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Burning bad stuff

4130biker

4130biker

PM me about Tantrum Cycles!
May 24, 2007
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No, this is not about burning things like boost 148, or even overly swoopy-bendy frames.

I have a buddy who just received what appears to be a relatively new, 10-20 yrs old if I had to guess, utility pole which he plans to burn as kindling.
I am under the impression that most, if not all are treated in some way to resist rot. I don't want to rain on his parade (which is a pickup full of bucked telephone pole) but really don't want him to potentially hurt himself or neighbors, etc with noxious fumes. I am going to say something, but not looking forward to it.

Sooooooo, any interesting stories from teh monkies related to burning questionable materials?
 
4130biker

4130biker

PM me about Tantrum Cycles!
May 24, 2007
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eric strt6 said:
Nasty ass stuff

Pentachlorphenol used on 70% of the poles
http://www.shelter-products.com/MSDS Sheets/MSDS_PENTA HO.pdf

Creosote on the rest
http://www.shelter-products.com/MSDS Sheets/MSDS_CREOSOTE.pdf

note that both say to wear self contained breathing apparatus when wood treated with these products is burning
Click to expand...
Eeesh, thanks for the information. Most was antecdotal that I found... I'm not looking forward to being Debbie downer, but feel better being able to cite some reliable information.
 
4130biker

4130biker

PM me about Tantrum Cycles!
May 24, 2007
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Tried, apparently the workers thought it wasn't treated since the bottom appears to have creosote. In my searching I have found the only way to be sure is to have it tested.
Found lots of confusion on the part of the linemen, even...
Doesn't seem worth the risk to me... Oh well :rolleyes:
 
jdcamb

jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
19,830
8,423
Nowhere Man!
I once tried to start a fire with Mineral Spirits. It didn't work. So we used starter fluid instead. Everyone downwind had a 3 day headache afterwards. It was a glorious fire by the way.
 
skibunny24

skibunny24

Enthusiastic Receiver of Reputation
Jun 16, 2010
3,281
585
Renton, WA
At our cabin, we have burned (and still see remnants) of: an old tweed stuffed chair, speakers (ask my father in law....), the old dock (read, treated wood with nails in it), the old party barge, dirty diapers (again--the father in law! Pyro, I tell you), a bed frame, a couch, and other randomness that we don't roast marshmallows over ;)

Oh yeah, reaaaalllll classy!
 
kazlx

kazlx

Patches O'Houlihan
Aug 7, 2006
6,985
1,957
Tustin, CA
His idiot friend can do whatever he wants. My advice is for the unknowing participants that he makes sick or injures. Think of the children!
 
Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,408
20,197
Sleazattle
skibunny24 said:
At our cabin, we have burned (and still see remnants) of: an old tweed stuffed chair, speakers (ask my father in law....), the old dock (read, treated wood with nails in it), the old party barge, dirty diapers (again--the father in law! Pyro, I tell you), a bed frame, a couch, and other randomness that we don't roast marshmallows over ;)

Oh yeah, reaaaalllll classy!
Click to expand...
Super classy! One of my chores as a kid was burning the household garbage. I really enjoyed the Styrofoam, if you held it out on a stick the dripping molten fireballs made cool noises. I often wonder how things would have turned out if I hadn't been subjected to decades of brain damage.
 
kickstand

kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
I have burned multiple old telephone poles to heat our house in the winter. I have an outdoor wood burner. They replaced a ton of poles near us and just left the old ones cut into pieces on the side of the road. I collected a whole trailer full. The smoke/smell that came from them was no different than any other wood I burned.
 
Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,408
20,197
Sleazattle
kickstand said:
I have burned multiple old telephone poles to heat our house in the winter. I have an outdoor wood burner. They replaced a ton of poles near us and just left the old ones cut into pieces on the side of the road. I collected a whole trailer full. The smoke/smell that came from them was no different than any other wood I burned.
Click to expand...

I think it depends a lot on how it burns. A good hot fire will vaporize and burn most anything, add to that higher convection speeds and any nastiness gets carried away quickly. A cold smoldery low oxygen fire can vaporize nasty chemicals then just let them float around to be inhaled.
 
kickstand

kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
Westy said:
I think it depends a lot on how it burns. A good hot fire will vaporize and burn most anything, add to that higher convection speeds and any nastiness gets carried away quickly. A cold smoldery low oxygen fire can vaporize nasty chemicals then just let them float around to be inhaled.
Click to expand...
This could be true, the way my burner is designed it doesn't smoke or burn much at all when idle, and it burns extremely hot when the draft door is open and the blower fan is on, so it smokes for a few minutes and then heats up and burns hot and clean.

I was surprised how light the poles themselves were, the ones i had were pretty old, and very very dried out, they felt like balsa wood almost.
 
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