The "burning" season is winding down here in most of the USA now. Just curious as to what; if anything, my fellow burners have learned "THIS YEAR" whilst burning. I've learned at least a couple things. 1. BWS is always right................even when you think he's wrong. 2. When you have a lot of small (3-5"rounds not including bark) white oak rounds..................split them at least once. 3. Burning above (#2) wood sucks with the bark on......................even at 2+ years!!! 4. I hate burning bark!!
Split smaller for me. Drys better handles easier. Easier to load in the stove Get on a 2 year or more plan Learned I should have got a vertical splitter a long time ago And learned pro saws are worth the money. Not that mid range isnt I cut more than most pros with my 290's but my time spent cutting decreased with a pro saw. That could be good and bad depending how you look at it. I enjoy cutting so the speed is a down side in that reguard but in long run a good thing
I've got some mulberry rounds, about 5", 2 years stacked coming in pretty high on the moisture meter. I learned I need to split a better selection of split sizes...
I learned several things, even with all the collective experience we have here..... 1.) 3 - year seasoned wood (top-covered) is incredible. 2.) 4-year seasoned oak is better than 3-year seasoned oak. 3.) With a good stove you CAN get an all-night burn out of woods like Norway maple, ash and even walnut!! 4.) the FHC is the best firewood forum on the entire PLANET!!
I understand a free stsnder generally does a bit better.. curious why an insert doesnt work for you? Many heat off of an insert 24/7 ... assuming you mean an insert that sticjs out onto hearth not a flush with the wall insert
I have learned by putting in one extra split I can get longer and hotter stove temp without a runaway!! Burning well seasoned firewood keeps the glass clean 3-4 burns before cleaning JIM
Two things stand out: 1. The mess you left, uglies shavings splinters and bark, in autumn and covered by snow all winter are still there for you to clean up in spring when the snow melts. 2. Cleaning your SS cat combustor with 50/50 vinegar/water brings new life to its operation. (spray, rinse & dry).
I learned my next home is going to be radiant floor. Lots more usable BTU's that way before reloading the boiler.
I learned I can heat my entire house, no problem, burning spruce, in the basement, during the coldest February on record. -the 30nc is a heating beast -the stove burns better if you don't stuff the stove to the gills -to get max heat you have to open the air as the burn progresses -spruce doesn't coal up or leave much ash -spruce is ready to burn in a yeas CSS, but two is better
I save the shavings and if I can saw dust I throw it on the garden and spread and let it rot there during winter. Last year I put our garden where my wood pile was and boy did it ever produce. We was swimming in veggies.
Sounds like a silly little thing, but I've been adding the sweepings around the stove to my compost bucket as I go. Feel stupid I never thought of this before. Can't add earth and dry material to the wet as I go in the winter, but this is a great substitute. Am expecting the combination to be very successful for getting the pile going nicely when it warms a bit. In a week or two will get a 5 gallon bucket of horse manure from my gardening buddy to jump start things. Learned that a damper in the chimney changes the entire ballgame. Learned to listen to the experts. Two years in a row, did one thing that had been recommended but was hesitant to try, and both were no brainer huge improvements. [the other was adding a flue probe thermometer]
I learned that proper spacing of the stacks in the yard can lead to more efficient wood processing. Everything from from pulling the trailer along side the rows, moving the wood less, and proper placement of the splitter. I also learned that replacing some garage service doors made a big improvement on heating the house.
I learned that I got lots of good heat from small diameter wood. Last winter I cut a bunch of small trees from my yard and tool the time to cut all the straight wood down to about an inch in diameter. That stuff is great for quick, hot fires. I also learned that one year isn't long enough in my stacks for Red Maple to be uniformly well seasoned. Some of it was good in a year, some not.
I learned a lot in my first winter of burning for heat. - if you're going to get wood from a tree guy, get it delivered directly to you. Otherwise the dirt on the logs will eat your chains in a hurry. Less handling = less dirt. - cutting wood in your driveway makes a lot of shavings. - if you can't develop a crack in a round after the 3rd strike with a splitting axe, set it aside and split it another way. - cut your rounds normal to the grain to make splitting easier. This is not always straight across the wood. - go easy on the chap-stick when cutting, as it attracts sawdust. - my wife dislikes the idea of running the saw around the horses much more than the horses dislike it. In fact they don't care as long as I'm not felling. - the wood under the shed left by the former owner wasn't clean or pretty, but it was dry and burned well. - you don't save any money burning wood if you buy a pro saw, grinder, and splitter all in the first season. Things I have yet to learn: - how I'm going to clean up those shavings - how long it will take for this winters cutting to dry. I might not have anything ready for next winter either - how my plan for stacking my splits on pallets will really turn out.
I have learned (already new this I guess) that there are many ways to skin a cat and some are so pretentious to think there way is the best way or the only way.
I learned that there's a great place with friendly like minded firewood hoarding people, where I can go to compare notes! Just stay out of the equipment and classified forums if you actually want to save money doing it!
Great thread, where to start?....My stacking and covering techniques are WAY better than they've ever been, although I still have room for improvement. Dennis, thank you for being vigilant on recommending I fix my stack covers so the water runs off of them! I've learned not to let a little mis-cover slide all winter, I fix problems with the stacks the minute I see them now. I'm way better with a saw than I was a year ago, I've learned a TON about felling and bucking over the year as well, although I had a hellish day felling a month or so ago and felt like I was going backwards. Went out yesterday to buck 'em and got my azz whacked by a branch when a big log hit the ground, so I've still got a ways to go. I can barely sit down today! So, lastly...BE CAREFUL OUT THERE! I know this one, but I learned it again yesterday and honestly I was lucky I only have a bruise. That's an important lesson to remember, if I had just looked down before bucking that tree I could have avoided a lot of pain.
Yes, an insert that sticks out on the hearth. I bought a small one to fit inside my metal form fireplace, so the firebox is small. It's low enough I have to get all the way down on the floor to load it. So, frequent feeding and getting up and down from the floor. That said, it heats great.
