Forty years of heating exclusively with wood as a primary source of heat. 99% of it pine, with the occasional birch thrown in when I can get it, at temperatures down to -40, no issues. I burn 5 cords of pine per year. Moisture content is more critical than the species of wood burned. 15-20% moisture content is ideal for firewood. Also the more knots it has the hotter it burns, as well as whole rounds burn longer than split wood. I've had to, on more than one occasion at -40, crack a door open because it's +90 in the house. Most importantly, maintain your stove. Clean your chimney at least once a year, I clean mine twice. Make sure your door gasket is in good repair and sealing properly. When I see a stove where the glass is blackened, this is either the wood has too much moisture content, or more often than not the door gasket is buggered, or has been improperly installed and not effectively making a good seal. But as to the assertion that heating with pine is dangerous, that is a myth perpetuated by those who have easy access to harder woods.
We have a hydro fireplace where you heat a tank of water within the fireplace and the hot water is pumped to central heating radiators. We need big flames for fast rising temperatures so we burn mainly pine as well. We have been using pine for 8 years now with no problems. As said maintain a clean chimney and dry wood.
My husband was always against burning pine. So I didn't tell him when I did. I have a pine trunk I need to take down, but it's been wet around here. Pine is great for starting a fire if nothing else.
That’s me. I had a dozen 18” diameter white pines taken down. I split it and seasoned it all summer. Then used it to burn out the stumps. People here burn hardwood.
Honestly, the fact that you straight up answered the question right off the bat, is why I'm now a subscriber to your channel. Thank you for the non-clickbait video. Much Appreciated.
I've been told that you can't burn many kinds of wood in my stove. I've burned it all. The only downside to some is the smell. Black cotton wood is acrid when it burns. My favorite firewood is free firewood.
Free is a beautiful word for firewood imo! I've even burned shrubs like buckthorn and autumn olive. Buckthorn actually burns very hot and coals well! All the more reason to cut the invasive fuckers down and not cut down a native hickory or oak!
I'm a New Englander who always thought pine was trouble. Now, after finding out there are regions of the country where pine is all there is, I've begun burning it. I have 5 acres and many, many large white pines. Over a year ago, a 110 ft. pine fell across my yard, just scraping my house (phew!). With a 40 inch diameter at the base, it's going to net me about 3 1/2 cords. I'd be an idiot to not take advantage of all that free wood. I'm cutting up the tree now, early May 2022, and will be splitting and stacking it in the next week or so. It's already mostly dry, and I'm sure it'll be ready for the coming winter.
Two points to consider: 1. If you cut your own trees, ring them in the fall at least 1 year prior to cutting (we ring them 2 years) to allow them to dry standing. Because we ring them 2 years ahead, they are pretty well useable when cut and split. Mind you, it is normally pretty dry here most of the year. Ringing a tree involves cutting a band through the bark/cambium layer so the tree gets no moisture in the spring and dies leaving the needles in the bush to soil build. The summer moisture content is eliminated so the drying is accelerated and maintained throughout the entire year. An added bonus is the wood is lighter to load and haul just after cutting. The smaller branches make good kindling and knotty sections have lots of fatwood (resin-packed) so it lights easier and burns hot to help get coal bed started. 2. As far as creosote goes, as others have said it is dampness that is the problem. It keeps the fire relatively cool and smokey which is an incomplete burn causing the build-up. Instead of buying a chemical to help prevent creosote, use only well-seasoned wood regardless of species (we burn spruce and black poplar mostly) and invest in the training and equipment to clean your own chimney and stove. It really isn't that hard and can be done from the ground in most cases. I am physically unable to get to the top of the chimney so I had to learn how. A flashlight, mirror, strong "shop" vaccuum cleaner, brushes and an old sheet will go a long way to keeping creosote and soot under control. Not sure about the build-up during the heating season? Use the mirror and flashlight and check through the cleanout. Cheers from Alberta, Canada.
I have very little of my own wood, nut its easy to find extra firewood for free if your willing to cut and haul. One fella i get a supply from does the girdle trick on his maples, and yes, they are nearly ready when he takes them down. Dry is always best, but i need to find a balance in having enough wood and letting it dry. That means some may not be quite optimal dryness, but better than none. My boiler is old style, so it will burn whatever i give it safely.
I just cut down trees in winter, split it in may and it's dry by November. Oak wouldn't be but I don't have any I want to cut down. It'll be mostly beech for awhile, I have way too many
Here in the American West it is known that if you are unwilling to burn pine or other conifer tree woods you will be spending the winter cold and alone. If it’s dry wood and it’s what you can get... burn it. The trick with the coniferous woods is just burn it at a fairly high temp and don’t let it smolder at a slow burn. A fairly high temperature burn will reduce the creosote buildup. And learn to clean your own stove and pipe. Do it whenever it is needed. It is easy, just think it through and get it done.
I burn dry pine as far as chimney maintenance I have a chimney thermometer and I red one it once a day so I have a small chimney fire every day and that keeps a clean chimney
Great video and topic. I've been burning for 15+ yrs and only switched to pine in the last 7 or so and have had no issues. I run an air-tight stove with baffles similar to yours and get very little smoke whatever I burn, which is key! Creosote comes from condensation of smoke particulates, so if there is little smoke, there will be little creosote (there are other factors too.) Last season I burnt 80-90% pine with no creosote removal products and when I cleaned my 30ft chimney I got about 2 cups of ash and no creosote. The only time I ever have had a chimney fire was when I first started burning I had an old non energy efficient stove that I would load up with hardwood and smother all day, lots of smoke, nice long burn, but within 4 weeks my chimney was literly plugged with creosote. I prefer to clean my own chimney so I know exactly how my stove is performing. Thanks for posting the video!
Here in Germany it is also a regional thing as to what is burned. Chimney sweep comes by twice a year for our heating systems( wood stove and oil furnace). Have several friends who are chimney sweeps who have gotten real indepth training as to the creasote issue. The most important factor into reducing it is that the wood is thoroughly dry, in the sense of less than 12% residual moisture, meaning the wood has been split and stacked for a minimum of 2 years prior to burning. Pine actually has a higher btu to weight ratio than oak or beech, however the density of the wood is much lower and therefore doesn't last as long. You also can't beat the snap, crackle and pop of pine.
Being from Southeast Alaska where the only wood we have to burn is soft wood, it almost incomprehensible to talk about burning woods like maple or cherry! :)
+- the same in sweden, though we have a little more hardwood than 30 years ago. I mix pine with a little oak and a lot of birch. Works perfect in my old Husqvarna oven.
110 acres up hear mid coast Maine with about 70% of it pine, every one burns what ever falls. And that’s mostly pine. I try to burn a mix but old timers up hear say if it lites you burn it, clean your chimney 1-2 a season and you can burn old tires . Great video
As you said, it grows extremely fast. Oaks take decades for a pine in 10 years. In Ireland we wouldn't dream of cutting an oak for fuel, as they're a native tree and becoming rarer by the day. Pine is cheap and sustainable.
@@nealk6387 Yeah, as long as its properly hot before you turn the bypass off it shouldn't matter that much what kind of wood is off gassing. Main problem with a catalytic combustor is that people don't remember to clean them every once in a while and they become progressively less effcient.
Good video. Forty years ago, I bought a 4 cord truck load of hardwood slabs for $80 delivered. I talked to the sawmill owner a while and it turned out we were both US Army veterans. He then offered a free 4 cord truckload of pine slabs. He said the trick was to dry all wood well and to mix the pine with the hardwood. That worked well into the 1990s when he retired. I bought 20+ acres of black oak and have been burning that since. Good Luck, Rick
I have wood heated for 40 years in Ontario. Buy the smallest, most efficient stove you can and this means you will always have a hot fire instead of damping it down and smoldering the fire. I burn mostly softwood in the spring and fall (pine, spruce,poplar) because I only need a warmup and hardwood in the winter.
This video is a huge help. My woodlot has a ton of pine and northern white cedar. I'll start using those, mixed in with oak, maple, and birch. I have a great chimney sweep who cleans the liner regularly, so no worries there. Thanks for sharing this info.
Nice job Luke .. Informative , short and sweet to the point . I live in Michigan and have heated with wood since the 1960's . We have plenty of dead standing hardwoods to use for firewood but have used " Seasoned" pine as a jumpstart with no issues . You are very wise to have your chimney cleaned yearly by a professional... Cheers !!!🇺🇸
Nice video. It's good to see another pine enthusiast out there. I live in western Maine and like you, I own about 15 acres. My land is full of spruce and white pine. I burn it constantly, mixed with other hardwoods. I clean my chimney a few times per season, but it really doesn't get very dirty. The only issue I have is the screen in the cap. That gets clogged regularly. Great job!
I prefer to burn pine and poplar in the early fall mornings, and also in the late spring mornings. We just need one fire in the morning and after that it is warm outside. I always have dried pine
Greetings from NW Montana. You are correct, we burn pine, of which lodgepole is my favorite. We do however have tons of ponderosa pine and doug fir on our place so that is mostly what we burn. As you said, "well seasoned" is the key so I let the P pine age for 2 years, then its good to go. Enjoyed your video.
I grew up in NE Pennsylvania, in a house heated with a wood stove. Like you said, hardwood is plentiful there, and burning pine was considered verboten. Now I live in the Pacific NW, and burning hardwood seems absurd here. It's all a matter of what's available.
I am in Florida. The "Icebox" of Florida actually. I had to order my Resolute Acclaim by Vermont Castings for my house when I built it because no one sells them down here. LOL! I built my house around the thought of heating it. I do burn primarily pine. My stove has one straight pipe and I can remove the bottom section of pipe in less than 3 minutes to scrub the pipe clean. Once a year is more than enough for me to feel safe. Right now it is 32 degrees outside and 83 inside. just comfy.
Always burn dry wood. I age pine at least one year. Mixing the types of wood is a good policy. The other key to avoiding creosote is to keep your fires burning hot. Use a moisture gauge to monitor the dryness of the wood - it should be less than 20%. Use a gauge on the stove to keep the stove hot - 300 degrees.
We burn a well seasoned pine / hard wood mix. No issues many years. I clean it when ever needed, but not much creosote. Straight chimney helps. Thanks for the tips.
I'm in my 70s. Lived many places in my life with a woodburning stove. Heck you can burn ANY kind of wood. Its best if it is seasoned, but heck ya you can burn pine.
I'm in New Mexico. I've burned all kinds of wood. As long as it's dry, I'll run it. -- Ponderosa pine -- burns fast and the bark tends to sparkle a lot, (burning sawmill slabs). I can get it for $40/ton shipped. For day-time burning, it's cheap so you can keep after it. -- Pinon pine -- has a lot of oils in it that will flare up. It's great for kindling, but too aggressive for log-heat. Typically low ash. I buy dead-wood when the opportunity arises. Endangered species. -- Afghan pine -- is a lot like ponderosa. Around here, they're usually from someone's yard, so they're big, round and have few knots because they were planted too close and pruned high. -- Pecan -- I get it from orchards for $100/ton. Prunings. I'll burn it at night since it smolders forever. Sometimes, it has low ash content. -- Oak -- I can burn it at night. Typically low ash. Not very common around here because the areas that have it, are too much work to get to. -- Juniper - Easy to split. The ash crumbles to a fine powder when you get it from some regions. Endangered species. You can buy dead-wood and get excellent results. -- Red Cedar - Smells so good, I feel bad about burning it. Low ash. Easy to split. Makes beautiful furniture if you get the purple stuff. -- Arborvitae - Typically from someones yard. 3"-6" rounds. Wonderful to burn. Low ash. -- Tamarisk/Salt Cedar - Invasive species. Lots of very hard ash with high salt content. Sometimes makes a hard lump in the bottom of your stove. Some can be had for free + shipping. Some folks sell the multi-trunked stump, which you'll need to split lengthwise with your chainsaw. Don't drop the rakers, as it can be an aggressive cutting event. -- Cottonwood. Doesn't burn very fast. Splits easier than oak. -- Ailanthus altissima - Invasive species. Noxious weed. Splits poorly. Low heating value. Smells nasty. Smolders. Chunky ashes, needs a lot of airflow. -- Compressed bamboo biochar -- Coals run a bright white-yellow with good airflow, hotter than the blazes of hell and damnation. Cracked my fire bricks. Consider cooking with it. The non-compressed stuff makes great charcoal. -- Arizona cypress - Smells good. Burns like pine. Difficult to dry sometimes. -- MDF - Don't. Too many additives. -- Laminated plywood -- Don't. Sometimes, it had glue inside that makes a molten bubble that randomly explodes. -- Douglas Fir - More heat content than other pines. -- Walnut - Steady hardwood smolder.
Hi Luke. I'm a farmer in Scotland where I use both oil and wood fuel for heating. I plan to switch to a wood burning range cooker by next winter. I currently burn a mixture of hardwoods but not pine for the usual reasons you mentioned ie. chimney soot, tar etc. but I could reconsider pine in future. My wood fuel is sourced from a wide mix consisting of Oak, Beech, Ash, Cherry, Maple, Hawthorn, Willow and Eucalyptus - all from my estate. They all have their own unique burning characteristics and used accordingly. Thanks for your informative video. WFH
At 8,400 feet here in the Colorado Rockies, that’s pretty much all there is. Ponderosa and lodgepole. It burns hot and starts quickly, so it’s particularly good if your cabin is really cold. Conifers are fun to split with a maul. I leave the splits as large as my stove can handle to increase the burn time. Take care!
Greetings Luke I live in westchester county N.Y., and burn whatever I can get my hands on. Pine burns very fast and hot, while the harder woods can support a long overnight heat source. Both types of wood have their place for keeping the house warm and comfortable. I also burn lots of pallet wood both hard and soft because it is bone dry. Your personality is laid back, delightful and the type of person I would like to have as a neighbor. The only way to improve your video production would be to see more of your loving beautiful dog!! All the best from New Rochelle N.Y.
I was converted myself... great video! At the shop they burn only pine because everything else is worth money and it’s never been a problem! Annual chimney cleaning obviously
Out West there is a big difference between Ponderosa and Lodgepole pines. Ponderosa has more creosote even when dry so you have to be aware that it has more potential to clog chimneys. Lodgepole is a bit harder wood and burns cleaner but you will still get creosote. A major factor is also your chimney construction. If your stove is centrally located with the chimney going straight up in the house until it exits near the peak your chimney will stay cleaner because the smoke stays warm all the way up. If your stove is on an outside wall and your pipe goes through the wall then up the smoke will cool on the cold stove pipe and cause more creosote buildup. Mixing pine with other wood is the best way to go.
I live on my farm in Israel. It’s not that cold over here so I manage to heat my well insulated home with just one high quality woodstove. I burn whatever kind of wood I can harvest myself: eucalyptus, pine, cypress, olive, charob, persimmon, apple, peach, orange, etc.. I use a melange of sorts of wood to suit the particular needs for that moment (starting the fire, fast heat, slow burn overnight, etc.). Built in secondary ignition capability of the woodstove helps prevent buildup of creosote in the chimney combined with a temperature gauge on the pipe to check the fire is at its optimum temperature. I clean the chimney (it’s just a pipe) myself twice a season (enjoying the ‘Jack Daniels’ like odor of the creosote on the doing). Never have problems with it.
Here in Sweden we burn mostly pine, spruce or if we are lucky, we burn birch. We rarely have any sootfires in our chimneys here. On the other hand we have a law on licensed inspectors to come and inspect the chimney and fireplace/stove every 3 year.
A perspective from England (Older England): All the discussions I've seen on this topic have been disappointingly superficial, and most have reduced what is a very complex subject with many influencing factors to the pointless dichotomy of 'pine good' or 'pine bad'. This video has some of these shortcomings but I like it because it gives a practical illustration of a good pine-burning strategy. I'd like it more if you'd explained WHY it works. All wood consists of a carbon skeleton and a variety of volatile chemicals (volatile - with a boiling point within the temperature range reached by a stove and therefore liable to evaporate before igniting). When a small dry log is put on the fire, the first flames to come from it are from the burning of the vapour of the lowest boiling-point volatiles. As the temperature of the stove rises, volatiles with successively higher boiling points evaporate and also burn. With a large log the process is mixed as it doesn't heat up or release the flammable vapours at a uniform speed throughout the log. Eventually the carbon skeleton is left - the 'coals' that remain at the end of a woodfire, and this also burns if the temperature is high enough, and with little smoke and great heat. Just like a barbecue. Hardwoods have more carbon and less volatile content, and this higher carbon content with its higher ignition temperature and higher energy density is why your cherry log does not catch alight so readily, and why it yields more heat over a longer period than a softwood log. The cross-linking within the log is different for all species, and for some (eg Ash) it breaks down quicker in a fire than others (eg Oak), which is why an Ash log will crumble and burn more swiftly than an oak log of the same size. The softwoods all differ in their volatile content and composition too, and in general, pines have a lot more low temperature volatiles (turpentines) which is why with their straight grain, they are so well suited for kindling material. It is the higher temperature volatiles that produce creosote which, if released quickly enough by a big enough log, in a cold enough fire, with a poor enough air supply, into a cold enough chimney, with a poor enough flue draught will condense in the chimney and a) pollute the atmosphere, b) waste embedded energy in the log and c) risk subsequent chimney fires. A big pine log in a small stove will likely overwhelm the air supply's ability to burn the huge gout of volatiles released as it gets going, and the result is either a creosoted chimney or, at higher air flow rates (say, if you open the door a little) combustion in the flue which heats your chimney rather than your room. This, and wet logs, open fires, unlined & uninsulated cold chimneys, and short stacks with poor updraft (NB I noticed there was smoke in your room the moment you opened the door) is what has given pine a bad name. But it is a fine firewood if you understand its properties (which lead you to have a bigger stack because of its lower energy density, and to feed in smaller sized logs at much shorter intervals). Which is more or less the conclusion you have empirically arrived at.
@FruityDickens the man gave a short lesson ,what's your problem? It's good information. You burn what you want. Others,burn what they have,and and it helps when someone explaines how and why.
Thanks for the explanation and your time. It's a good point. We burn wood respecting the forest,it is not a hobby,and pretentious is when you put a beligerant belly in front of common sense. Normal people,especially those who live near a forest,learn how to mix the wood. But in general,people cannot afford hard wood,or even dry wood. So,we need to learn from eachother. Heating a house is vital,a barbeque is playground.
I've never run a fire wood stove. Three years ago I found a lady I've known for 25 years Freezing In her home because the city girl thought it was just for basement dampness and burned a pound of coal at a time.. she was in hypothermia when I found her. Her water was off, her boiler was not on( 2 things that are being corrected now as we speak) because of a pipe burst twenty years ago that she kept private about. When I found her I made an on the spot decision to get my posse, and get it going. Three years of cleaning and clearing the property to make it safe to bring others onsite. So, THIS city girl found this coal/ wood burner in her basement. I got a freind to stay with me three months from mid winter to end of spring to learn how to work with it. Between this comment and the video, I found answers to questions I've had on burning pine. And showed me what I did understand, and apply IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE, especially relighting in the morning. I have 8 acres of woods available with many downed trees that I e stacked in hard and pine piles. Most are long seasoned dead wood, a lot were leaning dead trees I knocked down. I use the pine in small pieces in a bucket mixed with hardwood chips I break up snapping it by hand,, and larger ones I chop , but the pine is always small. ( intuitive?) and is used primarily to get the morning fire going. This unit hears her entire house. She never knew. I'm still a bit confused about the drafting, damper and acceleration science, but I figured out what is effective.. and even with the boiler being reset this season, I have yet to remove "stuff" from over the radiators and check for pinholes and such. And because it's forced hot water, it only hears the main floor and not the basement which is why the pipe burst along an exterior wall to begin with. My point, lol PLEASE DINT ASSUME being experts that people like me cannot use the information.. We may be coming to a point in our planet we may have to relearn all this knowledge, many may have to resort to using a wood stove or thier " pretty fire place" as a heat source.. This comment can explain how not to cut the pine too big, because people that don't know WHY, will do it... I also use the creosote powder.. I was also glad to find why I had backdrafts of smoke that I thought was just wet wood here n there. Both this comment and the post helped me figure that out..
My grandfather burned nothing but pine in his fireplace and stove. About every tenth fire, he would get the fire roaring and throw a handful of salt in. He said that cleaned out the buildup in the pipe/ chimney. Make no mistake, creosote will build up if you burn pine. And it opens you up to have a chimney fire.
Yes. Agree. We plan on burning it in our home we are building this spring too mixed with other woods same as you because we’ll be getting all our wood from our land and that’s what we’ve got. Adirondacks are very much like Vermont! Beautiful area you have there👍
I'm in north east Illinois and I purchase cords of wood a year or more in advance of burning it. Years ago "mixed hardwood" was exactly that. Problem around here is there is a fungal disease of short needle pines that has been going through the region for the past ten years taking out all the blue spruce, Norways and other such trees people planted on their properties decades ago. So now I have noticed a fair amount of the wood I buy - I'd say 25%/30% - is pine. The average person buying a face cord for the holidays probably doesn't recognized it, but I do. But as my wood sits for an average of two or more years before I burn it and is super dry, like you, I have grown to love the stuff. I'm not getting any younger and find pine easy to stack, easy to carry, burns hot. Life is good.
You can as long as it has been split and stacked for minimum 6 months in the summer... it doesn't burn very hot but does burn good.. I always was 5 years ahead so each winter I was burning 5 year season wood
Lodgepole is the fast food of firewood here in Montana. It's straight, splits really well and grows in thick stands. Larch and Doug fir are the premium woods out here. Properly seasoned pine will not cause the creosote buildup that easterners believe.
I’ve read creosote build up is no more with pine than hardwoods it actually comes from non seasoned wood as well as low burning temps. The only down side I seen of pine was that it produces less heat and burns faster. The key is well seasoned wood and to keep it hot and to not let it smolder for long periods where you get more smoke. I was told from a forester that fir’s and pine are common burning woods in the west and north west where hardwood is more scarce. Also chimney maintenance is mandatory every season no matter what you burn it’s just a part of the process to keep things working as intended. Nice video 👍🏻
We really don’t have hardwoods out west. Fir aspen larch and birch are my preference here I burn pine and spruce as well but they burn up very quickly in the stove
Thank you for sharing, this really helps. I have lots of pine and I wasn’t sure if it was OK to burn or not, so I’ve been doing some research, this is my favorite video. Thanks again
I burn almost nothing else. Occasionally a douglas fir log to smolder all night, but 95% pine in my woodstove. And I'm in Montana, so we burn 24/7 from October to April or May in a normal year, sometimes start in September & have my last fire in June. Pine does burn nice & hot, so I just let it burn super hot occasionally & purposely start a little fire in my stovepipe to clear any build up. Only when I'm there to watch it. We also don't have neighbors nearby, so not putting anybody else's property at risk with the few sparks that result. We've been heating all 3 houses on the land with nothing but wood heat for 12 years using pine.
This was so helpful thank you so much for this information. I just got a wood burning stove and I had no idea about wood choices for different uses. I have been given a truck load of pine and the creosote remover will be key! Thanks again. 🙏
A forester once told me that pine is perfectly fine to use in a wood burning stove. I've got all hardwood where I am, but I won't be afraid to burn pine if it shows up. The issue with our pine (where you can find it) is that it burns fast and gets really hot.. Right now I'm burning Oak and little hickory from a trees taken down in the yard.
Gotta burn what you have. Here in Nw I don’t have the option of a lot of hardwoods. Dry it and clean your chimney and don’t be a wood snob and all is good. Thks for your video.
If you live by a community that has a variety of trees your local tree service could be selling firewood. It worth the trip to buy wood from these places saves time not having to city and spit.
I made my living cutting firewood in Oregon for a number of years, Pine is what I burned because the fir and hard wood was sold to buy gas and food. Never no problems just know your stove.
Well seasoned wood is good no matter what it is and cresote cleaner good cause the smoldering hard wood builds up also. If ya see smoke your building layers in your pipe no matter what the wood is. Great video.👍
My papaw said they used pine for the cook stove and hardwood for heat in the fireplace. That was way before electricity. In fact, he was married with kids before they had electric, indoor plumbing.
I now have a wood fired water boiler but grew up on an in house wood stove. Creosote is all about wood moisture content and how hot you burn your stove. With the boiler I have been able to test others theories and old wives tales for years. My dad did the same with the in house stove too. I can have significant creosote with oak as well if moisture and burn temp are not observed. If you do have to close your stove down time to time to regulate temperature, make sure you follow it up with a hot burn to eliminate the creosote. Cut your wood and store At least a year in advance to dry properly. Also consider investing a couple dollars into a chimney brush a run it through a couple times a season and fire the “professional “. Burning pine and poplar is awesome just know your BTU’s per ton is much lower than white oak so your comparison check is based on reality. Thanks for the video!
It is a common fallacy (I have been burning and heating with wood for over 4 decades and have been dispelling this myth for as long) that softwood contains fewer BTUs per unit weight than hardwoods. In fact, all wood species with the same moisture content contain roughly the same amount of BTUs per unit weight. The difference is (mostly, there are confounding variables) in the density of the wood, so ten pounds of softwood will occupy a higher volume than ten pounds of hardwood, though the BTU content is about the same.
Here in southern New Jersey we have a ton of different woods I usually use pine for the outdoor fire pit only but this is good info ,that being said I have an endless supply of mostly pine pallets I use for kindling with out issue
The problem is creosote. This is caused by wet wood. The reason soft woods get a bad rap is they will burn when wet easier than a wet hardwood will. So people burn it. What happens is the moisture in the wood turns to steam in the fire that binds with creosote. As the gas goes up the flue it cools and the water condenses and deposits the creosote on the inside of the flue. If the wood is dry, it does not do this as the creosote gasses just continue up the chimney. If you do get a wet hardwood to burn, it will deposit just as much creosote as a wet softwood. Per pound, soft and hardwoods have the same energy. Because softwood tends to be lighter, the volume is much greater. One ton of softwood is a much larger pile than one ton of hardwood, but the heat energy is the same.
I've been burning hardwood since 1999,I think if u have hot fire, keep chimney clean out once a year,you're get a mental record what it take not to have problems, great information
Same experience. I was visiting the mountain west and realized people were stacking pine (mostly lodge pole, as you said) for firewood. I was told when that's what you have, that's what you burn. People have been doing it for generations out there. Hardwoods are usually cottonwood or aspen - not much advantage over pine as firewood.
Cottonwood is terrible fire wood. Although classified as a "hardwood" because of its genus, it's actually a very soft, pithy, almost spongy wood & burns smokey.
New Mexico here. Pinon and Juniper in a 50/50 mix is what I burn in my Quadrafire. (Same as yours, I guess) I clean my chimney myself once a year and I don`t ever have encountered much creosote. Just a powdery layer of easy to brush-out residue inside my 14ft long and 6 inch wide double walled pipe. It fills a 1 gallon bucket after about 5 months of burning. I am not worried at all to burn pine. Given the avarage humidity is less than 10% here where I live, I only split the wood when it is too big to fit into my stove. Most logs I burn are not split. Usually everything burns down to white ashes, hardly any pieces of charcoal left... I love the Quadrafire stove! One of the best investments I have ever taken. One thing they could improve is to design it the way, that it takes 100% ouside air. Thamks for your insights!
Cool to hear your perspective with a Quadrafire - I too have thought a lot about how I can feed outside air directly to the stove so it’s not pulling air from cracks and crevices all over the house. My stove sits on bluestone, so it would be a job-and-a-half to run a vent through the sill, into the basement and then up through the floor/stone. I don’t want a big ugly air pipe on the first floor next to the stove, so I’m kinda stuck. Would love to hear what you’re thinking for your setup maybe it’ll give me some inspiration!
Hi I'm in Nottingham England.Just enjoyed your video everything you said is everything I know an do myself. Yeah lots of people say stay away from pine that's ok if you got your hands on a load of hard wood.Mind you hear in the supper markets its £5 for around 7 pieces of hard wood.If I had to buy it I wouldn't bother I'd just spend the money on gas.cheers mike
Sitting right here on the downeast coast of the pine tree state, the pine is burning in my Regency. I have 5 acres of mostly red oak, though white pine is abundant and a knotty piece can produce serious heat and stay in the stove for a good bit regardless of it being rated low for firewood. Pine is a better firewood than numbers on paper would suggest.
You get less heat from lighter wood. But i would rather burn dry pine than green oak. Nice thing about the hardwoods is they store a long time even out in the woods. The limbing on pine can be a bit annoying too. Oaks, and maples can be almost limb free until you reach the crown, and nice round smooth logs move, split, and store a lot easier. Here in michigan pine is always being offered for free. I take it when hardwood is not offered, but not my first choice.
Growing up in Maine I was taught the dangers and futility of burning softwoods. A firewood dealer in Flagstaff, Arizona told me that New Englanders are spoiled with an abundance of hardwoods to burn. He also told me that pine and spruce need longer to dry than most hardwoods. He allowed two years for softwoods and one year for hardwoods. Now that I am back in Maine I burn whatever I get for free. Most of my wood comes from cleaning up storm damage. People pay me to haul it away and I use it to heat my house. When I have more than I can use I bundle the excess and sell it as "campfire wood." It's always a mix of hard and soft woods.
@@lukeqstafford Here is a controvesrial subject . If it were not for the resin Black Locust will give you more Btu s than Hickory . I would not Burn it in the House Fireplace . The Creosote would be deadly . But somebody would have a use for it besides fence Posts .
Lol yeah wrangler star calls us hardwood elitists...which this is my first year burning and if people have been doing it their whole life in areas thats all they can get, then i dont understand how folk here freak out over it.
@@markcantemail8018 I've burned honey locust, and the stuff will run you out of the house with its heat output. fact of the matter is pine is considered a garbage wood on the west coast. our pine is twisty, pitchy, stringy, hard to process, and takes a lot of volume for a little heat. but even so, if you season it properly, and make sure to have a stage in your fire when it is burning hot and free, it keeps the creosote under control. it's when you continually have smoldering fires that ANY wood will create creosote buildup. - and always clean your flue yearly, just to be sure.
There may a lot of pine burned in western Montana, but red fir and larch are preferred by most. I do have some lodgepole in my shed though. Pine burns hot and fast. Ponderosa with big knots will burn okay too. If it is handy, I will bring home just about any dry/seasoned wood.
Dead on brother. We burn pine plenty in our fireplace. Live not too far outside Philadelphia, PA -- I sell firewood & all my clients are so anti-pine it is ridiculous, but means plenty more for me (NorthEast coasters are hilarious). If you burn straight pine you want to sometimes season denser pine for 1yr+ (2yrs may be overkill, but it will ensure you really dried it out) -- If you still aren't fully comfortable, then clean chimney more than once. Doesn't hurt anything & it is a super quick process (yourself or hiring someone). People get their heaters & HVAC systems serviced often. It is the same principle. Wood is wood. Just season it, keep it dry. Stay warm y'all
I use pine in exactly the same way. As a source of fire when all you have is coal left. It gets my combustor up to 500° quickly. After the initial burn I switch to hardwoods like oak and maple.
Any wood will produce creosote if it's not seasoned well enough. I season my firewood for a minimum of 2 years, preferably 3. The pine is 2% humidity, hardwood no more than 10%. The stove window stays clean, and all you see coming out of the chimney is shimmering hot air, no smoke.
Great video! I’m burning spruce and pine for 20years with an air tight Regency stove. I have to say I get “0” creosote. I sweep once a year with barely one hand full of soot. Stove runs 24 hours a day for 4-5 months here in Canada. Not sure if you really need the creosote remover 😊 thanks again👍
I've always used alligator and one seed juniper since I've been old enough to cut wood. This year is the first I've used ponderosa pine and it's not bad. I just mix with the juniper and it lasts quite awhile
You rock. Thank you so much for your demo and ideas.This puts things in perspective as I'm contemplating a five-acre lot with white and red pines in south-eastern Ontario.
I live in CT too. I've got an 80' white pine laying across my side yard right now. I heat with wood. The tree just up and fell one afternoon. It's about 3' in diameter at the base. Now, I intend to process it and set it seasoning for 2 years. I clean my chimney fanatically, and burn a creosote removal log about every 10 weeks. I'm psyched about overcoming my New England-instilled fear of burning pine. I have a LOT of it. Cheers.
In my experience,, the contributor to chimney fires is moisture. Fully cured , dried out of doors (you need some moisture content in your wood,,,, too dry is not the best burning) all woods seem to burn about equal to their BTU content. But wood that is too wet burns smoky and will build up on the inside of the chimney fast and dangerous.
My pine burning history is similar to yours. We had a lot of pine here and it provided a lot of lumber pre-white man. By the early 1900's most of the truly large ones were cut for lumber. Then we had a series of fires. So the ecosystem changed dramatically. Mostly white and red pine. Some hemlock and other species. Pine are still common. I own a small piece of land with a lot of Jack Pine on it. Jack Pine grows quite large but in general is smaller than White Pine. And is less valuable for lumber. My parents burnt wood for heat and so do I. And the reservations about burning pine are pretty much here as theay are where you are. Lots of concern about creosote. And like you, I spent some time in the west and realized that there people burn pine almost exclusively in many places. I have been cutting, mostly oak, most of my wood on public property (state, federal, and county land) but it is getting scarce so I'm switching over to cutting more and more on my own property and it's a mix of maple, jack pine, cherry, and oak. So, I'm switching over to more and more pine while watching carefully to see what happens in terms of creosote buildup. No issues so far. But I clean my chimneys at least twice during the winter burning season and am currently burning pine only in the stove with a metal chimney. I personally think a lot of the hesitation about burning pine is associated with not drying it properly so it's burnt in a fashion that creates more dense smoke and thus more creosote. I burn only pine that is well cured/dried and I periodically burn a hot fire to help insure the system is burning efficiently. I think burning in a fashion that creates a relatively hot chimney lessens opportunity for condensation of gases on the chimney and that is of course what creates creosote.
I'm in NH and have been burning for 47 years. My way of burning has changed over the years. I use a Pelleteer at the start and end of the burning season. Burning pellets creates a lower heat, so the stove doesn't heat the house too much. Dec to Feb I burn hardwood started with fatwood or leftover coals. I never burn below 350 on the chimney to avoid build-up of creosote
The magazine Handyman, had a very encompassing article they did with wood burning over 25 years ago. Water jacketed flues controlled temperature stack and came to the conclusion as long as it is dry ,there is no difference in "creosote" build up. In fact pound for pound pin has more BTUs per pound then a lot of hardwoods.
A pound of wood regardless of species has the same btu’s but a pound of pine vs oak size wise are very different. A cord of pine has 17.1 million BTU’s but a cord of red oak has 25.7 million BTU’s. Oak is more dense so it has higher energy density. I grew up in Idaho, we burnt tamarack. I live in New England and now burn oak/maple/birch. I start the fire with birch/maple and load the stove for overnight with oak. Pine/bad is a fallacy Edit: was a national chimney sweep guild member/certified chimney sweep. I saw more issues with “Tim the toolman” types that bought the biggest stove in the store only to keep it damped down so low that the wood just smoldered. I run my stove correctly and never really have to clean the pipe. As long as the exhaust stays in its gaseous state leaving the chimney, you won’t get creosote build up.
I love pines, one of my favorite trees out there, the crackle sounds coming from the fire it’s like no other. So Ill say no weeds lol very useful ones trees.
not only can you burn it, but to me it is essential. At least once a day while you ATTEND the fire, " Let it rip". Not only will you keep a clean pipe and flue, you should not need the high dollar creosote killer pellets. In the morning, I scoop out some ash, spread the coals around, and add some pine kindin', nothing else. I " burn off" the previous nights build up. The temp peaks just as the few pieces of kindlin burn up. Then chuck the smaller hard wood in on top of the hot bed of coals and the warmed up chimney. Good clean draft = a good clean burn. In conclusion , pine is a supplement in the East, not normally a primary. As mentioned, good maintenance, proper seasoning, and supervision when " letting it rip" will make pine your new best friend. Great video. good advice.
You can burn pine as long as it is dry. Creasoot is caused by too much moisture which causes lots of smoke and steam out the chimney. Best to bring in your wood a couple days ahead of time because it condensates when you bring it from the cold outdoors into the warm house. You will also get more BTU out of it because it is not using heat to dry the wood as it burns so it will take less wood.
The problem with burning pine is too many people damp their stoves down for a slow burn and don’t get complete combustion. Open the vents and run a hotter fire and the chimney doesn’t soot up. I only clean my chimney every 3 or 4 years whether it needs it or not, and I never had any build up of soot. Of course, I always run a hot fire, and I burn anything burnable.
always gather your fire wood in the fall and you can split fire wood in the winter when its frozen it splits quicker and its a lot easier to split when frozed
