Thanks. I actually do plan ahead. I get a truckload of tree length every other year, and saw up 4 cords+ each year myself, and then I also order a few cords cut, split and delivered as needed. I usually go through 7-8 cords per winter, but this winter looks like a 10 corder, and I only had my normal 7-8 laid up, so had to buy some green.
The CEO did not know what he was talking about? There's a surprise. You are consuming some of the heat to boil off the water in the green wood. Many green woods will not even maintain a fire... Ash being a notable exception because it has a relatively low moisture content when cut.
As long as you keep the stack temp up you will be fine. Keeping the combustibles, "creosote" from condensing is the main thing to remember. Throttling down for "overnight" burns is when the most residue is formed, avoid adding the green stuff on those loads.
I wondered if that was an issue. BTW fellow Mainer: Welcome to the forum. I am a bit south of you by Belfast.
18-20" of snow last night. 25mph sustained, 40mph peak gusts. Hit an amazingly warm 29 degrees last night, but back into the cooler this afternoon. -35F wind chill here predicted for tomorrow morning.
Hi Dennis, Skimmed it. Seems to be a real good primer for a newbie. I am a 21-year vet though, but still never tried mixing in green wood, thus, this thread.
All good points. As long as you are burning 1 wetbto 3 dry snd keeping your chimney hot, you will be fine. You may get a slight efficiency drop, but not enough to worry about it. You can triple or multiply the moisture content by 10, but as long as the temp stays hot that moisture and entrained carbon will not condense into creosote. Really simple. The conversion of the water in the wood into steam again causes efficiency reduction. The boiler reference earlier is for a circulating fluidized bed boiler. The operating temps are far higher than anyone’s stoves, and the gas scrubbers remove anything that could bind with the moisture they would create creosote. I was an Plant engineer for one, so I have good idea on the operating principles. Long story short, burn it hot.
I use the creosote logs once per month. I will say I burn 10 cords of wood a season in a 3 story chimney. The biggest benefit for me is the expanded metal screen at the top of the chimney seems to self clean after this. The 8 inch stainless triple wall, does not clean, but looks like grey ash top to bottom post burning the log. I also clean the chimney beginning of season and again in February for insurance.
This is how we dry the green wood before it goes into our stove, 4 hours at about 200 F, we had only green wood at the time.
I let my green wood sit in the pile right next to the stove with the dry for several hours, minimum, before burning it. Best I can do...
