Paper bricks (coal fire)

M0ney

Fairly straight forward question....

I want to make my own paper bricks and I have a fair amount of newspaper but I can get virtually unlimited normal paper that has been through the shredder at work. Can I actually use normal paper for making paper bricks? Or is only newspaper suitable? TIA

Lord_Baltimore

M0ney wrote: »

Fairly straight forward question....

I want to make my own paper bricks and I have a fair amount of newspaper but I can get virtually unlimited normal paper that has been through the shredder at work. Can I actually use normal paper for making paper bricks? Or is only newspaper suitable? TIA

'Fraid I don't know but there are various chemicals used in making paper and I assume these change according to the characteristics desired in the finished product, therefore, who knows what you might be dealing with! One concern would be whether this increases toxicity when burned in an enclosed space. My guess is that newspaper is low quality and therefore not bolstered by chemicals that make it 'whiter' or 'stronger' or more resistant to water and is a 'safe' option for burning.

I know, I'll shut up

M0ney

Thanks, just standard printer paper I had in mind.

Lord_Baltimore

M0ney wrote: »

Thanks, just standard printer paper I had in mind.

Probably bleached (not that I know whether that's anything relevant!). None of my business, but shouldn't all that paper be recycled not burnt? Someone at the Council or the Office might get uppity.

DREKLY

Try it ! then report back with any news....

Raxiel

Lord_Baltimore wrote: »

Probably bleached (not that I know whether that's anything relevant!). None of my business, but shouldn't all that paper be recycled not burnt? Someone at the Council or the Office might get uppity.

Well, the saying goes, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

You could argue this is reuse, provided they are being burned to provide heat rather than just to send a small pile of ash to landfill rather than a big pile of waste paper.

M0ney

I did think that, I'm only going to be burning gas instead, so not sure if that's any better...What I was really wanting to get at is it going to have a much more ash than a newspaper, if I'll get dangerous fumes and if my chimney will get a lot more soot from it than it would from newspaper....

Richie-from-the-Boro

Open fireplace without a baloon in the winter is a very definite waste of a lot of expensive heat.