Burning Brush

[jack707]

I use diesel and used motor oil it goes up fast

 

[jack707]

It was over 60 years ago, but I remember a farm boy, when brush that was too loose to burn, who would build a small fire of sticks, then place a pint+-, capped bottle of gasoline a couple of feet in front of the fire. He would then go back 20 yards or so and shoot the bottle with a 22. It made a great fireball, and the brush burned.

Bruce

That's another way

Wow! Is brush that hard to light? I guess I have been doing it wrong with a little piece of paper and stuff it down inside the pile and in about five minutes I have flames roaring out the top.

The OP lives in Maine which means the brush is probably a lot of pine - that stuff will light quickly and burn hot.

 

[CobyRupert]

Don't use gasoline, too volatile. Explosive. The invisible vapors will spread out along the ground and create a very dangerous situation.

Motor oil is much much more less volatile. Plus, I always have used oil around. In those situations where a fire dwindles, you can basically pour it around a flame and have a lot of time to exit.

I've never used kerosene or fuel oil, I 'd expect it's much much less dangerous than gas, but more volatile than motor oil.

I usually use a few pieces of paper or cardboard surrounded by a few gallons of motor oil soaked into the brush around it to get it going.
or if I'm feeling lazy feeling about dragging out buckets of oil and paper or if the brush is being particularly resistant to its fate, nothing beats bringing out the propane torch.

and if it's really resistant or the brush isn't packed "dense" enough so that you get enough critical mass burning and generating enough heat for the fire to spread (i.e. heat up the brush around it enough so the moisture in the wood is boiled off and ignition temp is reached), a leaf blower can really hurry things along.

If your piles have been then since last fall, it's ready to go and shouldn't take much effort.

 

[jack707]

Motor oil needs diesel or all you get is white smoke

 

[CobyRupert]

Motor oil needs diesel or all you get is white smoke

Motor oil is all I've ever used as an accelerant (unless you count the leaf blower & propane tourch).
As long as there's already a little fire going (with enough heat to get it up to oil's higher (than gas/fuel) ignition temp), and something else to burn (the brush) it works great.

...but yes, I've seen it were oil is almost puddled on a log sticking out from the pile, away from the heat and putting a flame to it is just going to make smoke.

 

[4570Man]

Motor oil needs diesel or all you get is white smoke

Oil works fine. Used motor oil is all I usually use. This pile is burning used oil. If I have any old gas or contaminated diesel I'll mix it with the oil, but this pile was straight oil.

 

[turnkey4099]

Motor oil needs diesel or all you get is white smoke

Agree, the oil needs something else burnng to get oil lit off.

I find plaiin diesel is all that is needed on a dry pile and not very much of that, just a splash.

I do NOT understand why people think they need to mix gas with the diesel. All gas does is an instant "poof" and then it is gone. I work wih a freiend and no matter how many piles I light off with just diesel splash he insists it should be mixed with gas.

 

[om21braz]

I may try Steve's 'bog-roll soaked in diesel' method the next time I burn and my trees are predominately eucalyptus variants.

Does that brush smell as one would think when it gets burning? Like being in a Vick's factory?

 

[Xfaxman]

My burn piles are mostly cedar trees and dead trees, so it doesn't take much diesel and the propane torch to get them going.

I use this Website to pick days when the wind will be less than 10mph: Map Results | Wind, Forecast, Radar, Weather & More | WindAlert

There is diesel in the gas can.

 

[jack707]

This thread remind me I still have a lot of pine branches and old wood to burn