Pallet type wood smoke a lot?

[moondoggy]

hey all,
i get these real nice small double sided pallets from a flooring store nearby. I use them for compost bin/wood stacking, and now the kids fort. pallets are they are marked GAF.

now this place also puts out hollow rectangle boxes .... the boards are like 2"x6"x 4ft. and are rough cut.
i have scraps of them from building, and had a fire with them in the stove.
I figured 'dang, these shoudl burn fast and clean"
but they actually seemed to smoke a lot.
had 3 pcs on top of each other burning real good stoves over 500 and had a lot of smoke from the stack and the yard seemed to stink.

should pallet and (expected) clean lumber burn pretty clean and smokefree? I mean my fire was going strong, and i had a lot of smoke.
does this mean they may be treated? perhaps not dry yet?
i should take a moisture meter to them maybe.

 

[Jags]

Alot of wood that goes into building pallets is far from seasoned. You may have gotten some pallets that are still green. Wouldn't be unheard of especially if the pallets are built from large dimensional lumber.

 

[burntime]

I have heard that some pallets are treated with a pesticide as well????

 

[backpack09]

I have had a few pallets that seamed to be treated with something. I would say a petroleum of some sort, as when I burnt them outside they burned like a candle.

Most of the strapping that goes on the pallets (like 1x4s) is not kiln dried and is usually pine. I cut them up and stack them for a few months before burning them.

 

[RedRanger]

Alot of wood that goes into building pallets is far from seasoned. You may have gotten some pallets that are still green. Wouldn't be unheard of especially if the pallets are built from large dimensional lumber.

Jags is correct, seen this many times. If pallets are siting outside in the rain, the flat surface readily absorbs water, more so than split cordwood.

 

[billb3]

IIRC, International destined pallets are treated to eliminate the chance of spreading unwanteds across the ocean.
Ship and air.
Some pallets can sit in puddles of who-knows-what, so sometimes it's good to know where they've been.

 

[moondoggy]

thanks guys,
they put them out on a daily basis.. i actually know exactly how long they sit out.... i pass the place 4 times a day.
they seem too clean to be treated... but who knows. maybe i'l try metering them.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

They dry very quickly as well. Faster than green wood. I burn a LOT of them in the kiln- and they heat even better than dry pine.

 

[North of 60]

Moondoggy quit playin around with feeding that cat stove of yours with wood that you have know idea of what shape its in.
Next year you will be belly achen that you have to replace your cat or that its not working very well. These arnt the ones with 9 lives. Bad moondoggy bad :cheese:

 

[moondoggy]

hey all,
wow, split one of the 2"x6"x4' planksin half, it was over 28-30% each time i stabbed it with the moisture meter.

North fo 60- I would never put the CatCombuster on with unknown wood, specially when i was seeing it smoke like that outside.

also as i said, i see this stuff all day long, nothing sits outside long once they throw it in the pile... they are on a main rd. in the summer, stuff would sit for a day or 2, now if you dont get there within an hour or so, its gone and this was stuff i just took home.

think i'll throw it in the basement when it tests goodand low, chuck a pc in and see how it smokes.
gets nice and dry down there.
appreciate it.

 

[scotsman]

hey all,
wow, split one of the 2"x6"x4' planksin half, it was over 28-30% each time i stabbed it with the moisture meter.

North fo 60- I would never put the CatCombuster on with unknown wood, specially when i was seeing it smoke like that outside.

also as i said, i see this stuff all day long, nothing sits outside long once they throw it in the pile... they are on a main rd. in the summer, stuff would sit for a day or 2, now if you dont get there within an hour or so, its gone and this was stuff i just took home.

think i'll throw it in the basement when it tests goodand low, chuck a pc in and see how it smokes.
gets nice and dry down there.
appreciate it.

Pallets that sit out in this area for more than a week will dry fast . . . and be below 10% inside of 60 days. Pallets made in this area for use in this area are not treated, since we have few bugs and no (rain) puddles of any kind 95% of the time. Our typical average RH in the summer and fall is about 12%, which sucks moisture out of everything. Winter is even drier! You bein' on LI, your ambient moisture levels may be somewhere around your wood's moisture content. I burn pallet wood regularly without so much as a whiff of smoke out the stack, even in my open FP.

BTW, if you can find a place that makes plantation type shutters for homes, you might want to investigate their scrap for kindling. Down here those shutters are made of cottonwood and the reject shutter boards are 1/4" X 3 1/2" X 4 to 6 feet. Have never found better for starting a fire. I picked up several hundred pounds (and that's a LOT of cottonwood) for free. I use it to practice making dovetail and other joints, mock ups of hardwood projects and then make kindling from it when finished. If you want great fire starters, soak 'em in kerosene for a few days and then keep in a closed 5-gallon bucket.