request for advice or experience on burning osage orange in a Morso \

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desterline

New Member
Hearth Supporter
Jun 24, 2009
8
Illinois
We are about to buy and install a Morso 8150, and plan to use the fairly substantial amount of osage orange (called hedge by local folk) we have available on our property. I've regularly heard, both from folks in our part of the country and in various written sources, that osage can burn so hot that it can damage a stove. Any advice or experience?
 
Mix it with other wood. If it is bone dry and you use a whole load full in the stove, you might have a problem on your hands.

A nice small fire with a split of hedge makes a nice hot fire. Watch for sparks when you open the door too.

And save the bulk of it for Jan and Feb!

Where in IL?
 
My FIL burns nothing but hedge out in south east Kansas. He swears by the stuff, and i have to admit it burns crazy hot, but the inside of his fireplace is trashed from year after year of putting it through the wringer. You would think he would listen to his dear son in law. Great advice from above, mix it with other wood if you can.
 
Many thanks for the advice. Looks like mixing hedge with other wood or a small hedge fire are are the way to go.
We are just south of Long Point in Livingston County.
 
Indeed!
This leads me to ask if you have a recommendation for someone to install the Morso when it arrives? I will also be in the market for a small, simple woodstove for a workshop. Likely be a good idea to have both installed at the same time.
 
I burn a fair amount of Osage as well. Leave the splits or rounds bigger than you would for other flavors. It is great stuff. But WATCH OUT FOR THE FIREWORKS. If you open the door and allow a little blast of air to hit that stuff, it looks like someone just lit a sparkler in your stove.
 
desterline said:
Indeed!
This leads me to ask if you have a recommendation for someone to install the Morso when it arrives? I will also be in the market for a small, simple woodstove for a workshop. Likely be a good idea to have both installed at the same time.

+1 on the sparks. Give yourself a good hearth in front of the stove (over the reg limits!).

I did the install myself when the place in peoria quoted about 3k for the labor (let alone price of pipe was more too). If you plan things out, the install is not hard. Just measure, measure, measure and draw out many pictures until you are sure it is perfect.

Installed by myself and FIL in one day. Most of the time was spent going through the block wall. Overall, not hard and saved a lot of money.
 
Thinking of the morso specifically, I wonder how the high insulation vermiculite panels will effect this. These little stoves are so well insulated i would imagine the baffle system will take a minor pounding since the heat has no where else to go but up and out.
 
cycloptic pendulum said:
Jags said:
I burn a fair amount of Osage as well. Leave the splits or rounds bigger than you would for other flavors. It is great stuff. But WATCH OUT FOR THE FIREWORKS. If you open the door and allow a little blast of air to hit that stuff, it looks like someone just lit a sparkler in your stove.
bigger wood makes sense

Yep, less surface area=less burn methinks.
 
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