Buring pine in an EKO

[hartkem]

I responded to a craigslist add for a large amount of free wood. The seller didn't know what kind of wood it was but since it was all cut and stacked and all I had to do was load it on the trailer so I decided to go get it. When I got there I was disappointed that it was pine. The pine was stacked for 2 years. I loaded one trailer load full and thought I would burn it this fall. Did I make a mistake? There is another trailer load worth and none of it needs split cause everything is less than 5 inches in diameter. I heard pine can cause issues but since this wood is good and dry do I need to worry about burning it in my EKO. I would have posted this in the wood shed but thought the response may be different since Im using a classification boiler. Below is a picture of my first trailer load.

 

[goosegunner]

Looks like red pine, I like to mix some in with oak. It will rot fast if not split, I would split some and check. If they are not rotten go get the rest.

gg

 

[mikefrommaine]

I burn primarily pine in my biomass. Works fine. Just doesn't last as long. I also like to throw in some oak on the colder days to get longer burn times. If its free and not rotten go for it.

 

[taxidermist]

It will work fine you will just have to load it a little more.

 

[Gasifier]

I burn pine in my Wood Gun. Works great. I also mix with a hard wood. I burn mostly White Ash. I usually mix 60-70% Ash with 30-40% White Pine. The big key is getting it dried out really well so you do not end up with creosote in the chimney. But if it is dried out good, it burns hot and fast. The price was right. The very little work you had to do was also right. Get the rest. Anything that is not split open, is probably not dry enough. Lots of variables there though. If you split any of that stuff open and it is not dry enough you can stack it and burn it next year. I have a good amount of pine slab wood I got late last fall that is going to be burning this year. Been outside for almost a year now. After I get it in under the porch I will be going to visit my Amish friend again. Price was great.

 

[HeatFarmer]

I burn pine and soft wood slabs in my Eko all the time..... Works fine, but as mentioned it doesn't last long and bigger pieces are subject to bridging. It does help to add hardwood to help keep up the burn and provide a better bed of coals.

 

[Sawyer]

I burn dry pine and spruce slabwood all summer without issue in my Garn, it supplies my domestic hot water.

 

[hartkem]

Well I picked up the rest of it and burnt 2 loads of the pine with one or two pieces of hardwood mixed in. The wood seemed to heat the house fine. Only thing is I had a lot of fly ash behind the boiler where it came out the small crevices in the joints of the flue. I've never had that happen before. Boiler had about 5 loads through it since being cleaned so there wasn't alot of Ashes built up inside. Do I need to clean it more often?

 

[stee6043]

I envy you guys that have made it work. I tried some dry pine in my EKO the second year I had it and it was horrible. I couldn't get coals, I couldn't get anything but pain and anger out of it. I have a stack of pine outside dedicated to the firepit. I'm so jaded I don't think I'll ever be able to try it again. I'm certain it was something I was doing wrong but man....that stuff just did NOT want to gas up in my EKO.

 

[skfire]

Burns very fast in the Froling and leaves few usable coals, but still good food for shoulder season and mixing it in with oak, or ash.
Hemlock the same and I have volumes of it.

Scott

 

[wardk]

Filled the garn with pine today 2hr33min 108 f to 154f it has some heat.

 

[Sawyer]

Filled the garn with pine today 2hr33min 108 f to 154f it has some heat.

Ward, do you have the new fan control? I noticed you timed your load to the minute.

 

[wardk]

Ward, do you have the new fan control? I noticed you timed your load to the minute.

Yes it zeros when started,reads tank temp, supply and return and flue temp.

 

[Sawyer]

Yes it zeros when started,reads tank temp, supply and return and flue temp.

Got to be nice! I can't bring myself to throw away a good control to by the new one. Enjoy!

 

[wardk]

Got to be nice! I can't bring myself to throw away a good control to by the new one. Enjoy!

I don't know what yours is like but another feature I really like is that it auto shuts off when tank temp and flue temp are the same and gives you total run time.

 

[Sawyer]

I don't know what yours is like but another feature I really like is that it auto shuts off when tank temp and flue temp are the same and gives you total run time.

Another feature I am missing.

 

[wardk]

Another feature I am missing.

How are the feet these days?

 

[Sawyer]

How are the feet these days?

Been walking three to four hours an evening bird hunting with my setter. Never think about my feet........what a difference. At the end of six weeks with steel pins still sticking out of my toes I was not sure.

 

[wardk]

Been walking three to four hours an evening bird hunting with my setter. Never think about my feet........what a difference. At the end of six weeks with steel pins still sticking out of my toes I was not sure.

Good news.doctors tell me I need major surg , 3 mon down what did you do for 6wks?

 

[muncybob]

Pine and soft maple are my shoulder season woods. Don't get the nice coals that better hardwoods will give you but it's free man, get it all if it isn't rotten and you have somewhere to store it.

 

[Sawyer]

Good news.doctors tell me I need major surg , 3 mon down what did you do for 6wks?

Sent a PM.