Okay You Pallet Burners !

[Paso One]

I work in a machine shop and we generate alot of pallets. They get stacked in the parking lot and one guy I work with gets paid $65 per 100 to load them and take them out. He has a large piece of property and burns them there in an open firepit. He usually hauls between 400-500 per month. The thing is, he has an OWB but doesn't burn them there. Says it takes too much effort and space to do so. He has about 200 acres of timber to cut on though.

Yea Pallets are a eye sore they are everywhere I saw a opportunity to turn them into a fuel for the OWB

But once your past the stigma of a being a pallet burner and you since you get them for free why not.

Not much time spent on collecting them.

I had one guy offer to cut them up for me If I always pick them up. :0

I need to find someone to cut them up haul them to my shop and insert them in the boiler then I can be known as the lazy pallet burner.:greenchainsaw:

 

[Rookie1]

I have a Sierra woodburner in my basement. I cut up pallets and skids to burn in it. They are time consuming to do that way. I dont burn them all winter. I use them as kindling mostly or when not too cold out. I feel that wood is wood. They burn as good as a split log just faster. I normally use my 017 chainsaw but havew used circular saw too.

 

[beerman6]

We get these raw castings that come in on oak pallets,they are about 18"square and 6"tall,after we machine the parts,they have to be boxed up.My boss has been begging me to take the pallets home and burn them,I guess I could stuff my trunk everyday and save on some firewood?

Just not sure about dumping nails on my property...

 

[bullseye13]

Just not sure about dumping nails on my property...

Thats what groundhog holes are for!!

 

[Coldfront]

You can build a OWB made to burn pallets if you have a good source for them.
http://www.deb-design.com/palletburner.htm

This will be a very rewarding project, if you require a high capacity outdoor wood burning stove, but are concerned about the cost of commercial units. This unit was designed to accept 10 -13 full size pallets, and was built for about $1600. You should also budget an additional $300 - $600 to plumb the completed unit into your existing heating system. These costs will vary, depending on your current or proposed heating system design.

This stove features:

* A large 90 cubic ft. firebox measuring 1/4" thick by 52 " wide x 50" deep x 60" high
* A 280-gallon capacity water jacket
* A large, water filled, loading door
* Automatic, adjustable, thermostatic control of the water jacket temperature
* A blower induced, powered damper, draft control system
* An adjustable door hinge system
* A complete design requiring no additional housing
* An open vent design, preventing the possibilities of dangerous pressures
* The ability to burn any type of pallets or other wood without the worry of creosote build-up and potential chimney fire

 

[rx7145]

I work in a machine shop and we generate alot of pallets. They get stacked in the parking lot and one guy I work with gets paid $65 per 100 to load them and take them out. He has a large piece of property and burns them there in an open firepit. He usually hauls between 400-500 per month. The thing is, he has an OWB but doesn't burn them there. Says it takes too much effort and space to do so. He has about 200 acres of timber to cut on though.

That's sad. I hate to see stuff wasted. I burn about 200-250 pallets a year. I just finished burning up all the pallets in the pictures and ready to start on the wood in the building.

 

[rx7145]

This is what I want

 

[AIM]

There is a small stamping plant outside of town that sets their pallets in their parking lot out near the road with a "FREE" sign. Seldom does the stack last more than a day. These are cool pallets to. Steel coils come on them so they are 2- 4X4's with 2- 2X4's nailed on top. Probably cottonwood or similar but never the less, easy to cut up giving 4 nice pieces of wood that I usually burn in my garage wood burner. Last year I burned quite a few of them but this year I think people are waiting in the parking lot for em. I haven't seen a stack in a couple months.

 

[boostnut]

RX7145, we've got one of those CB pallet burners heating our shop. We're on our 3rd year with it. That thing is a monster. We've got 5 100K btu heat exchangers tied into it and have not even begun to give the pallet burner a workout. Its a pretty impressive unit aside from the doors starting to sag a little.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

I've got maybe 20 of them now, been using them for "emergency" lite-offs, and times where coals died down too much. They will definitly throw some heat!...Burn them all, let god sort them out!

 

[Rookie1]

There is a small stamping plant outside of town that sets their pallets in their parking lot out near the road with a "FREE" sign. Seldom does the stack last more than a day. These are cool pallets to. Steel coils come on them so they are 2- 4X4's with 2- 2X4's nailed on top. Probably cottonwood or similar but never the less, easy to cut up giving 4 nice pieces of wood that I usually burn in my garage wood burner. Last year I burned quite a few of them but this year I think people are waiting in the parking lot for em. I haven't seen a stack in a couple months.

There is a business near my house like that . I think the ones I get are oak or at least not cottonwood. I have posted pics of the pile I cut up and burnt. The only bad thing now is someone else has found my stash and is sneaking some out from under my nose.

 

[Termite]

I live on a 200 acre woodlot. But since I put in my Geo-thermal heat pump I don't burn wood. I do cut wood for my neighbors. Last year it cost 120 dollars to heat and cool my 2500sq ft. home with the heat pump.

 

[A. Stanton]

Pallets burn great in my fire pit.

 

[Kansas]

Lol pallets that brings back memorys! Lots of people around here remember "The Mother" hahaha you could see the smoke from town on a calm day when we lit it each morning seriously!

I rented a huge old welding shop one time about 9500 sq ft with no insulation, tin constructed walls and holes everywhere 30 ft high ceiling and we happened to have the worst winter of the century right then (naturally) it was 1991 I think but how could I forget?

So I had no choice but to build the mother of all heaters it was 5' x 5' x 5' square and we would burn 4 whole pallets at once that thing was awesome! I still have it if anyone is interested in buying it?

I kept about 1000-1500 pallets at all times stacked 10 to a stack, which a stack is about what we went through every day, I used it 3 years about.

The only thing is it weighs about a ton because of all the nails we left in it when I moved into the good shop I am in now. I had a fork lift load and un-load it over here and I never looked at it again.

Kansas

 

[rx7145]

RX7145, we've got one of those CB pallet burners heating our shop. We're on our 3rd year with it. That thing is a monster. We've got 5 100K btu heat exchangers tied into it and have not even begun to give the pallet burner a workout. Its a pretty impressive unit aside from the doors starting to sag a little.

They sure are cool. A little overkill for just a house and 24x32 shop.

 

[Blazin]

Pallets irratate me..kinda like givin a tick tack to a whale for heating here. I do cut some up for a layer to throw under green snow covered wood though.

 

[dsm382]

That's sad. I hate to see stuff wasted. I burn about 200-250 pallets a year.

just checked your pics.
i too burn LOTS of pallets, you can see a 'small' stack to the right.

got a buddy who's got a buddy that owns a sheet metal shop.

stacks and stacks of 10',12' and 14' skids made with mostly 4"x4" OAK runners and almost half of the skids have oak cross boards.
the rest with pine, make nice fire starting but then if you notice my second pic, i really don't have a problem with kindling


i have two old chains with a few teeth missing so i worked out a system for cutting them and take out trailer load in just a few hours.

even bust some apart and keep some of the better cross boards, and stack out in barn for building this or that an added bonus....

have two full trailer (20') loads of these all OAK should last this season haven't even made a dent in my pile...

 

[Philbert]

Several years ago, I had to make a pick up at a pallet factory. At the end of the day they had lots of short ends of dimensioned pallet stringers and boards. Mostly oak and maple. Stove size. No splitting. They couldn't give it away in the summer. Sold it for about $15 a pickup load in the fall and winter.

You pallet burners might want to check your local Yellow Pages.

Philbert

 

[jetskiman]

There is a business near my house like that . I think the ones I get are oak or at least not cottonwood. I have posted pics of the pile I cut up and burnt. The only bad thing now is someone else has found my stash and is sneaking some out from under my nose.

My dad hauls steel and yes those pallets are oak. We built a tool to break them down then cut them up with a 10" miter saw

 

[AIM]

If i get some more I'll have to look closer at the wood. I never payed any attention to them I just assumed it was some junk wood, but it burned like crazy in the garage woodburner.