split size burn any better

[chumscustoms]

this is the first year i have my 6048 central boiler going, i havebeen throwing in some very large peices or maple, I was curious if anyone has noticed a difference in burn time or consumption with burning larger split chunks as opposed to smaller chunks of wood,
i am burning maple cause a tree serviced dropped it off and i just figured i would get it out of the way.
I will be burning ALOT of locust in smaller peices.

 

[Chris Hoskin]

smaller splits are easier to handle, but the real benefit of smaller splits is that they dry better. Doesn't matter what you burn it in, dry wood burns better.

Chris

 

[leaddog]

The problem with larger splits and rounds is they don't dry well. That said, in an OWB setting sometimes you are better off with large DRY rounds as the owb's are usually way over sized so with less surface area on the larger pieces they will burn more efficiant. Small dry splits will burn fast and hot but because most people don't need that many btu's that fast the boiler will go into idle sooner and it will go up the stack. Years ago when I had my smoke dragon I soon learned that it would burn as much as I put in even if I didn't need that much heat so I found to only put in enough to keep me warm and not try and heat the outdoors.
leaddog

 

[sgschwend]

Small splits can also cause "huffing". It more challenging to load the pounds of small splits.

However, from my point of view, small splits, those parts you can pick up with one hand, are perfect for feeding a boiler. If you want a slower burn and longer run time or lower heat just pack them in tighter groups. If you want the fire to get going then leave them spaced out.