BTU's are BTU's, But they should be looked at somewhat like MPG. Don't think I'll run around looking for twigs and popsicle sticks anytime soon. Those 15 brush piles sound like a bon fire party to me.

 

[saskwoodburner]

Gave it a try tonight with willow and chokecherry branches and twigs busted to a manageable length. Worked really good with very little wood, the stove took off quick from coals, and secondaries darn near immediately. All 15 minutes worth

 

[sportbikerider78]

BTU's are BTU's, But they should be looked at somewhat like MPG. Don't think I'll run around looking for twigs and popsicle sticks anytime soon. Those 15 brush piles sound like a bon fire party to me.

This one lasted about 10 hrs.
At least 10' around and 5' high.

It got so hot, the spiders started dropping out of the surrounding trees.

 

[jatoxico]

This one lasted about 10 hrs.
At least 10' around and 5' high.

It got so hot, the spiders started dropping out of the surrounding trees.

Twigs don't go in the stove but there is some wood that can go both ways (inside/outside). 4-5 hickory branches (3" x 12") at a time on a hot coal bed threw some decent heat. One dazed half frozen beetle fell out from under the bark of one of the sticks. There wasn't much to do for him except make it quick.

 

[xman23]

Up to 5 inch I don't split, and down to one inch go into my seasoning stacks. Punk wood goes into a special pile that gets covered and used that year. Dry punk gets burned in the fire pit or shoulder season. Its all BTU's so I don't waste much wood.

 

[saskwoodburner]

Well, we got a blast of abnormally warm weather yesterday, +4 C (about 38 degrees American ) so I went with a plastic tote about the size of two milk crates, put anything between 1" and twigs. It was probably 3/4 full. Used most of it up in 7 hours, but it was hardly work to get it.

It doesn't take much effort to keep the shack warm in above freezing weather that's for sure.

 

[jatoxico]

Well, we got a blast of abnormally warm weather yesterday, +4 C (about 38 degrees American ) so I went with a plastic tote about the size of two milk crates, put anything between 1" and twigs. It was probably 3/4 full. Used most of it up in 7 hours, but it was hardly work to get it.

It doesn't take much effort to keep the shack warm in above freezing weather that's for sure.

Free Heat Day... catch the fever!

 

[nmaho]

Going to be nice this Sunday I think I will gather some up from all my brush piles before the games.

 

[saskwoodburner]

And.....I'm still doing this. Once again, more unseasonably warm weather lately. I'm sure glad I gave the branches idea a try. I've been trimming and cutting up all the good dead fall nearby (wood for the shed/branches for the stove). I think I went back in time almost 6 weeks in my wood shed.