What's the truth on dimensional lumber?

[Thislilfishy]

I won't need it this year, but I have access to solid oak squares (4"x4"x2') from my old work place. It's used to stack extruded aluminum. I've read that using this type of wood can be extremely damaging to a wood stove due to the chemicals that may be present in the wood. How true is this, should I bother start collecting this wood for next year?

Ian

 

[Wildo]

If its not PT or dipped in creosote Burn it!

 

[Sconnie Burner]

If its not PT or dipped in creosote Burn it!

Yep, if its just wood not treated with anything you should be fine. Lots of people burn pallets their first year or 2, I don't see those being much different. Just watch out if they are too dry they may cause an over-fire issue where they burn too hot. If nothing else they will work great for mixing in with lesser seasoned cord wood!

 

[DougA]

Do not burn them. Call me once you have a big pile, then I will come and take them away for you.

 

[WiscWoody]

I like to burn scraps some of them oak and some of them whatever framing wood I can get to get the stove started and start some coals. If you have a catalytic stove then no paints or resins.

 

[Thislilfishy]

No cat, it's a Napoleon 1400PL, or it will be once it's installed. They usually pack it in small skid loads for me to pick up. I used to use it in the bonfire for our parties...not anymore I guess.

(broken image removed)

Ian

 

[WiscWoody]

Oh yes, we used to have them like that in the middle of winter here in Wisconsin with all kinds of snow around the fire and drinking frozen beer! But now I've aged, the beer is no more and the fire has moved indoors lol! Not all bad really...

 

[Thislilfishy]

Oh yes, we used to have them like that in the middle of winter here in Wisconsin with all kinds of snow around the fire and drinking frozen beer! But now I've aged, the beer is no more and the fire has moved indoors lol! Not all bad really...

Hah, yeah we definitely had fewer fires this year, but no fewer beers. Typically the winter fires are after a good hunt or after spending several hours plowing out driveways on a Friday night.

 

[BrotherBart]

Yeah just take it slow learning how large a load you can put in the stove. Start small.

And I hope that skin condition clears up.

 

[bags]

You should have no problem. I burn stuff like that all of the time. I'm a contractor and bring it home on a regular basis. Many skids are heat treated and I have burnt those in the outdoor wood boiler. No pressure treated woods but I have not have issues with any skids of any type. Happy to use some wood like this actually. It will likely burn HOT and FAST. Like Bother Bart stated, "slow learning." Collect away. Let me know when you have it all rounded up so DougA and I can stop by

 

[Thislilfishy]

Thanks guys, I need to make a trip down there maybe next week and pick up a couple loads. It's good have friends at that place still. I'll likely save most of it for next fall or spring, I have more then enough wood for this season already. Time to start saving for next season.

 

[BurnIt13]

I'll add to the question. Since I burn everything but poison ivy....a thought dawned on me. What is the specific reason we are not supposed to burn PT lumber? Back in the day when it contained arsenic is a no brainer....but does it contain some other unknown poison in it now?

Not that I would like to make a habit out of it but I save all my lumber scraps from various projects and there are a few PT ones in there. I figured a small piece every now and then would be okay because I assumed no arsenic = no big deal. What am I missing?

 

[WiscWoody]

Same here, I have a 12x12 walk in closet full of heavy thick mil bags of the stuff. I can do that being single! And then I had 20 2x12 fifteen foot long pieces of nice Maple boards I got from a closed school that were used for shelving. I hated to cut them up but they sat in my basement for 15 years and without a garage to store things like that they'll soon be heating the house.

 

[WiscWoody]

I'll add to the question. Since I burn everything but poison ivy....a thought dawned on me. What is the specific reason we are not supposed to burn PT lumber? Back in the day when it contained arsenic is a no brainer....but does it contain some other unknown poison in it now?

Not that I would like to make a habit out of it but I save all my lumber scraps from various projects and there are a few PT ones in there. I figured a small piece every now and then would be okay because I assumed no arsenic = no big deal. What am I missing?

I think it still has some sort of Nasty chemical in it. I don't find much of it anyways and if I do I save it to shim my tall drying racks.

 

[TradEddie]

PT wood still contains nasty chemicals and arsenic is only prohibited for residential use, it still used for other purposes, so there is lots of arsenic treated wood out there.
Mostly however, the stove manufacturer's aren't going to waste time or money to find out if every possible PT chemical will damage your stove, or pollute the air, so it's easier to say to burn only untreated wood.

TE

 

[bags]

I think it still has some sort of Nasty chemical in it. I don't find much of it anyways and if I do I save it to shim my tall drying racks.

It will burn,,,,, but don't inhale. It does have chemicals but so do the heat treated skids. Definitely don't burn it indoors! Still bad for you even though the arsenic is no longer used. That is exactly why PT lumber does not deter carpenter bees much anymore. Regulations are good but some (many) are counter productive in my opinion. Maybe some of these parents shouldn't allow their kids to chew on the deck.......... nor the old oil based lead painted trim inside. This combined with idiots dumping it down drains. people with no common sense make life interesting for the ones that do. Sorry, I strayed off topic there a bit.

It will make excellent shims!

 

[TradEddie]

Still bad for you even though the arsenic is no longer used.

Let's clarify this; Arsenic is still sold and used for non residential uses like trailer beds and docks. You can still buy arsenic treated wood, in addition to the decades of scrap construction wood. If you acquire scrap PT wood, there is no practical way to know what it contains, none of the options are safe to burn, even if you don't inhale, someone outside does.

Heat treated pallets should not contain dangerous chemical preservatives. Heat or chemicals are used to kill invasive insects, not to preserve the pallets, so there is no reason both would be used. Heat treated pallets are marked with a different symbol than chemically treated pallets, and have become much more common after odors from the chemicals leached into pharmaceutical bottles a few years ago.

TE