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Old 08-04-2020, 04:16 PM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steve dunham View Post
For those of us who heat our homes with wood , the secret to low / no smoke is well dried firewood , a clean chimney , and a hot fire
What gets me are the people who throw a bunch of green / wet wood on a campfire and then go in their trailer and let the fire smolder and smoke all night for everyone to enjoy .

That sounds terrible.
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Old 08-05-2020, 09:45 AM   #42
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We purchase a cord of wood a year for our seasonal site, but never take any with because a friend was fined for bringing his cut/split wood along. In Minnesota and many other states it's illegal to bring uncertified wood or certified wood from too far away. In Minnesota they WILL fine you if caught. We also don't have enough room to bring wood for three months.

We had a number of conversations about how much it cost to buy wood, the poor efficiency of a typical campground firepit, poor location of that firepit, smoke going to our camper on a hot night when we wanted the windows open, so looked at options to the traditional campsite firepit. We narrowed it down to the BioLite and the Solo Stove. After much research and firepit pros/cons talks we purchased the BioLite. I'm adding to my previous post.

Because our BioLite contains the wood in a smaller area, and sits on a grate allowing air circulation, it is much more efficient (plus the bellow option mentioned previously). We figure we use much less than half the wood a night vs burning in a large firepit. The BioLite gets the wood burning quicker and keeps the coals in a tighter area, so more usable heat. Plus, a cold fire puts out the smoke we're talking about here. We wanted efficiency for less smoke and a movable firepit.

Firewood is getting more expensive. Rarely do we see a bundle at $5 anymore. We get by with less than a bundle a night with the BioLite vs two or more bundles in a standard firepit. We easily have had over 200-300 fires in our BioLite cutting our wood costs by more than half. Do the math!

We do carry a fake log for those times we forget to get wood or there is no wood available nearby. Perhaps one out of every 40-80 fires. We love sitting around a fire at night and only if traveling in a Cabellas or Cracker Barrel is there no fire.

Last weekend we were at the "Family Campout", now called the "Covid Campout of 2020". One night I counted a minimum or 8 bundles of wood going in the firepit before I went to be at 10 pm. Everyone sat at least 6' from non-immediate family members. Of course, teaching accounting and business for 30 years I count every penny!

Wet wood causes smoke. Wood that takes a long time to get going causes smoke. A fixed firepit causes problems when the smoke goes toward your camper and even more trouble when it floats to the neighbor's camper. There are viable options.

Food for thought!

Perry
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Old 08-05-2020, 10:09 AM   #43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GeorgeN View Post
Dear All,
We are thinking about buying an Escape trailer, but, for health reasons, we are concerned about campfire smoke getting into the trailer. Does smoke get inside with the door/windows closed (can you smell smoke)? If yes, is there any way to fix it?
Thank you very much!
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Originally Posted by TTMartin View Post
Smoke in campgrounds is really bad in general.

I was disappointed at how much smoke was coming from the campgrounds at Yellowstone Nation Park when we were there.

So if you're concerned about smoke from other people there really isn't much you're going to be able to do, except avoid larger parks and campgrounds.
After thinking about this, a 12 volt HEPA filter in the trailer might be your best solution. Keeping the windows and vents closed should do a pretty good job keeping out smoke, then having a filter inside to clean the interior air.

I haven't tried this product, but, it looks like it would be effective. It has a 120 volt AC to 12 volt DC 'wall wort', so it should be able to modified the power supply to plug into a 12 volt power port. The same company does make a larger unit that comes with a 12 volt auto adapter, so you might be able to get one from the company for this one also. This one is rated at 3.5 watts, the one that comes with the auto adapter is 20 watts, so this would be preferred for RV use.

Airthereal ADH50B Air Purifier with 3 Filtration Stage True HEPA Filter for Small Room, Bedroom, and Office Whisper Quiet - Day Dawning
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Old 08-05-2020, 01:50 PM   #44
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Originally Posted by GeorgeN View Post
Hi Mike,
Thank you for the suggestion! Since you've thought of how to deal with smoke,
perhaps you've thought of adding a HEPA filter into the Maxx fan? I wonder if it would be possible to attach HEPA filter cloth (see below, for example) to the insect screen in the Maxx fan? Or am I missing something?

https://www.amazon.com/Carbon-Purifi...6515188&sr=8-9
I think it would depend on:
  1. how motivated are you to get some outside air,
  2. and how smoky it is outside,
  3. and maybe if you can get the edges sealed tightly so no smoky air gets blown past the edge.
If in doubt, recirculating and filtering the air inside the trailer will be more effective and efficient than drawing outside air in. I suppose if you have occasional wind switched wafting occasional smoke your way, and you're using outside air to cool the trailer, the filter material would be a dandy thing. If you have a constant, heavy smoke outside the trailer, I suspect you'll want to button up tight and recirculate. Maybe having both would be nice!


One time in S. Dakota (a half hour from Mt. Rushmore) I stayed at a NF CG beside a small lake, under the pines. Lovely campground. But come evening it was very still, the CG turned out to be sort of down in a bowl on 2 or 3 sides (the lake to the north was the exception), and it seemed like durn near everyone but me was burning wood at their site. It was heavy with smoke, totally hazy, like I haven't encountered before or since. I closed the windows, but the smell was already inside. Wish I'd had a filter that night, for sure!
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Old 08-05-2020, 01:59 PM   #45
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I just want to mention, for anyone who hasn't seen them, the "Repose fire logs" which are rectangular screen-type enclosures for wood pellets. https://www.reposenow.com/
I carry this set of 4 enclosures and a bag of pellets for the occasional fire. Nice, dry, consistent, bug-free wood. No issues with 'importing' firewood from outside the state or county. 50 lb bags of pellets are pretty cheap, especially compared to buying bundles at the CG. Burning 2 'logs' at a time allows a continual fire (just lay the 2 new ones on top to get started, fish out the empties after a bit, cool for a couple minutes, and refill to replenish the camp fire). Never any chunks of unburnt wood, only fine ash that taps away easily.
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Old 08-05-2020, 02:52 PM   #46
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Originally Posted by Mike G View Post
I just want to mention, for anyone who hasn't seen them, the "Repose fire logs" which are rectangular screen-type enclosures for wood pellets. https://www.reposenow.com/
I have never heard of nor seen these. They look interesting. I am always looking for ways to make things more compact, easier to handle, more eco-friendly, and less expensive. This product may hit all of those elements. I will have to look into it more.
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Old 08-06-2020, 12:58 AM   #47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike G View Post
One time in S. Dakota (a half hour from Mt. Rushmore) I stayed at a NF CG beside a small lake, under the pines. Lovely campground. But come evening it was very still, the CG turned out to be sort of down in a bowl on 2 or 3 sides (the lake to the north was the exception), and it seemed like durn near everyone but me was burning wood at their site. It was heavy with smoke, totally hazy, like I haven't encountered before or since. I closed the windows, but the smell was already inside. Wish I'd had a filter that night, for sure!
we had that same problem once camping at Summit Lake South campground at Lassen NP, the whole camping area filled up with acrid cold smoke fumes due to a inversion effect. My sinuses and eyes burned for days after that, we had to leave the campground after the first night even tho we had a several night reservation. I've since always camped at Summit Lake NORTH which doesn't seem to have the same problem, but its also not nearly as trailer/rv friendly, the sites are smaller and meant for tent campers.
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Old 08-06-2020, 10:26 AM   #48
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike G View Post
I just want to mention, for anyone who hasn't seen them, the "Repose fire logs" which are rectangular screen-type enclosures for wood pellets. https://www.reposenow.com/
I carry this set of 4 enclosures and a bag of pellets for the occasional fire. Nice, dry, consistent, bug-free wood. No issues with 'importing' firewood from outside the state or county. 50 lb bags of pellets are pretty cheap, especially compared to buying bundles at the CG. Burning 2 'logs' at a time allows a continual fire (just lay the 2 new ones on top to get started, fish out the empties after a bit, cool for a couple minutes, and refill to replenish the camp fire). Never any chunks of unburnt wood, only fine ash that taps away easily.
Whoa! This looks great for those areas where the wood is either non-existent or wet! Plus, perhaps two would fit in our BioLite Firepit.

How many logs can you get out of a 40 pound bag?

Do these burn faster or slower than a traditional wood log? I would assume faster.

How long would two logs give a decent fire?

Are any sparks/floating hot ash emitted?

Edit: I found this
Repose Firelog in a BioLite Firepit.

Thanks,

Perry
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Old 08-06-2020, 12:58 PM   #49
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pallets? people burn pallets??


now, THIS is a campfire!!

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Old 08-06-2020, 02:05 PM   #50
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pallets? people burn pallets??


now, THIS is a campfire!!



Ron
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Old 08-06-2020, 02:14 PM   #51
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Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz View Post
pallets? people burn pallets??


now, THIS is a campfire!!

Our local auto shop in NW Wisconsin heats their building by burning pallets in a homemade dual chamber barrel type stove . The pallets burn hot and clean
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Old 08-06-2020, 02:54 PM   #52
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fyi, that was going to be one 80' tower, twice as tall, but when they tried to erect it, it just wouldn't stay together, so they decided settled for the twin 40' towers you see above. the problem was, they only had a 40 foot crane, so the 80 ft version had to be assembled horizontally then tilted up. just another Saturday night on a random playa (NOT Black Rock).
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Old 08-06-2020, 05:27 PM   #53
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Follow up on Solo stove

I just got it and set it up. There are a few advantages to this stove. The claim of no smoke is mostly verified. People are reporting their clothes do not stink after use.

The spark arrester is going to make this a lot more functional. The West has fire bans all over now. Mostly Class II, which means you can still have a fire in WYO, not in CO. You can't use this in a fire ban, but when it clears, this is a responsible solution with the arrester on. You can set this right on grass without burning it at all.

Check out the S'mores sticks! Comes with a nice black, canvas carrying bag.
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Old 08-06-2020, 06:54 PM   #54
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Originally Posted by Perryb67 View Post
Whoa! This looks great for those areas where the wood is either non-existent or wet! Plus, perhaps two would fit in our BioLite Firepit.

How many logs can you get out of a 40 pound bag?

Do these burn faster or slower than a traditional wood log? I would assume faster.

How long would two logs give a decent fire?

Are any sparks/floating hot ash emitted?

Edit: I found this
Repose Firelog in a BioLite Firepit.

Thanks,

Perry
No statistics, I haven't timed the burn or counted logs, but I'll say perhaps a half hour of burn time. It doesn't spit sparks as much as a solid log can (what with moisture and resin pockets).
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Old 08-06-2020, 07:20 PM   #55
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I watched a Youtube from one guy who claimed 45 minutes. He then lit 3 "logs" and let them burn to coals. It took right at 50 minutes.
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Old 08-12-2020, 10:32 AM   #56
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Originally Posted by GeorgeN View Post
Dear All,
We are thinking about buying an Escape trailer, but, for health reasons, we are concerned about campfire smoke getting into the trailer. Does smoke get inside with the door/windows closed (can you smell smoke)? If yes, is there any way to fix it?
Thank you very much!
No smoke from our campfires 🔥. We don’t burn wood anymore. We bought a propane campfire circle. It is instant, has no smoke, is portable, has a lid to lock in the lava rocks, completely adjustable flame and, yes kids can roast marshmallows. Best camping purchase since we bought our Escape19.
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Old 08-12-2020, 10:54 AM   #57
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We split the difference. Since we travel through a lot of jurisdictions carrying firewood is a nuisance.

We have a propane unit but lets face it, the flames are pretty boring. So I supplement it with a few twigs. Makes for a "real" fire. In Baja a few mesquite twigs are perfect for this.

Ron
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Old 08-12-2020, 10:57 AM   #58
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Because of fire restrictions, I switched to a propane fit pit. Not as romantic, but it's warm and clean.
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Old 08-12-2020, 11:08 AM   #59
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Yet one more follow up!

Used the stove now about five times. Does not use much firewood. Hardly any smoke and what is there goes straight up. No smoke smelling on my clothes yet. So that is good.

The spark arrester works very well. Only very small sparks get out.

You can have a fire on the grass and this leaves no marks. Very pretty fire.

All in all this is a very good design and it preforms as advertised so far.
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Old 08-12-2020, 11:38 AM   #60
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Because of fire restrictions, I switched to a propane fit pit. Not as romantic, but it's warm and clean.
I switched because it was disgusting how much smoke there was in and around the campgrounds at Yellowstone. You're in one of the most pristine natural places in the United States, and it had air pollution on par with Southern California.
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