Quick Heat Wood

[Robbie]

Robs deep thoughts...........

I've been thinking about this post topic for a while.

I think wood burners new and old should have on hand at all times what I would call "Quick heat" wood.

This means you should think ahead and get a good supply of "light wood" like poplar or pine or something that grows in your area that is quick to light if dried well and burns hot and fast.

Here are some of the reasons I say the above.

It's easy to start with little kindling and little effort. (if it's REALLY dry)

It's wonderful for those early fall and late spring days..........or those horrible low pressure rainy/foggy days where other hard wood seems to just simmer..........my poplar will roar !

It's a great filler when you are almost ready for bed, but need to heat your stove before bed and don't want to use hardwood.

I use a couple small splits and get my stove up to 450 or 500 and then add one good split for the night. The heat output gained from the poplar will last for at least 1 or two hours with blower on and then the one larger split will carry me until morning with the damper open all night.

If you do this, keep your "light wood" stack in a different location and store it in a real dry spot away from your hard wood..........don't mix.............this is your "quick heat" wood !

The key here is extra dry and lots of it ready..........it will heat your stove really quick........I promise !~



Robbie

 

[bcnu]

Robbie, I agree. First year as wood burner and I was lucky to have some smaller, dry stuff on hand. I'm trying to preserve some of it for the March/April low heat days. I definitely will have a supply for next season, even if I have to buy some of those bio bricks.

 

[DriftWood]

Quick heat wood on hand now is cut up T&G;pine floor boards and old skids. I use it as afire starter with the big hard stuff and to help burn off a box of coals. Soapstone seems to like soft wood.

 

[bcnu]

Driftwood - so right. I forgot I've used some 2 1/2" wide hardwood oak flooring from our remodel and a dozen or so 12" x 12" solid oak stair treads from another remodel. I also have access to some pallets that I will rip for next year.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

We like soft maple for quick heat, but it definitely has to be dry. This also is what we use for kindling.

For really fast, I doubt you could beat some old lath! Makes great kindling too.

 

[billb3]

We have mostly red/white oak, cherry, and eastern white pine here.
The white pine is often left on the forest floor to rot. No one wants it.
Campgrounds take some of it for campground fires.
It takes a while to dry properly, but it is a great quick hot fire.
Small splits are good for firestarters, too.

I fed a stove mostly white pine and cedar one Winter.
Burns like paper. Stove was in the basement, I must have logged a hundred miles on those stairs trying to keep that stove fed. Very fine white powder in the chimney in the Spring.

Kinda hard to justify spending much time with it / BTU unless you have a lot of free time.


It is nice to have some though especially for a quick hot short fire in the AM or one just after supper in the Spring and early Fall just to knock of the chill.

 

[savageactor7]

Hi Robbie, I never thought of it tht way but in a way I've been doing that for years... I call it my spring fall wood.

It's for those cold mornings when you know it'll get above 55f 60f... I have a select pile of split poplar and willow.

It heats of fast and is out fast...that way we're not opening all our windows to cool the house down...I hate it when that happens.

 

[hilly]

At least with your cold temps you guys out East get good firewood. Over here on the wet coast, things are milder, but all we have is softwood, so yeah, I have a lot of "quick heat" wood... about 10 cords worth! The small bit of oak I have is hoarded away for those really cold nights (20f).

 

[glenng]

I help a contractor friend demo old houses for remodeling. I take home all the 100 year old lathe that comes out when we remove walls. Lathe is about 1/4" by 1 '. So far I have 5 heaping pickup truck loads stored away. I have kindling coming out of my ears. 100 year old lathe in a wood stove is incredible. Think 0 to 60 in 1 second.

Thats the only thing I can brag about because the rest of my wood supply is still a year from being seasoned and really causing me fits.

 

[Bill]

I remodeled an old house and had lathe, never thought wood could burn like that. Your lucky to have that stuff. I get pine cut offs from a cabinet shop. I use it to start fires fast and clean out my chimney. I just bought a 4 way wing for my splitter and I am going to make a big rack of small stuff for warmer weather, jamming in the cracks for over night burns. I keep taking these pine cut offs, even though I don't need anymore, my wife calls me a wood whore.

 

[Jfk4th]

So just so I am correct, if I use pine, spruce, hemlock and season it a year it is great for quick start to heat the firebox and flue and even "clean" the chimney out. I have a lot and I mean a lot a free pine just sitting here after yesterdays storm, already cut up into nice rounds (ready to be split). Just want to be safe as I have always used hardwood for my stoves. I already know I am a wood whore........

 

[Bill]

Just don't put to much pine in the box, it's burns real hot, and you could over fire your stove. So watch your thermometers and be prepared to cut back the air. I have a cast iron stove, so the pine helps me get the box up to temperature fast, and heats the chimney up also. Then I load it up with hard wood and damper it down slowly.

 

[RedRanger]

My solution to quick fires.. I buy 5 cords of red cedar slabs every 2 years. Burns hot,clean,and maybe a little too quick. :roll: