Multi Fuel Stove-Painted Timber

[Wings]

I have recently had a multi fuel stove installed with flue liner, and at the same time replaced, removed 30 painted timber window frames.

My question is can one burn painted timber in a wood burning, multi fuel stove?

[C Lee Farquar]

You can but it stinks.

We burn pretty much any wood at home but anything painted goes in the workshop burner.

[Ilovejapcrap]

Yes crack on

[paulrockliffe]

I burn loads as we replaced every piece of wood in the house and it's all being disposed of this year. Doesn't smell at all in the house, because the woodburner is sealed.

[MoelyCrio]

Doesn't stuff from the paint coat cause deposits on the flue inside? I was told not to burn anything painted or treated in mine, including chipboard.

[MoelyCrio]

Doesn't stuff from the paint coat cause deposits on the flue inside? I was told not to burn anything painted or treated in mine, including chipboard.

[Simpo Two]

You'd think they're sealed, and mine reads 0 on the CO detector, but I do sometimes get funny smells in the room when I burn certain things and the temp gets a bit high. I tried to burn an old stained pine bookcase once and it ponged so much I threw the rest away.

[ShiningWit]

Simpo Two said:

You'd think they're sealed, and mine reads 0 on the CO detector, but I do sometimes get funny smells in the room when I burn certain things and the temp gets a bit high. I tried to burn an old stained pine bookcase once and it ponged so much I threw the rest away.

Won't adjusting it to give more airflow through help this? If the air is only going one way and quickly you wouldn't have thought it would smell so bad.

I burn any wood in mine as long as it's dry, never had any issues in 10yrs or so, decking offcuts leave funky green sawdust.

[chris1roll]

ShiningWit said:

I burn any wood in mine as long as it's dry, never had any issues in 10yrs or so, decking offcuts leave funky green sawdust.

That's an arsenic compound IIRC. Don't put the ash on the veg patch.
Or eat it.


I put some garnished doors through ours the other day. Left reddish brown ash. As said though, burn it hot and fast enough and it's got no choice but to go up the chimney.

Edited by chris1roll on Monday 2nd March 22:49

[Simpo Two]

ShiningWit said:

Simpo Two said:

You'd think they're sealed, and mine reads 0 on the CO detector, but I do sometimes get funny smells in the room when I burn certain things and the temp gets a bit high. I tried to burn an old stained pine bookcase once and it ponged so much I threw the rest away.

Won't adjusting it to give more airflow through help this? If the air is only going one way and quickly you wouldn't have thought it would smell so bad.

More airflow = more heat = more smell.

But the point is - how does any smell get out in the first place?

[andy43]

Simpo Two said:

ShiningWit said:

Simpo Two said:

You'd think they're sealed, and mine reads 0 on the CO detector, but I do sometimes get funny smells in the room when I burn certain things and the temp gets a bit high. I tried to burn an old stained pine bookcase once and it ponged so much I threw the rest away.

Won't adjusting it to give more airflow through help this? If the air is only going one way and quickly you wouldn't have thought it would smell so bad.

More airflow = more heat = more smell.

But the point is - how does any smell get out in the first place?

If the air is going up the chimney and out, some more has to come in somewhere to replace it. That's where the smell is coming from - outside.

[Simpo Two]

andy43 said:

Simpo Two said:

More airflow = more heat = more smell.

But the point is - how does any smell get out in the first place?

If the air is going up the chimney and out, some more has to come in somewhere to replace it. That's where the smell is coming from - outside.

Sound theory, but no it wasn't.

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

I would only burn modest amounts of painted or treated timber as part of a mixture of woods, and only put the painted/treated stuff into the stove once the fire is burning nice and hot. You don't want the paint being semi-burnt and then being deposited up the chimney before the chimney has got hot enough for the gases to go up fast enough.

[Griffithy]

Dr Mike Oxgreen said:

I would only burn modest amounts of painted or treated timber as part of a mixture of woods, and only put the painted/treated stuff into the stove once the fire is burning nice and hot. You don't want the paint being semi-burnt and then being deposited up the chimney before the chimney has got hot enough for the gases to go up fast enough.

I absolutely agree with Dr Mike Oxgreen in the best way to burn painted wood.

The reason why someone should not burn painted/treated wood is not that much because of the risk of deposits in the chimney.
It is more the released toxic emissions, which are being put in the air.
So don´t have your children playing outside when you fire the painted/treated stuff.
Quite some of the then developing toxic gases are invisible.


By the way. Even sealed stoves are never 100% airtight.
In the event of a struggling chimney more or less of the emissions (smoke)
may come back into the room.