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Posted

Unseasoned wood will tar up your chimney, leading too a chimney fire.

 

It is also very waste full, as much of the calorific value will be wasted turning the water into steam.

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Posted

Any fresh wood contains water and tars/ creosotes. Burning them will damage your chimney, if you have a masonry chimney, or corrode a liner.

 

When I first had a wood burner I burnt relatively unseasoned (3 months undercover), and my flue liner was full of debris and on fire after about 4 months of everyday burning.

 

Seasoned wood, ie 15-20% moisture content, regardless of species, will burn hotter and cleaner than green ash. Hence why I burn properly seasoned willow and sell the ash etc.

Posted
Any fresh wood contains water and tars/ creosotes. Burning them will damage your chimney, if you have a masonry chimney, or corrode a liner.

 

When I first had a wood burner I burnt relatively unseasoned (3 months undercover), and my flue liner was full of debris and on fire after about 4 months of everyday burning.

 

Seasoned wood, ie 15-20% moisture content, regardless of species, will burn hotter and cleaner than green ash. Hence why I burn properly seasoned willow and sell the ash etc.

 

i dont agree mate having burned ash /birch for 20 years in wood burner the chimney is lined with thermal cement type stuff (not sure) being swept twice a year with only minimal grey ash .swap you any time willow for ash/birch i do agree most wood should be dried but some steam gives off a"super heat:sneaky2

Posted
i dont agree mate having burned ash /birch for 20 years in wood burner the chimney is lined with thermal cement type stuff (not sure) being swept twice a year with only minimal grey ash .swap you any time willow for ash/birch i do agree most wood should be dried but some steam gives off a"super heat:sneaky2

Seems to be two schools of thought here then mate ;

You say it's OK to burn green wood -

everyone else says it isn't...:001_smile:

Posted
Seems to be two schools of thought here then mate ;

You say it's OK to burn green wood -

everyone else says it isn't...:001_smile:

 

im not trying to convert anyone all im saying is dont discount fresh ash /birch.i recall a guy in forest journal using fresh wood which produced steam/heat to dry firewood maybe someone can enlighten us on the science.best way to decide is to try it yourself.:sneaky2:

Posted

Even if you are happy to risk the tarring issues burning wet wood is not anything close to efficient. If I remember correctly the difference in moisture content between 20% and 25% reduces the heat output by 50%. So you will use twice the volume of wood for the same heat and have to get off your backside twice as often to fill the stove.

Posted
Even if you are happy to risk the tarring issues burning wet wood is not anything close to efficient. If I remember correctly the difference in moisture content between 20% and 25% reduces the heat output by 50%. So you will use twice the volume of wood for the same heat and have to get off your backside twice as often to fill the stove.

 

dont mean to provoke people but where is the tar going in me chimney????:confused1:.i worked on an estate for 20 years amongst others filling the wood shed yes to store/dry wood mainly beech but the laird always insisted on any fresh ash that came available to burn he should have it ,now im sure he would not risk tarring up a mansion house chimney too often. :001_huh:

Posted

Summer felled Ash if around 50% moisture.

 

Seasoned fire wood should be around 20% moisture.

 

Many woods are 150% moisture when felled, so yes Ash burns well fresh compared to many other woods, but will be much better seasoned.

Posted

Probably depends on the flue / chimney. If it's fast and well insulated then it may not be an issue. If it's slow and has twists and turns, green wood of any type can cause big problems.

 

The worst in my experience is oak. We always season oak for 1 year per inch of thickness and then it's an amazing fuel. If you burn it green it's a disaster (and doesn't really burn either).

 

At the end of the day, there is no comparison between green and seasoned wood. Your green ash may look like it's going well in the open fire but the heat output / burn time will be nowhere near fully seasoned ash in a closed down efficient stove.

 

Just my opinion.

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