What size wood do you prefer

[dave_dj1]

for your OWB?
I have a Heatmor 200css , it will take up to 33" long wood, I cut all my wood at or near 24" basically because I don't want to handle anything any longer.
I store it on half pallets as that is all my little tractor can move.
Over the last three or four years I have forced myself to split it less and less meaning I end up with larger and heavier splits. The older I get I am thinking about two things, one being splitting the wood much finer and just tossing in more pieces at feeding time and two, cutting it shorter like say 15" and splitting it like I do now and just tossing in two rows or however they land.
I feed it twice a day, morning and evening. I typically put in about 5-6 pieces, sometimes less, depending on the outside temps. I'm heating about 1850 sf
One of my reasons for posting this is to see what the general consensus is on the size of the wood vs burn times. Is bigger better or doesn't it matter? I burn only seasoned hardwoods, Rd Oak, Maple, Ash and White Birch with an occasional Cherry log now and then.
I am very happy with how my OWB performs right now.

 

[H-Ranch]

I *prefer* 4-6" straight poles cut to 42" length. But you usually don't come across enough of those to last a season.

I generally try to cut 18-20" rounds and split accordingly. I probably split too small, more like indoor wood stove type size. But I figure they season better and that way my wife and girls can load if needed. I need to force myself to split less like you have been. I typically load twice a day also with the amount according to the temperature. Usually use a mix of hard and soft wood, again based on temperature.

I also have a stack or two of oddball sizes, forks, end cuts, punky rounds, and what-not that usually starts the season.

Drives me nuts to see a pile of fresh big rounds piled high next to an OWB - I know they burn more than necessary and smoke more than necessary. Eventually we'll all get shut down for that.

 

[Marley5]

This thread is gonna lead me to a little story......hang on.
Wife and I ran into some old friends at Walmart. several years back they moved over the mountain into WV.
He has the same OWB that I have " CB 5036 " and he heats half the square footage that I do but yet burns twice as much wood.
After questioning his procedure, he throws 3ft logs in and has done so for years where I cut my wood around 18".

Here's the problem with the long stuff. The back half of the log is doing all it's burning at the exit, the exhaust and actually serves as a wick pulling heat and flame out.
He claimed many nights his flue collar was Orange .

After my suggestion to him to throw in shorter wood, placed closer to the door, he cut his wood consumption in half.

 

[JRM]

I shoot for 24" long pieces + or -
I Tend to split them on the smaller side as they season out faster and are easier for the wife to handle.
It is more work though, and a temptation every time I split.