Been burning only elm for the past 2 weeks, and have noticed hard chunks of something in my ashes. Pulled 2 out tonight to get a closer look. I am pretty sure I read something, maybe on here about certain wood that leaves them, but couldn't find it.
I burn a LOT of Elm but have never had those clinkers in my Pacific Energy Super 27 stove. I have heard of others that see those form in their appliances. Sent from my SM-G930VL using Tapatalk
Those clinkers are from the silica in the wood. They are essentially glass. I get them too on certain wood I burn. I did get them also with Elm as I remember.
I'll get "clinkers" or fused ashes close to where the input air comes in at the 'doghouse'. Sometimes I get a pretty good sized 'pancake'. It's probably related to heat and maybe some excess minerals/silica in the ashes. Weird though, the formation(s) aren't consistent day to day, week to week. Mostly with oak.
I haven’t had any so far this season, and I burned oak. Last year I had quite a bit. My wood this year is actually dryer than last year, but I don’t think that would matter much.
Not abnormal. Mineral residue. Sometimes it will adhere to the firebrick floor and become a minor nuisance. Burn on!
I get them from elm as well. Might do a test to see if I notice a difference between bark on and bark off.
I don't have that problem and usually burn quite a bit of elm. I will say that the problem can be worse if burning less than ideal wood.
The elm tested at 14 percent moisture, some is actually almost punky. Only maybe 1 in 6 splits still have some bark, but it is bone dry. I wonder if the punky ones could be doing it. I don't see it as a problem, just a curiosity.
Makes me wonder if its regional and is something the tree has in it because of where it grew. That is, minerals in the soil where it grew.....etc. Sent from my SM-G930VL using Tapatalk
I get more clinkers from Slippery Elm than American Elm but have never gotten any from any other type of wood.
I have one punky one in the stove right now and had one in the last fire with no problem. I do wonder if it could make a difference if the whole load was punky vs just 1 or 2 pieces?
I've done that experiment. I got and get clinkers from these two wood species regardless of there's bark on or off. I'd say that 90+% of my elm and box elder are barkless when I put the wood in the stove. Nearly all, if not all of the elm I harvest is barkless before it ever gets into my trailer. By the time I burn the wood, the box elder bark comes off before it gets in the stove.
In certain types of stoves, clinkers can be a PITA to clear out. If the ash grate is the primary way to clean out ashes, clinkers can get stuck. In most people's stoves, they are not an issue. You simply scoop them out with ashes.
