Bio bricks are an alternative fuel for a woodstove, but they do have their drawbacks. They are designed for use in a wood stove or fireplace insert. I experimented with them this winter and was not very impressed. They certainly are an attractive alternative to burning wood, but they do not have the same heat content as dried seasoned hardwood by volume nor do they burn as long as an equivalent volume of hardwood.

Bio bricks are made from compressed wood products and are formed in the shape of a brick or a fireplace log. They are easy to light and burn relatively clean with little ash. They are used in wood stoves and fireplaces as an alternative to wood. However, they are more expensive than cord wood. The price varies depending upon where you buy them. They cost between $250.00 and $300.00 dollars a ton. Each brick weighs approximately one pound. They are easy to handle and do not make the mess associated with regular fire wood and do not require the labor associated with cutting cord wood.

If you are buying seasoned firewood, the cost is about the same, but if you are cutting your own firewood, it cost nearly twice as much. Most serious wood burners process their own fire wood by buying it in log length and cutting it to stove length themselves. For them the cost is approximately $80.00 a cord.

To obtain bio bricks, they are purchased by the ton. To burn them they are packed as tightly as possible by stagger stacking in a woodstove to eliminate air flow through the bricks as they burn. This ensures a longer and steady slow burn. They burn better in a flat bottom steel stove. As the bricks burn they puff up slightly by about 20%. They actually look like a loaf of bread in the oven.

They also come in a pressed log shape which makes them look like natural wood in a fireplace. Overall, I liked the product because they are easy to deal with without the mess of wood. For a wood stove or a fireplace insert, the brick style burns the best as long as they are packed tightly. However, they are slower to release initial heat due to the dense stacking, but they burn more steadily over a longer time.

Bio bricks and bio logs are strictly a New England product that can be purchased in most woodstove sale centers. The cost of shipping them to other locations does get expensive which makes them a lesser alternative to wood.

Building an Outdoor Fire Pit

Burning Firewood In Your Woodstove or Fireplace

Buying a New Wood Stove

Buying Firewood

Chimney Fire Prevention