Burning vanished Skirting boards in a wood burning stove?

spalmer72

Hi,

I've been asking around and not got a good answer to this one. We have a wood burning stove and are getting the varnished pine skirting boards, door casings, architraves changed in the house. I would like to know if I can burn them (use them as kindling for example) on our stove?

Thanks in advance for any help on this!

Cheers

Ectophile

You're note supposed to burn any sort of treated wood in a stove. In reality, many people do it, but you're not supposed to.

The problem is that you don't know what sort of toxins may be released when the wood is burnt. Councils use very high temperatures in their incinerators, but home wood burners run much cooler, leaving nasty chemicals to go up the chimney and pollute the neighbourhood.

Greenfires

What he said. Far too many people these days who are quite happy to do whatever they please and !!!!!! everyone else in the neighbourhood. "Yeah I know it produces toxic fumes but they all go out the chimney and we can't smell them in our front room" sort of thing.

My approach is "would I be happy for my kids to be running round outside breathing this in if the neighbour was burning it?"

Varnished/treated/painted wood or chipboard, plywood or mdf - that would be a "no" then.

wrightk

neighbours always seemed miffed when i tell them i wont burn anything with paint, varnish or any tanalising chemicals in. I even arrived home one day (during my solid fuel replumb) to find the solid fuel plumber testing my stove with a bucket of mdf (bag of anthracite sat next to the stove!)

sweep always comments on how clean the chimney is, so we must be doing something right. Personally i wouldn't risk it not only due to what chemicals are released but also what could stick inside the chimney and cause a potential for damage/fire and i know of people who burn anything in stoves- household rubbish and lord knows what. I'd prefer to freeze than burn any old rubbish

Rosemary7391

If you're careful taking them off could someone else use them? Depends how they're attached I guess. At least try on freecycle? Seems a shame to burn them if they're still useable.