Is Length Important???

[dsil]

Is the length that wood is cut make any difference in heat output, or is it just the fact that you can put more in the firebox with the maximum lengths, which will as a result = less time filling, longer burns.
I know width is...

 

[swestall]

Wood heat equals mass burned, the length is just how long can you fit into your stove.

 

[EddyKilowatt]

Pounds of wood in corresponds to BTUs of heat out. But HOW FAST the heat comes out depends, in my experience at least, on the surface area of the wood.

As you increase the diameter of a log, the surface area increases more slowly than the amount of wood it contains. (The volume of the log goes as the square of the diameter... the surface area merely as the diameter). The lower surface-to-volume ratio is why one fat log burns longer than three skinny logs that weigh the same.

As you increase the length of a log, the pounds of wood and the surface area go up together. The longer log will burn in roughly the same time as the shorter log, but you'll get more heat in the process.

Of course, the draft control on your stove has some effect on all this... to some degree you can burn the longer logs slower, and still keep your room at the same temp.... only for longer. But I still find that the burn rate on my stove corresponds pretty closely to the surface area of the wood in it at any given time.

Doubt that answered the question, but maybe gives some things to think about...

Eddy

 

[bruce]

ask my wife

 

[marky_mark896]

I did...

 

[Hogwildz]

Take my wife, oops, I am not married.
I'll pay the first taker a grand to take my OL & her 2 kids.

 

[jpl1nh]

Scrouging and cuttin my own, I end up with a lot of variability in length. I sort wood as I bring it in in two groups, the long burn overnight or while we're gone group and the other stuff. The long burn group is mostly the lengths that just fit nicely in my stove. It's as full as possible that way. Everything else gets burned when we're around and can reload whenever necessary.

 

[crazy_dan]

Is the length that wood is cut make any difference in heat output, or is it just the fact that you can put more in the firebox with the maximum lengths, which will as a result = less time filling, longer burns.
I know width is...

nope it also means less cutting, less stacking, and less re-stacking after the stack falls down because the longer pieces are more stable.

but yes if your wood is near the maximum length for your stove you will fit more in your stove and get more heat from every fill up because you will not have as many gaps between wood to get the same weight of wood in the firebox.