To burn or not to burn...

[Jawgarage]

Quick question this arctic blast has me thinking of as we prepare to demolish the old truss roof from the garage project we're working on. Is it OK to use the removed 2x4's from the old trusses as fire wood in the fireplace?

The wood is over 30 years old, pine/fir/etc, not pressure treated or painted, and I'd only use the "clean stuff". I'd think the "pine tar debate" about burning pine in a home fireplace and building up an internal chimney coating would not apply due to the age of the wood. I have to cut it up to remove and fet in a dumpster so why not save some $$$ in dump fees and on firewood and burn this stuff?

Thoughts?

 

[58Yeoman]

I've burned pine in my wood stoves/fireplaces for years w/o any problems. I've never had any problems with chimney fires, but I do keep an eye on my chimney. I think that it's the smoldering fires with unseasoned wood that cause the most problems.

 

[M-technik-3]

if fire is hot enough it tends to burn off pitch, I burn some scraps from time to time using it to get fire hot as pine goes up like paper.

Have you had your chimney cleaned this year?

 

[bdbecker]

Phil is correct - improperly seasoned wood and burning a low temps is actually the culprit when it comes to creosote buildup and chimney fires. I learned that from the book I'm currently reading...

View media item 65647

 

[flan]

Nothing wrong with that at all. Do be aware it's going to burn hot and fast so if you have a stove with poor air control or leaky gaskets you risk a runaway stove due to the nature of mill scrap having very low moisture content and the large amount of surface area available to burn.
The pine causes chimney fires thing is old wives tale. Out west/up north, that's about all they burn because there is limited hardwoods available. Proper seasoning is key to being a satisfied wood stove owner, not the type of wood. Less then 20% moisture content on a fresh split is ready to burn.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Should be ok, hopefully you didn't have an asbestos based insulation. A lot of the roofing did.

 

[APEowner]

Phil is correct - improperly seasoned wood and burning a low temps is actually the culprit when it comes to creosote buildup and chimney fires. I learned that from the book I'm currently reading...

View media item 65647

That's awesome! I'm going to order a copy just to have on my bookshelf.

 

[lakeroadster]

Yes or No? Can you burn pine safely if it is well seasoned?

Yep.. burn it.

I burn all the scrap lumber I have left over from projects, and since we live in a pine forest... pine and aspen is all we burn.

More actual user data here @ "Hearth.com":
Yes or No? Can you burn pine safely if it is well seasoned?

 

[theoldwizard1]

Old, dried 2by material burns fast and may "pop" a lot. I will also release more creosote than hardwood.

Burn it, yes, but mix it in with hardwood.

 

[maxpower_hd]

I would be OK at least useing it to start the fires and get some coals going before the hardwood goes in. I also burn a lot of scrap in my fire pit.

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

just don't put to much in at once, it burns fast & hot.

When younger my brother "started" the fire in our cast iron fireplace with alot of scraps and had the stovepipe cherry red. Was not to bright a kid

 

[rburke65]

After I had my shop built I saved all the scrape lumber to burn in my wood burner. It's great for starting fires in the wood burner as its dry and lights quickly. Burn it baby!

 

[nehog]

You won't get a huge amount of heat, but why not... Use a magnet on the ashes to get any metal (nails, etc) and you should be set.

 

[gbrett]

I doubt the trusses were made with pine likely Douglas fir or hemlock. Doug fir is great fire wood I burn it everyday no one burns hardwoods here in the West. I always use 2x scraps for kindling if I have them available. When we had sawmills still operating in this area you could get "millends" which were the ends of the boards a lot of people used them for firewood.

 

[Pluribus]

^^Agree with gbrett. I'm in the, "burn it" camp. Based on age, they should be seasoned by now.

 

[Bear]

Soo - I have a old fashioned wood trash burner to heat a 20 x 30 wood shop. Plenty of heat from just burning junk wood palletes. Yes, too much iron (nails) to use ashes for anything like putting on the garden, but so far the price is right.