Burn Piles

[Hondo]

Some still, damp day this fall we're going to have to burn. Our pile consists mostly of brush, uprooted cactus and scrap lumber. Now we've never done this and are nervous about it, not to mention totally ignorant of proper procedures. Can ya'll give us any pointers?

[mikim]

Mine get high - I wait til a rainy day in the winter - pour a little diesel on it to start it - then constantly circle the pile with the tractor and/or shovel and monitor it all the way down. They are usually at least a year old so it burns quick. They are usually made up of mostly cedar too - and trash elm. Burning in the rain takes care of any hot ash that wants to float off.

[robertn]

Start with small piles. 4'x4'x4' is the max recommended size in our fire district.

Clear around the pile, down to dirt. It's hard for a fire to escape if there are no flammables right next to it

Keep it in the open; don't put it under or near trees.

<font color="red"> Don't use gas to ignite it! Don't even think about it! </font color> Start it with paper, or maybe use a little charcoal lighter fluid. Just do't use gasoline, or "white" campstove type fuel; it is too volatile, and will flash on you.

Keep a shovel and rake right there in case you need to mop up around the burn pile.

If you have it, have a water supply right there with you too.

Get a permit from your local Fire Dept. Manty area's require permits to burn. And, like at our station, they have a handy flier that details all this.

Call your burn information number to see if it is a permissive burn day. They may not allow you to burn because of air quality issues, or hazardous fire issues.

Be careful burning construction trash, lumber, ect. In a lot of area's, you can only burn yard debris and rubbish; ie tree trimmings, brush, pine needles ect.

Have a phone nearby, just in case your burn pile escapes. You are liable for all damages if you burn pile escapes and damges a neighbors property.

Above all else, be careful!

[Harv]

Hey, good first post, Robert! [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Glad you showed up over here 'cuz I will probably do my own burn for the first time as soon as things moisten up a little. I'm guessing your advice applys pretty close, since you're only a couple of hills away from my property.

We've been interviewing caretakers for the property lately, and one fella saw my brush pile and said he could burn it right where it is -- next to and overgrown by large oaks and pines. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img] He flunked the interview. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

I plan on tractorin' a good-sized pit in a nearby clearing and leave the spoils piled up around the edge for extra containment. Thanks for mentioning the 4'x4'x4' dimension. I'll double check for our area, but that sounds like a good starting point. I'd rather take it slow than burn down the whole neighborhood. And maybe yours. [img]/forums/images/icons/blush.gif[/img]

Any estimates on how many marshmallows/weenies per cubic yard of brush? [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

Good thread, Bob. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[robertn]

Harv, since you are so close, I know you will need a permit. You will also need to find out the "burn number" in your area.

Also, I would forgo the marshmallows and weenies. From what you have siad in the past, you are not sure what the content of some of your brush piles are. I do not believe you nor the kids would enjoy raosting edibles over burning poison oak [img]/forums/images/icons/blush.gif[/img]

[Harv]

<font color="blue">I do not believe you nor the kids would enjoy raosting edibles over burning poison oak </font color>

Yikes! [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

I completely forgot about the ol' poison oak! Although it was never intentional, it's a pretty safe bet that there is at least some of that nasty stuff in there.

Guess I need a second pit to burn some charcoal briquettes in. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[BillG49]

<font color="blue">Start with small piles. 4'x4'x4' is the max recommended size in our fire district.
</font color>

I should have asked for advice before we torched some of our burn piles! [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] The attachment shows me high-tailing it away from the blaze, the scorched earth result, and how nature is healing the scars.

We thought we were ok: no wind, not too dry, etc. BUT, no water available, too large a burn pile (about 20'x20'x10') and drifting firebrands caused us a lot of anxiety, 1st degree burns and some serious running around time. [img]/forums/images/icons/blush.gif[/img] And this is only one (albeit the largest) of the 6 piles we started burning that morning.

I think our next door neighbor was somewhat concerned about our sanity (and his trees). The next time we had a good rain, he burned the rest of our brush for us! [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

I think God must look out for fools and children, as we feel like we dodged a bullet that day.

We've had large piles and small piles. I prefer the smaller piles. Much easier to contain and manage.

We start with a small pile and build it up as we go along. I only takes about 15 minutes starting with a small pile of dry wood. Once the fire is good and hot, we start piling the stuff on. Our burn pile never gets any bigger than 6-10 feet in diameter and never taller than 3-4 feet.

Once the embers are really hot, all you need to do is to keep on throwing stuff onto the fire and watch it disappear. We will burn a pile of brush, wood debris, and dead limbs 10X20X6 feet in four to six hours. While the stuff is burning, we continue to find more and add it to the pile.

Of course, we never burn when its windy or dry. We typically burn between Oct and April here in Washington County, Md. During the rest of the year, we just pile it up and wait for the cooler, wetter months to come to do the job. And yes, the local fire department likes to know if you're going to burn. They hate surprises!!!! [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

Terry

[Gatorboy]

I've got 2 huge piles of brush, logs, etc. that are about 30x30x10. One pile is 1+ years old and the other is from this summer. I was going to just light the first one this fall/winter, but after reading the advice in here, I am going to create a new smaller pile on my newly graded area that I will be building my pole barn next spring. This area is 70x50, and will serve as a great firebreak.

I will do as you do Terry, and just keep adding to the smaller pile as the fire burns -- sounds like a very sensible way to keep things under control.

I will be getting a burning permit (had one last year but never burned) and calling the local fire dept. before starting the fire.

[Mosey]

Some good advice so far. Let me emphasize the "don't use gasoline to start it" part. Gasoline doesn't burn, it explodes! When I was a kid growing up on the farm, I used gasoline - once. I learned my lesson quick!

Don't burn on a windy day!

I use either kerosene or diesel fuel if the brush is still kind of green. It also helps to add some engine oil (I save my old oil when I change my oil in the vehicles and tractor for just this purpose). If it's dry though, you won't need anything but some newspaper.

I don't bother with permits, not sure if they're needed. That's up to you.

I fill my pump sprayers (I have one for herbicides and one for pesticides) with water and keep them handy. I also have a couple pails of water handy. Sometimes I water the area down around it before lighting it.

In my opinion, the biggest danger is sparks and leaves or other stuff that gets in the air. Don't put cardboard boxes and books on top, that stuff will float off while under fire. Did I say "don't burn on a windy day!"

Warning: Once a fair sized brush pile (6'x6'x6')gets going, you won't be able to get within 15' of it for a while. So, make sure the area around it is cleared before you light it.

I try to get a fairly early start so I won't be up all night tending it. Those embers can last all night OK once they're raked up into a pile with a good 3' or so band of bare ground around them.

Don't for get the hot dogs and marshmallows!