CB E-Classic 2300 Has anyone tried burning Hay or Straw

[dirtyedge]

I have eclassic running for about a month now and was wondering if anyone has tried burning anything besides wood?  I have heard of people burning straw, hay, and corn stalk scraps in older CB units but was wondering if anyone has tried it in the Eclassic yet.

So far mine has operated well, have been burning willow, which has no Btu's compared to oak but it has kept the house warm so far.

[stumper]

Willow!  how has that kept you warm even the flame on willow are cold    ;D

Seriously though I have a freind who burned willow, she said it burned fine if you seasoned it.  Just don't let it touch the ground or it would sprout.

[dirtyedge]

it takes a lot of willow to heat 4000 sq ft and a indoor pool when it has been around 10 deg F for a couple of weeks now, but that is why we are burning it, because we have a couple of trees worth cut and split.  We have just started using hardwoods including oak and hickory, and are starting to see the full potential of the e-classic.

any takers on the hay or straw?  Also wondering if anyone has ever tried using them for fire starter?  We have always used bales of straw to start large brush piles but was just wondering if it would work well for starting a fire in the burner.

[thecfarm]

dirtyedge,welcome to the forum. Here's an old post for you to check out.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,9791.0.html

I have only seen the new e classic from a distance. From some of my readings on here,you may have to do thing a lot different to get hay or straw to burn in the new ones.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,17122.0.html

These were all found using the search button on the top of this page. I used hay straw and found these 2 for you.

[Bart May]

I have a friend who's chicken farmer with a conventional wood boiler and he burns dead chickens.  Sounds nasty but they make heat. Now that's resourceful. I wanted a 2300 but got a 6048 last year. That downdraft gasification is real interesting technology. I have seen some German video's on youtube where they burn straw in gasifiers to produce heat. I'm sure it will work but you just would'nt get the mass you do with wood.

[Jeff]

I think Corley5 was talking about burning hay in his outdoor furnace, but only when the wind was blowing towards a certain neighbor. :D