Print

[1grnlwn]

I would think that the most inefficient situation is when the wood is burning and the stove is not calling for heat.  Stove idle, this is where I get most of my smoke.  Overly split and dry wood would tend to burn more at idle periods than "green".  Since I have at least 15 grand wrapped up in my system, the last thing I will ever do is pay for wood.  So around here it is burn what you get and burn it all.  Most of the wood I had stacked at the beginning of the summer is gone.  What we are burning now is quite green and what we burn in March will be greener yet. We are just in our second year and have not established a organized staging system or large stockpile of wood yet.  I have several huge rounds 30" of oak and crotches but I am just starting construction of my splitter. 

[yoderheating]

1grnlwn, you may be on to something there. It is true that much of what you see as smoke is burnable energy that is escaping.

[Scott7m]

I donno.........    I can assure you that my stove will go nearly twice as long on dry wood vs green.   As far as smoke when it's on idle?   None...........      You can stand there and watch the stack for 5 minutes and you "might" see a wisp of smoke.  It's extremely rare when it does. 

I would have to think your stove is getting to much air while it's idleing if your seeing smoke.  My stove will smoke when it's first filled with wood, then when it idles there is virtually none, and after a couple burns on a fresh load of wood, the smoke amount when it's on is very minimal as well. 

[1grnlwn]

what can I say I have a Taylor 1000 and it smokes some during idle, it has always smoked and always will.

[willieG]

i am not sure where you think smaller wood and dryer wood will burn more at idle times than bigger greener chunks?

you may be right but i figure when the stove is idle it is idle...being that the fire will pull air from where ever it can and it will use that air regaurdless of if there is 1 large ember or 10 small ones. if there is any fire in the stove it will pull for air (and will) use ALL the air it can find no matter if it is green or not. the little air that your stove should be letting in while idle should only be enough to keep the fire from going out so no matter if the wood is green or dry the size of the fire should be controlled by the amount of air not the size or wetness of the wood

my thoughts anyway..and they may be wrong

[Scott7m]

what can I say I have a Taylor 1000 and it smokes some during idle, it has always smoked and always will.

Yea..   I'm not trying to down your furnace but taylor stoves aren't as efficient as some of the other models.  In your particular instance, green wood may be better.  However the math of dry wood vs green isn't in your favor.  Willie can throw you some figures backed by fact that you loose about half the btu the wood has by burning it green. 

[Jbuck]

I am still in the research phase myself so have been to all the sites I could find for OWB's and I think it was on "Shavers" page they had a device that picked up your wood, brought it to door hiegth, then allow you to push it in the burn chamber.  Looking at the pictures I think something close could be fabricated with basic metal and welding skills.  When I was a young man I thought back problems were a way for lazy people to avoid work, but, after being "down" in my back for a week or so, twice over the past thirty years I now know it is the real deal. 

[1grnlwn]

what can I say I have a Taylor 1000 and it smokes some during idle, it has always smoked and always will.

Yea..   I'm not trying to down your furnace but taylor stoves aren't as efficient as some of the other models.  In your particular instance, green wood may be better.  However the math of dry wood vs green isn't in your favor.  Willie can throw you some figures backed by fact that you loose about half the btu the wood has by burning it green.

 

Yea I am not saying that green wood would have more btu's just that it may last longer because it will burn slower.  My main point was that small pieces of dry wood will burn faster and would burn more at idle than big pieces.  That being said, Taylor stoves are more of a workhorse and do not have any fancy features.  Right now mine is over-sized because we still have 1 building not hooked up at this time.  We tend to collect our wood  over the summer to burn that winter and the volume is such that the drying process is not our biggest concern.  At this point in the winter  we have a lot of wood left but it is all rounds and logs.  We are currently building a splitter for the skid steer.  Who knows we might burn some seasoned wood next year.