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[vb1]

I have been following this site for several months.  Lots of information.  Purchased a unit made locally and am loving it so far.  I have access to plenty of paper such as engineering plans size of approximately 2' x 3' down to letter size paper.  I could acquire hundred of pounds weekly if I wanted it.  Has anybody every burnt this type of paper in bulk form?  Imagine putting in a stack of paper 2-3" think by a couple foot square or 20+/- pages rolled up tight to form a 4-8" diameter by 2-3' long paper log.  Was wanting to know if it would be worth the effort.
Thanks

[Jwood]

I'm gonna take a guess that it won't burn good plus have tons of ash.

[slimjim]

For a time most manufacturers did not want paper burned because of its acidity!

[Jwood]

Great point Slim!

[vb1]

Great points.  From what I have seen as I have been following this site I knew I could get good feedback.  I had tried to research the idea but wasn't getting anywhere. 

[GCTerpfan]

I'm a surveyor/engineer and for a couple of months prior to installing my furnace I saved all of our draft/scrap plans to burn.  I had our drafter roll the plans up and put them back in the original paper roll boxes.  I tried using them to start fires.  I would throw one of the 3' long boxes in that were full of rolled paper, throw some wood on top and light it with torch.  It worked okay, the paper doesn't burn up real well and leaves a lot of ash. 

After reading Slims post about the acidity of paper, not to mention the ink, I probably wont be doing this anymore.

[cranman]

My son runs a grocery/convenience store that has lots of waste cardboard. I take the standard potatoe chip boxes 2 l x 1h x 1.5 wide and cut all the cardboard, paper and outdated potatoe chips into these crates and store at the boiler. I usually put two in, end to end as the base for my fire and my logs on top of that. About 30 boxes equal a cord of wood and although it isn'd adequate for night fores in the minus forty degree period, it still is fine for daytime firers. Because it is free of moisture it allows me to burn off some of my poor or unseasoned wood at the start and end of the season with good burning times. I haven't noticed much of an increase in ashes either. I have been doing this for eight years now and it has saved me a lot of firewood.

[MattyNH]

My son runs a grocery/convenience store that has lots of waste cardboard. I take the standard potatoe chip boxes 2 l x 1h x 1.5 wide and cut all the cardboard, paper and outdated potatoe chips into these crates and store at the boiler. I usually put two in, end to end as the base for my fire and my logs on top of that. About 30 boxes equal a cord of wood and although it isn'd adequate for night fores in the minus forty degree period, it still is fine for daytime firers. Because it is free of moisture it allows me to burn off some of my poor or unseasoned wood at the start and end of the season with good burning times. I haven't noticed much of an increase in ashes either. I have been doing this for eight years now and it has saved me a lot of firewood.

From what from cousin tells me who lives out Las Vegas..Cardboard is like scrap metal (out there)..Load it up in your pick up truck and cash it in by the lb

[cranman]

IN the far north where I live Cardboard is a marginal recylable. About five years ago there was a mill in Ontario that was taking it and the cardboard taken in actually helped pay the freight for the plastics etc. back to the south. Since that mill closed most cardboard goes to landfill where it is conszidered burnable. I remove all plastic from the cardboard before it is boxed for my boiler.

[happycamper]

paper burns up to fast

[atvalaska]

so rolled up paper and phone books  soaked in  a bucket of  oil change oil  and bad fuel is out   ...say it aint so..... next thing I'll hear is "recaps" in/on  the side of the road off 18 wheeler's is out ....what in the world......

[slimjim]

WOW, OH BOY, I hope your federal overlords aren't watching, you'll be in a concentration camp somewhere in extreme Northeastern Alaska shoveling snow for the dying Polar Bears for years years while being re educated on proper wood burning techniques.

[lindnova]

I have tried burning paper and cardboard.  It smokes, makes marginal heat and the ash residue needs to be raked a lot to completely break down.  Barely worth it for me.  I just put it in the recycling bin.  If I have too much I may burn some cardboard occasionally.

[atvalaska]

slim...here I was told government works for us ...and that we are in charge....

[LittleJohn]

I only use paper or card board to light the fire, ...ATVAlaska (recaps -> really)    hehe

Even try to burn a phone book in a campfire!? NOT FUN
 I dont think there is enough BTU, to balance out the pain of clean up, mess and other detrimental side effects, to even consider to start burning it as a sole heat source.  But then again I have a pile of sawmill slabs so high it is approaching a height to block out the sun