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[intensedrive]

I keep hearing stories of people giving boilers a bad name by burning their home garbage.  I will admit I burn the occasional cardboard or paper grocery bags in the boiler.  In a dire situation to get a fire going I burned some scrap 2x4's.  I remember a guy that delivered wood to me last year.   I had a hard time getting the boiler going on some green wood, and his wife was with him and mentioned how some good household trash would get the fire going.  I looked at him, as he had a boiler too.. he said yes we burn all our trash in the boiler and sift out the metals and stuff that doesn't burn.  Months later I had a few discussions with OWB owners and they admitted to burning tires at night and even using used motor oil on the logs.  I'm shocked, I can't imagine wife telling me time to take out the trash and just dumping everything into the firebox.  On occasions I will use a bit of vegetable oil on the fire to help, seems to burn very clean with almost no smoke.

[Jwood]

Yep it happens a lot and one of the reasons the EPA is involved now I'm sure we all know how the old burn barrels smelled while burning. The EPA has known about people burning trash in them, and with a gassifier that will not be possible.

[intensedrive]

Maybe so why they are involved.  I just don't understand, your not getting any real heat from burning a few bags of trash.  I guess you might be saving on the trash bill.

Yep it happens a lot and one of the reasons the EPA is involved now I'm sure we all know how the old burn barrels smelled while burning. The EPA has known about people burning trash in them, and with a gassifier that will not be possible.

[Cabo]

I know of a guy that did that during the warmer season(late April/early May).  Neighbors had their windows open and filled their house with soot/particles.  EPA was on him like stink on ----.  They paid him many visits and he felt like they were harassing him.  You do stupid, you get stupid, end of story.

[agriffinjd]

I burn cardboard and paper (newspaper, magazines, even books on occasion).  This morning my water temp was down to 138 and I raised it rather quickly with just the aforementioned products to about 175 before I loaded wood.  I don't burn anything else that could be considered garbage though.  I just recycle at home now instead of hauling all the paper products to the recycle bins.

[CountryBoyJohn]

Another member told me a story of a guy who burned some trash in his stove. He had a fan go out or something and his dealer had to come out. He found an unburned piece of masking tape in the stove and voided his warranty. If you read your manual, it explicitly states to only burn coal or wood. You're playing with the proverbial "fire" burning trash in your stove.

[Sluggo]

Guess what our electrical plant in western Wisconsin burns...garbage

[CTF250]

Most problems Ive seen with these boilers are wet wood, burning trash and other stuff your not suppose to put in there.

I know of a guy in CT that burns hay bales during the summer, but he is on a farm so there are no neighbors to piss off. 

By running them properly they should not be a problem

But when you put in trash, tires etc anything can happen...

[mlappin]

I won't name names, but I do know of someone that burns offal in their boiler when they are butchering. But...they are out in the open with no one around and a family member built the boiler so no warranty to void.

[Jwood]

Guess what our electrical plant in western Wisconsin burns...garbage

Lots of electrical plants burn garbage the difference is they incinerate and have systems setup like bag houses that capture leftover particulates like mercury and other poisonous or harmful substance. Wood boilers will not incinerate and produces all kinds of poisonous smoke.

[Brad]

I don't get it either...  my father in law has a burn barrel that he uses "at night" ..   Just because people have been doing this for years does not make it right.

[BoilerHouse]

I don't see much wrong with burning cardboard, paper or scrap (non pressure treated) lumber.  It crosses the line with plastics and it's nasty cousins.

[mlappin]

I don't see much wrong with burning cardboard, paper or scrap (non pressure treated) lumber.  It crosses the line with plastics and it's nasty cousins.

It's tax time again, working on 2014 so 1994 can go buh bye, all that paper is heating the house atm. Been doing that forever, burning paper that is that I have no intention of somebody else getting their hands on, social security numbers, land lords social security numbers on 1099's, bank account numbers, savings account, IRA's etc. I'd rather burn it than risk placing it in the trash or recycle. I suppose when I goto a gasser I'll need to invest in a good crosscut paper shredder instead or go back to the "burn barrel".

[BoilerHouse]

I don't see much wrong with burning cardboard, paper or scrap (non pressure treated) lumber.  It crosses the line with plastics and it's nasty cousins.

It's tax time again, working on 2014 so 1994 can go buh bye, all that paper is heating the house atm. Been doing that forever, burning paper that is that I have no intention of somebody else getting their hands on, social security numbers, land lords social security numbers on 1099's, bank account numbers, savings account, IRA's etc. I'd rather burn it than risk placing it in the trash or recycle. I suppose when I goto a gasser I'll need to invest in a good crosscut paper shredder instead or go back to the "burn barrel".

Tax records as boiler fuel....excellent choice!

[yotehunter66]

I will load mine with cardboard on occasion to clean out the creosote.