Whats the reap against using southern pine in the living room fireplace? Is it good to use or does it gunk up the chimney?
I am a newbie and currently know only slightly less than zero.
If the pine is not seasoned well it will smoke and creosote your stack, if it is nice and dry it'll burn hot and very quick. Occasional use is fine to set the mood
As long as it's dry and you keep a nice hot fire burning it wont create much creosote. If it's not dry and/or you let it smoulder - not so good.
It's much lighter than most hardwoods, so you will burn more volume. Heat per pound is about the same, and it does burn with a hot "cheerful" sort of fire.
If you get the wood for free, then burn in. If you are buying by the cord, buy better stuff if you can. But 90% of the firewood burnt here in NZ is pine.
Ian
Seasoning is the key as with any firewood. Most wood fired cooking(not smokin ;)) around here is done with pine. Old timers swore it was a more consistent heat. Aah? I don't know but I do like to burn some along with other seasoned wood.
OK as long as it is dry as has been said. Any wet wood that burns cool and smoldery will create creosote, not just pine. Pine has gotten somewhat of a bad rap in some respects.
Quote from: WDH on December 09, 2011, 09:57:02 PM
Pine has gotten somewhat of a bad rap in some respects.
Yes, it does seem that pine gets a bad rap. We back to national forest, and the forest service had loggers behind our property a few years back logging the fir and pine for construction lumber. The loggers left the crooked trees to be sold as firewood. I purchased some of the firewood by permit for $10.00 per cord.
I have heard some say, they wouldn't take pine firewood for free, but the same person will go to the lumber yard and pay for a 2x4 made of pine or fir and build a house with it. Also, the same person would most likely burn the end pieces of the 2x4's in the fireplace. Just saying ... :-)
If pine is all you can get then use it.
Just clean your chimney often.
Watch for crackling and sparks as pine has a tendency to do that.
Is most pallets made of pine?
I burn alot of pallet type wood with mine and mix in firewood it burns great in mine
I won't burn white pine because it burns dirty, but it seems scotch pine is ok.
Pine burned with plenty of oxygen will burn clean when a stove or furnace is stoked with a big load of pine and choked down, is when you plug your chiminey.I burn some in my furnace when I'am around as it dosen't last for squat. Frank C.
I'll burn it as long as I mix it in with hard woods.
Nothing wrong with Pine, you just have to burn more of it to get the same heat. Though if you are burning wood in a typical fireplace, you are probably losing heat, rather than gaining it (the draft up the chimney can pull heat out of the room).
It's a myth that burning pine is the cause of creosote formation in chimneys. What causes creosote formation is burning wet/unseasoned wood, or burning any wood improperly (burning a colder, smoldering fire and/or starving the fire for oxygen).
Dry your pine well and enjoy the fire!
pine was the wood of choice in the old cast iron kitchen cook stoves. Dry pine in small sticks makes a hot fire in a hurry, just doesn't last very long. Keeping the fire stoked wasn't much of a problem, granny was usually right there.
I mill mostly pine, and cut up and burn the slabs. Last month I burned nothing but pine slab wood for 7 days in a row. Didn't hear the furnace kick on one time during that whole week, with nothing more than what most people consider 'trash' firewood. ;D
I'm burning EWP for what it's worth, in a cat wood stove.
not sure about southern pine "most likely more pitch"... I burn plenty of white pine, burns clean in my boiler.
Quote from: Jack72 on December 11, 2011, 06:59:38 AM
Is most pallets made of pine?
I burn alot of pallet type wood with mine and mix in firewood it burns great in mine
Jack: most pallets thst I've seen are some type of hard wood,don't recall seeing any made of pine.
I guess that depends on where you are. Plenty of pallets in the south made of pine.
You have to have something to do with sweetgum, sycamore, blackgum, hackberry, and elm :).
Last year I put SYP slabs out as "FREEWOOD". All of it was gone in less than 12 hours. There were some very appreciative people loading it up. The key to burning any wood species is to adjust the draft so that it burns properly. Think....Hot enough.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/2410/DSCN1288.JPG)
FREEWOOD ;)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/2410/DSCN1287.JPG)
Going :o
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/2410/DSCN1290.JPG)
Gone. :)
We don't burn it around here because we don't have any to speak of .However a couple of nice half green pine slabs in a camp fire does repel bugs .If the wind is blowing just right it repels people too .