Best Firewood

[deborita3]

I was wondering what is the best type of wood to burn and if it's OK to burn pine in a woodstove. I've have read some negative things about burning pine. I have some people in my area offering free wood to pick up and it's all pine. Was wondering what people's thoughts were on this as I don't want to burn it if it's not good to use. Thanks.

 

[bholler]

Yes you can burn pine nothing wrong with it at all. But it has less btus per cubic foot than hardwoods.

As far as whats best that depends on what you think makes it best. The highest btu stuff takes a long time to dry. Stuff like ash and cherry have decent btus and dry faster that oaks locust or hickory.

 

[Dataman]

Burned Pine for 7 Years. It has to be seasoned (Dry). But it's fine. Burns quick. I could get 12 hours on Stove if I stuffed it full and set to Medium (Blaze King King). Lots of Heat. In WA State we have mostly Pine Trees. Anything else is hard to get. I Burned lots of White Pine. We had Once in 100 years Windstorm in 2014 twice and again in 2015 (they they were short 100 years).

 

[deborita3]

Yes you can burn pine nothing wrong with it at all. But it has less btus per cubic foot than hardwoods.

As far as whats best that depends on what you think makes it best. The highest btu stuff takes a long time to dry. Stuff like ash and cherry have decent btus and dry faster that oaks locust or hickory.

I have oak, maple, and Locust now. The living room gets warm but not so much the bedrooms and hallway. Living room gets to about 78 degrees and the hallway about 62. I have tried using a fan in the living room and a fan in the hallway to push the cold air down the hallway and the warm air from the living room down the hallway and have put the ceiling fan on in the dining room but the rooms are still cold down the hall. I have a ranch style home.

 

[Dataman]

View attachment 232913 View attachment 232913 View attachment 232914 View attachment 232913 View attachment 232914 View attachment 232915 View attachment 232916 Burned Pine for 7 Years. It has to be seasoned (Dry). But it's fine. Burns quick. I could get 12 hours on Stove if I stuffed it full and set to Medium (Blaze King King). Lots of Heat. In WA State we have mostly Pine Trees. Anything else is hard to get. I Burned lots of White Pine. We had Once in 100 years Windstorm in 2014 twice and again in 2015 (they they were short 100 years).

I finished up trees this Spring (final 10 Cords) and bought Pellet Stove. Lots of Ash. Wife kept Bitching about it every spring.

 

[deborita3]

View attachment 232913 View attachment 232913 View attachment 232914 View attachment 232913 View attachment 232914 View attachment 232915 View attachment 232916 Burned Pine for 7 Years. It has to be seasoned (Dry). But it's fine. Burns quick. I could get 12 hours on Stove if I stuffed it full and set to Medium (Blaze King King). Lots of Heat. In WA State we have mostly Pine Trees. Anything else is hard to get. I Burned lots of White Pine. We had Once in 100 years Windstorm in 2014 twice and again in 2015 (they they were short 100 years).

How many logs do you put in at one time? I have a quadra fire 3100i and the firebox is not that big. I can't fit too many logs. If a burn at a high rate I use too much wood, if a burn at medium or low the house doesn't get that warm except for the living room where the stove is.

 

[deborita3]

How many logs do you put in at one time? I have a quadra fire 3100i and the firebox is not that big. I can't fit too many logs. If a burn at a high rate I use too much wood, if a burn at medium or low the house doesn't get that warm except for the living room where the stove is.

What is the minimum to season pine before it is good to burn?

 

[blades]

My rule of thumb- 2 years drying time from when it is split- Oak hickory and the like 3 years. really though the are so many variables that each has to be the judge of his own material

 

[MissMac]

I was wondering what is the best type of wood to burn and if it's OK to burn pine in a woodstove. I've have read some negative things about burning pine. I have some people in my area offering free wood to pick up and it's all pine. Was wondering what people's thoughts were on this as I don't want to burn it if it's not good to use. Thanks.

95% of what I burn is jack pine, and I have no issues. I’m burning it in a catalytic stove that has a bimetallic thermostat control so I don’t have to fiddle with the air. I think for most, as long as you watch your air at the beginning it will be fine.


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[Easy Livin’ 3000]

How many logs do you put in at one time? I have a quadra fire 3100i and the firebox is not that big. I can't fit too many logs. If a burn at a high rate I use too much wood, if a burn at medium or low the house doesn't get that warm except for the living room where the stove is.

Yep, me too. We burn lots of wood, because we like it warm, and the house is a sieve. But we have more wood than we're gonna be able to use before it starts to degrade. ,Keeping the stove loaded is a chore.

I'd suggest that you figure out where your house is deficient on insulation and air sealing and fix that. As you are in a rancher, I bet your attic could use some attention.

Could you take a picture of your stove set up and post it here?

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I have oak, maple, and Locust now. The living room gets warm but not so much the bedrooms and hallway. Living room gets to about 78 degrees and the hallway about 62. I have tried using a fan in the living room and a fan in the hallway to push the cold air down the hallway and the warm air from the living room down the hallway and have put the ceiling fan on in the dining room but the rooms are still cold down the hall. I have a ranch style home.

When asking about seasoning times for wood its best to get a mositure meter and when your under 20% your good to go. Seasoning time varies based on location and setup. All of my oak is ready in 1.5 years while some take 2 to 3 years.
Regarding the best wood or favorite, during shoulder season its wood like cherry. For overnight it would be white oak, and during the dead of winter that would be any oak.
As for moving heat around. I am in a large ranch with an open floor plan. The farthest parts of the home get heated by a duct booster fan in line with a flex duct . I pull the warm air out of the stove room and blow it into the other rooms when needed. All of this is run in the attic.

 

[osagebow]

Up there in NY, in addition to oak, black locust is good, has a bit more btu's than oak. Hedgeapple/osage orange has the most, but it is rare. Getting three years or so supply on hand is the goal of most hardwood burners on here from the northeast. It's tough to do but worth it.

Pine and soft maple are good for "shoulder seaaon" in the early fall and late spring when small, hot fires are the order to heat the house a bit without overheating. Helps save that growing oak stash also. If you run into pitchy, sticky stuff in the center or bottom of that pine, save it and cut it into small pieces. That is the "fatwood" firestarters you may have seen at the store

 

[deborita3]

When asking about seasoning times for wood its best to get a mositure meter and when your under 20% your good to go. Seasoning time varies based on location and setup. All of my oak is ready in 1.5 years while some take 2 to 3 years.
Regarding the best wood or favorite, during shoulder season its wood like cherry. For overnight it would be white oak, and during the dead of winter that would be any oak.
As for moving heat around. I am in a large ranch with an open floor plan. The farthest parts of the home get heated by a duct booster fan in line with a flex duct . I pull the warm air out of the stove room and blow it into the other rooms when needed. All of this is run in the attic.

How much does it cost to put a duct booster fan?

 

[deborita3]

Up there in NY, in addition to oak, black locust is good, has a bit more btu's than oak. Hedgeapple/osage orange has the most, but it is rare. Getting three years or so supply on hand is the goal of most hardwood burners on here from the northeast. It's tough to do but worth it.

Pine and soft maple are good for "shoulder seaaon" in the early fall and late spring when small, hot fires are the order to heat the house a bit without overheating. Helps save that growing oak stash also. If you run into pitchy, sticky stuff in the center or bottom of that pine, save it and cut it into small pieces. That is the "fatwood" firestarters you may have seen at the store

Thank you! Very helpful.

 

[bholler]

How many logs do you put in at one time? I have a quadra fire 3100i and the firebox is not that big. I can't fit too many logs. If a burn at a high rate I use too much wood, if a burn at medium or low the house doesn't get that warm except for the living room where the stove is.

The 3100 is a fairly big insert.

How much does it cost to put a duct booster fan?

A booster fan can help but it should never be pulling from the area where the stove is. That can cause a negative pressure in that area which can cause all kinds of problems. It works better and is much safer to push cool air into the stove room which forces warm air out. But you need to get the hang of running the stove before making any other changes.

 

[deborita3]

Yep, me too. We burn lots of wood, because we like it warm, and the house is a sieve. But we have more wood than we're gonna be able to use before it starts to degrade. ,Keeping the stove loaded is a chore.

I'd suggest that you figure out where your house is deficient on insulation and air sealing and fix that. As you are in a rancher, I bet your attic could use some attention.

Could you take a picture of your stove set up and post it here?

We just moved here a few months ago so we don't have a yrs worth of wood let alone 2-3 yrs. My husband found some large logs on our property. There are alot of woods in the backyard. He is preparing those for next year.
I was wondering how you know what kind of wood you have. I don't know an oak tree from a maple tree etc. LoL I only know a pine tree when I see one. I don't know what the logs are that my husband found.

 

[bholler]

View attachment 233040 View attachment 233041 View attachment 233042 We just moved here a few months ago so we don't have a yrs worth of wood let alone 2-3 yrs. My husband found some large logs on our property. There are alot of woods in the backyard. He is preparing those for next year.
I was wondering how you know what kind of wood you have. I don't know an oak tree from a maple tree etc. LoL I only know a pine tree when I see one. I don't know what the logs are that my husband found.

Well for starters put more wood in the stove. Allot more wood. It will never work well with a few peices in it like you have in that pic

 

[deborita3]

Well for starters put more wood in the stove. Allot more wood. It will never work well with a few peices in it like you have in that pic

That pic was when I just got the stove and was testing it. I now add alot more wood and have been getting good temps. How many logs should be put in when just starting a fire when the stove is cold? I'm learning

 

[mikey]

Hickory,ash or oak if you can get it

 

[bholler]

That pic was when I just got the stove and was testing it. I now add alot more wood and have been getting good temps. How many logs should be put in when just starting a fire when the stove is cold? I'm learning

I load it full from the start. But i have dry wood you wont be able to do that with sub par wood.

 

[deborita3]

I load it full from the start. But i have dry wood you wont be able to do that with sub par wood.

I have realized that. Sometimes I need to just put a couple pieces to get it going and then gradually add.more

 

[Woodsplitter67]

How much does it cost to put a duct booster fan?

I am not sure of your requirements... but i woulg guess you could do a project like this for 500 bucks or so..

 

[firefighterjake]

Random thoughts . . .

Best wood: Seasoned and free. Second best . . . free. Third best . . . seasoned.

Pine is fine. Like most softwoods, it tends to burn up faster with less coaling. I tend to use it during the shoulder seasons.

To move heat in my home I use the fan "trick" with a desk top fan sitting on the floor of an adjacent room and pointing towards the woodstove. It tends to move the warm air around most of the house, but that said there are still some rooms which are notably cooler due to the configuration of the home. That's normal though. Woodstoves are space heaters and as a result the heat is different from a central heating unit. My master bedroom is cooler . . . which is why I use an electric blanket there. A small electric space heater is used in the master bathroom after showering.

Seasoning . . . in general, most folks will say to season the wood at least a year, two is better. Of course this depends on the wood species and weather conditions and how you stack the wood. For example, oak left uncovered in a pile in a wet area will take much longer to season than say pine stacked in a single row and top covered in a dry, windy summer.

Tree Identification . . . best bet is to get a guide book and then start looking and comparing. I find identification to be easier with leafs, but when the leafs drop it's nice to be able to identify the tree by the bark as well.

 

[deborita3]

Random thoughts . . .

Best wood: Seasoned and free. Second best . . . free. Third best . . . seasoned.

Pine is fine. Like most softwoods, it tends to burn up faster with less coaling. I tend to use it during the shoulder seasons.

To move heat in my home I use the fan "trick" with a desk top fan sitting on the floor of an adjacent room and pointing towards the woodstove. It tends to move the warm air around most of the house, but that said there are still some rooms which are notably cooler due to the configuration of the home. That's normal though. Woodstoves are space heaters and as a result the heat is different from a central heating unit. My master bedroom is cooler . . . which is why I use an electric blanket there. A small electric space heater is used in the master bathroom after showering.

Seasoning . . . in general, most folks will say to season the wood at least a year, two is better. Of course this depends on the wood species and weather conditions and how you stack the wood. For example, oak left uncovered in a pile in a wet area will take much longer to season than say pine stacked in a single row and top covered in a dry, windy summer.

Tree Identification . . . best bet is to get a guide book and then start looking and comparing. I find identification to be easier with leafs, but when the leafs drop it's nice to be able to identify the tree by the bark as well.

Thank you for all the useful information! My husband got alot of free pine that someone left in their yard for anyone to take.