Stop cutting up my prunings?!

Hello hello..

Say, if (when) I get a rocket mass heater going, could I stop cutting up my prunings?

Could I just stick 'em in the "burner"*? Like with support so they don't fall over?

I'd just walked outside and saw my prunings-to-be-cut-up pile and the thought crossed m'mind..

Grazie!
y'all the tops...~a

*sorry, dunno the correct term... family w/2 kiddos, homestead, 2 music gigs and coding job mean terminology didn't make it to the readings list yet

What kind of prunings are they? Are they still green or are they dry? How tall are they?

Ah, right.. shoulda mentioned it. Just assumed..

They're about six to eight feet long. Very dry (few years). About one to three inches in diameter.

In terms of what they are, there's a range: hazelnut, apple, fig, mountain laurel, kiwi, holly, mimosa, some douglas fir branches...

Thanks!

Ari

If they have twists and side branches, they will get hung up on one another, and on the feed tube, the fire will then burn up the sticks, and they will fall over, creating a fire hazard in the house. Even a straight smooth pole 6 feet long could cantilever itself out of the burn tube and fall into the house, creating a smoke and fire hazard.

In any case, round wood with the bark on does not burn as well as split wood.

Maybe a better way to ask the question would have been: How long can prunings be for use in a rocket mass heater?

To answer some of your points, there a difference between a fire that right's next to you (say by my work desk while I'm working) and a fire that's not close by. For example, when I'm in the room I keep the glass doors open on our fireplace (but the mesh curtain closed). When I step away for a little while, I shut the glass doors, just to be extra safe.

We can't have anything dangerous. But there's still the question of saving time cutting wood by not making the fuel too short.

Lil side question: one shouldn't use wood with bark on it in a RMH? What with the temperatures, I'da thought it'd be ok.

Thanks,

Ari

Ari; 18" would be safe to walk away from if your feed tube is apx. 16" or so.  If you are truly sitting there constantly you could try 30" but the danger of burning wood falling out is very real.    As to your other question about bark.  Yes,  it can be burned , anything dry can...especially in a hot rocket.  However it is not recommended to be burned, as it produces soot (ash) and black smoke.  More so if your firebox is not heated up fully, and that means cleaning out your ash pit becomes more than a once a year chore.  I suggest hiring a teenager to lop your prunings to 18" , peel the bark if it will or burn if it is stuck.

And of course, a big issue is the degree of side twigs. The more side twigs, the less likely they are to feed in well.

As for the bark, what I've heard is that since bark is grown to protect the tree from fire, it is not an ideal fuel. And round would does not burn as well due to its shape; three or four cornered shapes burn much better then round ones. Also the bark keeps the wood from drying out as well.