Burning white pine in a catalytic stove (Blaze King)

[PennDude]

I just took down a giant white pine. (40" stump) There a lot of wood on the ground now that I'd hate to just burn in a burn pile. Providing that I season it, is it safe to burn? I live in Pennsylvania, so we don't traditionally burn evergreens here. I've read conflicting articles on the safety of burning pines. I'm aware it'll burn hotter and more quickly than hardwoods and I'm ok with that. I know the wood has a lot of pitch in it as well. What I'm concerned with is premature wear or damage to the catalyst and excessive creosote build up in the chimney.

Just for fun, here's the tree being dropped.

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[edyit]

any (non treated / painted) wood is safe to burn as long as it is seasoned and dried, the whole don't burn pine it's evil thing is a horrible myth.

 

[moresnow]

My place is surrounded by the same stand. Almost to a "T" by the looks of it. Mine are dying off and getting spooky when the wind blows. I've been burning it happily for a few years. Your BK will respond nicely to W.Pine if my BK is any example. Actually I get surprisingly nice long burns with the stuff. Wait until you burn a load. You will laugh at the ash residue. Almost zero. Very nice. It excites my cat more than my regular hardwood/softwood loads. Interesting stuff.

 

[jetsam]

That whole "pine will burn your house down" is a northeastern old wives' tale.

Next time someone tells you that ridiculous story, ask them to explain exactly how the pine is bad for the stove or flue. (They don't know, because it's not. Some of them say that pine has lots of creosote in it. True, and so does every other kind of wood.)

Pine is actually safer than oak for new wood burners. Here's why:

- Creosote condensation happens with any wood when flue temps drop below 250°F. Pine's hotter burns help stop this from happening.

- New stove owners often burn whatever is handy, including "seasoned" wood from a wood seller, which is often pretty wet. Pine can season in a year or less, making it a great fuel for new burners.

If you want a dangerous wood that causes creosote build-up, try burning oak that you split the previous spring. High moisture content -> low flue temperatures -> creosote city.

I personally prefer pine in my BK when it's really cold out because I don't have to manage my coals like I do with oak and maple.

Any wood is good as long as it's dry and doesn't have any foreign stuff in it (paint, salt, nails, PT).

 

[Poindexter]

I switched to burning all spruce in my BK, two or three years (?) ago now. Not going back. Dries fast, burns good.

 

[Alpine1]

We only burn evergreens here, in any kind of stove. My BK works flawlessly burning Norway spruce, white fir and scots pine. Cut, split stack it, season it properly and you’ll be a happy burner!
As a side note, on a pound for pound basis evergreen wood has more BTUs than hardwoods, it’s not the bad fuel someone would make you believe.

 

[showrguy]

Hey Penndude, where are you at in Pa. /??

 

[PennDude]

Venango County. I'm originally from Butler County .

 

[shoot-straight]

Love pine in mine. I alamost have a limitless supply of dead standing Virginia pine that I am Trying to take advantage of before it rots. I like to leave it in big splits. Real big. Just make sure it's dry.

 

[edyit]

my personal theory (for what it's worth) on the pine will burn your house down mythos is that people would burn green hardwoods, get their chimneys loaded with creosote, burn some pine which burns hot even when green and this would ignite the creosote in their chimneys, thus the pine is evil myth started.

 

[jetsam]

my personal theory (for what it's worth) on the pine will burn your house down mythos is that people would burn green hardwoods, get their chimneys loaded with creosote, burn some pine which burns hot even when green and this would ignite the creosote in their chimneys, thus the pine is evil myth started.

Also worth bearing in mind that not so long ago, burning green wood was the norm. I grew up burning wood, and while we recognized that you got more heat if you let it dry a while, there was no great urgency about it- plenty of times I would split just enough wood to go inside and load the stove with.

And then there was my grandmother- once a year, pine really DID start a chimney fire at her house. She did her "sweeping" by stuffing the entire dried-out xmas tree in the fireplace, partly up the flue, and lighting it off. The best I can say about that is that she never quite managed to burn the house down with this chimney sweeping method, and she did get all the creosote out of the chimney.

 

[black smoke signals]

Also worth bearing in mind that not so long ago, burning green wood was the norm. I grew up burning wood, and while we recognized that you got more heat if you let it dry a while, there was no great urgency about it- plenty of times I would split just enough wood to go inside and load the stove with.

And then there was my grandmother- once a year, pine really DID start a chimney fire at her house. She did her "sweeping" by stuffing the entire dried-out xmas tree in the fireplace, partly up the flue, and lighting it off. The best I can say about that is that she never quite managed to burn the house down with this chimney sweeping method, and she did get all the creosote out of the chimney.

Jetsam! There must be a reason Why Blaze king doesn't want a lot of pitch which Beetle kill Ponderous PINE (standing dead) has! This is the only pine I no longer will burn in my stove because the cat cant burn all the thick black smoke and wild high cat temps and very low moister content. Any other pine is welcome here Spruce is my choice of wood now with a little Elm. Hardwood like Oak is over 600.00 per cord (you are lucky to have this in your area) I have posted this before its not for me at this cost. Jetsam PM me your address I will send you a chunk. LOL

 

[jetsam]

I have lots of pine and oak and maple up here. Honestly, if I had a King, which is well sized to my application, I would probably burn oak on low and medium all year.

We went with the princess insert which is undersized for my application though, which means it gets pushed hard in the coldest part of winter, which means lots of coaling issues with maple and oak- so I burn a lot of pine. No Ponderosas on Long Island though.

My neighbor actually makes fun of me for going past downed oak to get to the pine, but I do it for a reason.

The local maple is fine too but you get mostly odd shaped pieces out of it, which means more air space in every load.

Also, if you know anyone who wants some oak for $600 a cord, they can have anything off my private stacks for that price, send em over. Heck, they can take my neigbor's stacks too, he'd be thrilled if I stole his wood but paid him $500 a cord for it.

Even if you're not burning a ton of softwood, it's good to have some put aside for that time when you want a fast hot fire, or need some high powered kindling to burn down coals with, or for starting fires, if that's a thing you do a lot. I guess that's not really a BK thing though!

Tell me more about BK not wanting you to use beetle killed Ponderosa? I hadn't heard that.

 

[prezes13]

No Blaze king but in ct I do burn pine in my insert and I like it too. Quick hot fires. When I come home throw a lad in maybe even two. Get the house nice and tasty then load it with white or red oak for the night.

 

[black smoke signals]

I have lots of pine and oak and maple up here. Honestly, if I had a King, which is well sized to my application, I would probably burn oak on low and medium all year.

We went with the princess insert which is undersized for my application though, which means it gets pushed hard in the coldest part of winter, which means lots of coaling issues with maple and oak- so I burn a lot of pine. No Ponderosas on Long Island though.

My neighbor actually makes fun of me for going past downed oak to get to the pine, but I do it for a reason.

The local maple is fine too but you get mostly odd shaped pieces out of it, which means more air space in every load.

Also, if you know anyone who wants some oak for $600 a cord, they can have anything off my private stacks for that price, send em over. Heck, they can take my neigbor's stacks too, he'd be thrilled if I stole his wood but paid him $500 a cord for it.

Even if you're not burning a ton of softwood, it's good to have some put aside for that time when you want a fast hot fire, or need some high powered kindling to burn down coals with, or for starting fires, if that's a thing you do a lot. I guess that's not really a BK thing though!

Tell me more about BK not wanting you to use beetle killed Ponderosa? I hadn't heard that.

Page 27 in the bk manual (broken link removed to http://www.blazeking.com/EN/PDF/manuals/OM-PI1010A-E.pdf.Now) from a safety point for new users burning beetle kill in a new stove can be a hand full in a air tight stove.Wife didn't know the difference thinking all wood is created equal and put in one log full of pitch.OP said his pine tree was full of pitch so I caution know your wood.

 

[ben94122]

No Blaze king but in ct I do burn pine in my insert and I like it too. Quick hot fires. When I come home throw a lad in maybe even two. Get the house nice and tasty then load it with white or red oak for the night.

Nothing like throwing in a lad to get the house tasty!

 

[prezes13]

Sorry, I didn't even notice. I only burn wood in my stove.

 

[weatherguy]

I remember a client scolding me because I told her I burned pine in my BK. Her reaction was so funny I just changed the subject rather than get in a debate.

 

[jetsam]

I remember a client scolding me because I told her I burned pine in my BK. Her reaction was so funny I just changed the subject rather than get in a debate.

My neighbor lives on the edge of a pine barrens, watches me burn cord after cord of pine, year after year, and still periodically tells me I'm going to burn my house down.

Belief is stronger than critical thinking for some people.

He knows that pine burns your house down like he knows water is wet. I know that water is wet only under a fairly narrow range of temperatures and pressures. Who's better off as a result? I can't answer that one!

 

[begreen]

No Blaze king but in ct I do burn pine in my insert and I like it too. Quick hot fires. When I come home throw a lad in maybe even two. Get the house nice and tasty then load it with white or red oak for the night.

Either that is the best spell correct error ever of this is the witch's house in the woods.

 

[toddnic]

Make sure it is seasoned and burn it! It is great for the shoulder season. If you don't want it, I'll let you know the address to have it delivered

 

[zig]

Split and stack in a windy spot now and it will be ready to burn it late fall.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Page 27 in the bk manual (broken link removed to http://www.blazeking.com/EN/PDF/manuals/OM-PI1010A-E.pdf.Now) from a safety point for new users burning beetle kill in a new stove can be a hand full in a air tight stove.Wife didn't know the difference thinking all wood is created equal and put in one log full of pitch.OP said his pine tree was full of pitch so I caution know your wood.

I couldn’t get that link to work, but I did find on page 27 of the manual that one cause of cat problems is burning “wet, pitchy” wood. It sounds as though even your dry, pitchy wood caused problems. Was your problem cat temperatures higher than you liked or something more. I seem to remember that you had a cat fail early on. Was this the cause?

My husband and I are considering a Blaze King for installation before next winter, and one of the appeals was that it would better handle the Mountain Cedar (Ashe Juniper) that we have in too great abundance on our land. Our other fuel would be either Live Oak or Spanish Red Oak, but we would love to have a stove that could make good use of the cedar, too.

 

[Highbeam]

Some wood species have more pitch and then within those species there are sap bombs. Solid chunks of fatwood that are like giant chunks of honeycomb totally saturated with pitch.