I picked up a number of 15" diameter logs that were on the side of the road. When I got them home, I realized that they may be pine. I have always been told NEVER to burn pine. Yes? No? I hate to throw wood away (especially FREE wood).
Pine...bad?
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Split it, let it season for a year, and burn a piece here and there and you will be fine. Hopefully you clean your chimney regularly. and don't overload your firebox with pine because it burns very hot and quickly. Enjoy it!
AlanS said:
Myth
What do you think they burn out west? Theres not many oak trees I hear.
Its burns hot and fast, try to mix it in with hard woods.
I'm burning it, mixed in with the oak & maple. No problemo.
It's like beef, let it age, then give it some extra seaoning, and you're good to go !
It's like beef, let it age, then give it some extra seaoning, and you're good to go !
When I stumble across some Pine, I take it home and mix it in with all my other Pine. Maybe a bit of Juniper, Fir, Larch here and there, but if it weren't for Pine, I basically wouldn't have wood to burn. It needs to be seasoned, as does any wood. I don't get the burn times the hardwood burners do, and I go through a lot of wood, comparatively speaking...but it's fuel, and it's all the fuel many of us out west have available to us. Rick
fossil said:
+1!
As a matter of fact I am burning some lower trunk splits that are bordering on fatwood. The splits are completely covered in crystallized sap and BURN really well.
I burned over 1 cord of seasoned spruce this last fall.
Have burned about 100 or so 20" 2x4s this last week and a half.(kiln dried)
Found a shop that makes roof trusses about 5 miles away and the owner is happy to get rid of the extra scrap, so he doesn't have to pay for the dumpster charges. Works out good for both of us.
I filled my 6x12 enclosed trailer about 3 feet high with 12" to 20" size pieces............ score :cheese:
Have burned about 100 or so 20" 2x4s this last week and a half.(kiln dried)
Found a shop that makes roof trusses about 5 miles away and the owner is happy to get rid of the extra scrap, so he doesn't have to pay for the dumpster charges. Works out good for both of us.
I filled my 6x12 enclosed trailer about 3 feet high with 12" to 20" size pieces............ score :cheese:
CTburns said:
Neither. These things got my attention. Burn a piece here and there=(WHY) dont overload your firebox= (WHY if the stove is operating normally) , clean your chimney regularly=( thats with any wood, pine makes no difference on cleaning times.)
myzamboni said:
Hey Myz. I'm glad to know the few pieces of fatwood I burn occasionally aren't hurting anything in my chimney! It's funny how the pine-panic is so prevelant out here.
People keep propogating the "bad pine" myth. I burn pine exclusively (mostly pinon, some ponderosa.) Last season I burned 1.75 cords in the Quad and the end of the season chimney cleaning yielded 7.7 ounces, about 1/2 a small plastic grocery bag. That included some very pitchy logs. As long as you cut and split your wood into larger pieces (25-30% larger compared to hardwoods) and/or use larger rounds, and pack your loads a little more tightly, you'll get nice long, controllable burns. Larger pieces = easier firewood processing too.CTburns said:
I have a few pieces of pine in my stove right now!! It's mixed with some oak.
When I asked Englander about burning pine in my 30, they told me that if I'm letting the stove do it's thing (burning hot, the way it wants to burn), the secondary combustion system will do its job, and that I don't need to worry about creosote.
Pine is great for me in the shoulder season. I hope to be able to have some on hand each year for when I need a quick shot of heat.
-SF
When I asked Englander about burning pine in my 30, they told me that if I'm letting the stove do it's thing (burning hot, the way it wants to burn), the secondary combustion system will do its job, and that I don't need to worry about creosote.
Pine is great for me in the shoulder season. I hope to be able to have some on hand each year for when I need a quick shot of heat.
-SF
I mix it with matches and good intentions. Stuff lights itself with the friction of loading the stove.
I really like fire.
I really like fire.
precaud said:
I'm not trying to discount the experience of your who burn pine exclusively. As an easterner, I have some inbred apprehensions that I'm sure are unfounded. A few weeks ago I helped a friend buck a Eastern Pine that had fallen in an ice storm, and all of the guys thought I was crazy when I took everything home to burn in my insert in the next couple of years!
Just split it into larger pieces than you normally would and you'll be happy and warm. It also helps to make the air hole in the doghouse in the front of your firebox a little smaller so it doesn't overstimulate the fire. Generally speaking, you need less primary air with softwoods than hardwoods.CTburns said:
I had a few pieces of pine this season and I liked how fast it lit and how hot it got. I know a guy that has a big pile of pine from a tree service that's been bucked and sitting for over a year and umma git it.
I figure that I'll use it to start fires from cold and not have to sit there babysitting the stove. Let that burn down and then pile the hard stuff on.
I figure that I'll use it to start fires from cold and not have to sit there babysitting the stove. Let that burn down and then pile the hard stuff on.
I just spent much of today splitting pine, including some very pitchy stuff (see "Pitch Pine??" thread). I also had some eucalyptus, a little cypress, and some spruce (I think) but mostly it was pine. In fact, most of the firewood I've gotten around here in the last few years has been pine, "thanks" to the pine bark beetles. I can't speak to burning it in stoves, but plenty gets burnt in fireplaces around here, mine included.
Peace,
- Sequoia
Peace,
- Sequoia
My son and I were at the dump last week, and helped an elderly gentleman unload some stove length, seasoned pine logs and brush from his truck. When he noticed we were putting the logs right into our truck, he told my son,"you can't burn that don'ta you know it's pine. Without skipping a beat my son told him we have a special stove, which can burn pine. I love free stove length wood.
[quote author="Dunebilly" date="1235347176"] Without skipping a beat my son told him we have a special stove, which can burn pine.
No you can't burn it, ship it all to me.
I love it when people tell me that you don't want that wood, it is pine.
Let it season and burn it. You can load your stove with all pine if you want, it just will not burn as long as hardwood.
You can mix it with hardwood and get some good burns.
I love it when people tell me that you don't want that wood, it is pine.
Let it season and burn it. You can load your stove with all pine if you want, it just will not burn as long as hardwood.
You can mix it with hardwood and get some good burns.
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