is it ok to burn pine

[wojo]

i'm going to be installing a wood/coal furnace in my house next year. I have access to a lot of pine. would it be ok to burn the pine on a regular basis? and if so how long would i have to let it season? thank you

 

[HUSKYMAN]

Yes, its fine to burn. If you cut it this spring dont burn it next winter if you can help it, wait for the next.

Burning it in a house just means cleaning your chimney on a regular basis to prevent creosote buildup. Also mixing pine with some hardwood helps too.

 

[Vibes]

I have a BIL who burns anything that fits in the door of his burner. 2 years ago he probably burned 6 to 7 cords of really sappy pine. I helped him clean his chimney [ because I have a ladder that reaches it ] and his flue was no worse than any I have ever seen. I used to do wildlife pest control, and I saw some real bad ones.

I burn pine because I have about 10 dead pines on my property. I usually save it for late in the year when I'm just making a morning fire to take the chill off. It burns good and hot but not long.

 

[mga]

hey....i ain't proud...i burn pine along with other wood.

i don't go out of my way to work for it and so many people stack it at the road side because pine has a bad rep. they throw it out...i take it.

my fireplace burns hot anyways and pine really heats the house up.

as the other guys said....season it well.

 

[wdchuck]

Pine is fine, like all wood for indoor appliances, season it well. Split, and drying for a year works dandy, and clean/check your chimney regularly for creosote buildup, clean as needed. Burning hot, no matter the wood, helps keep the chimney clean/dry.
I burn whatever comes my way, after it's sat out for a year or so, split.

 

[Tesen]

What they say; I am actually sick of hearing about these anti-pine BS. Burn seasoned, burn hot and clean your chimney often!

Any heat that does not put money in other peoples pockets is good heat!

Tes

 

[LarryTheCableGuy]

As the other have said, there is nothing wrong with pine. It is usually the only wood that I can get for free as it is plentiful around here. I almost always have to buy hardwood though.

I have an acquaintance that has a few acres and he seems to want to "get rid of" a couple of trees each year - Whoo Hoo!! Last night we burned some pine from his place that I cut last August - it is very dry up here - so some of the smaller splits from the outside of the woodstack were dry enough already.


.

 

[streeter]

After I taught the wife to burn wood correctly She now likes pine, and besides I just found an awesome place to get pine for free I live in Arizona and will burn what ever I can get my hands on. I just finished cutting for the day and have about 3/4 of a cord cut for next year already

 

[blunt]

I've got 6 or 7 chord of pine rounds cut last year waiting to be split and sold / burnt this year (southern hemipshere winter). Its getting nice and dry without loosing too much weight ... leaving it it rounds to dry/season helps keep the sap content up IMO. Filled my first trailer load of split rounds ready for the market. Gonna be fun!

 

[StihltheOne]

If ya think that pine does not burn well, how about all the fires in the west? I have burned it for years, no problems, get a good routine on the chimney cleaning, burn it hot, and dry. I use the self cleaning method of chimney maint. just like a self cleaning stove. Get some good heat in the chimney often and for a little while, while you are watching of course. Just let common sense and fear be your guide and you will be fine in ANY situation.

 

[smokechase II]

wood burning

You do not want to burn any species of wood if you have that same species growing nearby.

They know.

**************

Essentially, all dry wood burns with the same energy release on an equal weight basis.

Pine is lighter, will not put out the same heat as Oak that has been dried the same.

If you are buying wood by the cord. Prices will hopefully reflect this fact and a cord of Maple will cost more than an equivalent cord of Pine. But based on their dry weight they should be similar in cost.

Dry pine doesn't need kindling to get it going.
If you're cutting dead beetle kill it is easy on your back and truck.

 

[mga]

oh, wait a sec......don't burn any pine!!

send it to me for "recycling".

 

[sredlin]

I would never pass on pine--great to mix in with hardwood

 

[stonykill]

What they say; I am actually sick of hearing about these anti-pine BS. Burn seasoned, burn hot and clean your chimney often!

Any heat that does not put money in other peoples pockets is good heat!

Tes

my rule has always been, if it's a species of tree, fits thru the door, and is seasoned, its getting burned.

 

[Tesen]

my rule has always been, if it's a species of tree, fits thru the door, and is seasoned, its getting burned.

After my own heart

Tes

 

[Marc]

Pine in a wood furnace, probably not a problem as others have mentioned, especially if well seasoned. It burns hot because it is a resinous wood, but not particularly dense, and therefore does not contain a tremendous amount of potential heat per volume.

They only caveat I'd add to everyone's advice here is, becareful burning it in a wood stove, particularly a stove with a catalytic converter. It's not burning pine at full vent that produces creosote, on the contrary it tends to burn so hot because of the resin it can burn away some built up creosote.

If you're burning it in a device that does not allow it to freeburn, i.e. an idling wood furnace or a dampered woodstove, be careful, because it does have propensity for building creosote, and at least in the case of my Vermont Castings, it is not recommended to burn softwoods because it can damage the cat.

 

[Zodiac45]

As I understand it. All wood species have the same BTU index by weight. That said, pine burns good and hot (due too the large cell structure) but fast for the same reason and it's relative light weight. Hardwood has a smaller, denser cell stucture and is heavier by size. So the same weight of pine is gonna give you equal BTU's as maple or yellow birch, etc. The pile might be 3 times the size of the maple though etc.. Personally I use it with cedar for kindling in my big Glenwood cookstove. Catches fast and heats up quick. Good for summer wood too when all you want is too cook a quick meal on the stove.opcorn:

 

[Marc]

As I understand it. All wood species have the same BTU index by weight. That said, pine burns good and hot (due too the large cell structure) but fast for the same reason and it's relative light weight. Hardwood has a smaller, denser cell stucture and is heavier by size. So the same weight of pine is gonna give you equal BTU's as maple or yellow birch, etc. The pile might be 3 times the size of the maple though etc..

Nearly true, but not perfectly. Softwoods actually contain slightly higher energy per weight because they tend to contain more resin and more lignin than hardwoods, both of which have higher heats of combustion than cellulose, which as you aptly indicated, is the same basic compound no matter what the species of wood.

The difference in resin and lignin content, however, is generally not enough to make up for the difference in weight density, and therefore a comparable volume of most hardwood will yield more heat.