Any Experience with Homefire Prest Logs?

[WarmGuy]

I'm running low on wood this year, and am considering trying some of these.

(broken link removed to http://www.homefirelogs.com/index.php/firelogs)

Anyone have experience with them?

 

[WarmGuy]

Here's my comparison of costs (local prices) based on info here:

(broken link removed to http://www.homefirelogs.com/index.php/comparisions)

I'm surprised at how much cheaper the Homefire logs are. Did I make a mistake??

1 cord of pine produces 2142 lbs * 6407 BTU/lb = 13,723,794 BTUs

xxx 1 ton of HomeFire logs produces 8000 lbs * 8126 BTU/lb = 65,008,000 BTUs
[CORRECTION: 1 ton of HomeFire logs produces 2000 lbs * 8126 BTU/lb = 16,252,000 BTUs]

Cost of 1 cord of pine: $300
Cost of 1 ton of Homefire Logs: $456

Pine: $21.86 per 1 million BTUs
xxx HomeFire Logs: $ 7.01 per 1 million BTUs
[CORRECTION: HomeFire Logs: $ 28.05 per 1 million BTUs]

 

[Elderthewelder]

I usually keep a few of them or N.I. logs in garage, I prefer the N.I. logs over the Homefire. The N.I. burn hotter than the Homefires, but the Homefires burn longer. The biggest thing I do not like about the Homefire is i always get "clinkers" left at the end of the burn cycle, a couple times they were stuck to my lower fire bricks and had to scrape them off and it damaged one of my bricks

here is what Homefire says about "clinkers' in their FAQ section

What is that melted rock-like stuff in my wood stove?
Lava-like pieces of rock in your wood stove are referred to as clinkers. Clinkers are the result of ash fusion, where noncombustible salts and minerals entrenched in the wood fibers liquefy and bond together. Clinkering is inherent with the burning of compressed wood, due to the the higher burning temperatures of the logs. Depending on the type of minerals and salts contained in wood fibers, ash fusion can occur from 1100 degrees to 2400 degrees Fahrenheit.

I have never had clinkers with the N.I. Logs
(broken link removed to http://www.northidahoenergylogs.com/productinfo.htm)

 

[Paver56]

Warmguy,
I was looking at your calculation and wondered how you got 8,000 pounds from one ton of the logs?

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Warmguy,

So how does 1 ton = 8000 pounds? How about 2,000 pounds at 8K/pound = 16,0000 btus better than a cord of pine, but not the number you got. (Edit: looking closer I see you've already be caught, anyway with 16 @ 458 I get $28.50 per million, more than pine)

Can you give me some advice on burning pine? I have a lot of large White Pine on my property.

Edit:
I made a post elsewhere asking what size of pine round can one get away with not splitting. I'd like to burn branches in the range of 6" diameter without splitting, I could let it dry/season for a year, even two years. How long does it take to season that size round, the round is less than 18" long.

On compressed hardwood, I like EcoBrick much better as it sells for about $250 a ton and it too gives about 8KBTU per pound. Tractor Supply carries it if they are not out, they are out in my neighborhood.

 

[begreen]

Homefires are excellent. For a compressed wood product they really burn long and with minimal ash. I reviewed them a few years ago and found them to be a very nice alternative source of fuel. Warmguy, the math is off, but that is understandable given the confusing chart on the Homefire website. It is a lot denser, actually sinks rather than floats in water. If you stacked a full cord of Homefires it would weigh about 4X more than the pine, but a pallet load is a ton, not 4 tons. In other words, it's about 4X as dense as pine.

Regardless, they will keep you warm and your flue very clean; just show the product respect. There is a lot of heat in these logs. Don't go filling up the firebox or you will have a very hot and potentially dangerous situation on hand. 3-4 logs at a time is all you will need. And they will burn for many hours at a very steady rate.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Home_Fire_Prest_Logs/

 

[WarmGuy]

OK, thanks for catching my careless error. My new numbers make more sense: it's somewhat more expensive than pine. I'm going to pick up 10 logs on Saturday, and if it works, that will keep me going until my newly split wood is ready.

what size of pine round can one get away with not splitting.

I often leave 5-6" limb wood unsplit. One year I had a lot of limbs and they burned well.

My weight experiments with fir and pine showed me that here (very high humidity), my pine reached maximum dryness after only four months.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Thanks on the pine splitting/seasoning information. I have White Pine, I think this may be the least desirable of the Pine family for fire wood, but I have some each year on my property I can either burn or throw in the woods to rot. I prefer to burn, and not spitting the many branch rounds I have is a big plus.

 

[Beave]

I really like the Homefire logs. We buy them individually, when they are on sale for .99 a piece. They really amp up the fire if mixed in with regular wood, and burn great on their own as well.

I too experience massive clinkers when emptying the ashes every few weeks, and have also damaged a brick or two trying to scrape them off. Now I just leave them alone if they refuse to come off, and usually the next cleanout will allow me to get it out.

Where they really shine is overnight burns. We don't have a big enough stove, or the right wood for overnighters, so before bed I load up two Homefires and damp down the air. I can come back up to 12 hours later and still have coals to start another load.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Hum sounds like a great burn time - assuming heat is coming out in sufficient quantity to meet needs.

At $1 each I'm still having trouble with the economics. I have never used this or the EcoBrick, but I plan to next year. First, EcoBrick should be available near me, I haven't looked for Homefire, but to recall seeing something at HomeDepot that didn't look competitive cost-wise. Here the facts on EcoBrick (which looks far more economical) - by the 25 pound of 8 Bricks, $4 at Tractor Supply, but purchased in quantity, maybe a ton, $3 per package. That's $240 per ton. They are compressed hardwood and are rated at 8K BTU/pound minimum (as I recall - this admits that not all hardwoods are equal BTU/Pound, as we all know). Comparing "sale" or "quantity" price each I see above Homefire logs are $1, and from what I have said, EcoBricks are $0.38 or about 1/3rd the cost of Homefire logs. How much does a homefire log weigh? My numbers, assuming similar construction methods and content, say the Firelog would have to weigh about 9 pounds to be similar in cost per BTU to EcoBrick. I am not trying to sell EcoBrick, in fact a couple of weeks back when I went to Tractor Supply to buy a test package I was disappointed to learn they were out, no more until next heating season.

I remain interested in facts, and arguments against what I have said. I'm just trying to learn alternative ways to economically operate my wood stove (Insert).

 

[Elderthewelder]

I really like the Homefire logs. We buy them individually, when they are on sale for .99 a piece. They really amp up the fire if mixed in with regular wood, and burn great on their own as well.

I too experience massive clinkers when emptying the ashes every few weeks, and have also damaged a brick or two trying to scrape them off. Now I just leave them alone if they refuse to come off, and usually the next cleanout will allow me to get it out.

Where they really shine is overnight burns. We don't have a big enough stove, or the right wood for overnighters, so before bed I load up two Homefires and damp down the air. I can come back up to 12 hours later and still have coals to start another load.

I do the same thing when it is forcasted to get cold overnight, I have the same insert as you except one size smaller, so i know what you mean. I still prefer the North Idahos over the homefires just for the fact that they burn hotter and dont leave them damn clinkers

I do like the flat bottoms on the homefires though