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Post by johnjmw on Apr 20, 2009 16:54:14 GMT -8
I was in the back yard playing with my rocket and thinking about some pine I was feeding through it. In a regular fireplace pine is almost taboo in some peoples books. Because of incomplete burning it is a very dirty wood and the chimney needs to be cleaned more often. Is this still a problem with a rocket? My system seemed to be burning clean with it. Even the pitchy pieces seemed to have no extra smoke.
I know the wood needs to be dry/seasoned. Some woods do give off more heat than others. Harder woods are better than softer woods. But what about the "dirtier" burning woods. Especially once the rocket is up to temperature? If the stove is already good and hot wont the residues be consumed also?
Anyone have any long term heating experience using pine in a rocket?
John
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Post by canyon on Apr 21, 2009 21:09:55 GMT -8
I don't have any long term experience with pine especially but I have burned a bit of dense knotty pitchy spruce. I especially like the thick ends of the limbs that you can just buck and season covered for a few years and then throw 'em in without splitting. I have seen that with a good roaring clean fire going without smoke (rocket up to temp) I can give it a bump with the "dirty" stuff and still not see any smoke. At one point I experimented with not so dry samples of the "dirty" stuff and I could sometimes see smoke. I am not analyzing the exhaust like peterberg (I wish), but I think you can eke the "dirty" stuff in there (up to 1/3 is what I do) as long as it is actually dry and enjoy the bump you get when you do. Hopefully others will share their experience as well.  |
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Post by johnjmw on Apr 22, 2009 4:45:32 GMT -8
Thanks Canyon, that is about what I was seeing, even though the pine (I have no clue which type of evergreen it was from) was only seasoned for about 6 months. I could smell the pine scent a little but as long as the fire was hot there was no smoke. My system does not have the heat sink run so I cannot pull it apart and see if there has been any extra build up in it.
John
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Post by Donkey on Apr 22, 2009 7:36:38 GMT -8
I burn mainly oak and madrone, sometimes fir and redwood. I can't really comment on how cleanly pine and whatnot burns other then to say that if the stove is running hot enough, it should be fine.
What I have noticed with the more fibrous, lighter woods (fir, redwood) is that they burn so readily that the fire can actually creep up out of the firebox. I've seen whole sticks on fire, top to bottom with the top half standing clear of the firebox. If you are burning a lot of lighter woods, watch out for this one. It can help to pack the wood in a touch tighter so that draft will keep the fire sucked down deep, though once flame creeps up over the top of the box, it's pretty much a done deal. You've gotta either push the burning piece all the way in on it's side or take it outside and hose it off.
Mainly though, I've learned to cut them shorter so that the whole stick is inside the feed. That way it can't creep out, even with the whole thing on fire.
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Post by johnjmw on Apr 21, 2010 11:50:08 GMT -8
Finally got some pine to burn. It burned plenty cleanly. Or should I say seemed to, no smoke and only a wisp of pine scent. What really caught my attention was the creeping flame up the sides of the wood. Once I choked back the feed tube with a brick there was enough air coming in that it seemed to stop climbing out of the feed tube. It also seemed to be more of a problem with the thicker pieces. The wood was probably white pine but I am not positive which pine it was.
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