Using pallets as firewood

[haveawoody]

I've been asked this question many times and always a bit unsure of an answer to give.
Good or bad what is your opinion on using cut up pallets as firewood?

 

[Ductape]

For me..... too much effort for the amount of heat gained.


Some specialy pallets with hardwood 4X4s as skids........ maybe. Otherwise, pallets aren't for me.


PS My exception MIGHT be if I had an OWB with doors big enough to fit whole pallets without busting them up.

 

[haveawoody]

Ductape,

Same for me on the effort part.
Between nails, paint, weird stains and lots of skill saw work the return is minimal.
That is what i tell people that ask, generally i think the wood is ok in them.

Other than cutting the runners of maybe 4 pallets to use as kindling it looks like work to try and heat a house.
Even at that 1/4 of those runners have paint or gawd knows what on that end up in the fire pit.


The outdoor wood burner and entire pallet is a good idea.
Bet you would have to go hunting for mini pallets though.

 

[Somesawguy]

They will work, but like Ducttape said, it's quite a bit of work.

Watch out for nails, they will eat blades.

 

[Whitespider]

The plastic pallets make a lot of smoke.

 

[ponyexpress976]

Heated my parents house for years with nothing but pallets. Every summer it was my job to cut them down. Easiest way to get the nails is with a speaker magnet...drag it through a few times and viola.

 

[haveawoody]

Whitespider,

LOL good thing with the plastic ones is the btu is great, no nails to watch for when cutting and they start up easy

 

[haveawoody]

ponyexpress976,

So the wood in them is ok stuff then.

I sell firewood but you can tell times are tough when quite a few people ask about pallets as firewood.
I've never been to sure what to tell people that simply can't afford to buy firewood and are looking for a free but lots of work way.
Glad i wasn't to far off on what i said to them.

 

[stihlrookie]

No problem

Had an older gentlemen, nearly 80, that worked for me a few years back as a tile-setter. He saw how many pallets we had to dispose of and asked if he could have them for firewood. Sure thing I say. He came by the shop one saturday with a 6x10 trailer, extension cord, couple skilsaws, a few cheap blades and his wife. Well, within a couple hours he and his wife had filled that trailer to overflow, probably 50-60 pallets all cut up. I asked him about the nails and fasteners, he said that was why he had a few of the cheap blades on hand, he went through a couple cutting those pallets that day. He broomed the paved area he had worked at when he was done, could hardly tell he had been there. That trailer load lasted him well over a month, he came back twice over the winter to collect more pallets.

I figured he had a bit over a cord piled on the trailer each time, so maybe 4 cords total over the winter. His cost, a few hours, a handful of cheap blades and a bit of fuel for his truck pulling the trailer, I let him use my power for his sawing. He did say that the firebox needed cleaned a bit more often due to all the different species as well as the nails and fasteners but for nearly free wood he was happy as a clam. We both came out good since I didn't need to pay for disposing of those pallets.

 

[kwalshy]

It is my understanding that a lot of the pallets are made out of a hardwood - oak.
I have a friend who's father uses them as a primary source of wood for his OWB stove & he uses a chainsaw instead of a skill saw to cut them up; he doesn't remove the nails and lets them fall into the ash pan.

 

[Mowingman]

Chainsaw is rthe best way to cut them up. Just watch out for where the nails/staples are, as those will eat up a chain in no time. I can cut up a pallet into small pieces with a chainsaw, in about 3 or 4 minutes.
I also have thought about using them for firewood, but have never tried it.
Jeff

 

[Dan_IN_MN]

I like to keep my wood as big as possible so I only have to fill my stove every two hours or so……wood from pallets is too small….I will not cut up any again. Also….the handling time with the small pieces is increased.

 

[Sdh1218]

Growing up my father would use the pallets for kindling. He would lean 4-5 pallets up against the wood pile and use the chainsaw to cut them up. The biggest problem with them was they burned so fast and hot because they were really dry. My mother would load the stove up with them to get the house warm quick (drove dad mad). She did it so much that the heat buckled the top plate of the stove and there were times the black stove pipe would glow. As I said before perfect for kindling as it lit up quick and burned hot to get the fire going and they were free to boot.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

I'll bust up a few of them for the last fire in the spring before shutdown to burn out the spooge

 

[Steve NW WI]

On pallets:

Common species are oak (heavy pallets) or cottonwood (much lighter generally), some are pine as well, depends a lot on where the pallet came from. There are small mom and pop pallet mills all over the country and whatever wood is cheap and available will get turned into skids.

Pallets with the HT brand on the side of em have been heat treated in a kiln to get rid of bugs, but doesn't mean they are dry. I tested one at work with the MM and it was still 30% (first day with the MM, had to bring it in to work and play)

The last place I worked at, we'd get fresh off the mill pallets, they'd be sopping wet and heavy as heck, after a couple weeks indoors, they lost 10-15 lbs of moisture. It played havoc with weight counting products, a skid weighed green then checked later would cause the shipping dorks to scream that we didn't have enough parts in the box. I'd yell back to add that gallon of water to the scale and try again! One of the many reasons I left that place.

If it's what ya got to burn, light it up, just don't expect a long burn out of em. They're kinda like slabwood from the sawmill, good for a fast fire, or mixing with bigger wood to stretch your supply.

 

[spike60]

Lot's of work for the amount of wood you get. And the size of the pieces you end up with means frequent loading of the stove is necessary.

Did anybody mention nails yet? :msp_rolleyes:

But if you have the time to mess with them and they're free, why not?

 

[jrider]

I would never burn them in my house. You never know what got spilled on them and in this industrial age, it could be any kind of chemical. Once, back in the late 70's or early 80's a bunch of people had to go to the hospital after inhaling fumes from burning pallets that had something nasty spilled on them and soak into the wood.
I know the chances are small but not a risk worth taking for me.

 

[woodguy105]

I'd have a hard time using them as primary wood but i rarley pass on a free pallet. At minimum you get clean excellent kindling and a few good pieces to burn and if it's free it's for me! :msp_rolleyes:

Use an old beat chain and your chainsaw and you can make easy work of them.

 

[Phatsupratt]

I get 12' sheet steel hardwood pallets from work. So far this year, I primarily burn those and supplement the OWB with pine. Yes, pine and pallets heat my 3500 sq ft house and keep my 36 x 60 shop at 45 degrees.

Sure, they're heavy as hell and kind of a pain but no splitting and it's a constant flow of free wood.

Mark

 

[avc8130]

I used pallets almost exclusively last year to heat as it was year 1 and I didn't have any seasoned wood. Really, I don't think they are that much more work than "real wood".

Compare:

Real wood:
Drive to wood location
Cut to rounds
Load in truck
Drive home
Empty truck
Split
Stack
WAIT
Bring closer to stove door
Burn

Pallets:
Drive to pallet location
Forklift loads truck full
Drive home
Empty truck outside stove door
Cut with circular saw (FAST)
Stack closer
Burn

Don't get me wrong, they are certainly not ideal as they burn pretty quick...but, they also made NO creosote in my chimney and my house was warm without waiting a year or more for seasoning.

ac