Oh, how I miss my box elder!

[thisoldgoat]

I was happy to finally get the poplar and box elder used up.

Now I'm burning black walnut which I thought would be the bomb, comparatively. WRONG! Even though BW feels heavier/denser, it burns about as fast as the other stuff. Plus I'm left to deal with butt loads of coals, which is perfect for milder weather, not so much when constant heat is needed.

A load gives about 3 hours of great heat output, then the next 3 are spent agitating and aerating to burn down the prolific coals when what is needed is another hot fire, and even then they continue to pile up, leaving less room for fresh fuel. In the meantime the propane furnace must take up the slack.

I guess I don't mind the frequent loading of softer fuel because I'm always available to do so and rather enjoy it.

Box elder isn't for everyone but it works for me, plus there are tons of it readily available.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

We burned walnut one year. We weren't impressed either. Lots of ash, and piles of coals with little heat.

 

[Jags]

Black walnut is towards the bottom of the list of my desired fuels

 

[brenndatomu]

BW...too much ashes too.
I also think BE is underrated, sometimes a pain to CSS though...

 

[Kevin Weis]

My Walnut is usually mixed in with others so have no real issue with it. The sapwood is probably worse for the ash. Still not as bad for ash as Maple IMO. Box Elder is in the Maple family. Have a lot of it here but would be the last I would use. Heartwood in the Walnut burns well for me actually.

 

[brenndatomu]

Mixed species loads are always better...
👍
👍

 

[all night moe]

Isn't BE one of the lowest BTU rated woods to burn?

Walnut is SO beautiful when milled. Why would anyone burn it?!
Locally here, there's a guy who buys it all the way down to 3'' in diameter, twists and crooks included. Pays good money for a load. He makes furniture, railings, and other crafty things with the small stuff. Walnut is supposed to very rot resistant, which is why I have some stashed away for a small bench build in our spa shower. A little linseed or mineral oil rubbed in will keep it beautiful.
I have been told it attracts insects though, hence the help of rubbing in oil in my plans.

Walnut is just so gorgeous.

 

[jatoxico]

This year I have poplar, cherry, a little maple and a bunch of locust on hand. I try not to use all of one or the other. The softer stuff is good at startup to get the locust going and coal burn off as needed.

 

[brenndatomu]

Isn't BE one of the lowest BTU rated woods to burn?

No not at all...about the same BTU's as silver Maple and black Ash (17.9 Mbtu) there are plenty on the list lower...

 

[Simonkenton]

I like black Walnut. 22 million BTU per cord. I burn lots of it. Plus I like that funky smell.

 

[Woody Stover]

I'm seeing it at about 20 MBTU/cord, about like Black Cherry. I've burned some, and that seems about right. I'll take Cherry any day over Walnut, though. Burns and coals nice, and not much ash. I also like Red Maple better as a low-end wood, over Box Elder or Silver Maple..just seems a little more substantial.