Hi Ron!
It's nice to see you back again!
As a child, I remember being completely enthralled with a gadget I had
seen on TV (mind, this was during the energy crisis of the late
'70's). It let you roll your old newspapers up into fireplace logs,
and was marketed as a good way to both heat your home, conserve
resources, and reduce landfill waste. Of course, it also recommended
that you don't try to heat your home *completely* with newspaper logs
- newspaper, no matter what you do to it, tends to leave quite a bit
of ash behind, and it burns faster than wood, even if it's compressed
and rolled. The typical recommended ratio was 2 newspaper logs for
each wood log.
Being that we lived in a house with gas heat, I never did get to find
out for myself if these gadgets were worth the time and trouble, or if
the heat produced was truly efficient, but it seems that quite a few
other people have given it a try.
So was/is it worth the time and effort? I suppose it depends on who
you ask.
There's a discussion about the merits of burning newspaper for heat,
both in log form and just dumping it in the woodstove/fireplace at
Homesteading Today, and the general consensus there says "Don't
bother, not worth it":
"I've tried newspaper logs several times and have found them more
trouble than they're worth for the heat that you get out of them."
[...]
"Generally the BTU's for amount of time for newspaper logs isnt worth
it."
[...]
"We tried this once, it was a lot of work and of dubious return. To be
even partially sucessfull the paper must be broken down by tearing up
and soaking in water. Then compressed into shape and dried which might
take most of summer. The heavier the finished 'log' the better it will
be, a light-weight log produces only ash and burns in no time at all.
You can add combustable stuff like saw dust and coal dust to the wet
mix."
Using Newspaper Logs in Wood burning stoves
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/homestead/Countryside/Wc3707193bd147.htm
A similar discussion at KountryLife is split - the folks selling "how
to" books say newspaper logs are great, the rest say they're a royal
pain in the hindquarters:
"They weren't very satisfactory and Dad gave up on them after a couple
of years."
[...]
"There's gonna be one of them rollers coming up on my folks' estate
auction. I remember using it when I was a teen. Didn't like it then,
and wouldn't want it now. Dad only used it for two seasons before he
gave up on it."
[...]
"You can purchase a book with a lot of different ways to make
newspaper fire logs, both wet and dry. There is also directions for
fire starters and "bricks"."
Newspaper logs
http://www.kountrylife.com/cgi-bin/topic.cgi?bd=forum&th=527
The publication mentioned is "Newspaper Logs Made Easy - The Ultimate
How-To Book", and is available here:
The Paper Log Place
http://www.geocities.com/paperlogs/
(WARNING: Embedded MIDI. Turn your speakers off or down if you go to
this site, unless you like being blasted with MIDI music.)
Hearth.com advises against using paper logs at all, because they
aren't efficient and can muck up the works of your stove with
excessive ash:
"Question
Is newspaper a viable fuel in a furnace/stove? Are those "roll-a-log"
kits the right way to handle paper?
Answer
No- newspaper is not a good fuel- you'll drive your self nuts trying
to roll up tons of logs ! It make a lot of ash and fly ash - and is
hard to burn. Better to recycle it !"
Burning Newspaper in Stoves
http://www.hearth.com/search/art.php?rec=161
"This type of log does not burn well, and probably is not worth your
time. You can try to dampen the paper a bit, which will make it roll
easier....But I don't know anyone that enjoys burning these logs in an
open fireplace."
Newspaper Fire Logs
http://www.hearth.com/search/art.php?rec=461
"Question
I recently heard of a product called a log press that you can use to
make logs for your fireplace out of newspaper (we currently burn
wood). It sounds like a handy gadget to have around. What do you know
you know about? Since I haven't been able to fing any retailers of it-
I wonder how useful a product it might be.
Answer
These items are really not too useful in the "real world". The logs
produce lots of ash and also send this flyash up the chimney and
outdoors. Stick with real wood."
Log Press
http://www.hearth.com/search/art.php?rec=25
"It's not even the amount of ash that represents the problem. It's the
type of ash, and the way it is deposited. In my experience, these
paper logs flake into ash, and the resulting ash tends to mix with and
affect the glowing embers from the wood. In other words, these logs
have poor "coaling" qualities. The combustion air in newer stoves is
also very finicky. These logs can play havoc with the air flow inside
certain stove."
log press-newspaper logs
http://hearth.com/questions/qa989.html
James Dulley, who writes the syndicated money-saving tips column
"$ensible Home", offers instructions for making your own paper logs,
but warns that an all paper log fire will just smolder because certain
essential fire-burning components of wood are removed during the paper
making process:
Make your own newspaper logs
http://www.dulley.com/tip/t1034.shtml
I found no mention in my research of a stove which would fill this
need. Quite the contrary - there were plenty of sites advising that
one *never* burn newspaper in the fireplace or stove, because it can
damage both and create a fire hazard (all variations on this theme):
"Don't burn newspapers or other trash in a fireplace because they burn
too hot and can ignite a chimney fire."
FDNY Home Heating Safety
http://home.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/safety/firesafety_heating.shtml
It would seem that the bottom line is that you can use newspaper logs
as supplemental material, but it's not terribly rewarding in terms of
value over time spent, and the energy produced is negligible.
I hope this answers your question! If I can be of further assistance,
please just ask for clarification. I'll be glad to help.
Search terms: [ newspaper logs ], [ heat home "burn newspapers" ] |
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