Burn Piles

[BillG49]

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

[dobber30052]

Don't use gas to start it??? Heck, the last time we lit off one here, my wife decided to start it about 5:30 am, sorry, but that's too early for me. Anyway, she tossed in a cup or two of "bug juice" as we called it in camp many years ago. Seems like she forgot the matches, back up to the house. (this pile was about 12' in diameter &amp; 8' tall..) she gets back, throws in a match, and my neighbor, just settling down on the porch with the 1st cup of joe swears the pile lifted a foot off the ground! [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]
Needless to say, she did get me up (no the blast didn't do it) to nurse it from there.

On another note, we have adopted "Guy Fawkes Night" as our "Official" bonfire time. Last year we burned an Osama!

[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.

[Phred]

Guys,

I use a burn barrel. Just an old metal 55 gal drum that I picked up for ~ $5. Works great since it contains all the fire and prevents spread. Only good for very small fires but you can burn one fairly often since its easy and safe.

However, I must confess that I use gas to start it. I know I am about to get a lecture..... You need to be very carefull with this. The system I have is to tie a paper towel around a 10' section of metal furring channel. A few drops of gas on the top layer of material in the burn barrel and light it from 10' feet away with the metal channel and you have a real efficient system.

The key statement is "a few drops"!

Fred

[egon]

Forgot to mention that the wood ashes contain phosphate which is good fertilizer.

Egon

[Hayseed]

Of course it goes without saying that a burn barrel can also cause problems if not done properly.

A few years ago my father-in-law had a fire going in his burn barrel at his home in rural Louisiana. Someone had put some sticks in the barrel and one of them burned in two and fell out on the ground. It was late in the year and the grass was dry and the fire spread from the area near the barrel to his two acre pasture in the back, which had not been mowed lately and was full of dead grass and weeds. To make a long story short the volunteer fire department was called but by the time they arrived half the field had caught fire and swept to the area where he stored a couple of drums of diesel fuel. The drums caught fire and my mother-in-law described what happened next as comparing the fire to an oil well fire with flames shooting up in the air and billowing clouds of smoke enveloping the entire area. A neighboring rice field caught fire as well. The VFD was able to put the fire out before any structures were damaged or destroyed but my father-in-law suffered lung damage from smoke inhalation. His lungs were already in bad shape from years of inhaling welding smoke and decades of tobacco use. The smoke inhalation worsened the already existing lung damage and he died a couple of years later when his lungs just finally gave out. He would probably have died of lung disease anyway but one careless moment allowed a fire to get out of hand and possibly accelerat his demise.

I agree with Phred that a burn barrel is a good way to burn small amounts of limbs and such but I just want to point out that because you burn in a barrel does not mean that you should be any less cautious than if you are burning a pile of brush.

[Boondox]

<font color="red"> Wow, a very timely post! I just torched one today!</font color>

My burn piles are generally the semi-dried crowns of trees dropped by the wind or myself for firewood, branches trimmed off or saplings thinned out. I generally throw a few decent hunks of firewood on top to generate some serious embers (they come in handy later in the burn). I usually let the pile sit and dry for several weeks. When rain is forecast, I cover the whole thing with an old tarp. When the rain is past, I uncover the pile, splash kerosene around the base, and light it. No need to splash kero on top, as the heat rises.

One trick I use to get the thing good and hot if it has trouble getting going is to use my leaf blower as a very efficient bellows. Works like a charm! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Very little danger of the fire spreading if I light it after a rain, but just in case my pile is right down from the pond, so I can run a siphon if need be. As the center of the pile is reduced to ash, I circle with either a shovel or the Kubota (depending on the size of the pile) to push the unburned edges onto the bed of embers in the middle. Oh, and I always wear long sleeves and a ballcap. When the heat is too intense I look down and the brim protects my face. And gloves are a must. [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

Today's burn pile started as the size of a full sized van, and ended with fine ash that would not quite fill a 30 gallon garbage can. I spread the ash under the apple trees while it's still hot; kills the fungus that leads to apple scab. Again, hose is handy for flare ups.

Pete

[Harv]

Dang, Pete! You gonna be near California any time soon? [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

I might just print out your description of that burn. Nothing like step-by-step instructions from someone who just did it.

Sounds like there's an advantage to living right there where you burn. Timing the weather might be a little more problematic for us weekend (or less) warriors. Think I'll go ahead and set up the initial pile and cover it as you describe. Don't know exactly when the first rains will come, but it can't hurt to be ready.

This is one of those tasks I hate to turn over to our yet-to-be hired caretaker. There's just too much at stake. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

[MossRoad]

This is not meant to stir up the embers, so-to-speak, but why do you folks burn? I have a few brush piles that just sit there. I add to them every so often and they just keep rotting down. If I happend to be driving by I'll mash them down with the FEL just to teach them a lesson! Great fun. Every once in a while I'll move them over and harvest the good soil that has built up under them. They also provide good habitat for wildlife, if you like skunks [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]