What have done towards your prep?

[Sunna]

Yesterday paid a visit to my favourite skip and bingo about 3/4 weeks worth of scrap chipboard.
My fireplace will be pleased.

[bigpaul]

Chipboard is full of chemical binders and adhesives and will give off toxic fumes. should not be burnt, same applies to plywood and MDF.

[Pete Grey]

Years ago the old stove in the garage/workshop (totally enclosed and with a good chimney) would burn anything, it smoked badly, but this was before they invented health and safety.

Now for winter I only burn well seasoned timber or smokeless coal, I do cut pallets during spring/summer for kindling and would use a little pallet wood on autumn evenings just to take the chill off.

[bigpaul]

I would only burn small pallets , the larger ones have gawd knows what chemicals and paints on them and will give off toxic fumes, I've got bins and bins full of scrap wood for burning also some logs.

[Sunna]

Toxic fumes...
Their are 40 million cars ,lorry's, motorbikes in the UK and 1.47 billion worldwide.

[bigpaul]

its your lungs.

[Skean Dhude]

(8 September 2024, 13:59)Sunna Wrote: Toxic fumes...
Their are 40 million cars ,lorry's, motorbikes in the UK and 1.47 billion worldwide.

Yes and their emissions are limited by law and spread around. The wood you are talking about puts all these toxins into your immediate vicinity for you to breath in.

You have to put up with a lot of pollution in your lungs but there is no need to add more than you have too.

[Pete Grey]

You can die in hours from cold/hypothermia that’s why some take the risk of fumes from burning anything
.......use common sense....some ventilation.....smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector essential.

Everyone.....take care.....keep safe.

[bigpaul]

I grew up with cold bedrooms, single glazed windows, put an extra blanket on the bed.
the only fire we had was in the living room and that was an open fire, we burnt coal and logs.

[Pete Grey]

(18 September 2024, 17:27)bigpaul Wrote: I grew up with cold bedrooms, single glazed windows, put an extra blanket on the bed.
the only fire we had was in the living room and that was an open fire, we burnt coal and logs.

As a child i’ve slept in socks and woolly hat with a hot water bottle, ice “ferns” on the inside of the bedroom windows, no upstairs heating.

Downstairs a coal fire in the living room, and luxury, a range in the kitchen, always a kettle singing on top.

No sink, water tap outside in the yard collected in an enamelled “pail”. Galvanised bath in front of the range.

Washing done in the brew house, the “copper” heated with scrap wood, big cast iron mangle.

And we were greatfull for what we had, and happier than most families are now.