Can I burn fence posts in a wood stove?

Leif

My garden has some posts, solid wood about 4" by 4" cross section and 6 foot long, bottom end in steel pointy things, the wood is well weathered, presumably a decade old or more, which I have uprooted. They supported a trellis. Can I burn these in a wood stove, or would traces of preservatives be bad news?

Williwoodburner

Yes, no problem burning fence posts, just be aware of any nails when you load the stove, turn the side with nails away from the glass to avoid falling against it and possibly breaking it.

The only wood we dont burn is anything thickly painted, anything else goes on the stove. :money:

regards

Willie.

[Deleted User]

I do unless caked in paint/varnish.

bobthedambuilder

This is a quote from the web (admittedly from a supplier of woodburner products, but the chemistry sounds about right). Most fencing products have been treated with some sort of preservative, usually the one named :

Burning Treated Timber as Firewood

As featured on a recent Radio 4 programme about the firewood log market, it should be remembered that treated timber contains CCA (chromated copper arsenate) and should not be burnt as firewood. CCA is a wood preservative that has been used for timber treatment since the mid 1930's. As the name suggests it is a mixture of chromium, copper and arsenic, it imparts a greenish tint to the timber.

It is highly effective as wood preservative, often used as a substitute for creosote. It protects against fungal decay, wood eating insects and affords a good degree of weather-resistance.

But when burnt, toxic arsenic is released into the atmosphere and the ash from burnt CCA treated timber can contain up to 10 per cent (by weight) arsenic, chromium and copper. Swallowing only a few grams of this ash can be harmful. Symptoms can include nausea and/or vomiting, diarrhoea, and a ‘pins and needles’ feeling in the skin.

Never burn CCA treated timber as firewood in fireplaces, barbecues, wood stoves or any wood fire.

Arsenic in the body accumulates in cells, which over time may lead to skin, bladder, kidney, liver, lung, and prostate cancers. Other forms of arsenic toxicity in humans have been observed in blood, bone marrow, cardiac, central nervous system, gastrointestinal, gonadal, kidney, liver, pancreatic, and skin tissues.

DO NOT use the ash from burnt CCA treated timber in mulch, compost or spread it on your veggie plot

However, if you do happen to have an approved incinerator, that burns at 800°-1100°C, it is an acceptable option

muckybutt

Good post bob :T

Just to add railway sleepers are also a bad idea to burn in a stove or on an open fire. I recently had a young couple that had moved into a house with a stove ring me up to clean their chimney post chimney fire.

The chimney breast and chimney were bolloxed ! the plaster had blown off downstairs and upstairs on the chimney breast, and on the register plate above the stove there were several broken bricks where they had shattered / expolded due to the heat. Upon asking what they usually burn they admitted they had no idea what to burn but there was a load of old sleepers in the back garden, so they had decided to chop them up and burn them "oh they burnt great and gave off loads of heat" said the young lady :eek: ! hmmm yes they would as they are soaked in creosote and tar...hence thats why you have had a chimney fire.

Asked if they had called the fire brigade ? ohhh no they would have made a mess so we just let it burn ! !!!!!! ????