I always seem to get mixed answers from my friends on this one. should you take the free pallets or will they cause a problem later down the road. I figured i would just cut em up minus the nail parts and use em. whats your take on them? why dont more people take them when they are offered? It beats chopping and splitin 100% of the time.
Pallets , Yes or no
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Burn them nails and all. Just watch out- they are thin split and extra dry, so a stove load may overfire and damage the stove!
Pallets can be ok to burn, but with some caveats. They should be dry, not green wood. If dry, they will burn hot and fast, especially if they are not hardwood. You need to watch overfiring the stove. Invest in a good stove thermometer first. If you find the stove getting to hot, maybe try burning the pallet wood in combination with cordwood. If you are a first time wood burner, proceed with caution until you know the stove and the fuel well.
Also, some pallets are chemically treated. I would avoid them. There's several threads on this in the forum. Do a search on burning pallets for more info. Here's a start:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/17630/
Also, some pallets are chemically treated. I would avoid them. There's several threads on this in the forum. Do a search on burning pallets for more info. Here's a start:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/17630/
Welcome!
I agree with everything said.
I used pallets as back up last year when I ran out of wood. Although I got a system down for cutting them up, I still view them as a lot of work for the amount of wood you get, especially if they were pine. I did not take nails out, just cut them with a sawsall into pieces that fit in the stove.
I still have a few left that I'll use for the shoulder season.
I agree with everything said.
I used pallets as back up last year when I ran out of wood. Although I got a system down for cutting them up, I still view them as a lot of work for the amount of wood you get, especially if they were pine. I did not take nails out, just cut them with a sawsall into pieces that fit in the stove.
I still have a few left that I'll use for the shoulder season.
Absolutely yes on the pallets. Look at them as longer-lasting kindling. 90% of the pallets I have ever seen, and I see new ones on a daily basis, are made of hard wood. Extremely, extremely dry hard wood. They'll burn hot and very fast. They will get your fire up to temp in a hurry, and keep it there. As mentioned above, I wouldn't expect to burn exclusively with them, as you'll either overfire the stove or be forced to add wood every half an hour. That said, they certainly serve a purpose. Use them to start/ad to a fire, and supplement with cord wood. Just make sure you're not arbitrarily dumping the ashes in the yard or on your garden. You can sift through them with a magnet, or put them somewhere that the nails won't cause a problem. Good luck!
They got me through my first season. Now I try to scrounge enough wood so I don't need them.
Matt
Matt
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