I've recently moved into an old house with a wood-burning fireplace. My house is near a beach and there's lots of driftwood there. Is there anything wrong with burning driftwood in a fireplace? The driftwood seems clean. Thanks.
Or, If this is saltwater, using it may rust out the stove and chimney.
Bob
i got driftwood off the banks of the ohio for decades. if dry,it usually burns pretty fast as the soaking seems to take something out of it.. but free and easy to pick up.no side effects i could see in my wood stove and chimmney. sometimes id put a wet peice in a hot fire,,it would burn after a while. lucas
Nothing at all wrong with it. Best to cut and stack for a month or two to be sure it is dry. The only problem is cutting it, even if it looks clean, it will have sand/dirt embedded in cracks and crevices - may have to sharpen your saw more often.
If it is on salt water there is an added benny in the wood should burn with some colorful flames due to the bit of salt that will be on/in the wood.
Harry K
Bob F suggests that if it's saltwater it could rust out my chimney. Is this true? (It is saltwater).
Every stove manufacturer will tell you to never burn driftwood in their stoves, and most (not all) will tell you not to burn driftwood in their manual. I would be worried about the thing you can control, and that is salt in driftwood. Its pretty common knowledge that salt is corrisive to metal. And in the presence of heat, that chemical reaction happens faster. Manufactures are hip to what driftwood damage looks like, and good luck claiming a warrenty claim on a premature rusted out stove. Enjoy the pretty colors.
Humbug! The salt may, however, help remove built up creosote.
Bob F wrote:
Care to supply a cite to a manual containing that? It certainly wasn't in my stove manual or the manual with the prefab chimney I installed years ago. Minus a cite, it sounds like just another old wives tale to me.
Harry K.
Do a Google search on "burn driftwood stove" or "burn driftwood fireplace".
Harry
These guys do
a.. Wet or green wood b.. Household garbage such as plastic or cardboard c.. Painted or stained wood d.. Pressure-treated wood e.. Particleboard or plywood f.. Ocean driftwood g.. Glossy magazines h.. Any materials prohibited by local by-laws
Depends on what one means by driftwood. Lots of wood (especially timbers) drifting in the ocean and piled on beaches contains all sorts of toxic stuff--oils, tars, creosote, and various other preservative. So no, one should not burn that stuff in a stove.
If by driftwood one means actual tree trunks and branches that were obviously never treated with preservatives, there should be no problem in burning it.
My pacific energy wood burning insert states it in the manual. My vermont castings manual at the summer home states it as well. Burn it anyways. When your stove / stack becomes pitted and rusted forget any warrenty parts replacement. And yes, google it. Not only for stove damage but for what salt turns into when heated and burned and vents from the stack.
Is your chimney metal or masonry? Burning salt-water driftwood with a metal chimney is definitely an invitation to rust.
My fireplace is masonry.
I lived on the coast of Oregon for almost twenty years, and only burned ocean drift wood. It was my only source of heat for my living room and kitchen. Just two things.
1) you really need to let it dry out for a few months if possible, so overstock, cover in a dry place and itll be fine, I found outdoors preferable, but covered.2) You will go through saw blades faster because of the salt content and various other reasons, so either learn how to sharpen whatever kind of saw blade you will be using, or find someone, who will do it unexpensively for you. Maybee barter some wood for sharpening.
I always used a two person hand saw, so I dont know if this would apply to a power chain saw or not.
Much regards
replying to J.Lef, JO wrote: Have a 5 year old Harman TL300 stove that I burned kiln dried-not treated- firewood in. Just had to replace it as it has been "gutted" by corrosion as the wood was sourced from logbooms sitting in saltwater. I have seen firsthand what saltwater wood will do to a stove that should have lasted me 20-25 years.
Well, the OP was 10 years ago, he should have been thru at least one stove by now.
replying to Remi, DawnPatrol wrote: Any real search turns up that burning salt impregnated wood produces dioxins, as well as the generally tolerated carcinogens normal to burning all wood or organic matter. If you think Dioxins are OK in your life, your Google skills need work.
Yes indeed burning driftwood , which is high in chlorides releases eight times the dioxins and also toxic furans and is not recommended , especially not year after year , both your fireplace and your environment will be impacted
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