# "Non-popping" wood for a fireplace.



## dustytools (Nov 25, 2011)

Last year I cut a couple of loads of wood for my sister-in-law and her husband as a Christmas gift. They burn in a fireplace in their family room for pleasure and to help a little with heating. I plan on doing the same for them this year but she asked me if I would try to cut stuff that doesnt pop real bad as she is afraid it will pop out of the fireplace when she isnt in the room. Now, In my past experience I would shy away from Walnut when burning in a fireplace but never had much trouble with any other woods popping badly. What woods should I shy away from when I cut for them. Thanks in advance, Terry.


----------



## trimmmed (Nov 25, 2011)

anything that is open grain pops more.....oak, walnut, locust, hickory, ash.

Soft maple and some of the softer birches would be my non pop candidates, then cherry, maple, yellow and black birch


----------



## hanniedog (Nov 25, 2011)

Isn't that what fireplace screens are for?


----------



## Whitespider (Nov 25, 2011)

Elm... any elm... elm does not pop, crackle, snap or throw sparks... ever.
It also produces rich, beautiful flames in an open fireplace.
But some people think it smells funny... others don't.


----------



## Streblerm (Nov 25, 2011)

hanniedog said:


> Isn't that what fireplace screens are for?



Yeah, forget about the wood that doesn't pop. SIL needs a fireplace screen before she burns her house down, or at least a big ole hole in her carpet. I don't know of any wood that never pops. A knot or some trapped moisture deep an the log is all you need for a pop. 

I would never leave an open fireplace without some kind of screen in front of it. They make the chainmail curtain type that hangs down or the free standing type. Get her one and then don't worry about what kind of wood you give her.


----------



## J.W Younger (Nov 25, 2011)

I sold one guy 4 cords of black cherry , according to him its the best for fireplaces.


----------



## dustytools (Nov 25, 2011)

hanniedog said:


> Isn't that what fireplace screens are for?



Yep, they have a full fireplace screen. She would just prefer wood that doesnt pop too badly. I have had little "poppers" end up in the floor in the past.


----------



## 4seasons (Nov 25, 2011)

I would have to say hickory is the worst wood for popping. I think it is the bugs that will burro into the wood that make it the worst. They become little pockets of water in the wood that get superheated as the wood burns then when pressure overcomes the strength of the wood around it you get a violent pop sending burning amber out of the fire. That is my best guess of what causes popping anyway. So the only wood that won't pop would have to be free of bugs or pockets of moisture trapped in the wood. I find that maple doesn't pop much but if you have a crotch in a piece of maple water will be trapped and it will pop too. So my best answer is there is no such thing as a wood that won't pop. There are only ways to limit how much it pops. So get a screen and keep anything that can ignite away from an open flame. Those should be common sense to anyone with an open fireplace. I had to take some precautions when I started using my wood stove so that it wouldn't pop and catch the curtains on fire when I was loading it.


----------



## JRepairsK70e (Nov 25, 2011)

put it in the microwave on high for about 4 minutes if it doesnt pop in there its ok to put in the fireplace


----------



## PA. Woodsman (Nov 25, 2011)

Definitely stay away from Mulberry-it's like the 4th of July when air hits those moisture pockets!

Terry, maybe I misundertand you, but you're not cutting wood now for them to use this season are you?


----------



## dustytools (Nov 25, 2011)

PA. Woodsman said:


> Definitely stay away from Mulberry-it's like the 4th of July when air hits those moisture pockets!
> 
> Terry, maybe I misundertand you, but you're not cutting wood now for them to use this season are you?



No sir, The wood that I take them will not be burnt until next year. If they are running a little shy for this year I will get them a little from my reserves. I have a couple standing deal Elms that I will take down in the next week or two that might be okay for late winter.


----------



## Wood Doctor (Nov 25, 2011)

Whitespider said:


> Elm... any elm... elm does not pop, crackle, snap or throw sparks... ever.
> It also produces rich, beautiful flames in an open fireplace.
> But some people think it smells funny... others don't.


 Second the motion. Red elm might be the best fireplace wood you can burn. The rancid smell of elm is a bunch of overblown poppycock. 

Walnut does throw some sparks but not the way mulberry does. Hackberry, ash, birch, and sycamore also burn with fewer sparks than mulberry. Cedar is another spark-infested species.

Everyone around this forum seems to hate poplar and/or cottonwood, but there's practically no sparks there either.


----------



## Hedgerow (Nov 25, 2011)

Wood Doctor said:


> Second the motion. Red elm might be the best fireplace wood you can burn. The rancid smell of elm is a bunch of overblown poppycock.
> 
> Walnut does throw some sparks but not the way mulberry does. Hackberry, ash, birch, and sycamore also burn with fewer sparks than mulberry. Cedar is another spark-infested species.
> 
> Everyone around this forum seems to hate poplar and/or cottonwood, but there's practically no sparks there either.



Probably want to stay away from Hedge too... :msp_wink:
My vote for fireplaces is:
#1. Elm
#2. Hackberry
#3. Maple
#4. Cherry
#5. Oak


----------



## J.W Younger (Nov 25, 2011)

We had a week without power in 2k due to an ice storm and thats the last time the fireplace was used. The Oak worked well but the hickory wood throw big chunks. Mostly the Oak crotches only had small shooting stars that were out before they landed. A screen won't stop the small sparks.


----------



## Wood Doctor (Nov 25, 2011)

Hedgerow said:


> Probably want to stay away from Hedge too... :msp_wink:
> My vote for fireplaces is:
> #1. Elm
> #2. Hackberry
> ...


+1. Yep, I forgot about maple. Add that to the list. Soft maple tends to burn faster than elm, but it's a good non-spark candidate. Linden (basswood) is another, but it burns as fast as cottonwood, willow, and box elder, so I avoid it.

So far, I have found that Russian olive (the large variety), splits and burns about the same as maple, but the bark is a little messy.


----------



## rmount (Nov 25, 2011)

For a "pretty" fireplace burn i don't think you can beat poplar. Lights easily, burns bright and fast and doesn't leave embers or much ash. Perfect for a one or two hour fire in the evening. Its only downside is it doesn't throw much heat. But then people looking for an ambiance type fire usually have their place centrally heated anyways. In terms of "popping" the worst around here would be hemlock, it shoots off all over the place.


----------



## logbutcher (Nov 25, 2011)

No such wood that does not have pitch/sap pockets; some, such as softwoods, more than most hardwoods. It's the heat bursting the sap pockets.

Here's my take: help her with an A.A. (Attitude Adjustment) to open fires. Think of Nat King Cole's "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire......." with all the romance and ambiance of open fires. Buy her a box of Rice Krispies. No heat required. Those "pops" are sounds of nature, of the wilds, of the essence of treehood, of the scent and sounds of nature. The sounds of hearth.

You may PM me for an A.A. referral. otstir:


----------

