Pallet wood drying for firewood

[Jimny14]

We have a couple of log burners which we use during winter and get through a fair bit of wood during winter. Majority of my garden pruning goes to the log store for kindling and bigger bits (recently lots of Ash from a hedge that needed renovation) get split and seasoned.
I leave anything cut from a tree to season for at least a year in the log store before burning. However I have a contact who drops pallets off for me on a fairly regular basis for our burners. The last batch however have got very rained on and wet before I could cut em up and sort em out and covered in the log store.
I have plenty other stuff to be burning for now but does anyone have any idea on how long pallets given a good soaking would take to dry out before being good to burn?

[roitelet]

I wouldn't put them in a log store I would cut them up into sensible sizes stack them outside with the top covered and by next year they will be dry enough to burn. If you put them in the log store they will take longer to dry properly, let the air get at them.

We heat just with wood and all the wood is stored outside as I described. New wood is left for two years for the sap to dry out.

[Zelenina]

I've been investigating wood as a source of heat as I'm thinking of changing to it. I don't really know the answer to your question, but I would think that as the pallet wood is already seasoned and doesn't contain sap like newly cut timber, just a bit of rainwater, it wouldn't need the long drying time of unseasoned wood. You could probably store it anywhere fairly dry and airy, and bring small quantities into the house to fully dry out near your burners and then burn it almost immediately.

[burnie]

I find if wood is too dry and going over it burns too quickly the same with turf, my wood is covered from the worst of the weather, but is still "dampish" from the air. Kindling does need to be drier, but again as long as some of it inside is dry it will work. I have lit fires out in the open using dead standing wood, by making feather sticks to expose the dry inner.

[Jimny14]

Thanks guys, my gut feeling is that as it's already sawn planks and seasoned then got wet it shouldn't take too long to redry in our log store (slat wood sides and pallets for base with a pent felted top) outside. I don't keep wood in the house except for what I need for the next couple of days.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Just check they are not stamped MB methyl bromide a fungicide is not nice at all and they should not be burnt.

[Jimny14]

Very good point Pots, there are quite a few things to keep in mind when scavenging wood for burning. I wonder how many people on here burn wood regularly. I generally burn split hardwood, tree and hedge pruning (generally ash, hawthorn, berberis, apple and cherry) and pallets (unpainted and untreated, not the plywood or chipboard corners), would be interesting to see what others burn and how we all source and season our wood

[Scarlet]

Well I have a large open fire and a very large garden with old trees. We've been here nearly 20years and so far have used tree pruning etc....we were told never to use conker tree wood. Too much sap, we burn it after 6months. It does spit but we've always had good fires and no trouble burning it. We just keep planting more.
It's not so much fun when we have tree falls in high winds or branches crack off like this though! Chopping up trees, logging takes up a lot of weekends.


My last dog Stan (my absolute favourite - thanks VC) used to have little and often walks and came back everytime with a new stick he gave use plenty of starter wood!

[ESBkevin]

I have access to pallets and stillage wood at work. I don't have a fireplace but do recyle the wood as a hobby into things made of 'wood'! However No 1 son has a terraced cottage with a fireplace and I keep him stocked with all my offcuts and larger bits of tree I happen across. A few days of drying wind makes a lot of difference to pallets moisture content. Then a week or two in a shed should leave it ready to burn.

[Stan79]

Hi folks,

It depends on what you're burning and in what (open or woodburner) and whether your chimney is lined or not but as a general rule you shouldn't burn wood off cuts in lined chimneys as any treated or painted wood can release an acid when burned that will corrode your chimney liner!!! I would have thought pallets fall firmly into this category as many are treated to make them last longer.

[Potstubsdustbins]

^^^^^^^^Depends on whether it's a class 1 liner or not, these are entirely different to the liners used for gas.

[veggiechicken]

Like Scarlet, my garden (and the neighbours') keep my home fire burning. Recently had to have an old ash tree lowered as it was dropping branches and some snapped limbs removed from an oak, that needs some further remedial work.
I've been here 30+ years and never had to buy wood fuel.
Just had the chimney lined for the first time since the house was built in the 1930s. Its a Class 1 liner.
We've burnt pallet wood and any off cuts but not painted wood.

[rary]

I have a home made fire in the greenhouse, where I burn wood, and paper logs, I collect the wood while walking a dog and make the paper logs from junk mail and newspaper, any yew or hawthorn I pick up can be burned quite quickly, pine or beech I store and dry for a year rhododendron I store for two years, if I am unsure of what wood I collect I store till dry

[Stan79]

Another answer for the OP - you can buy a small handheld meter to check the moisture levels in the wood. The one i got off ebay or Amazon was less than a tenner and works a treat. Wood should be under 20% moisture (off the top of my head) to ensure it burns cleanly.