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How to burn stuff
Prime
UKRegistered User regular
UKRegistered User regular
I feel emasculated even asking but I cant for the life of me get this fire going.
Im trying to burn some garden waste (dead wood, leaves, cuttings etc) but I cant for the life of me get it to stay lit.
Due to the situation I have to burn it in a barrel, for this task Ive gotten hold of a big old oil drum with the top cut out.
Heres what ive done so far
- Knocked plenty of holes in the bottom edge of the barrel for air flow (all the way around).
- Made a nest about 1/3 the way up from the bottom.
- Smaller dry bits line the bottom of this nest with the waste getting larger the higher you get.
- Used a whole box of matches trying to light the bottom layer and getting it to take!
Any tips from real men? It has to have gone by the weekend so will try anything.
Im trying to burn some garden waste (dead wood, leaves, cuttings etc) but I cant for the life of me get it to stay lit.
Due to the situation I have to burn it in a barrel, for this task Ive gotten hold of a big old oil drum with the top cut out.
Heres what ive done so far
- Knocked plenty of holes in the bottom edge of the barrel for air flow (all the way around).
- Made a nest about 1/3 the way up from the bottom.
- Smaller dry bits line the bottom of this nest with the waste getting larger the higher you get.
- Used a whole box of matches trying to light the bottom layer and getting it to take!
Any tips from real men? It has to have gone by the weekend so will try anything.
Prime on
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When was your last rain?
Those would be your two most critical limitations, the rest of it is just good fire practice.
The most guaranteed way to burn it though is to start a separate fire full of all the good dry stuff and chuck on bits regularly.
Keep in mind that since this stuff is green (you, know since you are coming out of winter and all) it will smoke like fucking crazy. So, keep this in mind and try and stay downwind.
Satans..... hints.....
Additionally if you want to cheat in lighting it you can pour petrol into it as your starter fluid.
It has a good chance of burning out the base of the barrel though.
Additionally you will need to light it at a distance. I would recommend a longish stick and dropping in a piece of newspaper or something light it and drop the entire thing in at a distance.
Satans..... hints.....
erm, have you checked with your local fire department/local council? Sometimes there are bylaws about burning off in urban areas, or needing a fireman's supervision if you're lighting up a big enough volume. Don't want you getting in trouble once you do get it lit
also, isn't there a local dump where you can take the stuff? might be less troublesome.
don't stand over the barrel as you light it if you use petrol
Go with the bbq lighter blocks and make a sort of tipi out of small easily burnable wooden planks and straw and some bigger pieces of wood. If that eventually burns well dump on some stuff (use moderation).
My father used to do HUGE fires at his nursery, I'm talking like 10 yard square by about 5 feet high of stuff covered in gas, we always did the trail method.
Speed is the key with gas, the longer it sits and the fumes go, the more dangerous.
You won't need much for this project so just a little is fine. Remove the gas can from the area before you start. (seems obvious but is forgotten by many!)
Volunteer, almost 10 years of experience putting out grass fires caused by people who didn't know what they were doing burning yard waste.
Some tips based on the first post:
-Check with your local municipality regarding bylaws. If you can't get to their office, a local firefighter should be somewhat familiar with the bylaws in their area, or be able to point you at someone who is. (Note: do not call 911, or 999, or whatever emergency number you have there. These numbers are for Emergencies, not information lookups).
-Your burn barrel shouldn't need more than 10x 3/4" vent holes in the bottom. These holes should be about 3-6 Inches from the ground and evenly spaced around the circumference. One or two holes in the very bottom is advisable for more permanent burn barrels, to allow rainwater to drain.
-Do not pile the fuel (yard waste, in this case) above the level of the vent holes. If you do, and try and light the top of the pile, guess what? You essentially have no vent holes because they can't supply air for your fire. Build a small fire first, in the bottom, and then add more debris, being careful not to block the vent holes (at least not all of them, I recommend piling the fuel to one side of the barrel).
-Find some sort of steel mesh or fence that will cover the top of the barrel, allowing smoke to vent but keeping any larger pieces (flaming leaves or grass, for example) from getting lifted out on the updraft from the fire. The #2 cause of grassfire in my area is sparks/debris from burning barrels igniting secondary fires.
-If your fire gets out of control, or you think it might be getting out of control, then call 911 or 999 (or whatever emergency number applies for your area). The #3 cause of structural (house and outbuilding) fires in my area is out-of-control grassfires.
Thanks for taking the time to write that out. Some useful advice. We have already looked into the law and everything is fine and within standards. I've already given our neighbours a courtesy heads up, and as long as we dont start it any earlier then 7pm we're ok.
Nice idea with the cap. Ive got some spare fine grill chicken wire on a roll so I'll make a cap for the barrel before I start.
So general consensus is start with a small fire, build up to size. Thanks all.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/754d/
Steam
XBOX
I saw that used on an episode of Survivorman and want to get one.
Additionally, for tinder, I've used vaseline inundated cotton balls to great effect.
Also, these
that might not comply with local burn laws.
At the least, you'd need a permit.
And when I usually light burn barrels, I'll throw in a nice ball of tissue / TP / paper towels, then some newspaper (crumbled up, not folded neatly), then some cardboard chunks (again, make sure they're at odd angles and not just flat against each other). After that's going, then I throw in yard waste a few good armfulls at a time. Also, once you've got all that on there, it doesn't hurt to have a screen (either fork over the cash for a 'burn barrel screen' which will fit snugly and have handles, or buy a square of heavy duty Hardware Cloth / wire mesh that will fit well over the diameter of the barrel). This cuts down on airborne firey bits. Which can be bad.
3DS FC: 4699-5714-8940 Playing Pokemon, add me! Ho, SATAN!
Accelerants are for amateurs and arsonists.
way to butcher the quote. that's like Arnold saying "I shall return promptly"
that said: OP, be a man (err.. figuratively speaking.... correct equipment not necessarily required, just a mindset)
1. pile small, try tinder at bottom (crumpled paper, smallish sticks, etc.
2. put a few larger bits SPARSELY on top.
3. set tinder on fire
4. slowly add material to top as the fire grows, keeping in mind that suffocating it in a pile of grass clippings or leaves will kill it
5. if something fails, pour gas, paint thinner, liquor, lighter fluid, or whatever other flammable stuff you have on pile and relight
I'm glad you brought this to my attention, I apologize for displeasing you. Specifically you because out of the entire Internets you were the only one skilled enough to bring up the error of my ways. All my life I had worked hard, trained....nay obsessed that I would avoid any mistakes with which you might quote me and lambast me for typing something incorrectly. At first I thought perhaps it was a mistake, but your quip concerning Arnold's line propped open my mouth and set my gullet awash in the same way that tomatoes would do for a person with acid reflux. I have failed you, I can only hope that in my next life I will post something that you will simply ignore instead of feeling the need to even worry about it in the first place. I bow to your movie quote prowess, I was too busy doing useless things such as making the world a better place to research the quote and post it verbatim, perhaps in this next life I dream of I will spend more time making sure that each of my posts meets your strict guidelines.
Thank you random Internet guy, I am a better person having read your criticism. May your future posts be void of such things that would upset other random Internet guys.
No no. The OP meant a yard waste fire, not flame wars.
And the lazy/impatient.
and those who like fireballs.... and who doesn't like fireballs?
Also, I can't stop hearing Arnold saying "I shall return promptly ..." in my head.
3DS FC: 4699-5714-8940 Playing Pokemon, add me! Ho, SATAN!
I'd be more inclined to get some charcoal going in a chimney starter and use that to ignite it.
3DS FC: 4699-5714-8940 Playing Pokemon, add me! Ho, SATAN!
Cheers for the advise.