Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

MEMBER BULLETIN BOARD => PHOTO PAGE - MEMBER PHOTOS & BEE-MOVIES HERE! => Topic started by: Irwin on April 04, 2010, 05:42:33 pm

Title: Fire wood
Post by: Irwin on April 04, 2010, 05:42:33 pm
I went and got some firewood the other day.



http://picasaweb.google.com/irwin453/BitBox#5456384891714952898 (http://picasaweb.google.com/irwin453/BitBox#5456384891714952898)
Title: Re: Fire wood
Post by: Kathyp on April 04, 2010, 06:07:58 pm
that looks like some nice stuff.  have to admit that i miss the smell of a good wood fire!  i don't miss the work!
Title: Re: Fire wood
Post by: Irwin on April 04, 2010, 06:33:10 pm
second growth doug fir and yes it smells great. Got a hydraulic wood splitter the only part I don't like is the stacking have to stack it three times before you burn it #1 in the truck #2 in the wood shed #3 in the wood box
Title: Re: Fire wood
Post by: hardwood on April 04, 2010, 07:08:25 pm
Doesn't douglas fir foul up your flue too much?

Scott
Title: Re: Fire wood
Post by: Dane Bramage on April 04, 2010, 08:06:33 pm
Good show Irwin!  I've been running my wood stove a lot lately!

Doug Fir never fouled up the chimney here... it does burn fast and creates quite a bit of ash (compared to hard woods).  Not as bad as the willow I burned this winter though ~> tree almost crushed my hives! (http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,21812.msg166745.htm)

I like the smell of burning wood too but now burn these almost exclusively:
(http://www.bmfp.com/storage/bearbricks.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1222930449330)
with an oil (veggie) drip, like this:
[youtube]HfPcqvlPzDA[/youtube]

I'm already running my two diesels on WVO, & have a lot of extra oil for heat.  Works great!
Title: Re: Fire wood
Post by: AllenF on April 04, 2010, 10:17:34 pm
Just what are those bear bars?  Never seen them down here.  We all heat with wood here.  I have a central wood furnace down in the basement that heats the whole house.  We go though a lot of wood!
Title: Re: Fire wood
Post by: Kathyp on April 04, 2010, 10:21:28 pm
dane, i was thinking those might be good for camping?  what do you think?

i switched from wood to pellet a few years ago.  it's great and far more efficient.  less work   :)
Title: Re: Fire wood
Post by: Irwin on April 05, 2010, 09:18:40 am
Dane how much do they cost a ton. Wood heat is the only way I can get warm. And yes hard wood is allot better for the heat and ash I like madrone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Madrone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Madrone)
Title: Re: Fire wood
Post by: Highlandsfreedom on April 05, 2010, 12:11:12 pm
Here in Colorado we (I) use the pine beetle kill trees.  They are cheep and plentiful.
Title: Re: Fire wood
Post by: Dane Bramage on April 06, 2010, 01:26:58 pm
Just what are those bear bars?  Never seen them down here.  We all heat with wood here.  I have a central wood furnace down in the basement that heats the whole house.  We go though a lot of wood!

Those fire bricks are made of compressed sawdust ("blend of douglas fir, cedar and hardwood sawdust, as well as forestry residuals harvested from sustainably-managed public and private forest lands located near our factory in Cascade Locks, OR.  ...100% wood with no binders, adhesives or waxes.").  I've used Idaho Energy Logs (http://www.northidahoenergylogs.com/productfacts.htm) as well as these Bear Bricks (http://www.bmfp.com/bear-bricks/).  If you can get a local source for similar products defintiely check them out.  The extremely low ash production is a definite feature when heating will all wood all the time.  They comparably cost less then hard (e.g. oak) cord-wood here.  Awfully clean & convenient to store as well (compact!).

dane, i was thinking those might be good for camping?  what do you think?

i switched from wood to pellet a few years ago.  it's great and far more efficient.  less work   :)

They might be too efficient for camping, if that makes sense.  They are a very dense heat source.  When I think campfire I think big bonfire & it would take a lot of them to make a large fire.   They are very convenient to transport though and would work, especially for small cooking & heat fires.  
Do pellet stoves work without electricity?  I've heard they heat great but not having heat in a power outage would be a concern to me.

Dane how much do they cost a ton. Wood heat is the only way I can get warm. And yes hard wood is allot better for the heat and ash I like madrone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Madrone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Madrone)

I paid $199/pallet (1944lbs) @ Coastal (http://www.coastalfarm.com/).  12 Bear Bricks per tray, 81 trays per pallet, 972 total Bricks per pallet.  Each Bear Brick can produce 16,000 BTUs of heat
Title: Re: Fire wood
Post by: Kathyp on April 06, 2010, 02:54:14 pm
i have battery backup and two generators.  i have to be able to run the well and the coffee pot.  after that, the pellet stove  :-D
Title: Re: Fire wood
Post by: Scadsobees on April 06, 2010, 04:34:09 pm

Do pellet stoves work without electricity?  I've heard they heat great but not having heat in a power outage would be a concern to me.

No they don't, but they are basically running 2 small fans and a little auger motor (and an igniter on some), so a small generator would run one easily.

Wish I could get bear bricks out here.

Rick
Title: Re: Fire wood
Post by: Irwin on April 07, 2010, 10:45:33 am
They now have pellet stove's that have battery back up don't know long the battery will last.
Title: Re: Fire wood
Post by: Kathyp on April 07, 2010, 11:02:13 am
quite a while i think.  you just use a car battery.  the stove doesn't draw much electricity, and it only runs on low with battery back up.  i figure i'll just work my way through every vehicle out there and by then, the power should be back on  ;)

Dane, i am not into bonfires when i camp.  i still have a southern CA fear of fire.  my camp fires are for cooking, keeping the coffee warm, and taking the chill of me in the morning.