How to load BioBricks and semi-seasoned cordwood?

[Mcuan88]

How should I load a cold stove for the top down method? I have an Osburn Inspire 2000 insert.

I've read different opinions of placing a row of bricks on the bottom and cordwood on top, but I'm thinking that the semi-seasoned wood should be on the bottom with a few bricks on top of them and kindling closer to the secondary tubes to get draft going faster.

Does anyone have any experience mixing BioBricks (or any other compressed sawdust bricks) with semi-seasoned cordwood?

A few fresh splits from my wood pile is reading ~25% MC and I plan to burn them with some BioBricks to bring the overall MC under 20%. Thanks for any insight!

 

[bigealta]

Hmm 25% might be tough to burn.
I'd do what you said. 25% splits on the bottom resting on kindling sleepers to raise them off the floor and ash, so air can flow underneath.
Then bio bricks, then kindling.

The more air space between everything the better. Especially with wet wood.

 

[bigealta]

You can try something like this but switch the bottom and middle rows. And put the bottom row on a couple sleepers for airflow underneath.

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[Mcuan88]

Hmm 25% might be tough to burn.
I'd do what you said. 25% splits on the bottom resting on kindling sleepers to raise them off the floor and ash, so air can flow underneath.
Then bio bricks, then kindling.

The more air space between everything the better. Especially with wet wood.

I didn't think of kindling sleepers on the bottom, that's a good idea to try. Thanks!

 

[Wisco Shepherd]

What species of wood is the 25% stuff?

 

[Mcuan88]

Mixed hardwoods: cherry, maples, birch, beech, hickory, and oak. I can spot the oaks and don't burn those as I know it's not dry enough. Some of them range from 18-25%, still not ideal.

I tinkered with a few fires this week by mixing and matching semi-dry with BioBricks. I used 3 bricks and kindling to raise temp close to 500F with the other woods on bottom layer with some success. Some definitely needs to season longer, so I'll be buying a pallet of the bricks and hopefully next year I'll have more dry wood.

 

[Wisco Shepherd]

Mixed hardwoods: cherry, maples, birch, beech, hickory, and oak. I can spot the oaks and don't burn those as I know it's not dry enough. Some of them range from 18-25%, still not ideal.

I tinkered with a few fires this week by mixing and matching semi-dry with BioBricks. I used 3 bricks and kindling to raise temp close to 500F with the other woods on bottom layer with some success. Some definitely needs to season longer, so I'll be buying a pallet of the bricks and hopefully next year I'll have more dry wood.

You have a good plan. If you could try to get your hands on ash its one of the few woods that can be burnt a little bit wet. Inspect that flue regularly particularly the top.

 

[stovelark]

Be cautious with the bio bricks, some stoves burn very hot with just them. The marginal seasoned wood might temper the hotness of them. Definitely monitor STT so as not to get too hot. Some manufacturers still frown on bio bricks for their dryness. Stay warm.

 

[Huntindog1]

Wood stacked close to stove like this will help.

 

[yuryk]

I was very afraid that I won't be able to burn my "seasoned" wood I bought this summer due to high moisture content. And indeed when I burned it, I had to open the air intake fully, otherwise it wouldn't burn. So I bought myself a pallet of bio bricks, just in case I have to burn them first while the wood dries. But then intuitively decided to put 2-3 of them together with that "seasoned" wood and to my surprise I was able to "improve" situation. It seems like those dry bricks are able to raise overall stove temperature, giving me the ability to burn slower. I also think that while those bricks burn, the logs dry further and then burn better on its own.

I load those bricks "in between" the logs, so that the heat they distribute is very even and "covers" all the logs. Sometimes it's just 2 bricks on each side, sometimes it's one at the bottom center and 2 on the sides higher up on the logs. Never had to load more than 3 frankly.

Here is a photo of just one brick being at the bottom in the center:

 

[kborndale]

Construction cutoffs and pallets (no pressure treated) can also help you burn wet wood. Keeping some of that wet wood next to your stove helps a bit too.