Stoves that don't like wet wood...

[revdocjim]

I'm pretty new here and have enjoyed reading thru quite a few threads. We've been heating our home with a Napoleon 1400 for just over a year and recently installed a Jotul F500 in our cabin. In another year or two when renovation has proceeded a bit we plan to install a couple smaller stoves in my son's cabin; probably a Morso 2110 and a Nectre Bakers Oven. I'm well aware of the need for well cured firewood as it gets mentioned so frequently here and my own experiences verify that. So here is my question. I've often read remarks about how this stove or that stove is picky about the wood you feed it. Are some stoves actually more tolerant of wet wood than others? If so, what makes a stove behave like that?

 

[Chimney Smoke]

Wet wood is wet wood no matter what stove it's in. An EPA stove will smolder wet wood just as well as a non-EPA smoke dragon. No stove is capable of "burning" wet wood better than any others, water doesn't burn it just boils away until the wood can burn.

 

[drz1050]

I think cat stoves are more picky than tube stoves... the cats can get clogged up by it, don't think you have to worry about that with the tubes.

That said, no stove really LIKES wet wood.

 

[begreen]

Poorly seasoned wood will make any stove underperform. You feel it in lower heat and see it in smoke and creosote up the chimney. Some older stoves seemed more tolerant because they have little or no reburn system and an air system that often put it right at the base of the fire with leaky doors.

 

[midfielder]

"Stoves that don't like wet wood..." All of them. . . Just sayin'.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

The difference in burn is noticeable in outdoor fire pits too.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

As was stated earlier wet wood is wet wood, but the older stoves without all the fancy air gizmos will burn wet wood a LOT better than the new ones. Some people have trouble burning dry wood, let alone wet wood. I seem to be able to have a hot fire with either one, although I much prefer dry wood for the ease of lighting and the extra btu output.

 

[branchburner]

While no EPA stoves like wet wood. of the three main combustion technologies in modern stoves it is burn tubes that are probably the most tolerant. Both cat stoves and downdraft stoves (like mine) positively hate wet wood.

 

[begreen]

I've read that the Sedore downdraft stove is not too bad with partially seasoned wood. At least that's the claim.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I haven't seen that name since Pook was championing them.

 

[BKVP]

Catalytic wood stoves require combustion temperatures of 550F to become active. Once they reach this temperature, they burn clean. A non catalyst equipped stove requires 1176F in order to get to clean burning performance.

As water is boiled from the wood, that steam suppresses heat production and increases the time required to reach these temperatures. In fact, no one should burn unseasoned cord wood in any stove. However, if a higher burn rate is maintained, a combustor is no more likely to plug than one would expect.

Issues related to draft, even when using seasoned wood, have shown to result in much greater performance problems to all technologies....much more so than unseasoned wood.

The poor drafting chimney system is not working to pull enough air into the stove for effective and peak combustion and operating temperatures are again suppressed.

Older catalytic wood stove designs were plagued with plugging issues for two reasons.

1) The integration of a catalyst was an after thought to the design of the stove and did not take into account that some consumers would burn trash and just about anything in their new to them catalytic wood stoves (because that is what they had always done).

2) The design (or lack thereof) put the catalyst in harms way.

Thanks to industry education, dealer education and yes, HEARTH.COM, people are learning to not burn wet wood!

 

[revdocjim]

Thanks for all the great replies. My son and his wife are going to be struggling for good firewood this winter. I showed a few photos of the F500 installation we did for them in an earlier thread, and he is quite busy splitting wood right now, but his supply of stacked wood from last fall is quite limited. Fortunately we've found a local supplier that sells construction scraps for a reasonable price. I believe these are all kiln dried, but most likely not hardwoods so they'll probably burn up pretty fast.

 

[Fastdonzi]

revdoc, Have him burn his soft wood scraps during the day and use what good wood he has for night time. This will stretch his supply as far as it can go....

 

[blades]

Might be able to mix some of the not so good with the construction scraps as well-

 

[drz1050]

Catalytic wood stoves require combustion temperatures of 550F to become active. Once they reach this temperature, they burn clean....... However, if a higher burn rate is maintained, a combustor is no more likely to plug than one would expect.

Good to know.. was bringing wood in from the pile last night and was disappointed to see some pieces in the low 30s on the moisture meter.. I used ones that were high teens/ low 20s instead.

If I keep the stove turned up though, it would be OK to use the low 30s pieces? Is there a stove top temp I should look for to not go below, or as long as the cat stays active I'm good? Stove in question is an Ashford 30, with the number dial.

 

[blades]

30's no way, 20-25 mixed likely get away with that in a pinch.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

If I keep the stove turned up though, it would be OK to use the low 30s pieces? Is there a stove top temp I should look for to not go below, or as long as the cat stays active I'm good? Stove in question is an Ashford 30, with the number dial.

adding higher moisture wood to a catalytic stove in a "hot reload" is a VERY BAD PRACTICE! the catalyst is preheated and the moisture release from the wet wood through a hot catalyst will result in "Thermal Shock" which will destroy the catalyst through micro-fracturing and delamination in the cells. Cats are quite expensive as well so we don't want to do anything that would reduce their average lifespan.

its less damaging to start with a cold stove with damper wood than to add wet wood in a hot reload situation., but its something to avoid unless in a dire situation.

 

[dafattkidd]

I think (and I could be mistaken) Jason had mentioned the Intensifier had a lot of success burning green wood cleanly. The intensifier is not a stove, it is an accessory to help old smoke dragons burn more cleanly- but in my years of scouring these forums, I think that was the only mention of any technology that successfully cleaned up green wood. Now whether you're getting good heat or not from the green wood - that's another story.

 

[drz1050]

I remember watching a video from the Woodstock guys.. think it was the Progress model? Anyways, they were burning green wood and it was burning clean...

 

[DougA]

Here's the best use of wet wood:
Take a slim plank of cedar or black cheery, soak it overnight in water. Then put a nice salmon filet on top of it and pop it into the oven. Hmmmm.

 

[TheRambler]

Here's the best use of wet wood:
Take a slim plank of cedar or black cheery, soak it overnight in water. Then put a nice salmon filet on top of it and pop it into the oven. Hmmmm.

The oven? Come on now! The grill is where its at man!

 

[fire_man]

I remember watching a video from the Woodstock guys.. think it was the Progress model? Anyways, they were burning green wood and it was burning clean...

3 minutest into the video they start the burn.

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[BKVP]

adding higher moisture wood to a catalytic stove in a "hot reload" is a VERY BAD PRACTICE! the catalyst is preheated and the moisture release from the wet wood through a hot catalyst will result in "Thermal Shock" which will destroy the catalyst through micro-fracturing and delamination in the cells. Cats are quite expensive as well so we don't want to do anything that would reduce their average lifespan.

its less damaging to start with a cold stove with damper wood than to add wet wood in a hot reload situation., but its something to avoid unless in a dire situation.

If the substrate is CERAMIC. No thermal shock is encountered with dura foil stainless substrates.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Pallet wood can often be had for free and got me through my first winter.

 

[fire_man]

I know people burn pallets in a bind but WOW those things are held together with a lot of nails. They are more work than cutting regular cord wood. I can't imagine cutting up enough of those things to make it through a Schenectady Winter .