Firewood won't burn :(

[MtnBikerChk]

This is the first year we're using our fireplace so we got our landscaper to recommend someone to buy firewood from. We bought a cord - shame on me for not asking more questions - I know, but I was told it was seasoned firewood. I trust my landscaper so I didn't ask what kind of wood or how long it had been seasoned for.....


Anyway, so now we are trying to use it and the wood won't burn. It just chars and burns out quickly.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[rb_in_va]

This is the first year we're using our fireplace so we got our landscaper to recommend someone to buy firewood from. We bought a cord - shame on me for not asking more questions - I know, but I was told it was seasoned firewood. I trust my landscaper so I didn't ask what kind of wood or how long it had been seasoned for.....


Anyway, so now we are trying to use it and the wood won't burn. It just chars and burns out quickly.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Are you starting with kindling, then working your way up to full size pieces? Snap a pic of the wood, with bark if possible.

 

[MtnBikerChk]

Are you starting with kindling, then working your way up to full size pieces? Snap a pic of the wood, with bark if possible.

we don't really have any kindling - we've been using "cheater logs" (duraflame firestart).

pics:
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c132/MtnBikerChk/IMG_5321.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c132/MtnBikerChk/IMG_5320.jpg

 

[12guns]

the wood should still burn even if freshly cut and green (although not ideal)
You have to start w/ small pieces and gradually get larger as the coals build up. w/o that, it is unlikely that a firestarter will directly light large green logs. Try splitting on of them into lots of splenter like pieces, then build a fire w/ your firestarter. once that's going, add some slightly larger pieces, and so on. I have burned a lot of green wood, just takes a hotter fire to burn.

 

[MtnBikerChk]

I have burned a lot of green wood, just takes a hotter fire to burn.

I was kind of starting to think that this is the case.

I'll have my husband get out the axe! Thanks

 

[ggttp]

If you have a grate in the fire place that the wood sits on do not remove all your ashes. You want to keep the ashes just a few inches below were your logs sit. This keeps the hot embers that fall, close to the wood. It will make starting and keeping fires much easier.

 

[laynes69]

Looks like dead wood, or a little punky. It should be just fine. If it hisses and foams then you have green, or wet wood. If there is no hissing or foaming then the wood should be dry enough. Like posted, get some kindling and go with some smaller splits, then the larger and you will be fine.

 

[tawilson]

You say this is the first year using your fireplace. If it is an existing one you are just starting to use, you should have it inspected before using.

 

[okietreedude1]

the stuff looks almost rotten. If so, it aint gonna burn worth much but the smoke will be something else.

And like wilson said, get your chimney cleaned & inspected, it helps prevent chimney fires.

 

[MtnBikerChk]

Thanks all. We had the chimney cleaned (and repointed) this year too!

That one piece is dark - but the others are not - I probably picked bad one to photograph but that's what was in the house.

I was able to get it roaring pretty good last night after all your help.

THanks again.

I'm enjoying reading the posts on this site

 

[mga]

This is the first year we're using our fireplace so we got our landscaper to recommend someone to buy firewood from. We bought a cord - shame on me for not asking more questions - I know, but I was told it was seasoned firewood. I trust my landscaper so I didn't ask what kind of wood or how long it had been seasoned for.....


Anyway, so now we are trying to use it and the wood won't burn. It just chars and burns out quickly.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

what type of fireplace do you have? does it have doors on it? when buring are the doors open or closed? is it being starved of oxygen? from what you have stated, it sounds more like a starved-for-air fire problem.

start your fire using small kindling, even splitting some of that wood into smaller pieces until you get a hot fire going. then throw 2 or 3 pieces onto it. be sure there is air flow under and around your grate.

 

[MtnBikerChk]

what type of fireplace do you have? does it have doors on it? when buring are the doors open or closed? is it being starved of oxygen? from what you have stated, it sounds more like a starved-for-air fire problem.

start your fire using small kindling, even splitting some of that wood into smaller pieces until you get a hot fire going. then throw 2 or 3 pieces onto it. be sure there is air flow under and around your grate.

no doors!

thanks for the tips!

 

[mga]

no doors!

thanks for the tips!

lol...no doors....that kills the "starved for oxygen" guess.

 

[daemon2525]

Not to Hi-Jack the thread, but I have a regular brick fireplace/chimney, etc. and the thing has GLASS DOORS on the front that close. It has mesh under that glass that cannot be closed. Is it ever OK to run the fireplace with the glass doors closed? That just does not seem right to me. Won't the glass get hot and break, or get too hot?

thanks

 

[begleytree]

Normally that is what you would do, open the glass doors, start the fire and close the mesh curtians. are you sure the mesh won't close? Mine sometimes gets stuck and needs a good pull to free it.
-Ralph

 

[mga]

i have a brick fireplace too. however, it has a thick steel box around it and vents on the sides of the brick. (convection heating. i tried small fans in there but i didn't care for the noise.

years ago i bought something called an Arvin heat stream. it sits inside the fireplace and the logs sit on several tubes. the blower pushes air thru the box, then thru the tubes then out under the glass doors via a 1" vent. the damn thing throws alot of hot air!! unfortunately they don't make them any more. the other day i put a digital thermometer infront of the vent..it was pushing about 272 degrees, and i didn't have a big fire going.

anyways.....

add that to my glass doors. when i installed the glass doors, not only did i add extra insulation to the sides, but i sealed the frame to the bricks with some 1/2" foam tape stuff. i also ran some silicone caulking where it sits on top of that heat stream vent to further make it air tight. i also did some things to make the glass doors shut slightly tighter to prevent air from seeping in.

i burn every fire with the doors closed and this set up heats my 2000 SF ranch home and it burns very little wood. the fire inside is very hot, the logs glow red. i've never worried about the glass breaking and sometimes they get so hot you can't touch them. those doors have been on there for years.

 

[JBinKC]

To me it looks like dead wood that has been hanging around for multiple years that has been recently cut (within a month). I agree it lost a portion of its original btu potential and it probably still has more moisture in the wood than desired as I see very little evidence of cracks on the ends of the cuts. And if the the wood is punky (mushy) it acts as a sponge so it must be always kept in a bone dry location for it to burn more efficiently.

My suggestion is to build a hot fire of kindling and smaller logs 3 " inches and less and then progressively use larger pieces as the temperature of the stove rises and keep the remaining wood in a dry location. It should be much better for burning within a few months.

If the wood is still not burning I would then conclude you have a draft problem with your chimney.

 

[begleytree]

The owner's manual on mine specifically states not to close the glass doors if a fire is burning. My sister had a glass panel break on her after closing the doors on a dying fire at bedtime. Boils down to different models, It seems..
-Ralph

 

[daemon2525]

Yes, My fireplace is like MGA.. It has a thick steel box built into the fireplace with air space behind the steel. It has vents on either side of the door opening at the bottom and at the top. Cold air goes in the bottom vents and behind the steel and out the top vents. It works good. I have placed a small 9" x 9" fan in front of the bottom vents blowing in and I can REALLY get some heat out of the thing. This small plastic fan is so quiet that you cannot hear it.

Begley , my mesh curtains work fine.. I meant that there is additional air vents under the doors that would draw air even if the glass doors were closed. That is why I thought that maybe you were suppose to close the glass doors under certain conditions.

 

[bytehoven]

You might consider makin' a practice of collecting a pile of your small fallen limbs/branches.

If you use the 9oz duraflame starter logs, break them up length wise into 2 or 3 sections, and lay them in with a nice 1 foot high pile of the tree branches.

Lay a half dozen or so 1-2" thick branch sections on top of this starter pile.

Let her rip.

When you burn about half way through this starter pile, load in some more 1-2" branches or log sections. You're trying to get a nice little pile of ambers going before you load in your larger logs.

I also agree you might benefit from splitting your firewood logs into something no larger than 3-4" on a side. I have a smaller 36" fireplace which is never able to get burning hot enough to keep a pile of 6"+ logs burning. It just won't do it.

The other thing I have found useful with a smaller fireplace, is making the length of the logs shorter. I cut my firewood to 12" lengths. This lets me lay some log pieces on a diagonal when stacking wood on the grate, making it easier for air and fire to weave through the log pile.

IMHO, keeping a good fire going in a smaller fireplace is almost an art.

Regarding splitting up your firewood logs, get yourself a small 12" axe and a small 12" 5lb maul hammer. This is an easy combo to work, driving the axe through the log with the maul. The dryer the wood, the easier it will split. If you have any logs which have obvious limb joints running through the log, don't bother trying to split them. Keep them for burning one at a time when you have a real nice fire going.

Good luck and enjoy your fireplace ambiance.