Burning decking in a wood burner.

fleeto3

My OH wants our decking removed. I can see where she's coming from it's slippy in Winter and wet weather. Seldom used. There's a concrete patio below it. Wouldn't need painted every year and the garden would all be on one level. I'd be doing it so it'd be free

You're talking about 25 square metres of hardwood here to. Now obviously it's painted but a lot of last years paint has worn off with all the wet weather we've had. This wouldn't really concern me when burning it. What is niggling at me is what would the decking have been treated with? What fumes it'd give off when burnt and what sort of residue or tar might build up in the flue?

It's a lot of wood and would probably be a big chunk of next Winter's supply for us if its not to dangerous to burn it. Anybody any experience of burning it?

wrightk

hello,

personally i wouldnt, especially if you have a liner. even then my chimney isnt lined and i avoid burning anything with chemicals, artificial resins or anything toxic in. the paint may have worn off but if the timber has been treated by tanalising it, it will have been impregnated with tanalith which in itself is a wood preservative which will be inpregnated deep in the timber and can protect it for up to 30 years.

really annoys me when i see adverts in freecycle for 'free wood for woodburner' and its essentially a builders bag of skirting boards covered in 30 years of gloss

maybe someone could elaborate further but personally i wouldnt

fleeto3

According to the boss, it was treated with decking oil when it was first laid as bare boards. That would have been scuffed off and covered last summer with black Ronseal decking paint. I might be prepared to gamble on the boards here:D

Mallotum_X

if it will come apart without splitting or damaging the boards then if it really is hardwood you could probably sell it on ebay.

wrightk

depends on where you bought them though. if they had been tanalised you wouldnt have even known about it because it would have been done before they got to the retailer. some of the cheaper softwood boards are just pressure treated. i can see where you are coming from but personally i would never risk it. not to mention all the chemicals burning out of your stack you will subject your neighbours to.
I bet if a large company came along and said 'we want to build an incinerator near your house' there would be uproar yet i find it really strange how so many people are prepared to just risk burning anything to save a few quid. It could cost you a lot more in the long run

muckybutt

Wood burners / stoves are not incinerators !

I never advocate burning pallets or any waste wood on them full stop, unless it is virgin wood and has never been stained - pressure treated.

suki1964

Do what we done, gave our decking away to the person who was prepared to come and dismantle it and take it the weekend we wanted

Now he's got the decking he's always wanted and I have the cobbles I wanted and no waste in landfill or nastyness in the air


Stoves are not for burning any old rubbish. Yes I do burn small amounts but that's when the stove is at full throttle and I'm disposing of a real small amount of painted or treated wood

I spent a lot of money on my stove and install , I want it to last

fleeto3

Why wouldn't you advocate burning pallets Muckybutt? I got 14 brand new ones last week that a printer discards after delivery. They're bone dry clean pine that are marked as HT'd. One I cut up was stamped 9.1.14 on it. Less than a fortnight old and in the fire Heat off them is immense and an old cb aerial magnet gets all the nails out of the hearth when I'm cleaning it. At £90 a cube for logs it's a no brainer for me.

soulmonkey81

muckybutt wrote: »

Wood burners / stoves are not incinerators !

I never advocate burning pallets or any waste wood on them full stop, unless it is virgin wood and has never been stained - pressure treated.

Who cares get it burnt its free wood be thankfull for it I have burnt decking on mine without a problem as long as the fire is hot enough there is no problem with it.

fleeto3

Dismantled it Sunday and yesterday. That was a shift. I've got 40 5 metre lengths stacked in the garden. It's to good to burn. the boards were on upside down and the ridged side is untouched. I'll probably use it to build a decent sized wood store. The sides and stairs are getting skipped. No use and covered in thick paint. What I did salvage was the frame used to raise it up. Cut it as I went to fire size. That'll be getting burnt without hesitation. The saw took a good few rattles yesterday from hidden nails and bolts though


I sometimes think that we err on the side of caution to much over what wood can and cannot be burnt in stoves.

Abraham21

Perhaps better to make use of it before consigning to land fill. Probably more carbon released from processing, machining and transporting the stuff by using brazil white wood. Check this pvsinternational.com .Would make good edging for raised beds or planters. If concerned about leaching of chemicals line with heavy duty poly sheet.