used engine oil and saw dust

farook

Wondering, I have access to used engine oil and lots of saw dust. Would it be possible to mix and burn in my multi fuel stove.

manda1205

Lol. If you want to set fire your house, go ahead.

grahamc2003

I did an oil change recently, and ended up with a few pints of old engine oil I didn't know what to do with. So as a bit of an experiment, I soaked some kindling and bigger bits of wood in it for a week or so, then put them in my hot stove. Didn't burn the house down, but it certainly produced plenty of heat for several minutes. Keep the air vent wide open to ensure any smoke is burnt off.

farook

Decided to experiment. Mixed ( dry mix ) a bit up in a bucket and put the mixture in a cereal box. It burnt slowly for a long time approx. 2 hours. Not bad at all.

montrose5

Farook, make sure you sweep the chimney regularly or tar deposits will build up resulting in chimney fire.Good idea though

Haryer

The topic seems to be full of useful stuff. Just subscribing on it by this post.

toffifee

Don't want to be alarmist, and I'm no expert, but doesn't used engine oil contain carcinogens so probably not a good idea to burn it?

My husband studied natural resource chemistry at uni and he won't even go near it without gloves on, so he certainly wouldn't want to be in a room where it's burning.

Added: found this on the HSE website:
Frequent and prolonged contact with used engine oil may cause dermatitis and other skin disorders, including skin cancer.
Avoid unnecessary contact with used engine oil. Adopt safe systems of work, wear protective clothing which should be cleaned or replaced regularly. Maintain high standards of personal hygiene and cleanliness.