Burning Wood Chips/Scrap

GoodGuy · Oct 4, 2004

I've searched the web but I'm real interested as to what real life experiences you folks have encountered regarding burning wood chips. We do not burn wood as our primary source of heat, just use it when we get the -25/-30C temperatures as well as any power outages. It would be a great option to be able to burn the chips (as well as justifying a PTO Chipper) because I try to just cut the dead wood/branches on my property but I'm curious about how you get them to burn properly/completely in a conventional wood stove in the basement. Any words of wisdom/experience would be appreciated. Up to this point, I've just had a big brush pile a couple times a year & burn the pile, but it seems a shame when I could use this scrap as a heat source in the winter. What's your real life experiences ??
Eric

Deerlope · Oct 4, 2004

I have an outside wood fired boiler and have burn chips with good results. I don't know how well they would burn in an inside stove. Some of my chips are dry and some are not. I have filled a 50Lb paper bag and thrown the whole thing in. In 20 drg weather it last for about 8 hours.

beenthere · Oct 4, 2004

Depends on if they are dry chips (dried after chipping) or green chips (burned right away). If chips are left in a pile, they will heat up from bacterial action, and begin to decay. But chips in a pile won't dry out.

Wood, in chip form or solid, that is not dry, will consume much of its BTU energy potential just to convert the moisture to steam, thus being less effiecient and causing more creosote in the chimney. But there would be some residual energy output in the form of heat.

GoodGuy · Oct 4, 2004

Any special trick to getting them "dried" ?? Can't stack them like firewood, so wondering if there's a neat way to get things dried out. I've got a combination of dead & semi dead wood so, things are not completely dry. Is putting them in a 50lb paper bag the norm ??