crazy idea that just might work.

[climber338]

Ok so i know a few guys who have to pay to get rid of there wood chips and wouldnt mind just dumping a few loads of chips at my house. My idea is to shovel the chip into my stove when its already burning logs. i dont think the smaller chips will burn because there is no air movement. My idea is to use larger chips so there will be air movement and will burn better that smaller chips. Has anybody tried this out? if so let me know because that means almost free heat for me

 

[Circle B MN]

You are about to make a lot of smoke.

 

[dms]

Is that because the most "chips" are either green or stored outside and are just wet?


I bet you would have to use "seasoned" dry chips if it was going to work at all.

 

[mga]

use them as mulch.

 

[ericjeeper]

They would burn just fine if you could "trickle" them into the fire. But just a big pile of them is not going to burn I am afraid.

 

[blades]

There was some research along this line of thought quite awhile back. It did not pan out for what you are suggesting. What does work is if you were to grind the chips to the consistency of flour and then spray them into a standing flame source. The resulting blast furnace effect is being used, although I can not remember where I read about it. Major drawback is the resulting powder can be explosive given the right conditions. A few years ago we had a grain elevator take out a pretty good chunk of territory here in Milwaukee, More recently a coal dust explosion. Both were ignited by a electrical spark of some sort.

 

[Butch(OH)]

The others have it right. Shoveling any amount of damp chips into a stove means LOTS of smoke and little heat. Even when dry they make quite a bit of smoke. My wood is under cover and occasionaly I clean up the "froth" and throw it in the OWB. It is pretty dry but I only do it at night and a shovel full at a time.

 

[gr8scott72]

Too green, too wet, too small. Lots'o smoke.

 

[KsWoodsMan]

Chips dont allow any airflow. Throwing them in a fire will put the fire out. If you had a pellet mill and a drying oven you could sack them and sell them or burn them in a steel basket.

Maybe if you built a regular fire ontop of a 3" -4" layer of them they'd get consumed.

Part of the problem is the Moisture Content. Fresh chips will be wringing wet with water. Since they cant get air a pile of them wouldn't dry out.

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

Tell your buddy's(or you can do this) to put it on a pile and resell/give it away to their friends as mulch. Spread it around bushes or trees. If they can't deal with a pile in their yard they deserve to pay to get rid of it.

There are WAY easier ways to get wood than messing with wet chips.

 

[woodchop]

Do a search on compost heat and you could have another project and heat source.

 

[HARRY BARKER]

the original poster didnt mention "wet" chips"...thinking "outside the box" is never a bad thing.pellets burn....why so negative on chips?

 

[ba-1]

We use tree trimmings for cattle bedding they will stay wet
if they are wet.If left setting out in the summer the pile will
dry out but over time the pile will rot and if it stays wet it will
turn to mud over time.

 

[blades]

pellets are burned using a forced draft which would work with chips also. The issue I see more often than not is the feed system jamming up or overfeeding ( I think they all are using an auger system. yes ,no?), I could only imagine the nightmare trying to feed chips along the same lines. There are other ways to feed but noise is a factor also. ( vibrating inclined ramp or?)

 

[treeserv.jax]

down here we/ and othe companys advertise free mulch on the back of all work trucks.

 

[yooper]

I have alot of older chip piles that I plant potatoes in...works good after the piles get about 2-3 yrs old. and there easy to pick by hand. sorry to get off topic from burning them.

 

[itn]

Farmtec sells a boimass boiler that says its designed to burn wood chips.

 

[dave_dj1]

I would think if you had a way to feed the chips, some sort of agitator, and a forced draft that you could burn them. I think one thing is if you have the time to experiment with it and are willing to modify your unit.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

the original poster didnt mention "wet" chips"...thinking "outside the box" is never a bad thing.pellets burn....why so negative on chips?

Try drying a pile of chips and you'll see.



Hey, do you know a great way to get wood smoke for your electric sausage smoker?


Add wood chips.


Works well on a good bed of coals, too, but you have to be careful not to use too many or they will smother the coals.

 

[yooper]

Farmtec sells a boimass boiler that says its designed to burn wood chips.

The school my kids go to have one and burn wood chips to heat the school.