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[woodfuel]

Does anybody know if old railroad communication telephone poles are ok to burn? Were they treated "back in the day", or just plain lumber? Thanks in advance!!

[Scott7m]

There treated and they smoke like crazyyyyy lol

[Bull]

Yep they are pressure treated with creosote just like the ties 

[woodfuel]

So these are bad for owb, right?

[tree climber]

not bad for boiler but bad for your health

[lugnut]

not bad for boiler but bad for your health

AND...your neighbors!!!!

[Bill G]

Makes me recall my firefighting days....120 plus old telephone poles the neighborhood kids lit up at the local electrical authority!  They burn like soaked in gas, but smoke that rivals any tire fire I've seen.  The run off water ruined anything it came in contact with.  Impossible to clean.  Got us new hose and turnout gear because of the creosote.  Don't even think about it in your OWB!  It will surely give us all a black-eye, black lung, black-balled from the local OWB club!!!

[willieG]

Makes me recall my firefighting days....120 plus old telephone poles the neighborhood kids lit up at the local electrical authority!  They burn like soaked in gas, but smoke that rivals any tire fire I've seen.  The run off water ruined anything it came in contact with.  Impossible to clean.  Got us new hose and turnout gear because of the creosote.  Don't even think about it in your OWB!  It will surely give us all a black-eye, black lung, black-balled from the local OWB club!!!

now that draws a dark picture!

[woodfuel]

Thanks willie! I'll stay away from them!!

[tulenutn2o]

The whole pole isn't  creosoted is it? Around here we cut the creosoted part off and use for fence(make great corner posts) and burn the rest.

[HandyMark]

The whole pole is treated. The portion above ground looses some of it's potency as it is exposed to 40-50 years of sun and rain. There is still more chemical in there than I would want to expose myself, my family, or my $6000 dollar OWB to. I would much rather use them as fence posts.

[Bull]

The whole pole is treated. The portion above ground looses some of it's potency as it is exposed to 40-50 years of sun and rain. There is still more chemical in there than I would want to expose myself, my family, or my $6000 dollar OWB to. I would much rather use them as fence posts.

What HandyMark ^^^^ said

[gspren]

Also remember that the green tinted poles are treated with salts like much pressure treated lumber and leave a highly corrosive ash, I wouldn't want any of that in my stove.