Liberty Bricks - Another Wood-based Fuel

[woodbooga]

I did a search and found no other thread on these. Any thoughts or reactions? A quick scan of the web site turned up nothing on what a cord's worth of btu's would cost.

http://libertybricks.com/Liberty_Bricks_Product_Info.html

HOW TO USE LIBERTY BRICKS
Liberty Bricks are wood and may be used like firewood. They start easily if stacked with airspace between the bricks or in a “teepee” around a few wads of newspaper. The heat from the newspaper gets trapped in the top of the “teepee” to ignite the wood; within a few minutes all the bricks are started from the inside. Add more Liberty Bricks as with firewood. It will be very difficult to light only one brick in your fireplace or stove without any additional wood or paper. DO NOT OVERFILL THE STOVE WITH LIBERTY BRICKS AS TOO MUCH HEAT MAY BE CREATED.

HOW LONG DO LIBERTY BRICKS BURN?
As with any wood, burn time depends on how much air the fire is given. In an open fireplace, Liberty Bricks will burn for about 90 minutes. In a well-stocked, damped-down wood stove (but not stuffed to capacity!) they will burn all night. You’ll want to experiment.

HOW MUCH HEAT IS GENERATED BY LIBERTY BRICKS?
Like all wood, they give off about 8600 BTU’s per pound. Since Liberty Bricks are generally dryer than split wood, less heat is lost to the vaporization of moisture. One ton of Liberty Bricks contains about 17 million BTU’s. With heating oil, you’ll need about 120 gallons to get the same amount of heat; with propane, about 185 gallons; with natural gas, about 165 CCF; or about 4980 KWh of electricity. Of course, appliance efficiency will affect the amount of heat you get out of any fuel.

HOW ARE LIBERTY BRICKS MADE?
Liberty Bricks are held together by the force applied to them during the manufacturing process. Wood fiber is fed into a mold, where a large ram puts thousands of pounds of pressure on the fiber and compresses it into a Liberty Brick. The bricks are held together by the rejoined fibers in the wood and natural resins. No glues or binders are added.

HOW MUCH WOOD IS EQUIVALENT A TON OF LIBERTY BRICKS?
Although split wood is often bought by the cord, there’s no good way to know exactly how much wood you’re getting since a cord is defined by the 8’ X 4’ X 4’ dimensions of the stack but not by how densely it’s packed. One “rule” to describe the density of a cord of wood is that a mouse can get into the stack, but not the cat that’s chasing it. The heat value of wood is determined by the weight and dryness, and since Liberty Bricks are sold by weight, you can be sure that you’re getting one ton (2000 lbs.) of Liberty Bricks on each pallet. Liberty Bricks are conveniently packaged in shrink wrapped bundles of ten bricks and each pallet is wrapped and covered. Liberty Bricks take up half the storage space of cordwood, are clean, have no bugs, and may be stored indoors or outdoors.

 

[woodbooga]

A few pics:

 

[CrappieKeith]

If a guys was interested in bricks....Bio Bricks would be one to check out too.

We did some testing with them and they burn near 80% efficient.
They make a lot of heat with decent burn times on a load.

 

[woodbooga]

If a guys was interested in bricks....Bio Bricks would be one to check out too.

We did some testing with them and they burn near 80% efficient.
They make a lot of heat with decent burn times on a load.

I heard of these on the other forum I belong to. Mostly non-woodburners but there was a thread about how to get a cord of wood out to one of the islands on the Big Lake. Someone chimed in regarding these and seemed really pleased about the output. (It wasn't clear if this member was a year-rounder like me or a snowbird whose heating would be limited to Sept/Oct. and the occasional chilly day in late May and June.)

 

[CrappieKeith]

Snowbirds ain't bad as long as they come back to pay their taxes.:monkey:

It snowed here this morning.

 

[woodbooga]

Snowbirds ain't bad as long as they come back to pay their taxes.:monkey:

Yup. They're a big part of the local economy here. Aside from the taxes on childless homes, they employ a lot of seasonal help and are among the best patrons at local restaurants and shops.

2009 should be an interesting year. While most of the area's snowbirds are well-off, they're not so well off that the hit their retirement savings won't affect their spending.

Any idea if this is the only cpmpany making such a product? Or are there others out there?

Seems one of the benefits is you don't need a special appliance like with pellets.

 

[JONSEREDFAN6069]

Snowbirds ain't bad as long as they come back to pay their taxes.:monkey:

It snowed here this morning.

here to Keith we got about an inch, sposed to be -10c tomorrow too. seems like winter, spring and fall is our only month's now. lol

 

[Wood Doctor]

At $100 a ton or less they might fly. A ton apparently releases 17,200,000 BTU, or 17.2 MCF natural gas equivalent.

At $7/MCF, that means $120 of NG in this neck of the woods. The higher-efficiency gas furnace would equate the costs at $100/ton for the Liberty Bricks.

It costs me about $40/ton in variable cost to bring in a ton of firewood, assuming I can keep my beer consumption down to less than a 6-pack per outing. However, I've never been able to cover the fixed costs with the savings in fuel.

 

[willsaw4beer]

They sound somewhat interesting, but it's still cheaper to heat with wood that I scavenge and clear off the property. But the point of this thread wasn't about being a stingy ******* so carry on.

 

[woodbooga]

They sound somewhat interesting, but it's still cheaper to heat with wood that I scavenge and clear off the property. But the point of this thread wasn't about being a stingy ******* so carry on.

For those of us who don't have a woodlot suitable to our needs, this might have an impact since the byproduct of the timber trades might have a more lucrative outlet. Ditto with biomass energy.

Could also peel away a few marginal customers. Those that only do a cord or so, or else those who like wood heat but don't like the attendant mess.

 

[willsaw4beer]

For those of us who don't have a woodlot suitable to our needs, this might have an impact since the byproduct of the timber trades might have a more lucrative outlet. Ditto with biomass energy.

Could also peel away a few marginal customers. Those that only do a cord or so, or else those who like wood heat but don't like the attendant mess.

Actually I was thinking "####, I hope most of my firewood customers don't hear about those!" considering most of the people I sell wood to burn it in their fireplace and are willing to pay the higher prices I charge because I will stack it and put up with their bs, as opposed to poeple who actually heat with wood.

 

[avalancher]

The idea sounds like a real winner to me.I wouldnt have any use for it myself,but I can see where the "no mess" approach would appeal to a lot of people around here.We have a lot of rental cabins around here, and when delivering to them I have to make sure all of the loose stuff is shook off the wood, the patrons as well as the owners go bezerk over the mess that red oak produces.
Something to consider, and I like the idea of being able to use the same appliances as any other type of wood supply.

 

[woodbooga]

The idea sounds like a real winner to me.I wouldnt have any use for it myself,but I can see where the "no mess" approach would appeal to a lot of people around here.We have a lot of rental cabins, and when delivering to them I have to make sure all of the loose stuff is shook off the wood, the patrons as well as the owners go bezerk over the mess that red oak produces.
Something to consider, and I like the idea of being able to use the same appliances as any other type of wood supply.

Yeah. It's the marginal burners who are most likely to be swayed. Those that do 1/2 to 1 cord a year. But $100 here and $200 there adds up.

Still curious as to the cost. I might e-mail them and ask to report back.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Yeah. It's the marginal burners who are most likely to be swayed. Those that do 1/2 to 1 cord a year. But $100 here and $200 there adds up.

Still curious as to the cost. I might e-mail them and ask to report back.

Bet you a dollar they price it just above natural gas. Note that NG customers still have to pay service charges and infrastructure repairs that sometimes double their bills.

 

[CrappieKeith]

, assuming I can keep my beer consumption down to less than a 6-pack per outing. .

So beer works for bar lube?LMFAO!

 

[woodbooga]

Bet you a dollar they price it just above natural gas. Note that NG customers still have to pay service charges and infrastructure repairs that sometimes double their bills.

I just checked out the NH dealer. They won't deliver to my zip code. But one close by the dealer is advertising $294/ton delivered. And that's an early buy special.

These days, no. 2 heating oil is fetching $2/gallon. So if...

One ton of Liberty Bricks contains about 17 million BTU’s. With heating oil, you’ll need about 120 gallons to get the same amount of heat

You're looking at $240 worth of oil heat for a net loss of $54 at current oil prices. But last summer, with pre-buys in the $4/gallon range, liberty bricks must've looked like a pretty good bargain.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Beer Bar Lube

So beer works for bar lube?LMFAO!

Only after the truck's loaded.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I just checked out the NH dealer. They won't deliver to my zip code. But one close by the dealer is advertising $294/ton delivered. And that's an early buy special.

These days, no. 2 heating oil is fetching $2/gallon. So if...

You're looking at $240 worth of oil heat for a net loss of $54 at current oil prices. But last summer, with pre-buys in the $4/gallon range, liberty bricks must've looked like a pretty good bargain.

Holy smokes! That's a lot higher than I thought. Last year I burned about 10 tons of hardwood (7 cords at 3,000 lb per cord), so count me out on Liberty Bricks.

WB, you just made my firewood more valuable than I realized. Guess I better go out and split a bunch more next week. I've got 10 cords in rounds already cut to length.

 

[Steve NW WI]

So beer works for bar lube?LMFAO!

Only after the truck's loaded.

A six pack will definitely get you pre lubed for the bar after a day of cutting. A full grown box - o - beer (24 pack) will get you lubed enough to make you forget about the bar-unless you have helpers!

 

[sunsetterb25]

Liberty Bricks

Bought a half ton for my girlfriend's stove thinking it would be ideal for her being they are easier to handle than logs and split wood for her. Cord of wood around here goes for roughly 150 bucks. Ton of Liberty Bricks is 150. Got a half ton (75 bucks) just to check it out.
Main dislike here is that these require constant attention cause they burn fast. Great heat and clean burning yeah, but not what I want in the stove overnight. leaves no coals or embers, so the stove will be cold when you wake up, but otherwise they are fine. You'll go through them alot faster than good old hardwood.