Wood chips

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Have a couple of arborist friends who drop off truck loads of chips from jobs when they are local. Been using them as mulch, and they are nice after they have had some time to decompose a bit. I've been wondering for a few years if the chips, after seasoning to the correct moisture content, would bee good fodder for the wood stove. Anyone have any experience with using chips in their stove?

 

[kversch]

Interesting thought. I would think it would be hard to get them to season nicely. My experience with them. They always end seem to have some knowledge nod of moisture. I also think it would take a lot of room to season them, I don't think they would season in a big pile like you leave them to get mulch.

 

[zig]

The boss tried it in his shop stove. Dried them on a screen inside over the summer. A shovel full on a coal bed went up too fast, several shovels full smoldered/smoked. He threw the rest on the garden.

 

[kennyp2339]

There is a manufacturer that makes a wood chip stove / furnace, I bet it would be a pain to season the chips though

 

[blades]

likely would need a combustion blower akin to a coal furnace system

 

[AmbDrvr253]

You would need some kind of forced air. Might be OK in a coal burner with air from below. Prolly hard to control the burn tho. Too much work for too little return if you ask me.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

I second AmbDrvr253. No reason to mess with it. Chips are for the garden and ground.

 

[heavy hammer]

It seems like the fire would consume the fuel very fast. Give it a try worse thing that happens is it doesn't work. I just Don't know if it is worth the effort. Like the others have said leave it for mulch.