15 years ago my company decided to dable in the mill business. Within the 1st 6 months we got a standing order for beech timbers and RR ties at the time were a hot market. For the last 15 years I have been blessed with a never ending supply of beech firewood and this was about 99% of what I burned,,,, until this year. We had to close the mill in '08 and my beech supply has almost run out. 3 years ago I sourced some oak and maple lumber cutoffs from a mill that were on the long side that no one else wanted for firewood. Most 20"-36" which is ideal for my furnace and at $30/triaxle load I couldn't complain. Ive mixed some in with the beech but this year im into 100% oak/maple and a smattering of cherry,ash and walnut. Over the last 15 years its been a struggle to keep my chimney clean and Ive had to get creative to access the roof/top of chimney and moved the furnace so I could add a horizontal T for easier brushing . Like clockwork (backpuffing/low draft would indicate cleaning time) every 2 weeks it needed brushed. The above air draft holes would even need cleaning every 2-3 days. I started the beast furnace up 3 weeks ago today. Still have awesome draft and holes have not needed cleaned even once. I know these type of furnaces run at lower temps than stoves and results may vary. I think I'll pass on straight runs of beech for now on. Oak is KING.
Jred85 runs an older style wood furnace and I was surprised at how much build up he had. I've never run one so it seemed like a lot compared to my Blaze King. Maybe it's a little more normal then I thought. We're working on improving his wood supply though so he has better and drier stuff to burn.
The first couple years I thought that the wood wasn't seasoned enough BUT the stuff I burned last year with the same results was 7+ years seasoned. Ran across this in my research through my troubles. Right from Wiki under Creosote. "Because wood-tar creosote is used for its guaiacol and creosol content, it is generally derived from beechwood rather than other woods, since it distills with a higher proportion of those chemicals to other phenolics." Never had the buildup in my Englander stove burning the same beech. I'm sure the way the furnace burns and the fact that it was a straight run of beech played a big part in my problems. Had the wood not been processed right on my property and free with no labor involved other than stacking in the shed I wouldn't have used that much beech and for so long.
I think that what really is the best plan is to mix your wood. I can see burning too much of one kind will not allow a self cleaning. I'll take beech over oak any day, personally. But neither is king.....
