Bio bricks and Envi blocks...

[mwhitnee]

Both selling for right around $290/pallet in Mass, sound about right?

Does anyone have experience with Fuel Blocks? They are at Lowe's I called $480/pallet (96 packages of 3, 288 blocks total).

 

[mwhitnee]

Found Fuel Blocks for $373 a pallet.

 

[owingsia]

I used them last year when we were running low on wood and a storm was coming. I found that they were hard to light but once going they burned very hot. No coals just ash when done. You should pack the stove as full and tightly as possible or they just burn up fast. I found that I could mix in not so great wood with these and get nice long burns....

Cat stoves have been reported to love these things and put out a great deal of heat... I have not first hand experience with that.

 

[Wisneaky]

I bought close to a pallet of bio bricks last season. I mixed them in with my wood. I tried to not use too many at a time because they burn really really hot.

 

[ekg0477]

Im kicking around the idea of using these blocks. A local company is selling a pallet for 290.00 + 45 delivery. The idea of being able to have the pallet stacked in my garage for quick and easy access seems like a good selling point.

 

[mwhitnee]

Im thinking of spending a few hours and putting them in the cellar myself. I have a window seats that have storage underneath and could fill one with them every now and then. Even buying two pallets might be a good idea for me.

 

[mwhitnee]

Anyone have a suggestion on whether I should get the bigger or smaller envi-blocks? I have a BK King.

 

[Babaganoosh]

Anyone have a suggestion on whether I should get the bigger or smaller envi-blocks? I have a BK King.

For mixing in with subpar wood use the smaller ones. Stand alone use the bigger ones.

 

[lostDuck]

I like them to help fill the stove in the winter and when I get sick I just go to the basement to get fuel for the fire instead of out to the wood shed

 

[iamlucky13]

You should pack the stove as full and tightly as possible or they just burn up fast. I found that I could mix in not so great wood with these and get nice long burns....

I've never burned bricks, so perhaps what I've read doesn't apply here, but isn't packing the stove as full as possible not recommended because some bricks expand as they start to burn, and can crack the secondary tubes or cause other damage?

 

[Bret Chase]

I bought the "trial pack" from the local biofuel dealer a couple of years ago... I thought the enviblocks were ok.. and ended up buying a pallet of Riologs. The biggest problem I found with my old smoke dragon... is the firebox is just too damned big for optimal use of any biobrick product. But hell.... if work keeps up the way it is... I may buy a new stove... and maybe a pellet stove too (can't fill the stove if you're not home)

 

[hamsey]

Used envi blocks (big ones) last year with good results. Just bought a ton to use this year. I mostly use them in the morning when I am running late and do not have the time to wait for the wood to catch. I put 3 in at a time. I have never tried to start a fire with them though, always put on a bed of coals. I get them from CT Pallet.

There is another product similar to NEILS that is produced in Waterbury, CT. I have not tried them yet but plan on picking some up and giving them a go.

 

[mass_burner]

Bio bricks really create more whispy ash in your box I found. I've tried them all, Niels/all nighter's being the gold standard. But at the end of the day, nothing is as good as wood. It's the latter part of the cycle where these substitutes fall short, they can't match the intense heat of a wood coal bed.

 

[mwhitnee]

I like them to help fill the stove in the winter and when I get sick I just go to the basement to get fuel for the fire instead of out to the wood shed

Mine are going in the basement. Not looking forward to lugging them down there as there is no easy access but it will be handy.

 

[newburner]

We go through a ton a season. We mix 3 with wood at night to sustain an overnight fire.

I just got these last week. I thought I was early but the place I got them from last year was already sold out so I had to pay more from another place.

 

[Beer Belly]

. You should pack the stove as full and tightly as possible or they just burn up fast.

My understanding is that they tend to expand, so I'm not sure about packing the stove as full, and tightly as possible

 

[mass_burner]

Packing tightly keeps them from expanding.

 

[Wisneaky]

I have burned a half pallet of bio bricks and I never had an issue with them expanding.

 

[mwhitnee]

I was just going to use them as a supplement. Now that I'm thinking about it I'm not entirely sure how to go about using them for my purposes.

What's the theory behind using them as a supplement for dried wood? I know it will reduce the overall moisture content, but what if the fire is going just fine after I use bricks/wood then reload with only wood and it's fine? Is that good practice or should I always use the bricks?

 

[newburner]

Here's how I do it...

I always use them to supplement the wood. I put 3 bricks on top of a few splits. On reload, I load only wood.

At night, before bed, I load another 3 bricks over splits. My firebox is only 1.4 cu.ft. but it burns all night like that. Then, first thing in morning, I reload with another 3 on top of some wood. Throughout the day, I reload with wood only until the last load when the cycle starts over.

I never burn only bricks.

 

[mwhitnee]

Here's how I do it...

I always use them to supplement the wood. I put 3 bricks on top of a few splits. On reload, I load only wood.

At night, before bed, I load another 3 bricks over splits. My firebox is only 1.4 cu.ft. but it burns all night like that. Then, first thing in morning, I reload with another 3 on top of some wood. Throughout the day, I reload with wood only until the last load when the cycle starts over.

I never burn only bricks.

I just got a BK King for a few reasons, but one of them was the overnight burns. I want to be able to walk over to the stove, pack it, and heat the house all day while I'm gone and not have to be starting the fire again in the morning or when I come home from work.

Although I don't know how the new stove is going to behave/heat the second floor yet, I would imagine I would be turning it down at night so flue temps would drop and creosote might be a problem. So using the bricks at night consistently sounds like a good idea, as well as on startups.

The only time I might even consider only using the bricks is if I were really sick, which I typically never get. If you have a BK, you only need to load it once anyway.

 

[drz1050]

I've called around a little here, and prices seem high... does anyone know a good supplier around the Albany/ Saratoga area of NY?

 

[mass_burner]

I found that you want to place them flat and support on as many sides as possible. I would make a brick floor then walls at the back/sides, 2 brick high max. and make my fire in the open middle. I would get about 7-8 bricks in my small stove.

 

[newburner]

My experience has been the opposite. I've tried all different ways and found I get longer burn times and quicker starts placing them on top with about 1" of space between them.

When I pack them tightly, especially underneath the wood, they never burn completely.

 

[mass_burner]

They do separate, and tend to do so when allowed to move or when not supported by other blocks. Whatever way you set them up, you need to allow some space for air movement.