When it was all I had I eventually started splitting it down and building cribs (alternate stacks N/S & E/W). Increasing surface area and allowing for plenty of air flow was what worked. Bit of a PITA as I mentioned but did work. Locust likes more air, probably not more from a density stand point (lb for lb) but for a given size split, it's more dense than most other hardwoods so each split is pretty hefty in comparison..
For sure we mixed in faster starting wood with the black locust because it is hesitant to get started. 1 red oak, 1 white ash and the rest locust works pretty darn well. Everyone else, enter your favorite recipes please. LOL.
boiler* vedolux 37. not interested in burn times, all of the BTUs goes to storage tanks. a full load of oak/locust actually only lasts 3.5 hours but i get a half million BTUs from it. see link in sig for install writeup. have run all oak and all locust but i mostly adhere to the 50% ruling as it doesnt bother me much at all. i think it was something about acidity? i will look through the manual.
ok well they chaged it or the 50% figure was listed in a different brochure or something. my bad. http://www.smokelessheat.com/Media/FurnaceDocuments/Varm Vedolux/VEDOLUX37Manual.pdf pg.9 "Oak should be well dried, for more than three years, and or mixed with other wood types to avoid the negative factors of high acidity." sweden is on the three year plan!
If I'm starting a fire with mostly BL, I will mix in a piece or two Pine and/or Cedar, and that will light it off just fine. And yes, my CAT stove throws the MOST heat out when in the coaling stage, and the coaling stage lasts a l--o--n--g time, especially when BL is in there! Its amazing, you look in the stove and there is nothing going on, just some glowing red coals, but the stove will be throwing off ferocious amounts of heat. Raybonz, do you have an ashpan? Most of my ashes fall down into the pan, which leaves the coals free to burn up. That may be the difference? I love the ashpan! Can't understand why anyone would run a stove without one!
I love locust ! old old locust with no bark and standing dead with bark seems like 2 different kinds of wood. The old no bark for long (coal ) like burns is good and with bark dead gets red hot now but don't last long. I would not want to go a winter without it.
I always mix locust with something else as well. I call it deciduous coal & it can really smoke and stink until it catches fire, then watch out!. The locust I've been burning was in a neighbor's shed for 30+ years so moisture wasn't the issue. A little cherry, soft maple or pine works wonders.
I like to mix some lighter wood in with my hedge to help set it off, otherwise it can be hard to take off.... Hackberry, Ash, or Maple....
In my old stove I could load it full of nothing but locust and do just wonderful, but with this new cat stove it runs much better if I mix it. Also easier to get up to cat engage.
I'd suggest that you're mixing up heat output and rate of heat output. Yes, it's been experimentally determined way back that potential heat output from woodburners is about equally divided between burning the distilled volatiles and the solids (coals). Time/rate does not enter into that.
