thombat4
ArboristSite Guru
Not only do I love burning pine, but it's sure fun to split with the Fiskars SS...!
Not only do I love burning pine, but it's sure fun to split with the Fiskars SS...!
I tried to split some knotty pine with my SS and the darn axe sunk in and didn't come out without thorough verbal abuse.
I use pine cones and pine twigs to start the fire. But I wouldn't soley burn pine...someone here posted a picture of their flu after burning Pine for 3 months...I think after you see that....your arm would shake as you placed the pine in your stove or fireplace. LOL
That guy's pine was not seasoned long enough and he choked down his burn. I burn almost nothing but pine and got a whopping pint of crud when I swept the chimney last month.
It takes about a year to season most any wood (some oak maybe 2)
Just go cut more!
Hi Chimney Sweep,
I have a quick question about my open fireplace - probably a silly question. Is it ok to burn softwoods in an open fireplace? I have a neighbour that is getting rid of dozens of thick floorboards, and I think they are pine. I also have access to a lot of pallets (again pine). These are all dry and untreated. I have read differing reports, from pine being absolutely fine, thought to it being a cause of creosote build up.
I would like to use the pine to supplement my smokeless coal. I get my chimney swept once a year, am I likely to get any problems?
Thanks in advance
Pugster
------------
Hi Pugster
Its a soft wood and if not seasond correctly will produce a lot of creosote.
Make sure any wood you burn is very dry and has no chemicals in it as these may come back into the room and poisen you.
Pine also has a low heat out put compared to other wood. Besides that can not see a reason why not use it if its free, dry and not treated
------------
Hi again,
Many thanks for your response, this is my first year burning anything, so I'll give it a go. If I get you out for a sweep in spring would you be able to tell if I was doing any damage, and could it be permanent - or would a sweep sort it?
Thanks again
Mark
------------
Hi Pugster
If its creosote you can't sweep it and it a pain to remove and expensive.
It really depends on where you live.
I just moved from Big Bear Lake where we had very low humidity most of the time. I have cut, split & stacked green, living Ponderosa pine in September and then tarped it around the end of October when the snows started.
I started burning it in early January. The smaller splits were bone dry and I worked down through the pile into spring. Our relative humidity was usually 10-15%, often lower.
I know that's a somewhat extreme case (but a lot of high mountain climates are like that) and "average places" might take a year.
And after cleaning my chimney at the end of the season - maybe a 1/4 cup of soot.
I love pine, not nearly as much as I love oak, but I still love pine!
.
I don't think anyone in this thread is burning on a cast iron or otherwise open fireplace. Most of us are serious about heating with wood. Take the advice of the chimney sweeps in your area or get a good wood stove installed.
This went six pages!!!
Enter your email address to join: