Softwood tarring up flues?

[Andy fellows]

I live in Finland and we burn a lot of pine as long as it is seasoned well you shouldn't have a

Problem.

[easy-lift guy]

Here stateside when I was selling Firewood If I had any soft wood with a load it was always a 3 to 1 ratio hard to soft wood. No exceptions. Never had any problems and I liked it that way.

easy-lift guy

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

Is there any evidence to the above? I have always believed it to be a fallacy but as I almost never get any softwood I don't know for sure. I have a load of Monterey pine to move and offered it cheap and green to a local to process for next season. Now they don't want as they have read that it would be bad for the flue.

 

If dry is it any worse than harwood?

Thanks

 

Seasoned softwood is the mutts nuts. Now getting people with OPEN FIRES asking for it OVER HARDWOOD.

 

Hallelujah!

[10 Bears]

May I suggest trying fully seasoned softwood for a year, and chucking in 10% hardwood

 

You know - that's a fair point. In the past when I was working only forestry in the conifers/on the hills, I was burning standing dead (so standing seasoned) sitka/larch. It got the flue red hot and actually had the same comments from the sweep then ie clean as a whistle.

 

I'm closer to the coast now, and where I am there are just a lot more hardwoods for me to get my hands on. I'm not a timber-snob, Ill burn whatever when its in the right condition, and I've never had any problems. Softies burn a *lot* quicker though for obvious reasons, and I dont have as much storage space at my current house, so firewood with higher calorific content ie hardwood, works better on that level too.

 

I believe not burning any fossil fuels is a big part of the build up solution in any case as there will be less particulates to deposit in the chimney. That FC document was interesting, as it explained the problems with stocking up/low burning. Ive done that too - but only on a hot bed of embers...

[kkk2]

I have been burning fresh leylandii all winter with a bit of coal, ran the brush up the chimney last week and its whistle clean

[arniecardigan]

Ive read a lot on this subject as I sell firewood in an area where there are more "log snobs" than ever!! They all want pure beech or oak as thats what they believe to be best and stove installers are telling them all to only burn quality hardwoods despite the fact that scandinavia has very little hardwood and stoves a plenty!!

It is my understanding and experience that tarring of a flue is most common when people try to keep the fire in overnight by loading the stove and shutting it right down to slow the burn, this then decreases the temperature of the burn and as such the smoke temperature is lower, this mixes with the colder outside temperature and produces a condensation of the natural creasotes that every timber has (softwood in higher quantities) which then forms as "tarring" on the flue!! It is more common with softwoods that have not been seasoned enough due to the higher sap/creosote levels!!

I am now converting more and more "log snobs" to softwood and sell more mixed loads than hardwood!!

[ShooTa]

having spent a fair ammount of time on research forom the US and scandi wood users -9/10 times the flue buildup is caused by wet wood - those of us creating less than 20% on the softwood should be A OK - im trialing my first serious batch of softwood this year as i am lucky enough to burn hardwoods in abundance - but i will happily sweitch to more softwood if it speeds up the initial heat ina cold room ,..... as for over night burns - oak seasoned minimum of 2yrs seems to be the badger.

[nick channer]

We burn 2 cube a day some days on our outdoor central boiler.

The hardwood we first used wasn't a problem. Once a month we would open back up.

Place special tool in the flues and pull up and down with chain provided.

Was bit hard going but after few passes a dry dusty soot comes out, prob a good shovel full from the 8 flues.

After burning softwood that was originally very seasoned and barn stored(6-8% moisture)

Then was put outside in big heap so got wet although burnt very well and used no more per day than pure hardwood after a month couldn't get the tool in the flues at all which are about 6"x1".

We had to make special tool up to fit on drill to bore the tarred up flues out..

[SteveA]

We burn 2 cube a day some days on our outdoor central boiler.

The hardwood we first used wasn't a problem. Once a month we would open back up.

Place special tool in the flues and pull up and down with chain provided.

Was bit hard going but after few passes a dry dusty soot comes out, prob a good shovel full from the 8 flues.

After burning softwood that was originally very seasoned and barn stored(6-8% moisture)

Then was put outside in big heap so got wet although burnt very well and used no more per day than pure hardwood after a month couldn't get the tool in the flues at all which are about 6"x1".

We had to make special tool up to fit on drill to bore the tarred up flues out..

 

Interesting to hear this, proving that burning wet wood at any stage is going to cause flue problems

[Woodworks]

Now there's a question.

Hmmm, I'm sure I've read something about this, something scientifically orientated from the Forestry Commission, but not sure which document it was in? (there's lotsa docs on all sorts). Could be worth contacting them for a pointer.

 

There's a lot of mis-information on forums, if that's where your customer got his info source from? And I've also noticed some companies misinforming the public about wood fuel pollution.

 

May help, fairly simple to understand : Pdf from Forestry Commission: Wood as fuel end users guide: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/eng-woodfuel-woodasfuelguide.pdf//eng-woodfuel-woodasfuelguide.pdf

 

Thanks for the link Steve. I sent it to them but sadly lost this battle as they only want hardwood.