biobrick/compressed sawdust log?

[jbean]

We are down to the last few days of our wood and the temp is still going to be cold here. We are having to use propane and I am cringing at the thought of our next bill. The long winter here has had us burning 24/7 more than we thought (first year in the house). We have some biobricks we want to try but were told buy the stove store that if you use them and them alone it can void the stove warranty because it can overfire the stove very quickly. We are very careful about that though, and have never seen it go over about 700.

So is it true that they can do this or is it safe to burn them? We figure if we have a few we can mix in with the last few logs we have or even burn a few alone we will get through the next week and hopefully it warm by then enough the house warms during the day.

Thanks

 

[Slow1]

There really isn't anything in the compressed logs that will directly cause an overfire condition. Rather; if you burn them with same air etc as you do wood that is (almost guaranteed) more wet than the compressed logs you can get the stove hotter quicker than you are used to.

My suggestion is to start small - do a few at a time and build up as you get confidence in how they burn for you. When I used them a few years ago I learned that they can really take off faster than natural splits on a very hot coal bed. I have lots of theories as to why, but it all comes down to how dry the compressed sawdust is.

Overfiring will indeed void many warranties; but keep an eye and learn how to control them (turn air down early/often to be sure you don't get too hot) and you should be fine I would think.

 

[deathandtaxes]

We are down to the last few days of our wood and the temp is still going to be cold here. We are having to use propane and I am cringing at the thought of our next bill. The long winter here has had us burning 24/7 more than we thought (first year in the house). We have some biobricks we want to try but were told buy the stove store that if you use them and them alone it can void the stove warranty because it can overfire the stove very quickly. We are very careful about that though, and have never seen it go over about 700.

So is it true that they can do this or is it safe to burn them? We figure if we have a few we can mix in with the last few logs we have or even burn a few alone we will get through the next week and hopefully it warm by then enough the house warms during the day.

Thanks

I am not sure if you are asking if it is safe warranty wise or safety wise.
I can't speak to the warranty, but I burn them on their own all the time. In my house, with my stove, I can burn 80lbs at once, but I did not just toss them all in and hope for the best. Tried a little at time, based on others comments I was concerned of over-firing also. Personally, I find they can be harder to control when mixed with wood or put in a hot stove. So with a cooler stove, put in a few more than you did last time. See how it goes, then try a couple more next time.

 

[smokedragon]

I have burned a competitor (ECO brick from tractor supply). If you throw a bunch in and try to burn them like they are marginal wood, you will overfire your stove.

If you burn them like they are extremely dry wood (cause they are) you will be fine.

but I did not just toss them all in and hope for the best. Tried a little at time,

+1 to that.

If you add some to your existing wood, and monitor the temps you should be fine.

If you are already burning really dry wood, you won't see much difference. If you are burning fairly damp wood, you will see much higher temps than normal. As long as you control the air going to them, you will be fine.

I think a lot of these overfire posts are people who are burning fairly wet wood, and then try to burn these at the same draft setting.

I find that they are great for overnight fires as they are very dense and burn well at a low draft setting.

 

[jbean]

Thank you. We are very careful with our draft setting, mainly because I am paranoid about chimney fires, the house burning down and other things (my husband grew up with wood stove heat so he thinks I am overly cautious at times).

 

[prezes13]

I am burning eco bricks exclusively now, I put 7-9 of them at a time I like them much better than bio bricks. Ecos are all hardwood and twice the size of bios. I get impressive burn times out of them avarege 6-8 hours. I think they are safe alternative to "season wood" to buy at the end of heating season. Also just like smoke dragon said they are great to mix with a so so wood.

 

[blades]

Ran some Eco's last weekend, as was said about the same as very dry hard wood splits, did a mixed load of 3 Eco bricks and 3 2x4 rock maple splits on a fair coal bed, worked just fine in the NC30. Just monitor your stove for the first few firings until you learn their burning curve. I think they were $3.99 for 21# six brick package at Menards. I just grabbed a pack on a whim. Now the ECO brick has no binders or wax in them, There were others (Pine Mountain) those are bound together with wax- do not use those as they will cause an over fire.

 

[Rhody PJ]

Been using Bio Bricks in my wood stove for a while now and i am extremely satisfied with how they perform. Low ash, clean burning...ect...ect. Just control the air like everyone here has previously stated and you will probably like using them as well.

Unfortunately my local Agway ran out of Bio Bricks (just like with the pellet situation) and I had to try another brand that my local Ace Hardware carries...did not like them at all...very dirty burn on low settings...black inside and on the glass...so I hope that Agway get a shipment in soon.

 

[JRunner01]

I have been using eco bricks with no issues either as a sole burning fuel source. Too many people selling seasoned firewood that is not really seasoned. I put in around 9 bricks. 4 on bottom north to south. 3 on top north to south centered on the 4 below. Then 2 in front standing up leaning toward each other with a quarter super cedar under them. Like others said control the flue early on and experiment with less first. I have found they do last as long or slightly longer than wood for burn time, depending on conditions outside \ temps etc. They do bulk up and expand so be careful not to put too many in as you need to leave room for them to grow. I think I have slightly bowed my airtube in my Regency F2400 from these bricks getting too large high up in the firebox using the above layout. The one thing they brag about is less mess using bricks. Well that's not true as saw dust is messy when pulling them out of the packaging.

 

[blades]

saw dust , what vacuums are for, +++ no bugs, A pallet of bricks takes up a lot less room than the equivalent btu wise of firewood splits & you don't have wait 2-3 years to burn them.
Down side is I would not get to play with my big boy toys.
Cost wise in my location NG would be cheaper than solely running bricks. That said , my firewood is free less of course costs of transporting and processing, but cheaper than a fancy yuppy gym membership and certainly much more enjoyable than sweating on a tread mill and the like.

 

[Doug MacIVER]

burn "canawick's" product and no problem at all. get a much better overnite burn. as for over fire, yah. you can over fire with splits as well. as with every fire, watch closely. have a day