Wood Species Bad For Burning

[George Webster]

Most people view the fact that wood gassification boilers burn hot and reduce or eliminate chimney creosote and the associated fire hazard, allows them to burn just about any wood in their boiler. Recently I've read articles warning about certain species and the compounds in them that can increase corrosion. Does anyone know what to stay away from? I own 13 acres of land and harvest my own firewood, so I pretty much take anything that's died and put it up for fire wood. I'd like to stop using anything that could potentially harm my boiler, which like most, is simple carbon steel, not stainless.

 

[stefan66]

Most people view the fact that wood gassification boilers burn hot and reduce or eliminate chimney creosote and the associated fire hazard, allows them to burn just about any wood in their boiler. Recently I've read articles warning about certain species and the compounds in them that can increase corrosion. Does anyone know what to stay away from? I own 13 acres of land and harvest my own firewood, so I pretty much take anything that's died and put it up for fire wood. I'd like to stop using anything that could potentially harm my boiler, which like most, is simple carbon steel, not stainless.

What brand of boiler do you have?
I burn everything--poplar , tamarack , pitch(balsam) pine , black spruce , birch
I also have a carbon steel boiler Not a gasser though

 

[GeHmTS]

If it wood, you can burn it. All wood material will have minerals in it, but at a low enough concentration that's it's insignificant. Just don't burn treated or painted wood and you'll be fine.

 

[mr.fixit]

Oak can be corrosive if not well seasoned (2 years here)

 

[George Webster]

If it wood, you can burn it. All wood material will have minerals in it, but at a low enough concentration that's it's insignificant. Just don't burn treated or painted wood and you'll be fine.

Lots of red cedar. Quite dense and makes a good burning fire, but very pitchy. I was concerned about burning too much of it at a time, but we had an ice storm recently and my tarp on my wood pile was so frozen up, I could only get at the red cedar, so that's pretty much all I've been burning the last couple of weeks. We just had a mild thaw and I was able to get things cleaned up so I have more options. Good to know there is no worry.

Oak can be corrosive if not well seasoned (2 years here)

I have made it a point to season my wood at least two years. I typically will have 12-14 cords by the beginning of the heating season and use around 4-5 per season depending on weather. It seems to help a lot with moisture consistency. I'm seasoning my wood in round piles with a variation on a technique I read about a few years back and it's working quite well. Takes up less room than traditional straight rows and seems to dry better. Basically, I lay pallets on the ground in a circular pattern to provide some airflow under the pile, and place a perforated drain pipe in the center of the pile, which provides airflow through the pile. I dug a hole with my backhoe and buried the end about 2 feet. I take a tarp and cut a hole in the center, which I place over the pipe. During the summer with heating of the tarp, it gets quite hot, but that encourages the airflow and the wood dries in half the time, but I still give it two years. The neat thing is the piles are round, so they are self supporting. You simply build the outer row with splits, in a circle, then just toss stuff into the inside as you build the pile up. That makes storing and drying of smaller stuff very simple. The random nature of the inner pile provides excellent airflow and the work in putting it is is far less than with traditional rows. When using it, you just draw from the side and you have a nice mix of smaller diameter stuff from the inside and the splits from the outside.

 

[KenLockett]

Lots of red cedar. Quite dense and makes a good burning fire, but very pitchy. I was concerned about burning too much of it at a time, but we had an ice storm recently and my tarp on my wood pile was so frozen up, I could only get at the red cedar, so that's pretty much all I've been burning the last couple of weeks. We just had a mild thaw and I was able to get things cleaned up so I have more options. Good to know there is no worry.


I have made it a point to season my wood at least two years. I typically will have 12-14 cords by the beginning of the heating season and use around 4-5 per season depending on weather. It seems to help a lot with moisture consistency. I'm seasoning my wood in round piles with a variation on a technique I read about a few years back and it's working quite well. Takes up less room than traditional straight rows and seems to dry better. Basically, I lay pallets on the ground in a circular pattern to provide some airflow under the pile, and place a perforated drain pipe in the center of the pile, which provides airflow through the pile. I dug a hole with my backhoe and buried the end about 2 feet. I take a tarp and cut a hole in the center, which I place over the pipe. During the summer with heating of the tarp, it gets quite hot, but that encourages the airflow and the wood dries in half the time, but I still give it two years. The neat thing is the piles are round, so they are self supporting. You simply build the outer row with splits, in a circle, then just toss stuff into the inside as you build the pile up. That makes storing and drying of smaller stuff very simple. The random nature of the inner pile provides excellent airflow and the work in putting it is is far less than with traditional rows. When using it, you just draw from the side and you have a nice mix of smaller diameter stuff from the inside and the splits from the outside.

George, that seems like a neat idea although I'm not 100% clear how you installed the perforated pipe. Did you bury it two feet in the ground oriented vertically? If it is buried how do you get air flow through it? Is the purpose of the tarp to provide barrier to ground only and if so your you not have pallets on the inside as well (hole cut as well)? Do you then just throw the wood splits randomly in the circle and around the vertical pipe? What size vertical pipe? Any pictures? Thanks, Ken

 

[NHFarmer]

We had an ice storm a couple of years ago and I had a bunch of Sassafras come down. I cut it in 4' lengths to let it dry. You will think I am crazy but an old timer told me it was bad luck to burn Sassafras. I'm not superstitious but I couldn't bring myself to burn it.

 

[BoilerMan]

There are two things about wood that have been eluded to here that are bad for boilers.

1. Moisture content which results in excessive condensation inside the boiler. This condensate is corrosive and washes the inner walls and HX tubes.............bad

2. The ground which the trees have been grown on, if it is rich in Manganeese and other minerals this adds to the corrosive nature of the condensate in the boiler.

Even dry wood will produce condensate in a boiler for a short time (10 min or less) this is why return protection is critical.

There is a good video which explains this.

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TS

 

[maple1]

As mentioned above, oak that hasn't been fully seasoned is the only thing I'm aware of. There's actually a warning of it in my boiler manual.

 

[George Webster]

George, that seems like a neat idea although I'm not 100% clear how you installed the perforated pipe. Did you bury it two feet in the ground oriented vertically? If it is buried how do you get air flow through it? Is the purpose of the tarp to provide barrier to ground only and if so your you not have pallets on the inside as well (hole cut as well)? Do you then just throw the wood splits randomly in the circle and around the vertical pipe? What size vertical pipe? Any pictures? Thanks, Ken

It's dark now. I'll take a couple of pictures tomorrow. The pipe is a 10' standard drain pipe - perforated, buried vertically 2' in the ground. This is just to keep it in a standing position, you could do it anyway you like. The idea is that the air is drawn through the pipe, so you really want the bottom sealed. The air is drawn in through the perforations in the sides of the pipe, so it has to draw it through the wood pile, then exhausts out the top. The tarp is to protect the wood from the weather. I just orient the pallets around the buried pipe so I don't need to cut a hole, but there's no reason you couldn't. This does yield a square pattern, but I just leave the corners sticking out. I actually use splits and small rounds in the perimeter of the pile, but it all depends on what I have available. Once the perimeter is started up a couple of feet or so, you can just start randomly throwing stuff inside it, splits, rounds, whatever. When I send the pics it will probably be easier to visualize. I'm told this is a technique that was commonly used in the north east many years ago, but you don't see it any more. They actually look kind of cool too.

 

[George Webster]

As mentioned above, oak that hasn't been fully seasoned is the only thing I'm aware of. There's actually a warning of it in my boiler manual.

The only warning in my manual regards moisture content. I'm pretty consistently around 14%, so a little on the low end of the 12-20% range. I like it that way, but I do use more wood.

 

[George Webster]

There are two things about wood that have been eluded to here that are bad for boilers.

1. Moisture content which results in excessive condensation inside the boiler. This condensate is corrosive and washes the inner walls and HX tubes.............bad

2. The ground which the trees have been grown on, if it is rich in Manganeese and other minerals this adds to the corrosive nature of the condensate in the boiler.

Even dry wood will produce condensate in a boiler for a short time (10 min or less) this is why return protection is critical.

There is a good video which explains this.

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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

TS

The video is helpful. My circulator doesn't start within the 15 minutes, so that's really not an issue. Not much you can do about the condensation you get from starting a cold boiler, but I minimize the effect and the length of time for preheat by circulating water from my storage tank through the boiler to warm it prior to ignition. I figure I'm going to heat storage anyway and by the time I light a fire it's not much good for anything else anyway, at under 130.

 

[Bob Rohr]

Lots of red cedar. Quite dense and makes a good burning fire, but very pitchy. I was concerned about burning too much of it at a time, but we had an ice storm recently and my tarp on my wood pile was so frozen up, I could only get at the red cedar, so that's pretty much all I've been burning the last couple of weeks. We just had a mild thaw and I was able to get things cleaned up so I have more options. Good to know there is no worry.


I have made it a point to season my wood at least two years. I typically will have 12-14 cords by the beginning of the heating season and use around 4-5 per season depending on weather. It seems to help a lot with moisture consistency. I'm seasoning my wood in round piles with a variation on a technique I read about a few years back and it's working quite well. Takes up less room than traditional straight rows and seems to dry better. Basically, I lay pallets on the ground in a circular pattern to provide some airflow under the pile, and place a perforated drain pipe in the center of the pile, which provides airflow through the pile. I dug a hole with my backhoe and buried the end about 2 feet. I take a tarp and cut a hole in the center, which I place over the pipe. During the summer with heating of the tarp, it gets quite hot, but that encourages the airflow and the wood dries in half the time, but I still give it two years. The neat thing is the piles are round, so they are self supporting. You simply build the outer row with splits, in a circle, then just toss stuff into the inside as you build the pile up. That makes storing and drying of smaller stuff very simple. The random nature of the inner pile provides excellent airflow and the work in putting it is is far less than with traditional rows. When using it, you just draw from the side and you have a nice mix of smaller diameter stuff from the inside and the splits from the outside.

But are they creative looking piles?

 

[George Webster]

But are they creative looking piles?

Check back tomorrow, I'll post some pics to this thread. I actually like the appearance. I'd like to get some EPDM or something I can cut to a round shape rather than the tarps, but that's what I'm using for now and they are a bit on the ugly side. What's nice about the EPDM if you can find it is that it is heavy enough to stay put when it's windy. That is also a negative when you have to remove/install

 

[KenLockett]

Check back tomorrow, I'll post some pics to this thread. I actually like the appearance. I'd like to get some EPDM or something I can cut to a round shape rather than the tarps, but that's what I'm using for now and they are a bit on the ugly side. What's nice about the EPDM if you can find it is that it is heavy enough to stay put when it's windy. That is also a negative when you have to remove/install

What is EPDM? I may have misunderstood earlier. Is the tarp on top of the pile to provide a rain/snow barrier? I thought in your description it as on the bottom of the pile. Looking forward to the pictures. Thanks George.

 

[hiker88]

As mentioned above, oak that hasn't been fully seasoned is the only thing I'm aware of. There's actually a warning of it in my boiler manual.

Same warning about oak in my manual-specifically not to burn it exclusively.

 

[BrotherBart]

What is EPDM?

Rubber roofing/pond liner.

 

[George Webster]

Yes, you can usually get it free if you contact a local roofing company. They usually have to pay to get rid of it when they redo a roof, or sometimes they have small pieces they can't use at the end of a job.

 

[George Webster]

What is EPDM? I may have misunderstood earlier. Is the tarp on top of the pile to provide a rain/snow barrier? I thought in your description it as on the bottom of the pile. Looking forward to the pictures. Thanks George.

The tarp is on the top - no covering on the bottom. You want the bottom open to promote airflow through the bottom of the pile, which is one purpose of the pallets.

 

[KenLockett]

The tarp is on the top - no covering on the bottom. You want the bottom open to promote airflow through the bottom of the pile, which is one purpose of the pallets.

Gotcha, making perfect sense now. I am intrigued by the round stacking method as it is self supporting. Hate stacking in rows when the splits are non-uniform.

 

[George Webster]

Exactly. What's really cool about this is that because the outside diameter of the outer course is larger than the inner (15" splits), non-uniform splits work perfectly to even things out, but putting the larger end to the outside. I do like the simplicity of no end supports, or ropes through the middle as I've seen others do. Not sure why this method fell out of favor, I love it. Pictures today were really bad, since I didn't make it out today and took a picture through the window. You'll get the idea. I will post after dinner.

 

[Nofossil]

In my experience butternut seems to have a natural fire suppressant effect. Too much and it seems to kill secondary combustion, even when bone dry. That's why the big dead butternut due south of your swimming pool is being left to rot rather than poached ;-)

 

[MarkW]

Sounds like George has created a wood version of what farmers called a "corn crib". It too used a chimney effect to draw moisture through the cobs and out the top. Good thinking, George. I like any idea that minimizes my stacking time.

 

[George Webster]

The other benefit is that the moisture content is very consistent and the wood dries to gassification levels of 12-20% in one season. I still season mine 2 years, which makes it more consistent throughout the pile, but it is nice to know that if I get caught short, next years supply is probably fine to use. We're in a very cold winter it seems, so this is probably going to happen soon.

 

[MarkW]

Well, I believe this is how I'll go about seasoning from this point forward.