Picked up three P/U loads of box elder this past summer/fall and I was interested in how it would burn as I thought it was a soft wood. Turns out, it smells bad! Reminds me of finding a mouse nest in a storage barn-you have that sickening mouse pee smell?? Turns out they really were PU loads! Any other burners out there that can't stand the smell of certain species burning?
It still burns fine! I have burned plenty of it and the house stays warm. I don't remember mine smelling all that bad though.
Ya, it smells bad when burning, at one time I swore it off, pledging to throw it on a burn pile henceforth to eternity, HOWEVER, I've changed my tune. It throws pretty good heat, it ain't white oak now, but hey, it's better than willow. Plus, it makes for good bowl turning.
Just wondering when you say it smells bad burning is smoke getting in your house? I guess I am confused as i really don't smell the wood that I burn in my stove at all.
Ok that makes more sense lol.......... I was going to say even when I am outside in the yard and my stove is going I rarely if ever smell anything.
The most foul smelling wood I've ever had is yellowwood. Smells JUST like a cat box when splitting/handling. I couldn't get the smell off my fingers for days. It's been dry for a while now and the smell has mellowed out, but when it gets rained on it stinks again
Some give box elder a bad rap but not me. It is a maple and will give heat about on par with soft maple. Not one to hold long fires but will still give you lots of btus. There are not many woods that I don't like the smell of but we cut some hybrid popple and that is awful.
Couple years ago a guy said I have a few poplar down if ya want them. While C-S-S the best comparison I can make was an aroma similar to stagnate cow urine filtered through cow pie. Dried out in about a month and quit stinkin and didn't stink when burned.
Cottonwood can get nasty. I don't remember the box elder I burned last winter having too much of a smell....maybe my sniffer is broken.
This is my 3rd year heating my home with wood......................probably 30-40% of my wood scrounges have been box elder. It's burns nice when dry...............just not near as long as oak, mulberry, osage, etc. If'n you're just getting into wood heat; and you're not ahead on your wood supply, you should be hoarding all the box elder you can get your hands on IMHO!! After CSS'ed, it'll season in 6-8 months.
I'm not a huge fan of box elder as it burns too quickly. But as mighty says, it does dry quickly, and I'm not on a hoarding level as most here are. I plan to get at least 2 cords cut up and stacked in the woods this winter yet.
I thought you went with the "unibrow" look..............and the hairless knuckles were from dragging them on the ground!!!
I burn it after 12 months minimum usually 2 years. It burns clean and smell free for me when its dry right. I burned some after 6 months that looked and felt bone dry and boy was I wrong it reaked!
I burn it now after 1 year CSS'd.....................the first year I burned, it was only 6-8 months after CSSing, and I had no major problems. No objectionable smell NOW AT ALL when reloading the stove or when I go let the dogs out to do "their business"!!
Most woods stink outside wall burning, with the exceptions, Hickory cherry etc. Oak ash maple doesn't smell that great outside no smoking, e no matter still stink
