Hello fellow wood heads,
I hope that life has treated you all well the past year.
I wanted to quickly post the update on the Kuma Sequoia and the use of compressed logs in it.
Little background first.
I live in Washington State where even if you cover your wood, the moisture content in it can be quite high. I can't tell you how many times I've made sure my wood was really nicely seasoned during the summer and then in the winter months as the humidity in the air continues to saturate the wood my burn times reduce and the heat output suffers. The other part is that wood is a pain to deal with, it's dirty. If you want it for free you have to get it, cut it, stack it, season it... honestly, I don't have the time for that.
So, I decided to give the compressed logs a try. First ones I used were TACOMA FIRE LOGS and while the reviews were great I found them to be essentially unusable in the stove. The logs are actually bricks which makes stacking easy but once lit they swell up a bit and cut out any airflow through the stove. Essentially you end up with a smoldering pile of saw dust.
Second ones I tried were Pres-to-Logs and I am a firm believer in them. The logs are pure compressed wood and they guarantee less than 1% moisture content. Before you say IMPOSSIBLE, it actually is a requirement of the process because the sawdust needs to be really dry in order to maintain the shape. Any moisture in the product will make it disintegrate from the log. This claim was reaffirmed when I actually used them in the stove because they burn HOT, they burn LONG and they burn CLEAN.
8 logs, about 5lbs each, will last about 14-16 hours of burn time. I've NEVER experienced this long of a burn time with conventional wood. More importantly the amount of ash left over is minimal, or non existent. I've run the stove for 3 weeks straight and have barely an inch of ash in the stove. Usually the reason why I have to shut her down every 10 days is because of ash accumulation but this might not be a case any more. The catalyst burns at 800 degrees like it's nothing and the heat coming out the stove is enough to keep the 3000SF house at 73 degrees when it's 26 degrees outside and the stove is fully choked down. Getting the house to 80 degrees would require only to open the airflow a bit more.
The second thing I love about these logs is how clean they are. No bark, no dirt and I can stack them on my front porch without much issue. The wife, who hates seeing me bring in the wood has opened up to this wholeheartedly as well.
Finally, I am a believer because of the cost. While the bunch I've gotten is about $347 (with 10% Washington Tax) for the pallet, I think that I can get a cheaper source for it in the near future. I believe that my cost would be around $300 for the pallet which based on the calculations should be about 1.5 cords of wood. I say that because even the driest kiln dried hardwood will be at 15%-20% moisture content and some heating power is lost due to the evaporation of the water.
Anyways, I'll keep you guys updated but overall I think that the compressed logs work and are a great alternative to wood for those who dislike how dirty it is or don't have access to, or time for getting, free wood.
I hope that life has treated you all well the past year.
I wanted to quickly post the update on the Kuma Sequoia and the use of compressed logs in it.
Little background first.
I live in Washington State where even if you cover your wood, the moisture content in it can be quite high. I can't tell you how many times I've made sure my wood was really nicely seasoned during the summer and then in the winter months as the humidity in the air continues to saturate the wood my burn times reduce and the heat output suffers. The other part is that wood is a pain to deal with, it's dirty. If you want it for free you have to get it, cut it, stack it, season it... honestly, I don't have the time for that.
So, I decided to give the compressed logs a try. First ones I used were TACOMA FIRE LOGS and while the reviews were great I found them to be essentially unusable in the stove. The logs are actually bricks which makes stacking easy but once lit they swell up a bit and cut out any airflow through the stove. Essentially you end up with a smoldering pile of saw dust.
Second ones I tried were Pres-to-Logs and I am a firm believer in them. The logs are pure compressed wood and they guarantee less than 1% moisture content. Before you say IMPOSSIBLE, it actually is a requirement of the process because the sawdust needs to be really dry in order to maintain the shape. Any moisture in the product will make it disintegrate from the log. This claim was reaffirmed when I actually used them in the stove because they burn HOT, they burn LONG and they burn CLEAN.
8 logs, about 5lbs each, will last about 14-16 hours of burn time. I've NEVER experienced this long of a burn time with conventional wood. More importantly the amount of ash left over is minimal, or non existent. I've run the stove for 3 weeks straight and have barely an inch of ash in the stove. Usually the reason why I have to shut her down every 10 days is because of ash accumulation but this might not be a case any more. The catalyst burns at 800 degrees like it's nothing and the heat coming out the stove is enough to keep the 3000SF house at 73 degrees when it's 26 degrees outside and the stove is fully choked down. Getting the house to 80 degrees would require only to open the airflow a bit more.
The second thing I love about these logs is how clean they are. No bark, no dirt and I can stack them on my front porch without much issue. The wife, who hates seeing me bring in the wood has opened up to this wholeheartedly as well.
Finally, I am a believer because of the cost. While the bunch I've gotten is about $347 (with 10% Washington Tax) for the pallet, I think that I can get a cheaper source for it in the near future. I believe that my cost would be around $300 for the pallet which based on the calculations should be about 1.5 cords of wood. I say that because even the driest kiln dried hardwood will be at 15%-20% moisture content and some heating power is lost due to the evaporation of the water.
Anyways, I'll keep you guys updated but overall I think that the compressed logs work and are a great alternative to wood for those who dislike how dirty it is or don't have access to, or time for getting, free wood.
As far as the burn time, what was the highest-output wood you have run in the stove out there in the PNW? That will certainly effect the length of the burn, and the heat output.
