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Old Posted: 01-11-2011 , 07:25 PM #20
Sgt_Pepper
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Cork
Posts: 1
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Well done on shed! I'd love to have ANY kind of ability when it comes to woodwork or metalwork, but alas my brain just can't picture something visually before I start work on it. Even if I had the plans in hand I'd make a mess of it.

If I could offer a few words of caution to the people on here who burn pallets for fuel - this is something I've been doing for years myself - you need to be very careful.

Some people use pallets for raised garden beds - myself included. The problem arises if the pallets have been treated with chemicals by the pallet makers , or after the fact by their customers to stop them rotting or worse - as an insecticide. The chemicals leech into the soil. If you plan in using pallets for this purpose try to find ones that are marked HT. this stands for heat treated. My understanding is that these are not chemically sprayed as a matter of course - but u should still be observant and exercise caution. On average if I come across a stack of pallets - say 10 or 15 - maybe 2 or 3 will be marked HT. look closely at the pallets and you'll see it stamped somewhere in fairly small lettering. Hang on to these for gardening if you're so inclined. Avoid painted ones obviously as these leech into the soil as well.

Burning pallets for firewood is where you really must be very careful, especially in an open fire. The most important piece of advice I can offer you is NEVER BURN GREEN PALLETS. They've been sprayed with chemicals and when burned release arsenic. I don't see them that often but before I researched it I made the mistake of burning some in my open fire. Headaches, dehydration, nausea set
in after a few mins and I had to open all doors and windows fast. Just as well I didn't fall asleep or have a child in the room.

A few years back a law was passed in the US declaring all pallets coming into America must be sprayed with insecticides/pesticiTdes or else be made of plastic. My point here is be careful where you get your pallets, avoid anywhere that regularly imports/exports from the US for example. Avoid any place that uses Pallets to transport chemicals etc. common sense stuff. Burning painted pallets is also a no no as it's also toxic to you and enviroment. I've loads more to add but I ain't got time tonight.
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