I have heard you can get back puffing from burning gray wood. I have some dead, gray trees, I would like to cut up and burn in the future. I could mix it with other wood, but I guess my question is can back puffing occur?
Back Puffing
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Hmmm, back puffing occurs from lack of draft, I cant see how wood being dry would cause that but that is just my $.02.
I've never heard that one before. My BS Detector is going off in all directions.
Sounds like some crackpot theory that somebody came up with after trying burn dry wood for a change, and found they actually had to use their damper to keep the stove from overfiring. They might have got some backpuffing from that, and surmised that it was the fault of the "gray" wood they were burning. "Better bring in a load of that heavy, tan-colored stuff that sizzles so nice next time, Martha."
EDIT: What's in your manual in black and white? The "gray wood" nonsense or the part about lack of draft causing backpuffing?
Sounds like some crackpot theory that somebody came up with after trying burn dry wood for a change, and found they actually had to use their damper to keep the stove from overfiring. They might have got some backpuffing from that, and surmised that it was the fault of the "gray" wood they were burning. "Better bring in a load of that heavy, tan-colored stuff that sizzles so nice next time, Martha."
EDIT: What's in your manual in black and white? The "gray wood" nonsense or the part about lack of draft causing backpuffing?
Page 10 of the Morsoe manual, "Avoid overly dry wood that is gray in color as it can cause performance problems, such as back puffing and sluggishness, under certain conditions."
I never heard of this, so thought I would ask and see if there is anything to this. What ever certain conditions means?
I never heard of this, so thought I would ask and see if there is anything to this. What ever certain conditions means?
Hmmm, maybe they mean punky wood. Real dry wood sure would not cau.se sluggishness but exactly the opposite.
wxman said:
That's what I was thinking - but is states "overly dry" wood - that does sound a little crazy to me.
Other this is maybe they are thinking so dry, like leaves that produce so much smoke. At start-up maybe the smoke production would overcome any draft?
Tell you what Smokey, leave all that grey wood out by the street and give me a call it will be gone tomorrow I'll take all that you can give me
No problem helping you out ,, you don't even have to thank me..
No problem helping you out ,, you don't even have to thank me..
I remember reading that in the Morso manual and going WTF? All I can guess is they have some Scandinavian wood that is like alder and wants to decompose quickly. But even alder, if kept nice and dry, will last. Either that or something really got lost in translation.
Right before Elk pulls up to pick up that Gray wood, light it on fire so we can all watch him cry......
I've seen smokeing back from wet wood and rotten wood. Never from grey or othrwise dry wood.
Its a good excuse I guess if you are having problems... the dealers comes out and looks at your wood... "Hmmm... it looks too dry, the manual says that can cause problems, must be your wood sir."
Seriously... every customer that has ever complained about smoke problems, I go out and go right for thier wood pile. Usually they are burning total garbage. On the phone they always tell me its dry and not rotten. Or usually something like "My father burned wood for 35 years, I know how to use a wood stove, my wood is fine! This stove is defective!"
Anyway... just had to rant there a little.
Its a good excuse I guess if you are having problems... the dealers comes out and looks at your wood... "Hmmm... it looks too dry, the manual says that can cause problems, must be your wood sir."
Seriously... every customer that has ever complained about smoke problems, I go out and go right for thier wood pile. Usually they are burning total garbage. On the phone they always tell me its dry and not rotten. Or usually something like "My father burned wood for 35 years, I know how to use a wood stove, my wood is fine! This stove is defective!"
Anyway... just had to rant there a little.
If you don't want to burn any of that gray wood you have in your pile I I'll take it. It will be right at home with the grays on my pile!!
From everthing I see and hear that Morso is one heck of a wood stove. That manual that says don't hold a pipe up with it and don't burn grey wood sounds like one heck of a piece of kindling.
BeGreen said:
You might have nailed the problem right there, BG with something being lost in the translation. I hope Eric doesn't have the same issue with his boiler (as far as wiring, plumbing, etc.). Maybe I could get my Grandmother to translate the manual if he can get it in it's original Polish form, though I don't think he'd like a 96 year old woman trying to cook cabbage and pierogies on top of his new burner.
I have heard this before, the theory is that extremly dry wood causes a lot of volatile gases that could build up in the stove. A change in draft, such as a downdraft from a gust of wind could introduce oxygen and cause backpuffing.
Firefly Hearth said:
Thats why I always use the wet wood to start my fires with!
Just pulling your leg Firefly. Really though, any downdraft with ANY wood will cause smoke backpuffing. I would try rolling the manual up nice and tight, light one end and throw it in the burner and see if that backpuffs. I will bet that cures the whole "gray" wood problem.
Personally I thought this old gray wood was primo. I am saving it in-case I run low, but I seem to get enough downed trees in storms to keep me overloaded with wood. Every-time we get a little wind storm I can hear creaking, squeaking, snap, and then thump. I don't think I'll have to cut any live trees down for quite a while, maybe never, just scrounge off the ground.
Besides I have that remainder of the mess and destruction to clean up from the loggers. I can't get my ATV back there until I cut up and pick up all the wood, so I can drive back in that part of the woods. I am on a small mountain so everything is steep and usually on an angle. So gettin that front wheel of the ATV off the ground is an everyday occurrence.
Besides I have that remainder of the mess and destruction to clean up from the loggers. I can't get my ATV back there until I cut up and pick up all the wood, so I can drive back in that part of the woods. I am on a small mountain so everything is steep and usually on an angle. So gettin that front wheel of the ATV off the ground is an everyday occurrence.
I think it's possible that what Morso is terming "back-puffing" might be the phenomenon we call "whuffing", where a raging fire burns up all the available oxygen in the stove, which causes extreme negative pressurization that finally gets strong enough to pull a gulp of air into the firebox, from the chimney or elsewhere. This can cause a series of mini-explosions inside the stove which can force puffs of smoke into the room right through gaskets and draft controls.
Essentially, a whuffing woodstove is doing the same thing as a valveless pulse jet engine (read more at (broken link removed to http://www.home.no/andreas.sunnhordvik/English/mechanical/valveless_e.htm) )
Whuffing can certainly occur when burning full loads of too-dry wood like gray wood, punky wood and kiln-dried lumber (which tend to burn hot and fast), especially when the draft control is turned down too rapidly on an already-raging fire.
The trick is to stay in control of the fire. Use the gray wood to start fresh fires, and avoid adding it to already-established fires, especially just before you turn the draft control down for an all-night burn.
Essentially, a whuffing woodstove is doing the same thing as a valveless pulse jet engine (read more at (broken link removed to http://www.home.no/andreas.sunnhordvik/English/mechanical/valveless_e.htm) )
Whuffing can certainly occur when burning full loads of too-dry wood like gray wood, punky wood and kiln-dried lumber (which tend to burn hot and fast), especially when the draft control is turned down too rapidly on an already-raging fire.
The trick is to stay in control of the fire. Use the gray wood to start fresh fires, and avoid adding it to already-established fires, especially just before you turn the draft control down for an all-night burn.
I think you hit the nail on the head Tom. I've had that happen with the Jotul under exactly the conditions you described. Add a lot of extra dry wood to a hot bed of coals and damper down too quickly. It's a mighty *WHUMPH* and makes one appreciate that the stovepipe has 3 screws at every joint! Scared the bejezus out of me the first time it happened.
My grandma still speaks Swedish, Norwegian...She could give you the proper translation and a good Lutefisk recipe.....(you don't wanna know what Lutefisk is)
Firefly Hearth said:
That's my guess - that overly dry wood can cause flashback, delayed ignition, etc....... not that the wood should be avoided, just that if it happens often, the user should take steps such as mixing the wood with wetter wood, etc.
Webmaster said:
yeah , your right , as an experiment , if anybody has an old smoke dragon around with a glass in the door, get it rocking enough that secondary starts igniting in the top of the stove (it will if hot enough , just wont sustain, then choke it back a bit and watch , it'll ignite , then bnog back down , then poof it will catch again when it gets a sniff of air up there again, always was facinated by that. just be careful not to make a drastic change up or down when playing with this , if it builds too much it can whuff pretty hard.
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