Why no eco/bio/enviro brick/blocks?

[ToltingColtAcres]

Last week, I stopped by my local stove dealer where I bought my Jotul to see if they stocked any bio-bricks (or competitor products). Although I don't generally burn these as a rule of thumb, I have in the past, used a few packages, mainly when the in-house wood supply is exhausted and my girlfriend is home-alone (retrieving wood from the wood shack is a job for Grizzly Adams, not a delicate flower such as herself, as there are critters and little crawlies that inhabit the wood shed)... in the past I picked some up at Tractor Supply in the 3-pack, and she can throw in a brick until I get home to replenish the wood supply in the house.

At the store, the dealer told me they don't sell them, because none of the manufacturers they carry in their store (Lopi, Jotul, and a half-dozen others I do not recall) do not warrant or support the use of compressed sawdust bricks in their stoves. He went as far to imply that using them would, with some vendors, void your warrantee.

Now, other than the usual caveat of it being easier to over-fire your stove with these bricks if you do not use them correctly, does anyone know why manufacturers would have an issue with sawdust bricks compared to straight cordwood? I mean, its just as easy to have a run-away stove with cordwood if you're not careful, so I can't really imagine why that excuse would hold water.

Thoughts?

 

[jatoxico]

You'll probably get a better answer but I think it's because a stovefull of those bricks could easily over-fire the unit vs a stove full of cord wood. Most brick vendors say something about being cautious in that regard but I guess the manufacturers don't want to warranty something that could occur readily due to operator error. There's nothing inherently wrong w/ burning the bricks themselves.

 

[Highbeam]

I mean, its just as easy to have a run-away stove with cordwood if you're not careful, so I can't really imagine why that excuse would hold water.

Oh no, the biobricks will explode on you and cause a runaway if you use them improperly. They do NOT burn like regular firewood.

 

[begreen]

Some stove companies have had a history of dealing with past failure, mostly human. The first mass marketed compressed logs were and are by Duraflame. These are wax impregnated and definitely not for wood stove use. But I'll bet Jotul and Lopi have dealt with owners burning them. Then there are the low compression logs. These things expand like magic snakes. If someone overstuffs the firebox with them something is going to break. Even some highly compressed products expand somewhat. We just heard a report of an overloaded stove. Which brings us to the third reason why some stove companies don't want folks burning them. Few read instructions before using. BioBricks, or other solid fuel will burn predictably and steadily, when used as directed. But toss a bunch in on some hot coals or stack them willy-nilly and they are going to ignite intensely. When all else fails, RTFM.