burning pine??

[ckarotka]

I have always heard that pine is not good to burn in a stove. Because of the high sap count I suppose. In areas of the country where hard woods are less available do they burn pine. If so, can I? Any special precautions? High creosote output? Can someone confirm or deny this claim. I have four large pines on my property that I would like to have dropped but if I can burn it then that lights the fire under my butt to make it happen.

 

[Dix]

*flicks Bic* ;-)

Yes, you can. There are many softwood burners here, so I'm sure they will chime in.

It must season, but not as long as hard woods. A search of threads here regarding burning pine is going to give you alot of info.

Ive got some seasoned for 9 months now, that I'm looking to use this winter.

Good luck !!

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Pine causes chimney fires

 

[ckarotka]

I finally did the search right and found the info. Bigg_redd can you please explain more. It seems others don't have any issues with burning it as long as it's seasoned well.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Always take Bigg_Redd with a grain of salt! He was just kidding you.

Pine is fine if it has the time. Just cut it, split it and stack it for a year and it will do well. It will burn hot so don't pack the stove. Also do not expect long burn times. Other than that, enjoy it as there is nothing to fear. Its another old wives tale.

 

[logger]

There are tons of stupid rumors out there about pine, most are false, but it can cause some real issues:
1. Pine burns fast and hot.. need to reload a lot more than hardwoods
2. Pine definatley causes more creasote, hence the chimney must be cleaned more often
3. Pine smoke can be a lot more irritating to the eyes and throat than other woods

There's probably some other issues out there too. If it helps any, I have nothing but pines on our property (probably a few hundred) and I refuse to burn it because of the problems that it can cause. Others burn it all winter so maybe they'll post some of their findings.

 

[Dexter]

Umm... There is pine, and then, there is pine, some more sappy, some less.

I have been burning lodgepole pine all my life (40 years of actual burning). It is all I have available (for free.) I seems to me that if you cut dead-standing wood, where most needles have fallen, there is very little sap -- the wood smells like wood, not butterscotch or turpentine.

When I can scrounge good hardwoods, GREAT! But that's because it is denser and gives me more btu's per unit volume.

Nonetheless, with pine in my stove (of over 3 Cu. ft. firebox), I can reload on hot coals at 10 pm, and have a coal bank in the morning plenty hot enough to easily re-ignite new wood at 6am next morning.

I clean my chimney once a year, and I have never had a chimney fire.

Regards,

Dexter

 

[Dexter]

By the way, I have heard that, if you want to cut live pine for seasoning, you will have less sap-flow if you cut in the Autumn.

Dexter

 

[ckarotka]

Thanks all,

We had one of our pines fall in a storm last year, not against the house thankfully. Now I'm just waiting for the others to come down in the same fashion and hope they don't hit the house either. If I can get to them first, well I'll have to pay someone to drop them because they are soooo close to the house and power lines. Get'em on the ground and I'll take it from there.

I know have a plan.

 

[Fsappo]

Pine causes chimney fires

Pine doesnt kill people, people kill people

 

[SteveKG]

I moved into a mntn cabin in the fall of '74. I am still living in a mntn cabin and have been burning a mixture of pine and spruce all these years. Mostly pine. No problems. It is all that is available except a bit of aspen now and then. For about 34 years then, I have been ignorant of all the troubles with burning pine. I am aware of none from my experience. Maybe my cabin burned down 25 yr. ago and I've been dead since then and just don't know it. Be careful burning any wood; be careful to check your chimney/stove pipe regularly regardless of what wood you burn. Season any green wood for at least a year, I prefer longer though 95% of my wood has been standing dead wood, often beetle kill.

I used to have inexpensive, single-wall stovepipe [the cheap black steel stuff] in the rental cabin i was in. I had to clean the creosote twice a winter, perhaps. In the cabin I've since built, I have Metalbestos insulated pipe and I have had to clean out ash and creosote from one stovepipe once in about 25 years, not once in the other pipe. Burning seasoned pine. I cannot speak to your setup or the particular wood you are using, but that's my record.

 

[Jags]

Burning pine causes rusty garage door hinges.

 

[billb3]

If you've got the time to cut it up and split it, go for it.

My wood lot has oak, cherry and white pine on it.
I cut and split the oak first.
Then the cherry.
Then if I still have time, the pine.

If I could sell my oak cords for $350.00 a cord, loading the stove with pine gets more attractive.
Less than that I can let the pine rot, put my feet up and not load the stove as often.

 

[ckarotka]

Im starting to wonder if burning pine is the cause of global warming or or the downfall of the economy ;-)

 

[ckdeuce]

Im starting to wonder if burning pine is the cause of global warming or or the downfall of the economy ;-)

No such thing (man made at least).

And no... That would be Democrats.

 

[woodjack]

I live in a forest of oak, hickory, maple, ash and pine.This time of year, when I don't need long burn times, I like burning pine better than hardwood. It's easier to split and easier to light.
In mid winter I like using pine to help my oak and hickory get going. The only problem with pine is that causes back spasms.

 

[northwinds]

Burning pine will make hair grow on the back of your hands.

 

[stockcarver]

Well, here is my take on it.
Nobody can lump PINE into a simple one size fits all, just won't work. I have seen pine that was so soft you could bury your thumbnail in it easily. Some is so hard when dry, you cannot drive a nail in it, and can only be worked by predrilling a hole for the nail. Some burns up like newspaper logs with little heat, some has so much resin, it can burn a stove out. I bet your local lumber yard has some that has about 3 growth rings in a 2X4. I've cut lodgepole 2 inches in diameter that was 90 years old. Some old pine knots and even the stump wood has so much resin you can see light through a 1/4 inch thick piece. I"ve seen pine stumps, cut in the 19th century that a D8 caterpillar cannot budge, others are starting to rot in 2 years.
Pretty hard to say a wood is good or bad just because it is PINE...

 

[firefighterjake]

Burning pine causes hair loss in men . . . I'm living proof.

By the way, I'm pretty sure it also caused me to develop a gut and develop a fondness for Lindt chocolates.

But to answer the original question, yes Viriginia there is a Santa Claus . . . I mean yes ckar you can burn pine . . . the key being it needs to be seasoned like every other wood and in my case the eastern white pine burns pretty hot so I don't stuff the whole firebox full and let it go . . . also burns up quite fast.

 

[CarbonNeutral]

I am burning pine in my fireplace, because, a) it's mostly seasoned, b) it's my fireplace - I'm not using hardwoods to make the rest of my house colder.....

 

[ControlFreak]

I burn a few pieces of pine now and then. It's fun because it pops and crackles. This way I don't ever feel compelled to get one of those stupid electronic things that they sell for gas stoves. People who run gas stoves are such pretenders. Sorry, a gas fire is just no fun for a fire bug like me. No risk, no fun. Like the old chemistry sets that you can't get any more. Give a boy the stuff to blow himself up and he'll grow to be a street-smart scientist. Give a boy nothing but the stuff to make cotton candy and you'll see him working for code pink. Sorry, just rambling now...

 

[ckdeuce]

Give a boy the stuff to blow himself up and he'll grow to be a street-smart scientist. Give a boy nothing but the stuff to make cotton candy and you'll see him working for code pink. Sorry, just rambling now...

+++ 1 Nice! Real Nice!! lol

 

[JotulOwner]

Pine causes chimney fires

Pine doesnt kill people, people kill people

That reminds me of one of my favorite Gary Larson comic strips... The frame shows a bumper sticker on the back of a flying saucer traveling in space... "Ray guns don't vaporize Zarbonians, Zarbonians vaporize Zarbonians " :lol:

 

[CowboyAndy]

There are tons of stupid rumors out there about pine, most are false, but it can cause some real issues:
1. Pine burns fast and hot.. need to reload a lot more than hardwoods
2. Pine definatley causes more creasote, hence the chimney must be cleaned more often
3. Pine smoke can be a lot more irritating to the eyes and throat than other woods

There's probably some other issues out there too. If it helps any, I have nothing but pines on our property (probably a few hundred) and I refuse to burn it because of the problems that it can cause. Others burn it all winter so maybe they'll post some of their findings.

there is truth to number 1, thats it.


all wood creates creosote. the dryer the wood, the less creosote, and the less moistire there is to make it stick to the chimney. period.

 

[Dave_1]

Johnny Horton approved. :lol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCVkLrwJTxg&feature=related