Safe to burn old stockade fencing in woodstove??

If you are sure its not PT or stained or painted. Burning CCA- PT will give you arsenic poisoning, Stain or paint other bad chemicals.

Posts may be PT? but I'm sure the pickets are not. Never painted, I doubt it was stained, If so it's at least 25 years old . any way to test?

Steve

Test for cca I dont know. Contact lumber cos Where do you live , only in the desert would wood last 25 yr as a fence post being untreated. In the midwest untreated posts have rot at 10 yrs. So id say Dont risk it , Arsenic poisoning is serious. And the pickets 25 yr no paint no rot, Sounds like CCA - PT

If its CCA , after 25 it will still be there. PT is Pressure treated, its in the wood not on it. Is Arsenic poisoning worth the risk for a little heat. for some yes. By the way people are killed by burning CCA, Slowly, and made sick,

I live in Massachusetts. The main reason for burning is as a way to get rid of the old fence sections. They want $200 to haul it away (10 sections). We call it stockade fence. We dont have any livestock. The fence is definatly rotting along the ground and pickets are breaking off. Many of the posts are rotted at ground level. I dont intend to burn the posts, just cut up the fence pickets, 1"x3"x6' boards.

Thanks for the warnings??

Steve

If it is really 25 years old I'd be surprised if it is not PT, maybe your climate is different. Even if it isn't PT, softwood like spruce or pine is usually not burned in indoor stoves or fireplaces because of possible creosote build up in chimneys. If you do decide to burn it, why bother to remove the nails?

In southern California, (and other areas) this is also known as Grape Stake fencing

Rick

I was thinking the same thing, I'll leave the nails in!

The fence was here when I bought the house 20 years ago. Its in very bad shape, Rotten / broken. I just replaced the post with a 4 x 4 PT post and screwed the old fence in place. That will hold it till spring when I replace the whole thing myself.

Thanks All!!!

Steve

I hope you dont burn it where any smoke is upwind , or enclosed, or interior.CCa kills , Arsenic poisoning

Whoa! just a just plain stupid statement. Forests in the west are primarily coniferous and firewood is usually pine, fir, spruce, etc. So what do you think we burn in stoves and fireplaces?

yes you burn unreated but un processed

The position of your comment in the thread shows that it is in reply to a statement "softwood like spruce or pine is usually not burned in indoor stoves or fireplaces because of possible creosote build up in chimneys."

I know what untreated is but what is "un processed?" Most people that burn wood do a considerable amount of processing, e.g., cutting the tree down, limbing, sawing blocks, spliting, etc.