Opinion, Are pallets worth the trouble

[Thomask9590]

O.K,
Opinion needed, are pallets worth all the trouble, I have a company next door that has hundreds of good hard wood pallets for free. I used a few for camp fires, they burn great but the nails are brutal. Will the nails damage my stove, and whats the best way to tear them apart.

 

[Dave_1]

Nails will not hurt your stove.

So when between a rock & a hard place, you do the do, ;-)

that is, if the Mrs / neighbors can stomach the sight. :gulp:

If you decide to burn pallets, then get one of these & pass it over your ashes after burning such.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=36903

 

[Thomask9590]

Thanks Dave.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

The problem with nails is not the stove, but hitting them with a saw. Most pallets are 40x48". You are better off cutting alongside the 3 cross pieces, then cutting those into 3 pieces each than disassembling. Pallets that have been repaired have nails in weird places.

They burn fast, and are usually quite dry for you already. Easy to overfire if you don't watch out with some stoves!

I cut them into 40" length pieces and throw them in my kiln firebox. They just explode into flame (the firebox gets up over 2000 F).

 

[Thomask9590]

I hate looking at the nice dry oak that some are made of. All I see are BTU's goin in the dumpster.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Absolutely. Ever burn one outdoors in a fire pit? Wow.

 

[Thomask9590]

I used to burn a few at our camp site. And your right, they burn quick, but what a pain to prep them for burning.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Outdoors- get a fire going and throw it on there whole. Indoors- don't "disassemble"- but there's a lot of cutting.

They make an outdoor boiler system big enough to take them whole- called the "Pallet Burner". Pretty cool.

 

[Thomask9590]

OOOHHHH that sounds pretty mean, a whole pallet! So be carful when I order a Pellet stove and be sure the sales guy doesnt think it's a PALLET stove that I want. I'm sure there's a small differance in price.

 

[savageactor7]

Ive known folks that have burned pallets for years without any problems...but it takes a lot to get the job done. Nails only damage grates.

 

[chrisfallis]

I used to cut up pallets and put them in my Tarm. The firebox was small so I ended up with a lot of cuts to bust the pallets apart. Looking down at a pallet on the ground, I would run my circular saw across the top planks but next to the supporting 2x4 pieces. This was about 4 passes, then, flip and repeat on the back side of the pallet. The 2x4 pieces could be cut in half, or sometimes thirds to fit into the firebox. I was left with a bunch of 12-14 inch boards which were a pain to handle. The best score I made locally was at a place that repaired pallets, and they would stack their excess 1x4 and 2x4 boards outside their plant for free pickup. These loose boards I would process into 3 pieces with my radial ram saw. Care must be taken to avoid nails, but with a little practice, it was easy for me. Here in Colorado, those pallet parts were the best way to get oak. I would burn the pine parts in the day when I could feed the fire hourly, and I saved the oak for the overnight burns.

The nails I would separate from the ash by eye and with a magnet. After I got a few 5 gallon buckets they would go to a scrapyard to be recycled.

 

[SteveT]

Free. Hardwood. Next Door. I'd go for it without hesitation.

The few pallets I've broken up were sort of a pain but worth it. That was a few years ago when I could buy a cord of cord of oak for about $100 delivered. Now that good cordwood is so costly I think you are in a great position to save a bundle for a few hours work.

 

[WES999]

I burned a bunch of pallets last winter. Great for getting the fire started and heating the stove up quickly.
What I do, is use a pallet buster fork to take them apart and then cut them with a chop saw. (The fork I have is home made but you can buy them.) Also you can keep a good supply in the basement as there is little chance of insects.

 

[begreen]

I haven't run this stove, but have read more than once that the Napoleon tends to run hot. The combo with dry palette wood could be volatile, so I would be careful, especially with a new stove. Take small steps while learning. Have plenty of seasoned regular wood on hand too and mix the wood. And be sure to have a reliable thermometer on the stove top. If you find it regularly heading over 700 then switch to the cordwood.

 

[Thomask9590]

Thanks for the tip on the Napoleon. I burt Jotuls while I was growing up so this stove is new for me.

 

[Beanscoot]

I use one of the magnets that has a handle you squeeze to release the nails. Also I like to use flea market (dollar or less) pre-loved carbide tipped circular saw blades in case I hit a nail. Actually with a little care you'll rarely hit them, and it takes a few before the blade joins the nails in the scrap bucket. Cutting up a pallet on a stack of three or four results in a much more comfortable working height.

I find it kind of satisfying to have most of the ash weight in nails that can be recycled. I also pick out the charcoal for reburning, and the ash goes into the compost.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

They got me through my first winter. I ate more chains than I care to remember that year...

 

[RedRanger]

Times are tough, and getting tougher. for goodness sake`s--if it burns, it keeps ya warm. Waky, waky, dream land is come and gone!!

 

[Carl]

Pallets are very much in demand. I drove home seeing three stacks where I pick a few up for stacking wood on. Went back with my truck and just started loading a few when another fellow pulled in behind me to take them all. He said he has burned them for 30 years and nothing else. Very nice fellow. I took 6 hardwood ones and he said he would take the rest after me.

To answer your question, yes, they are worth it or others wouldn't be picking them up for burning.

 

[Thomask9590]

O.K.
Thank you all for the feedback, looks like I will start setting up shop to rip apart pallets for burning.

 

[Carl]

O.K.
Thank you all for the feedback, looks like I will start setting up shop to rip apart pallets for burning.

I would test them in your stove while watching it to see if they are ok. The fellow who said he was burning them for 30 years would fill the firebox solid with the slates packed tightly together simulating a log. He burned the stringers in the evening to build a bed of coals before stacking full of slats for the night. Same in the morning before leaving for work.

The way he cut them up was cut down each side of the stringer, leaving the slats free. Then he had a chop saw there which he used to cut up the stringers with. I can see how this would be very efficent and easy to do. His stove took 28 inch stuff so no further cutting of the slats were necessary but if you have a smaller firebox then you may need to use the chop saw on the slates to get them the correct size for your stove. Hope this helps.

Also he burned 5 pallets per day for the heating season. I imagine some days would be less but not many......so, if you heat for 6 months you will need about 900 pallets cut up ready to go.

Very interesting and informative person. Funny thing is when I asked him where he lived I found out he had bought my twin brothers old property 30 years ago. Small world which comes together at the pallet collection place.

 

[begreen]

Again, proceed with caution. It sounds like the old fellow had a very different, pre-epa stove. The Napoleon may behave differently. I wouldn't depend on palettes as a sole source of wood for my first year burning in a new stove. It may work out well, but there will be a learning curve.

From the manual:

DO NOT OVERFIRE THE STOVE!
Overfiring can occur by:
a) burning large amounts of smaller wood pieces such as
furniture scraps, skids or treated wood

 

[Carl]

BeGreen is correct in stating the guy probably had a pre epa stove and that is why I also said to watch it closely at first to see how it works. You may get a different reaction to them as all stoves are a little different. The manual states it can, not it will overheat so like BeGreen said, proceed with caution. You could pack a small group of the slats tightly together and lighting to see if the draft will control the burn before loading it full. They can only burn if air gets to them so if tightly packed not much air would get in, like the biobricks burn. If loosely staked then lots of air can circulate around them giving them plenty to burn very hot with.