Best stove for bio bricks

[4barrel]

I am getting kind of tired buying and stacking wood every year, been doing it for about 15 years now. Is there a make and model of stove that seems to work really good burning bio bricks. I know some stoves work better than others, my Avalon Olympic does not like bio bricks.

 

[Kevin Weis]

I think they do okay in just about any stove I would think. In my vc they last about 3 hours which I think is pretty good.

 

[begreen]

I am getting kind of tired buying and stacking wood every year, been doing it for about 15 years now. Is there a make and model of stove that seems to work really good burning bio bricks. I know some stoves work better than others, my Avalon Olympic does not like bio bricks.

They should be ok. How are you trying to burn them? A few at a time or with a solid wall of bricks? A wall of bricks is how I loaded when testing and they did ok. I got about 5 hrs of solid heat from 13 bricks (26#) in a Castine. https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/biobricks/
instructions here:
http://originalbiobricks.com/howtoburn

 

[mellow]

509fab is currently working on a stove that will burn woodbricks, round currently but working on rectangle ones.

Their website is down at the moment so here is there FB page: https://www.facebook.com/509Fab/

 

[SpaceBus]

509fab is currently working on a stove that will burn woodbricks, round currently but working on rectangle ones.

Their website is down at the moment so here is there FB page: https://www.facebook.com/509Fab/

View attachment 237976

That's a pretty neat concept.

 

[weatherguy]

I am getting kind of tired buying and stacking wood every year, been doing it for about 15 years now. Is there a make and model of stove that seems to work really good burning bio bricks. I know some stoves work better than others, my Avalon Olympic does not like bio bricks.

Doesnt like bio bricks or all compressed wood products?

 

[Ricknasty]

What is the benefit of this over a pellet stove? Bricks seem to almost always be more expensive per pound. Can it also burn cordwood or are you stuck with just biologs?

509fab is currently working on a stove that will burn woodbricks, round currently but working on rectangle ones.

Their website is down at the moment so here is there FB page: https://www.facebook.com/509Fab/

View attachment 237976

 

[kennyp2339]

Im probabaly going to get some flack for this but, most stoves that have secondary air tube reburn have a tougher time burning compressed wood products in larger volumes, meaning at 1-3 blocks / bricks the stove runs good, hot stove top temps, clean no smoke, active secondary's. When you add more bricks >5 things start to get hairy with possible over fire conditions, even with the primary air turned off, its because the secondary air intake has no way of turning off, and is purely heat driven (vacuum forms, higher the fire box temp, more air goes through the secondary tubes) This equates to higher stove temps (possible over fire) faster burn times.
I own a Blaze King princes, this stove can easily operate on just compressed wood products, it is thermostatically controlled, meaning the air control will open and close by the thermostat at what ever out temps I desire, there is not secondary air to worry about, either I burn hot and have most smoke particles burn in the primary fire, or I burn at a smolder and let the catalytic converter burn the smoke (producing heat due to its location in the fire box) and get extreme burn times of 20 hrs.
I've burnt as a test about a ton of compressed wood, I've burnt smaller bricks 3x3x6" and the large tractor supply bricks. When I do burn compressed wood bricks I burn a whole package at a time or about 25-30lbs, sometimes its mixed with cord wood, other times it just them solely. Never had an issue, what makes my stove successful is the thermostat control with no secondary air tube reburn.

 

[Bushels20]

Im probabaly going to get some flack for this but, most stoves that have secondary air tube reburn have a tougher time burning compressed wood products in larger volumes, meaning at 1-3 blocks / bricks the stove runs good, hot stove top temps, clean no smoke, active secondary's. When you add more bricks >5 things start to get hairy with possible over fire conditions, even with the primary air turned off, its because the secondary air intake has no way of turning off, and is purely heat driven (vacuum forms, higher the fire box temp, more air goes through the secondary tubes) This equates to higher stove temps (possible over fire) faster burn times.
I own a Blaze King princes, this stove can easily operate on just compressed wood products, it is thermostatically controlled, meaning the air control will open and close by the thermostat at what ever out temps I desire, there is not secondary air to worry about, either I burn hot and have most smoke particles burn in the primary fire, or I burn at a smolder and let the catalytic converter burn the smoke (producing heat due to its location in the fire box) and get extreme burn times of 20 hrs.
I've burnt as a test about a ton of compressed wood, I've burnt smaller bricks 3x3x6" and the large tractor supply bricks. When I do burn compressed wood bricks I burn a whole package at a time or about 25-30lbs, sometimes its mixed with cord wood, other times it just them solely. Never had an issue, what makes my stove successful is the thermostat control with no secondary air tube reburn.

I use the compressed bricks from Menards to supplement cordwood on really cold nights to extend my burn times. For the reasons you mention I have never done a load of solely bricks. I’m afraid it will overtire. With 3 bricks (most I’ve ever done) my secondaries are intense and last for a solid 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

I’ve read other posts that say packing them tightly in a solid block will alleviate this concern but it still scares me.

 

[weatherguy]

Im probabaly going to get some flack for this but, most stoves that have secondary air tube reburn have a tougher time burning compressed wood products in larger volumes, meaning at 1-3 blocks / bricks the stove runs good, hot stove top temps, clean no smoke, active secondary's. When you add more bricks >5 things start to get hairy with possible over fire conditions, even with the primary air turned off, its because the secondary air intake has no way of turning off, and is purely heat driven (vacuum forms, higher the fire box temp, more air goes through the secondary tubes) This equates to higher stove temps (possible over fire) faster burn times.
I own a Blaze King princes, this stove can easily operate on just compressed wood products, it is thermostatically controlled, meaning the air control will open and close by the thermostat at what ever out temps I desire, there is not secondary air to worry about, either I burn hot and have most smoke particles burn in the primary fire, or I burn at a smolder and let the catalytic converter burn the smoke (producing heat due to its location in the fire box) and get extreme burn times of 20 hrs.
I've burnt as a test about a ton of compressed wood, I've burnt smaller bricks 3x3x6" and the large tractor supply bricks. When I do burn compressed wood bricks I burn a whole package at a time or about 25-30lbs, sometimes its mixed with cord wood, other times it just them solely. Never had an issue, what makes my stove successful is the thermostat control with no secondary air tube reburn.

I agree with you, the BKs are better suited to burn a load of just compressed wood bricks, I mix them with my PH and get good results but wouldn't want to put 8-10 NIELs only in my stove.

 

[weatherguy]

What is the benefit of this over a pellet stove? Bricks seem to almost always be more expensive per pound. Can it also burn cordwood or are you stuck with just biologs?

I think it would burn less in a controlled burn so you wouldn't burn a whole stove load in 8 hours.

 

[kennyp2339]

I agree with you, the BKs are better suited to burn a load of just compressed wood bricks, I mix them with my PH and get good results but wouldn't want to put 8-10 NIELs only in my stove.

See I wouldn't think twice about packing my stove with a whole load of neils (never burnt them though) I trust the stove will operate perfectly with them

 

[4barrel]

I tried burning both sizes of bio bricks, the larger log sizes seem to work a little better than the smaller size bricks. For some reason, my stove just does not burn them well, I have make to adjust the air intake quite often to keep them burning. If I put a large amount of them in then the stove wants to go nuclear. It is good to finally see somebody trying to make a stove specifically designed to burn bio bricks. I am surprised all the stove manufacturers don't have bio brick stoves, that would be the best of both worlds, having a wood stove but not having to do the buying,stacking,drying and moving every year. What would be your ULTIMATE bio brick stove? Mine is take BK's burning technology and combine it with a good convection jacket around the stove. My Avalon Olympic has a great convection heat jacket, again the best of both worlds. I hope 509FAB's stove turns out great.

 

[kennyp2339]

Mine is take BK's burning technology and combine it with a good convection jacket around the stove.

So a BK Ashford ?

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

I tried burning both sizes of bio bricks, the larger log sizes seem to work a little better than the smaller size bricks. For some reason, my stove just does not burn them well, I have make to adjust the air intake quite often to keep them burning. If I put a large amount of them in then the stove wants to go nuclear. It is good to finally see somebody trying to make a stove specifically designed to burn bio bricks. I am surprised all the stove manufacturers don't have bio brick stoves, that would be the best of both worlds, having a wood stove but not having to do the buying,stacking,drying and moving every year. What would be your ULTIMATE bio brick stove? Mine is take BK's burning technology and combine it with a good convection jacket around the stove. My Avalon Olympic has a great convection heat jacket, again the best of both worlds. I hope 509FAB's stove turns out great.

I'd just go with a pellet stove if I was heading in the direction you're going. Just think of the pellets as little round bricks. Way less hassle when it comes to it.

What do you have against pellet stove?

 

[4barrel]

I don't think the ashford is a convection stove, is it? Pellet stoves are O.K., but they run on electricity and require alot of upkeep. One of the main reasons I started burning wood was to have a backup heat source in case of a power outage. A pellet stove is useless with no electricity.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

I don't think the ashford is a convection stove, is it? Pellet stoves are O.K., but they run on electricity and require alot of upkeep. One of the main reasons I started burning wood was to have a backup heat source in case of a power outage. A pellet stove is useless with no electricity.

Good point.

I think there are one or two that are gravity fed? I'm not sure about that, maybe someone else knows more.

Somehow the electricity thing slipped my mind, I guess because my stove is an insert and I've grown reliant on the blower. Which I really don't love.

 

[begreen]

Im probabaly going to get some flack for this but, most stoves that have secondary air tube reburn have a tougher time burning compressed wood products in larger volumes, meaning at 1-3 blocks / bricks the stove runs good, hot stove top temps, clean no smoke, active secondary's. When you add more bricks >5 things start to get hairy with possible over fire conditions, even with the primary air turned off, its because the secondary air intake has no way of turning off, and is purely heat driven (vacuum forms, higher the fire box temp, more air goes through the secondary tubes) This equates to higher stove temps (possible over fire) faster burn times.
.

Yes, I will give you some flack for this. Have you burned a large quantity of BioBricks as directed in a non-cat stove? Burned as directed there is no fast bloom of wood gases and one can have a long controlled burn. The problem of rapid outgassing happens when the bricks are loaded haphazardly or loosely with a lot of air spaces between them. If you want to supply me with a few cases of bricks I'd be happy to demonstrate this. Otherwise read the wiki article previously posted.

 

[begreen]

I don't think the ashford is a convection stove, is it? Pellet stoves are O.K., but they run on electricity and require alot of upkeep. One of the main reasons I started burning wood was to have a backup heat source in case of a power outage. A pellet stove is useless with no electricity.

The Ashford is definitely convective in design. It even has a convective lid instead of an exposed stove top.

A pellet stove is just a small wood furnace with controlled feed and combustion rates. They are an order more complex than a wood stove. And many are a lot noisier. The complexity brings multiple opportunities for failure and unfortunately many of the components used are not as robust as one would find in the average home furnace. I liked our pellet stove for the convenience, but not for the noise and complexity.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Yes, I will give you some flack for this. Have you burned a large quantity of BioBricks as directed in a non-cat stove? Burned as directed there is no fast bloom of wood gases and one can have a long controlled burn. The problem of rapid outgassing happens when the bricks are loaded haphazardly or loosely with a lot of air spaces between them

Kennyp2339- I've been on the business end of bgreen's flack a few times myself. It's always been when I opined on some subject I had no experience on myself, and he knew it. And, he was right each time, of course.

If you weren't already a member, welcome to the club! I think there should be award points for it, frankly. Maybe 30 points each for the first incidents of a "b" scolding. And I think you know who the other "b" is. ;-)

 

[jetsam]

Kennyp2339- I've been on the business end of bgreen's flack a few times myself. It's always been when I opined on some subject I had no experience on myself, and he knew it. And, he was right each time, of course.

If you weren't already a member, welcome to the club! I think there should be award points for it, frankly. Maybe 30 points each for the first incidents of a "b" scolding. And I think you know who the other "b" is. ;-)

Bholler scoldings are a dime a dozen. I'm not giving you any points for those.

 

[SpaceBus]

The Ashford is definitely convective in design. It even has a convective lid instead of an exposed stove top.

A pellet stove is just a small wood furnace with controlled feed and combustion rates. They are an order more complex than a wood stove. And many are a lot noisier. The complexity brings multiple opportunities for failure and unfortunately many of the components used are not as robust as one would find in the average home furnace. I liked our pellet stove for the convenience, but not for the noise and complexity.

I read through all five pages of the Wiseway pellet stove thread and I am considering one. I've been medically retired from the Army for two years now but dealing with my disqualifying condition for six years. As much as I want to split and stack wood all year round and heat with wood, I don't know if I can really do it. Everything was going fine for the past two months, but I've been in the Hospital since Tuesday night reflecting on my life. Assuming I make it through this crisis, I'm going to buy a log splitter and a smaller chainsaw to try and take some of the physical burden away. If that doesn't work, I think I'll be getting a Wiseway stove or just feeding our current stove compressed wood products. It's unfortunate that USSC took over Wiseway production, but I do really like the basic design. I can't stand noisy blown heat systems and furnaces, and I really don't want to deal with propane or oil heat. That leaves us with wood, the way the land intended.

 

[Highbeam]

I read through all five pages of the Wiseway pellet stove thread and I am considering one. I've been medically retired from the Army for two years now but dealing with my disqualifying condition for six years. As much as I want to split and stack wood all year round and heat with wood, I don't know if I can really do it. Everything was going fine for the past two months, but I've been in the Hospital since Tuesday night reflecting on my life. Assuming I make it through this crisis, I'm going to buy a log splitter and a smaller chainsaw to try and take some of the physical burden away. If that doesn't work, I think I'll be getting a Wiseway stove or just feeding our current stove compressed wood products. It's unfortunate that USSC took over Wiseway production, but I do really like the basic design. I can't stand noisy blown heat systems and furnaces, and I really don't want to deal with propane or oil heat. That leaves us with wood, the way the land intended.

Don’t forget that you can buy firewood and even have it stacked for less money than most alternatives. When buying a full year supply you can often get a discount.

Compressed wood logs are fine in your current stove but what’s the point? You can just as easily buy and burn firewood for way less money. Maybe only cut a little bit of firewood for fun as your health allows.

Pellet stoves are noisy, not dependable, maintenance intensive, need power, and you still have to load them with pellets from a 40# bag. If you don’t need any better burn times or performance than what your current stove offers then just stick with it and buy your fuel.

 

[SpaceBus]

Don’t forget that you can buy firewood and even have it stacked for less money than most alternatives. When buying a full year supply you can often get a discount.

Compressed wood logs are fine in your current stove but what’s the point? You can just as easily buy and burn firewood for way less money. Maybe only cut a little bit of firewood for fun as your health allows.

Pellet stoves are noisy, not dependable, maintenance intensive, need power, and you still have to load them with pellets from a 40# bag. If you don’t need any better burn times or performance than what your current stove offers then just stick with it and buy your fuel.

Thank you, that is good advice. We just weren't able to prepare for this winter like we wanted to. Also, I've basically been made into a 65 year old man over night for all intents and purposes.

 

[kennyp2339]

Yes, I will give you some flack for this. Have you burned a large quantity of BioBricks as directed in a non-cat stove? Burned as directed there is no fast bloom of wood gases and one can have a long controlled burn. The problem of rapid outgassing happens when the bricks are loaded haphazardly or loosely with a lot of air spaces between them. If you want to supply me with a few cases of bricks I'd be happy to demonstrate this. Otherwise read the wiki article previously posted.

I think I will need to test this, I still have the US stove 2500 sitting in the garage, I just need to buy some single wall pipe to make a temp chimney and we'll have to do a driveway test.