iDRY Vacuum Kilns

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Wet stuff

Started by mike_belben, November 15, 2018, 09:56:27 AM

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Ivan49

Quote from: thecfarm on November 19, 2018, 08:06:08 AM
Dave,lucky you. I would like to have wood dropped at at my place. :) I have to go out in the woods and get mine.
I won't mention the dead white pine,or the dead fir,or the dead cedar I burn. I just got to a hemlock that has been on the ground for years. Not much for limbs on it. White pine on the ground works for me too. One reason is these trees are in the way sometimes. These trees can be an easy 18 inches across. Not going to drive over them with a tractor. Ptobably burning the same type of wood as you are. I don't burn much hardwood,unless it's a tree that I don't like,or has blown over.
I like it when some people see my wood pile and tell me I can't burn that. ::)  I use to burn alot of wood that "cannot be burned" in a wood stove. Yes,it required me to fill it more and a bigger wood pile. But that is why I got the OWB. Smothers the fire out and I have a controlled burn now.
I had 10 acres of Christmas trees that got to big to be used for that. Most were 10 to 12 inches and I saw the bottom section up on the sawmill and burned the rest of the tree I cut up burned for firewood. Fire would last for at least 8 hours. Skidsteer with forks delimbs them very good

mike_belben

If africans can burn dried turds to cook on i figure we shouldnt be too proud to burn punky pine in our garages.  

A sawdust burner is my last heater build i hope. 
Praise The Lord

Corley5

I've burned square bales of junk hay.  Used to get an 8 hour burn from a 50-60lb bale.  Bagged planer shavings from the dust collector burn good too. 
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Ivan49

After reading this I see I am not the only ne willing to try something different. The tree service guys trimmed under the wires here a few years ago and I told them they could dump the chips here if they wanted. As I was cleaning up some I had a couple scoop shovel full of them so I threw them in the stove on top of the wood and coals in it. That 2 shovels full burned for over 8 hours 

TKehl

I like most of my wood dry.  I also like a stash that is big and less dry.  It's worth it to me to lose the BTU's and have a longer fire instead of getting up at 1AM to add fuel to keep the fire lit.  6AM I tap that stick with a poker and it falls apart into HOT coals with some blue flame.  Otherwise it'd be dead around 3AM and I'd be hunting coals at 6.   >:(

Also takes less time to cut a few big sticks than it does to relight a stove.  The wood is free other than time and gas.

Flue stays clean, but have to clean the birdscreen once or twice a winter when it stops getting draft.

Wouldn't do it if I had a gassifier.

Works for me.   ;D  YMMV

In the long run, you make your own luck – good, bad, or indifferent. Loretta Lynn

barbender

I'm firmly in the "burn the junk" camp myself. Right now my OWB is happily heating our house on a diet of Jack Pine, and White Spruce. I burn these by choice, I have many cords of oak and ash, I sell that to others. The dead standing softwoods just work better for me, I don't have to split and stack it, and it makes very minimal ash. It's about what balances out to be the least time, effort, and $$$ to me.
  I think part of the reason owbs do well with unseasoned wood is because of the fact that most of them are pretty inefficient. If you burn dry wood you just send that many more btu's up the chimney. The moisture slows it down and makes the wood last longer. A lot of folks up here burn green aspen in their owb. If you try burning it dry, it won't last til morning. Green, you still have a fire to add to. I realize that on paper the dry stuff should have more btus available, but that's not how it works out.
Too many irons in the fire

mike_belben

The hotter the temp in a burn chamber the greater the delta T of the outside air, so the faster the draft up the stack and quicker the wood gets ate up by that turbulence.   Put a leaf blower to a burning stump pile and you see wood corroding into coals before your eyes.  Pretty much same thing.  A dry stump pile disappears quicker than a wet one.

Praise The Lord

Busysawyer

Few pics of mine burning green logs. Notice how little smoke there is. Heating 5000sqft a kiln and domestic hot water. 

 

 

 

 
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in awhile

Southside

BS does that unit have a blower on it for the inlet air?
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

Busysawyer

Yes it has a blower and adjustable blast gate. This load has been burning about 26 hours. Water temperature set to 185f with 4 degree fluctuation. Currently 28f ,last night was low 20s. 100 year old house is 70f during day, 64 at night. Barn is 65f , kiln is at 140f. Basically zero smoke when blower is on and small amount when it reaches temp and chokes it.

 

 

 

 

 

 
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in awhile

Al_Smith

Well green or wet wood just doesn't burn as well as dry seasoned .If you want a fast fire just stoke it with small pieces .A longer fire larger wood,simple as that .I've got an abundance of good Ohio hardwoods,hickory,ash,oak ,maple so I don't burn green wood unless I want to fog for mosquitoes from an outside fire on my patio .It helps some if you don't fog yourself out from the smoke in the process . No matter where you sit enjoying a beverage the smoke seems to seek you out .

Klunker

I'm about as opposite of the OWB as possible.
I don't need or want my fire to burn over night.
2-3 hrs of fire is long enough, the heat is stored in thermal mass and slowly leaks out into the house.
Green wood means I'll have little heat from my one load of wood that I use to heat the house.
I want the heaviest densest driest wood I can get.

OWB's are great for large drafty poorly insulted house that need lots of heat.
They are very inefficient and suck up lots of wood.
My heater is great for a moderate sized house that is highly insulated and air tight that needs very little heat.
Its very efficient and uses very little wood.

Busysawyer

Klunker, I guess for me if I had an extremely energy efficient house and only needed to burn a little wood for 2-3 hours a day I wouldn't even bother with wood heat. What are you saving 100 bucks a month. Seems like an awful lot of messing around on a daily basis just to save a little money. How much time per month do you spend gathering wood, loading and starting a fire if your messing with it everyday. The only reason I burn wood is because I'm saving a ton of money by doing so. 
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in awhile

Pulphook

Quote from: Busysawyer on November 22, 2018, 10:35:48 AM
Klunker, I guess for me if I had an extremely energy efficient house and only needed to burn a little wood for 2-3 hours a day I wouldn't even bother with wood heat. What are you saving 100 bucks a month. Seems like an awful lot of messing around on a daily basis just to save a little money. How much time per month do you spend gathering wood, loading and starting a fire if your messing with it everyday. The only reason I burn wood is because I'm saving a ton of money by doing so.
Money is only part of the reason. Here's some:
The woodlot needs management.
I like being out cutting.
The trails stay open for running, XC, walking.
The work ( errrr.. recreation) keeps the body in trim.
There's never the same fall....ain't boring.
I enjoy the use, skill,  and maintenance of the tools.
We love wood heat.
I'm green and brag ( the self assured "environmentalists" just buy a Prius/hubris ). Wood heating is sustainable, clean if done right, renewable, and any  other -able you want.
JMNSHO
Two wood stoves ( Jotul Rangely ,Jotul Oslo ) heating 99 44/100%
24/7. No central heat. 6-8 cords firewood from the woodlot /year. Low low tech: ATV with trailer, 3 saws, 2 electric splitters, a worn pulphook, peavy, climbing line for skidding, Fiskars 27, an old back getting older.

Busysawyer

Pulphook, that all makes sense to me for you. For myself it is 100 percent about saving money and time. I do not enjoy felling trees that much, I hate splitting and stacking wood. I cut and split 6-8 cords a year by myself for many years. It was like having another part time job. Every hour I save messing with firewood is an hour I can be doing something to further my business or another hour I get to spend with my kids. Everyone has different situations and what makes sense to you might sound ridiculous to me and vice versa. The only change I can see myself making in the future is going with the larger log boiler so I only have to spend 15 min a week thinking about and heating everything. 10 min every two or three days for massive amounts of heat isn't bad but once a week would be even better.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in awhile

Ianab

Thing is with a small efficient wood stove and well insulated house, you don't need a huge amount of wood. By the time you clean up some storm damage, collect some mill edgings, woodworking offcuts etc, you possibly have all the wood you need for the winter. Then an armload or 2 of firewood bought in for the day keeps the house warm. You can burn some pine or other lightweight woods in the mix, they are good for getting a cheery hot fire going quickly when you get home, then throw in some of your denser slower burning wood once you have the fire hot. With small and dry wood you usually have the air supply turned down to slow the burn anyway. Tending it isn't really a big chore, it's in the lounge anyway, when you see it dying down, you wander over and throw a couple more chunks in the box. It's quite therapeutic in a way  ;)
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Busysawyer

You know what's kind of funny is that at one point in my life I really enjoyed cutting, splitting and stacking wood. As you said lanab the  whole process was therapeutic and enjoyable. I used to take the time to enjoy lighting and watching the fire burn. I have a small wood stove in my outfitter tent and I really enjoy camping with the family and sitting in the tent playing games with the kids and feeding that stove with the best dried hardwoods I have. I setup my percolator coffee maker the night before and when I wake up in the morning I throw a couple nice seasoned chunks of wood in there and put the pot on the top of the stove. Then I get back in bed and snuggle on the missus for awhile until my coffee is done. Once the kids wake up I cook a nice big breakfast on the stove. Taking my time, relaxing and enjoying every second of it. When we camp we go camping in the middle of the woods by ourselves  No running water, no phones, no electricity. Just us, our camping gear a ton of food and a lot of board and card games. Two years ago we did 47 days in the woods and the way we have raised our kids they actually enjoy it. Exploring, hunting and fishing. Most kids these days would be miserable Trying to start a business here I'm working 80 plus hours a week and dealing with firewood is nothing more than a necessary chore I dont have time to mess with.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in awhile

Corley5

  If we had natural gas in our neighborhood I'd sell wood to pay the gas bill.
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Klunker

Quote from: Busysawyer on November 22, 2018, 10:35:48 AM
Klunker, I guess for me if I had an extremely energy efficient house and only needed to burn a little wood for 2-3 hours a day I wouldn't even bother with wood heat. What are you saving 100 bucks a month. Seems like an awful lot of messing around on a daily basis just to save a little money. How much time per month do you spend gathering wood, loading and starting a fire if your messing with it everyday. The only reason I burn wood is because I'm saving a ton of money by doing so.
I'm sure it would cost more than $100/month to heat the place.
I have electric heat, an air source heat pump, but still electric forced air heat is not cheap.
We put it in as a "back-up" to the wood heat.
Our electric bill for the year is about $500-$600.
At our last place we spent approx $4000/yr on energy and thats with supplemental wood heat that we used only on the coldest of days. Our last house was a typical leaky poorly insulated late "70's tri-level.
We did spend a couple of thousand dollars on energy improvements to get it down to the $4K/yr. But somethings were done very poorly to begin with. One example is 2 of the heat ducts for the top floor ran in outside stud openings, no insulation and the heat was running along a cold exterior wall. Talk about poor building practices. We did all the relatively easy improvements without massive costs.
I burn 3 cords a year approx. in the new place.
I would guess that on average to cut 3 cords I'll bet its takes 2-3 days depending upon how far it is off in the woods and the size of the trees.
To split and stack 3 cords is no more than 2 days.
To get the wood out of the garage, stack it in the firebox and start the fire is no more than 10 minutes.
Once every 3 days or so I have to empty the ash out of the heater. Takes no more than 5 minutes.
To run the heater I don't have to go outside other than into the attached garage for about 50-60 lbs of wood. So in the worse case I spend about 25 minutes a day (2 fires and cleaning out ashes).
I'm retired, I've got the time.
I enjoy cutting and making firewood.
I feel I am improving my woodlot with the cutting I'm doing, it benefits me with winter heat and the wildlife with habitat improvements.
I get exercise that I wouldn't get other wise.
I have a feeling of self-sufficiency, I don't need any outside (no electricity needed) help to heat my place in the winter. Let it snow, let it freeze, I can keep me and the Misses warm.
I want to heat with wood.
Saving money is part of it, but not a big part of it.
If I had to run outside and stoke a OWB in the middle of a cold December rain and handle about 3 times as much wood I might see it as more of a chore.

Klunker

Quote from: Busysawyer on November 22, 2018, 04:16:40 PM
 Trying to start a business here I'm working 80 plus hours a week and dealing with firewood is nothing more than a necessary chore I dont have time to mess with.
I can understand this, I ran a business for over 14 years with about 10-12 employees.
I would not of messed with wood heat when I was working all the hours I did. No way.
I was lucky, I sold my business at just the right time and it allowed me to retire early.
Now I have the time and its enjoyable.

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