lightly-seasoned wood in Blaze King?

[FeelTheBurn]

I'm eyeing a new Blaze King 30 series stove to replace my 30 year old VC Resolute Acclaim, and in looking through their manuals online, I noticed that they specify dry seasoned wood, split and stacked and protected from rain for at least 24 months with a moisture content of 20% or lower.

Unfortunately I'm just about out of firewood and the wood I can restock with at this point has only been seasoned about 7-10 months.

Another option would be to burn Canawick, Lewis Bricks (FiberFuel) or similar compressed sawdust products, which have very low moisture content and are readily available at a similar cost per pallet as a cord of the under-seasoned hardwood. I'm a little hesitant about damaging or voiding the warranty on a new stove with this stuff, as the manual states This appliance is designed and approved for burning cord wood only. DO NOT burn... artificial or paper logs...

Do I really need to buy some cord wood and let it sit 2 years before I buy a new BK stove, or is it OK to run with less seasoned wood, compressed sawdust blocks, or a mix of the two until I can season some wood properly? If it's going to void the warranty or damage an expensive new stove, I'd rather burn the non-approved wood in my long-out-of-warranty VC for another year or two until I can sufficiently age some fresh cord wood.

 

[Rickb]

As long as they have no additives should be fine. I have used http://www.grenheat.com/product-info.php and (broken link removed) in my sirocco 20.

 

[Highbeam]

If nothing but natural sawdust is used for those manufactured logs then are they artificial? I have burned 100% wood compressed logs with reasonable success. I know others have too. In fact I recall a certain bk employee burning primarily manufactured logs while he was out of town.

 

[webby3650]

I stuffed my Bk full of Bio-bricks. Burned for 40 hours or so!
I’ve had a bunch of stoves, my BKs have been more agreeable to under seasoned wood than any other stove I’ve had to date. Have you taken a moisture reading on the wood you have currently?

 

[FeelTheBurn]

I stuffed my Bk full of Bio-bricks. Burned for 40 hours or so!
I’ve had a bunch of stoves, my BKs have been more agreeable to under seasoned wood than any other stove I’ve had to date. Have you taken a moisture reading on the wood you have currently?

I haven't yet, but what I've got left was delivered last January and 7-10 months seasoned at that time, so it's probably 15-18 months old at this point.

 

[webby3650]

I haven't yet, but what I've got left was delivered last January and 7-10 months seasoned at that time, so it's probably 15-18 months old at this point.

I’m guessing you’ll be fine

 

[Poindexter]

Couple things, my BK 30 was installed in May 2014.

Measured Moisture Content trumps age. Take a split, split in half, measure the MC in the freshly exposed face. Pins go in parallel with the growth rings. If you got 20% or less, you are golden, doesn't matter when it was split and stacked. Useless to measure the outside surface of a split, worse than useless to stick the pins in end grain.

I have used bio bricks, basically oversized pellets in mine the year my cord wood wasn't quite dry enough. Pain in the neck to cocktail every stovefull, but it can be done. When I think of artificial logs I think of stuff like Dura-Flame at the grocery store for folks with a fireplace that don't know how to light a fire. Bunch of wax and additives in them, all you have to do is hold the lighter for your crack pipe up against the paper wrapper on the artificial log. Don't even have to open the packaging to burn it? That is an artificial log.

If you have cord wood under 12% MC you might have some issues. Post up, let us know what you did to get your wood that dry. You are unlikely to have that problem in Maine without some fairly sophisticated seasoning technology.

The BK30 (mine anyway) will run pretty OK to just fine with cord wood at 16-20% MC. It has been said here, multiple times, by the BK employee whose job it is to call you back if you are not happy with the stove, that 22% MC is OK. The sweet spot for my stove is 12-16%, but there are tons and tons of people here running 16-20% and happy. If you can get your stacks down to 18% or less you are doing really really well.

One other thing, these were designed to burn west coast softwoods. Spruce. Doug Fir. Lodgepole Pine. They seem to handle east coast hardwoods, oak, hickory, ash, perfectly well. If you can get into some White Pine cheap you ought to be able to get it down under 20% in one summer and might even get it delivered free, and the stove will not miss a beat.

This coming winter will be I think my third season burning spruce only. It seasons quick, has perfectly adequate BTU content and is my cheapest local option for fuel.

Good luck whatever you choose.

 

[FeelTheBurn]

Couple things, my BK 30 was installed in May 2014.

Measured Moisture Content trumps age. Take a split, split in half, measure the MC in the freshly exposed face. Pins go in parallel with the growth rings. If you got 20% or less, you are golden, doesn't matter when it was split and stacked. Useless to measure the outside surface of a split, worse than useless to stick the pins in end grain.

I have used bio bricks, basically oversized pellets in mine the year my cord wood wasn't quite dry enough. Pain in the neck to cocktail every stovefull, but it can be done. When I think of artificial logs I think of stuff like Dura-Flame at the grocery store for folks with a fireplace that don't know how to light a fire. Bunch of wax and additives in them, all you have to do is hold the lighter for your crack pipe up against the paper wrapper on the artificial log. Don't even have to open the packaging to burn it? That is an artificial log.

If you have cord wood under 12% MC you might have some issues. Post up, let us know what you did to get your wood that dry. You are unlikely to have that problem in Maine without some fairly sophisticated seasoning technology.

The BK30 (mine anyway) will run pretty OK to just fine with cord wood at 16-20% MC. It has been said here, multiple times, by the BK employee whose job it is to call you back if you are not happy with the stove, that 22% MC is OK. The sweet spot for my stove is 12-16%, but there are tons and tons of people here running 16-20% and happy. If you can get your stacks down to 18% or less you are doing really really well.

One other thing, these were designed to burn west coast softwoods. Spruce. Doug Fir. Lodgepole Pine. They seem to handle east coast hardwoods, oak, hickory, ash, perfectly well. If you can get into some White Pine cheap you ought to be able to get it down under 20% in one summer and might even get it delivered free, and the stove will not miss a beat.

This coming winter will be I think my third season burning spruce only. It seasons quick, has perfectly adequate BTU content and is my cheapest local option for fuel.

Good luck whatever you choose.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll have to pick up a moisture meter and test the remaining wood (only about a week's worth, at least at the rate my old VC burned it) as well as the next cord delivered. Probably should have saved the 2 pines we had taken down last winter, but I didn't know pine made good firewood.

 

[webby3650]

It all burns well if it’s seasoned.

 

[Alpine1]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll have to pick up a moisture meter and test the remaining wood (only about a week's worth, at least at the rate my old VC burned it) as well as the next cord delivered. Probably should have saved the 2 pines we had taken down last winter, but I didn't know pine made good firewood.

I burn mostly resinous softwood in my Ashford (Norway spruce, silver fir and Scots pine) along with whatever hardwood I’m able to scrounge. Last year, out of curiosity, I stuffed the stove full of beech (the European version) and got 6 or 7 hours more burning time. Unfortunately, that 30+ hours did not fit my bill: with spruce and pine I reload on a 24 or 12 hours basis depending on the outside weather, that longer burn messed up my reloading schedule. I still occasionally throw in a log or two of hardwood, but it isn’t strictly necessary to achieve a 24 hrs burn.
The two pines you mention, if CSS l in a single row in a sunny and windy spot could have been under 20% MC by November so yes, pine is a fine firewood.... for BK owners.

 

[Poindexter]

I didn't know pine made good firewood.

We have a few threads with the term "pine" in the title here. Pretty easy search should yield a pile of results.

 

[firefighterjake]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll have to pick up a moisture meter and test the remaining wood (only about a week's worth, at least at the rate my old VC burned it) as well as the next cord delivered. Probably should have saved the 2 pines we had taken down last winter, but I didn't know pine made good firewood.

I was going to recommend you get a moisture meter, split and test some of your wood to get a better idea of where you are at in terms of seasoning . . . depending on the tree species, when it was split, drying conditions (exposure to the sun and wind) . . . the wood you have may be ready to go.

Barring that . . . I think I would look at a 100% wood product like Bio-Bricks.

And yes . . . softwood is fine to burn in any stove once seasoned (I burn pine myself along with hemlock, spruce, fir, cedar, etc.) in my secondary burning stove -- mostly in the Fall and Spring), but with the Blaze King softwood works especially well as you can get a nice, long burn.

 

[Ashful]

I ran my BK’s on poorly seasoned wood last year, the result of wanting to move some stacks that were out of order in my 3-year staging program. It worked just fine, with two caveats:

1. I had to run in bypass much longer, before closing the bypass damper to engage the combustor. This is the phase where you’re baking out most of the moisture.

2. Much more creosote was developed in my first several feet of stovepipe, during this bypass phase. I should have probably swept more often, but I didn’t. I never had an issue, but I was ripe for a chimney fire.

So, it can be done, if you follow the following pricinples:

1. Extend your bypass time, it will bake the moisture out just fine.

2. Sweep your pipe more often, to take care of the mess you’re making during that initial bypass phase.

Once you get it baked out, and the combustor up to 500F, it doesn’t really matter what you started with.

 

[Highbeam]

I ran my BK’s on poorly seasoned wood last year, the result of wanting to move some stacks that were out of order in my 3-year staging program. It worked just fine, with two caveats:

1. I had to run in bypass much longer, before closing the bypass damper to engage the combustor. This is the phase where you’re baking out most of the moisture.

2. Much more creosote was developed in my first several feet of stovepipe, during this bypass phase. I should have probably swept more often, but I didn’t. I never had an issue, but I was ripe for a chimney fire.

So, it can be done, if you follow the following pricinples:

1. Extend your bypass time, it will bake the moisture out just fine.

2. Sweep your pipe more often, to take care of the mess you’re making during that initial bypass phase.

Once you get it baked out, and the combustor up to 500F, it doesn’t really matter what you started with.

You said your first few feet of pipe had extra accumulation. Is that the top few feet or the bottom?

 

[Ashful]

You said your first few feet of pipe had extra accumulation. Is that the top few feet or the bottom?

I was speaking of the bottom, as I could feel the crunchiness in my key damper. However, I spent today cleaning the pipes on both stoves so I can now give a better report.

As expected, there was a lot more crap than usual in the bottom six feet, which is all stove pipe on my rigs. The liners (one much taller than the other) were both pretty clean, up to the top foot or two, where there was more garbage. The 15 foot chimney had only a coffee mug of black stuff, but the 30 foot pipe probably had more than a half-quart of the dry black diamond grit looking stuff. About two thirds of it was in the stove pipe (bottom 6 feet), and the other third up near the cap. This was after a full year of burning, probably 4 cords on the tall pipe and 2 cords on the short pipe.