Cat stoves and pine

[Newburnerwisconsin]

A question to all the Blaze King, Woodstock, and VC owners with cat stoves. Can you burn pine (white or Norway pine) in your stove? What effect the the extra soot have on the cat combustor? Does pine effect the combustor at all? Plug it up? Thanks

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Out west, all they have to burn is pine and poplar. We're spoiled with the dense woods we have here. It's tough for them, but they make due. Bless their souls. Some of them even say that burning pine isn't that bad. The BK guys will soon chime in saying they only get a 30 hour burn on a load of pine.

 

[begreen]

Blaze Kings are made in pine country. Many folks burn ponderosa pine in them.

 

[Gotrek]

I burn everything in mine so far the only difference is softwoods release their heat faster and leave less coals for refuelling

 

[Gpsfool]

Pine burns fine in my Woodstock Ideal Steel. Like all wood, make sure it's been dried to below 20% moisture content.

 

[toddnic]

No issue with pine in the Progress Hybrid as well as hemlock. Have burned pine now for two years through each of the shoulder seasons. Just make sure that it is really dry (under 20% moisture).

 

[chance04]

I love pine, no coaling and hardly any ash. It just makes heat and disappears like magic!

Woodstock IS
I'm on my phone and I'm not sure if I have my signature on or not. Figured I'd specify

 

[lsucet]

All that it needs is to be dry and it will work like any other species. i found in my stove that i still getting a decent burn time with it and at coal stage with a little more air it can give me good heat. I like more the heat from coals when burning pine that sometimes other species. Now remember that the difference is that a full load of pine in the same stove is lot less weight that many other species, = less BTU per load compare to others but if seasoned, is as good as others.
if we can match weight and not just load size, we will get the same results so so. always one species can burn a little sooty than other and give you more ashes than others, that is the nature of different species, but the key here is DRY WOOD, Stay at least into manufactures MC specs that they all match on that. UNDER 20% MC

 

[MtnBURN]

We've been burning a mix of Cottonwood, Alder, Juniper/Cedar, Pine and Gambel (scrub) Oak here in the Princess(es). My experience has been the same as Gotrek.

Hotter fires and more ash with the softer woods. (and faster Cat reactions) Moderate heat, longer burns, and actual coals with hardwoods.(and sometimes, heat but no Cat glow) Very interesting to see how the different wood types perform in the same stove.

Burn, baby, burn....

 

[jetsam]

Since I have moved out east and bought a stove, I have had about a hundred people tell me that I can't burn pine or my house will burn down. Not one of them could explain how the pine leads to the house fire. I have no idea where this old wives' tale came from, but it's well known around here.

Pine burns hot and fast, so it's actually less prone to making creosote than some other woods. Creosote needs a flue temperature of 250°F or less to condense.

In terms of preventing chimney fires, what matters is how warm the flue stays and how often you sweep it. Wet wood cools the flue a tremendous amount and is the most common harbinger of creosote.

Get dry wood and a well insulated liner that gets regular sweepings, and you're good.

For a counterexample, the perfect conditions for creosote formation might be an old stove with no cat/secondaries (more unburned organics in the smoke), vented up an exterior masonry chimney (walls are going to be cold all the time), burning low (less heat to keep the flue above 250), with wet wood (much of your combustion BTU goes into vaporizing the water in the wet wood, and the water vapor cools the cold chimney even more), maybe with a couple of those 'magic heat' fluepipe fans to put the last nail in the coffin. . THAT is a recipe for a chimney fire.

(Although I moved to higher BTU wood for the most part, I still love pine... it dries fast, one year or less, lights like a torch, and burns nice and hot with not much ash.)

 

[Flame On]

I never turn down pine. It is great for getting things started and restarted. I don't run it through the cat very often as hardwood, especially ash, has been easy to come by the last few years what with hurricanes, ice storms and the EAB. Pine also puts on a good show. I had some blue spruce that I got popping with the cat engaged and the air just right.

 

[moresnow]

I like it. E. White Pine from my own grove/property. 10 months seemed to get mine good and dry here. Good and dry it burns fantastic. Have not noticed any significant combuster buildup. Mine measures <15%. Seems happy in my BK. Normally mix it with my other wood. Sometimes I load a complete pine load. All good. Dry flaky/dust type flue deposits only this year. I've been cleaning every month and a half roughly (first year with a cat stove and I am keeping a close eye on it). Maybe a small foam coffee cup full at the worst. I do recommend top covering your pine stacks as my splits get wet on the surface and seem to take a few days to dry after bringing indoors. Different than my hardwoods.

 

[Newburnerwisconsin]

Thanks t

No issue with pine in the Progress Hybrid as well as hemlock. Have burned pine now for two years through each of the shoulder seasons. Just make sure that it is really dry (under 20% moisture).

thanks to everyone for your responses. I wanted to know if the pine somehow effects the cat combustor in these stoves. I am considering a progress hybrid for next season. My current stove does not have any problems with pine or any other wood for that matter as long as it is dry. 20% or less

 

[Newburnerwisconsin]

I like it. E. White Pine from my own grove/property. 10 months seemed to get mine good and dry here. Good and dry it burns fantastic. Have not noticed any significant combuster buildup. Mine measures <15%. Seems happy in my BK. Normally mix it with my other wood. Sometimes I load a complete pine load. All good. Dry flaky/dust type flue deposits only this year. I've been cleaning every month and a half roughly (first year with a cat stove and I am keeping a close eye on it). Maybe a small foam coffee cup full at the worst. I do recommend top covering your pine stacks as my splits get wet on the surface and seem to take a few days to dry after bringing indoors. Different than my hardwoods.

I use pine in my stove as well. No problems. I can cut as much as I want for free. It's great for starting fires and burning on the weekends when I am home to fill the stove more often.

 

[Gotrek]

I like it because we run the stove only when home so quick hot fires/restart when we get in and then hardwood over night and through the next day until we get home again.

 

[FTG-05]

I love burning pine. I've got a crap ton of other wood, but I hoard my pine wood.

And since everyone else is too politically correct to say it, I will:

Make sure it's dry and seasoned, i.e. less than 20% moisture levels. There I said it, sue me.

 

[jetsam]

Thanks to everyone for your responses. I wanted to know if the pine somehow effects the cat combustor in these stoves.

It sure does!

When I want light-off right now, I put a little piece of dry pine E/W on top of the load in front of the cat, and she is glowing red in 60 seconds!

 

[jetsam]

Make sure it's dry and seasoned, i.e. less than 20% moisture levels. There I said it, sue me.

Another reason to love pine. You can often split and stack it in the spring, store it under cover, and burn it that winter. Not the case with every wood!

 

[black smoke signals]

Burning beetle kill I should know better when I select a log heaver(pitch) than others makes for Black smoke signals out the cat.

 

[toddnic]

Thanks t

thanks to everyone for your responses. I wanted to know if the pine somehow effects the cat combustor in these stoves. I am considering a progress hybrid for next season. My current stove does not have any problems with pine or any other wood for that matter as long as it is dry. 20% or less

No issue at all with the catalytic combustor, the PH, and pine. It works great and I use it during the shoulder season as well as for kindling.

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

Out west, all they have to burn is pine and poplar.

That's hilarious! You don't get out and about much?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Meh, wasn't thinking about that far west.

 

[Woody Stover]

When I see Pine burn, it emits black smoke. Thinking of putting that through my cat is enough to make my skin crawl.

 

[lsucet]

When I see Pine burn, it emits black smoke. Thinking of putting that through my cat is enough to make my skin crawl.

Let me make it worse for you PINE PINE PINE oh, some cedar also

 

[Woody Stover]

Let me make it worse for you PINE PINE PINE oh, some cedar also

Thanks a lot, Bud! I fell asleep in the chair, thinking about it, and when I woke up I found my skin had crawled outside and hid under my car. I had a heck of a time finding it.