Wood burning stove- wood question

[Pesty]

I've got some pine trunks. Not fully seasoned and a bit sappy.

Is is really a no no to burn it? Fire is sopped to be 90% efficient with ' tripple' burn is sap really going to get up the chimney and start a fire up there?


I've tried a few small logs just to see if they burn and my word they do.

Will the world end if I burn it all? I wont need to buy any wood this year or next if I use it.

[Pesty]

Thanks for the link. Seems another one of those myths.

It's going on the fire gets the house that hot we only usually light it and when that's burned down leave it off. Fast hot burning will be fine.

Builders off cuts nice. I bought it because our local skip place let us take pallets and random builders and quite often trees.

But they've stopped now. I think the word got out and too many people turned up.


Quick question. How would I know there was a fire in the flue? Most of it is outside.

Edited by Pesty on Wednesday 22 October 08:44

[Pesty]

dickymint said:

When I was a kid we used to play 'devil up the drainpipe' - scrunched up newspaper up the pipe, light it and hide!! Made one hell of roar and whistle

Right so strange noise poor water on fire.


On a related note. Getting fed up with Pulling my chainsaw 30 times to start the fker and not being able to start it again when hot and also not impressed with its power (ryobi not a cheap one either) I took a gamble on a cheap chinese 62cc 3.5hp for 85 quid was looking at stihl but couldn't justify the outlay.

started 2nd pull out of box and starts on one pull now, can even start it on my hands could never do that with the ryobi, cuts through anything. was expecting it to be ste but quite impressed

Edited by Pesty on Wednesday 22 October 18:15

[Pesty]

Yeah, great arnt they. Don't know how I lived this long without one.

Must learn how to sharpen the chains. Anybody recommend an idiot proof gadget

[Pesty]

RDMcG said:

I live in Canada. (lots of wood fires). Generally pine in never burned as it tends to leave tar in the flue. I buy winter wood and it is always hardwood.

you may want to check the link posted above.

[Pesty]

Tampon said:

I am all for "if it burns, it burns" in my wood burner, but I wouldn't take that article as gospel. Bio of the author

"Karie Fay earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology with a minor in law from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. After growing up in construction and with more than 30 years in the field, she believes a girl can swing a hammer with the best of them. She enjoys "green" or innovative solutions and unusual construction."

She says things like "supposed 'professionals'" and advocates drying wood for 6 months before burning it. The reference she uses says that it is unseasoned would that creates creosote, so not exactly "well researched."

Not great credentials to bank a chimney fire on.

I would say get a moisture metre and when you get near 20%, wack it in, you will be amazed that sometimes some wood that you think would be ok to burns turns out to have a 30% odd moisture content. Nothing worse than wacking it in and hearing the sizzle of boiling water coming out of the logs.

good point.

but its on and burning well

[Pesty]

again in English ?

[Pesty]

Simpo Two said:

And on top of all that, have a flue thermometer so you can judge the fire by the actual heat output not the size of the flames.

Oh don't worry about that. I have all the gadgets I even have one of those fans. Two chainsaws with all kinds of gubings.

Logging mates. Log holders axes. Splitters, mauls.


I thought I was saving money lol.