Can I burn pine and cedar in my stove? I have about 3 cords of locust and would like to burn some white pine and cedar with it . Is that OK?
Pine and cedar
- Thread starter moterhead3
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
- Status
Providing the wood is seasoned dry it is ok to burn pine and cedar What I would do is mix it in with other hardwoods It tends to burn quickly and hot so one needs to figure out just how much to burn and not over heat the stove part of this is knowing how to damper down and controlling the air.
I mix it with hardwood when I want to get things burning quickly. This time of year I mix small amounts of hardwood with pine and hemlock for short fires with just a little heat. Having three cords of locust is a wonderful thing.
That and Oak is all I burn. I use the pine and cedar for short fires or mix it in with the oak. For overnight burns I only burn oak. make sure the pine is DRY.
I've been burning nothing but western red cedar for about 5 weeks straight. It works great, though when I start a new fire in the morning the kids get awakened by the snap crackle pop. Almost any wood is burnable assuming it is dry enough and that it is burned with enough air to be clean burning. The big difference is that the less dense woods like cedar and pine don't have as much energy per unit volume so you will need to add more wood more often.
Hmmmm,
Contrary to old wive's tales Pine does NOT build up creosote in your chimney or stove pipe.
The following snippets can provide the real answers to that question:
Pine does have more “sap” content- but this is actually fuel- and it produces heat.
What causes creosote buildup? "The sticky, gum-like resins in pine firewood have given some people the impression that it produces more residue buildup, called creosote, than hardwood. Research has found this is not true."
What REALLY causes creosote to build up?
Creosote is the condensation of unburned, flammable particulates present in the exhausting flue gas (smoke). The actual cause of creosote condensation, is the surface temperature of the flue in which the flue gas comes in contact. Like hot breath on a cold mirror, if the surface temperature of the flue is cool, it will cause the vaporized carbon particles in the flue gas (smoke) to solidify. This condensation is creosote build-up. If the wood you are using is rain logged, or green, the fire will tend to smolder. Wet wood causes the whole system to be cool, and inefficient. But, dry wood means a hot fire! A hot fire means a hot flue, and a hot flue means much less creosote.
Back in the early 1980's, tests were conducted to discover which kind of wood created the most creosote in a regular "open" fireplace. The results were surprising. Contrary to popular opinion, the hardwood's, like oak and madrone, created MORE creosote than the softwoods, like fir and pine.
The reason for this, is that if the softwoods are dry, they create a hotter, more intense fire. The draft created by the hotter fire moves the air up the chimney faster! Because it is moving faster, the flue gas does not have as much time to condense as creosote inside the chimney. Also, because the flue gas is hotter: it does not cool down to the condensation point as quickly. On the contrary, the dense hardwood's tend to smolder more, so their flue gas temperature is cooler. Thus, more creosote is able to condense on the surface of the flue.
So, saying that "fir builds up more creosote than oak" just isn't true! It is a misunderstanding to think that it's the pitch in wood which causes creosote. It's not the pitch that is the problem, it's the water IN the pitch. Once the water in the wood has evaporated, that pitch becomes high octane fuel! When dry, softwoods burn extremely hot!
Found on ad for firewood on Ebay!
Contrary to old wive's tales Pine does NOT build up creosote in your chimney or stove pipe.
The following snippets can provide the real answers to that question:
Pine does have more “sap” content- but this is actually fuel- and it produces heat.
What causes creosote buildup? "The sticky, gum-like resins in pine firewood have given some people the impression that it produces more residue buildup, called creosote, than hardwood. Research has found this is not true."
What REALLY causes creosote to build up?
Creosote is the condensation of unburned, flammable particulates present in the exhausting flue gas (smoke). The actual cause of creosote condensation, is the surface temperature of the flue in which the flue gas comes in contact. Like hot breath on a cold mirror, if the surface temperature of the flue is cool, it will cause the vaporized carbon particles in the flue gas (smoke) to solidify. This condensation is creosote build-up. If the wood you are using is rain logged, or green, the fire will tend to smolder. Wet wood causes the whole system to be cool, and inefficient. But, dry wood means a hot fire! A hot fire means a hot flue, and a hot flue means much less creosote.
Back in the early 1980's, tests were conducted to discover which kind of wood created the most creosote in a regular "open" fireplace. The results were surprising. Contrary to popular opinion, the hardwood's, like oak and madrone, created MORE creosote than the softwoods, like fir and pine.
The reason for this, is that if the softwoods are dry, they create a hotter, more intense fire. The draft created by the hotter fire moves the air up the chimney faster! Because it is moving faster, the flue gas does not have as much time to condense as creosote inside the chimney. Also, because the flue gas is hotter: it does not cool down to the condensation point as quickly. On the contrary, the dense hardwood's tend to smolder more, so their flue gas temperature is cooler. Thus, more creosote is able to condense on the surface of the flue.
So, saying that "fir builds up more creosote than oak" just isn't true! It is a misunderstanding to think that it's the pitch in wood which causes creosote. It's not the pitch that is the problem, it's the water IN the pitch. Once the water in the wood has evaporated, that pitch becomes high octane fuel! When dry, softwoods burn extremely hot!
Found on ad for firewood on Ebay!
babalu87 said:I think its the best wood in the eaRly fall and spRing
Damn R button only woRks as a CAP!!
Thanks for the explanation babalu. I thought there was about to be a kidnapping! Time for a new keyboard.
babalu87 said:I think its the best wood in the eaRly fall and spRing
Damn R button only woRks as a CAP
Maybe you could sell it to toysRus?
GAWD i love burning cedar, love the smell as it gets going. seems to last longer than pine, but still not an overnight wood. always cut some and keep it in the pile(even though its a PITA to delimb)
stoveguy2esw said:
Does have alot of limbs but I keep every thing 2" dia or better for starters. Your right not much good for overnight burns but great for short hot fires
Side benefit is no moths or damage to your fine wool clothing. 
When you catch one of those big pitch pockets, it sometimes looks like a miniature ram jet. Makes it kind of hard to keep a constant temperature.
When you catch one of those big pitch pockets, it sometimes looks like a miniature ram jet. Makes it kind of hard to keep a constant temperature.stoveguy2esw said:
BeGreen said:babalu87 said:I think its the best wood in the eaRly fall and spRing
Damn R button only woRks as a CAP
Maybe you could sell it to toysRus?
bEgREEN
You guys should write for LenO!!
- Status
Similar threads
