Enerzone Insert Advice

[Mech e]

I went from an enviro woodstove to a osburn ,made by the same company that makes enerzone.it is a totally different animal to burn almost like I'm learning to burn again and I've been burning woodstoves since 1982.i can't really turn my osburn down all the way until I have a fair amount of wood in it burning hot .

I have been using Osburn stoves for quite a while now, and purchased a new 2020 compliant model almost 3 years ago. I can easily close the primary air intake and run off secondaries with a single piece of wood once I have established my coal bed. I always burn very dry wood (almond or oak) and monitor the stove top temperature. As soon as I hit 400-450, the primary air gets closed and stays that way until I add more wood. If I fill the stove I really have to make sure and close the primary air at 400 or the stove will run away.

 

[jy1220]

My hope is that I will achieve the same results after I can obtain something decent to burn.

 

[jetsam]

so just a heads up.. when buying wood from someone.. its never fully seasoned.. Our standard of seasoning is different then someone who sells firewood . Its best if you buy green wood and season it yourself. then you know its done properly. Green wood will cost you less. You can also buy log lenth from tree guys and cut,split and stack it yourself..

If you don't have access to any woodlot, call some arborist/landscaper type businesses. Many of them pay to get rid of their trees and will be happy if you give them a place to drop them off. If they want to charge you, call the next guy. (Some of them also sell firewood, so they don't want to get rid of the trees for free.)

Even better, if you see someone getting paid to take down trees in your area (tree service, highway crew, whatever)- just stop and ask them if they want you to buck the trees and haul them away. Gonna be a yes.

Northeastern scrounging tip: If you see anyone at all dropping any conifer, stop and ask if they want you to take it. Everyone up here KNOWS that you can't burn pine/spruce/fir (though confusingly, you can burn pallets and dimensional lumber). Firewood sellers can't even sell SPF up here because of this local religion. Take advantage!

 

[jy1220]

If you don't have access to any woodlot, call some arborist/landscaper type businesses. Many of them pay to get rid of their trees and will be happy if you give them a place to drop them off. If they want to charge you, call the next guy. (Some of them also sell firewood, so they don't want to get rid of the trees for free.)

Even better, if you see someone getting paid to take down trees in your area (tree service, highway crew, whatever)- just stop and ask them if they want you to buck the trees and haul them away. Gonna be a yes.

Northeastern scrounging tip: If you see anyone at all dropping any conifer, stop and ask if they want you to take it. Everyone up here KNOWS that you can't burn pine/spruce/fir (though confusingly, you can burn pallets and dimensional lumber). Firewood sellers can't even sell SPF up here because of this local religion. Take advantage!

Thanks for the tips. There is a fair amount of development going on around me, so come Saturday, I will address their plans with all of the tree removal going on.

Thanks again for the great stocking up ideas.
Respectfully,
John Y.

 

[jetsam]

Thanks for the tips. There is a fair amount of development going on around me, so come Saturday, I will address their plans with all of the tree removal going on.

Thanks again for the great stocking up ideas.
Respectfully,
John Y.

Try Craigslist too. There are a few tree services in my area that post their tree removal jobs, but you generally have to get there before their crew leaves for the day because they clean up when they leave the jobsite. ("Free wood, today only, come to xx address").

I've done that a few times, just show up at the jobsite with a trailer and a saw, buck some rounds, and load them up. Sometimes they're even bucked for you (which is good in that you don't have to do it, bad in that you are getting random-sized rounds instead of your-stove-sized ones).

These days I don't mess with any of that anymore; it is more work to get it out of the woods, but it is quiet and pleasant and there's no hurry to get back for another load before it's all gone.

 

[iceman]

I have a similar insert (made by the same company). It's a bit of a learning curve at first, so don't get discouraged. Here's some advice, in no particular order.

1) Don't even bother trying to burn wood with a moisture content of >20 %. Use those compressed sawdust bricks for this year if your wood ends up needing more time to season. In the meantime, try burning some 2x4 scraps, pallet wood, etc.
2) When starting the stove, aim to get the firebox heated up quickly. Use lots of dried kindling, and starting the fire close to the door (which is right under the air intake) helps. After you get the swing of thing, try a top-down fire.
3) After the kindling burns down to coals, rake the coals to the front of the stove, then load the stove. Placing some smaller splits on the coals will help the wood catch on fire quickly.
4) You will see smoke out of the chimney when starting a fire and when adding wood. Between those times, you shouldn't see smoke. If you do, your wood is too wet and/or you closed the air down too soon

Do you get much airflow? My fan is running on high but not pushing much air out?

 

[jy1220]

Do you get much airflow? My fan is running on high but not pushing much air out?

I feel air above the unit directly in front of it, when the insert heats up. It takes about an hour before the fan even comes on, and then it cycles on and off for an hour. And then it will remain on.

 

[iceman]

I think enerzone has something to work on
I have the 2.7 and somehow the surround is impeding the airflow. I will have to call enerzone tomorrow and try to figure this out.

 

[jy1220]

I think enerzone has something to work on
I have the 2.7 and somehow the surround is impeding the airflow. I will have to call enerzone tomorrow and try to figure this out.

The installer that put the unit together for me, was able to remove the motor , and somehow reverse the side that the power cord is on. I thought that by switching or reversing its mounting, would cause the blower to blow towards the insert vs outside. I definitely don’t feel a large rush of air at all, when it’s on. Only above the unit , I feel some air movement.

 

[WoodScrounger]

Also, the conditions for when it's seasoning can vary a lot. Wood stacked off the ground with the wind blowing through it will season much quicker than wood that is heaped in a pile on the ground. And the bottom of that pile will take the longest.

We have a few local “reputable “ firewood dealers that “season “ their firewood on a big split pile. Maybe 8-10 feet high and 20 feet around. The wood on the bottom gets mouldy sometimes.
We do also have at least one guy stacking it under roof with the sides open. It might pay to visit your firewood guy’s operation if you need to buy. Still no guarantee you will get the good stuff.

 

[jy1220]

We have a few local “reputable “ firewood dealers that “season “ their firewood on a big split pile. Maybe 8-10 feet high and 20 feet around. The wood on the bottom gets mouldy sometimes.
We do also have at least one guy stacking it under roof with the sides open. It might pay to visit your firewood guy’s operation if you need to buy. Still no guarantee you will get the good stuff.

The one local place that supplies our area here has an enormous pile, stacked as you say , approximately 15 to 20 feet high. It’s pretty much an open area, save for the security fencing, and areas for mulch, chips, etc. He covers the wood with a series of very large tarps along the top of the peak. I ended up ordering a couple tons of envi 8 bricks to get me through this year. I plan on taking advantage of the advice from other forum members, in acquiring green wood, and scavenging from some local contractors up here. I will work on building my own supply as well as I can, and come Spring, add a load or two from the local guy. This was we should be set for next season.