Burn Barrel
- Thread starter Gem99ultra
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KYErik
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2005
- Messages
- 909
- Location
- South central IL
- Tractor
- 1977 AC 7000, 1980 JD 2840, 1963 Case 930, 1963 Ford 4000, 1943 Case SC, Case 530CK backhoe
I have found than an old water heater and a large well pressure tank lasts a lot longer than a 55 gallon drum.
crash325
Elite Member
Here is my former stove that at 1 time I cooked on the top. Now used as a burn barrel. Sort of messy around it, but clean up is on the way. :laughing: At 1 time the stove parts were off an expensive wood stove. Temp control on door.
N80
Super Member
So I pulled my old wood stove out of the woods. I'll try to post a picture below. It worked great for cardboard and paper, of course. No ash and stuff blowing around or sitting on the ground. However, I put a bag of actual kitchen garbage in there along with a little diesel and it did not work at all. Still lots of un-burned stuff in there. I threw in a small lighter knot and a little more diesel and that pretty much did the trick. So for burning dry stuff like cardboard etc, it will be handy but not as a serious form of garbage disposal.
That looks like what we used to call an "Ashley" or "Franklin" stove growing up...
CajunRider
Platinum Member
Currently I don't have one but I used to have one made out of brick with 2 bottom vents and 2 side vents. That pit would burn anything I could stack in it practically. Once in a while I'd sweep out the ashes and that was all the care it needed.
Oaktree
Super Member
In my town cardboard, newspaper, metal, glass and types 1 & 2 plastic are free. They used to take other types of plastic, but apparently there's not much market for it...the town has to pay to get someone to take it, so now it's considered trash). Household trash is pay-per-bag (ie-everything has to be in special town trash bags). Tires, freon-containing appliances, electronics have fees, "demolition" (which includes old furniture, mattresses, etc. as well as actual construction debris) is charged by the truckload, pricing for partial loads at the discretion of the dump attendant. Hazardous waste, motor oil, paint, etc. are not accepted.
As far as burn barrels go, I think they're prohibited by the state but the law doesn't seem to be very strictly enforced.
N80
Super Member
When I was at Eglin AFB in Florida, 25 years ago, the county contracted with a single private trash collector and you were billed on your water utility bill. It was a county-wide monopoly. Subsequently they were unreliable, expensive, extremely messy and wouldn't take anything but basic kitchen trash. There was one dump in the county and it was ridiculously expensive and inconvenient. There were no public green boxes. No 'convenience centers'. The AFB had most of the land in the county and most of it was woodland and was referred to as the 'reservation'. It was literally covered in trash, mattresses and old appliances because no one (including the locals who were often fairly poor) had anywhere to get rid of their trash. Bad government is not hard to recognize.
I'll admit that while I was there we had a broken toilet. My wife refused my plan to make into a planter and put it in the front yard. I broke it into pieces and sunk them in a beaver pond.
I'll admit that while I was there we had a broken toilet. My wife refused my plan to make into a planter and put it in the front yard. I broke it into pieces and sunk them in a beaver pond.
TomSeller
Super Member
I like it. You didn't have a burn barrel, you had a brick barbecue. There can't be any regs against a barbecue. Al least I hope that the libs haven't banned them yet.
CajunRider
Platinum Member
I like it. You didn't have a burn barrel, you had a brick barbecue. There can't be any regs against a barbecue. Al least I hope that the libs haven't banned them yet.
I never thought of it that way but yes I can modify it for both purposes. I can put in a slide in tray for coal when I want or take it out and turn it into a burn pit. I've been meaning to build a large one that I can turn a full size pig on it any way. I can put in slide gates to control air flow & temperature and Cochon de l'ait here we go. The only caveat is that I can't burn nasty stuff in there but that's OK. I don't do that any way.
CajunRider
Platinum Member
I like it. You didn't have a burn barrel, you had a brick barbecue. There can't be any regs against a barbecue. Al least I hope that the libs haven't banned them yet.
I never thought of it that way but yes I can modify it for both purposes. I can put in a slide in tray for coal when I want or take it out and turn it into a burn pit. I've been meaning to build a large one that I can turn a full size pig on it any way. I can put in slide gates to control air flow heat and Cochon de l'ait here we go.
I think a 2.5 ft x 5 ft will be about the right size. I have a gear box and a 1/4 hp motor that can be used to turn the pig. Hmm.. now I have a project
scdeerslayer
Gold Member
So these places where it's illegal to use a burn barrel, does the law specifically say that the barrel is illegal, or that burning trash is illegal? Like CajunRider you can burn trash in anything. Plus, I use a burn barrel to burn wood to get coals for a grill, would that be illegal?
From WA:
Outdoor Burning (Non-Agricultural)
Garbage burning and burn barrels are illegal everywhere in Washington and have been for decades.
Know before you burn
Burn barrels are illegal.
Instead of burning to get rid of vegetation, try composting and chipping.
Where residential burning is allowed, the burn pile must be smaller than 4'x4'x3'.
You may burn only one pile at a time.
When and where burning is allowed, you may only burn unprocessed natural vegetation.
CajunRider
Platinum Member
I don't burn garbage either. It's not a good idea. Come to think of it, about the only I've burned in the past 10 years were the vast amount of marsh reeds and trees that the hurricane tides brought to my land. Most everything goes to the dump or composted.
OP
Gem99ultra
Elite Member
The only thing we burn is natural vegetation plus paper products such as cardboard boxes, bank statements, etc.
No plastic, tires, rubber products, oil, kitchen garbage, etc. Not only are they illegal to burn here, I for one really don't want to breath rubber laden air.
Burn permits are issued (free) from Oct.1st thru April 30th for either hand piled burns or acreage. Responsibility for damages are that of the person burning, i.e. permits have no bearing on responsibility - so DON'T catch the woods on fire or any structures!
Furthermore, the fire department is totally volunteer, so there well may NOT be help available if the fire gets out of hand. Heck - the 30 year old fire truck that they do have only holds 500 gallons of water. So burner be aware
No plastic, tires, rubber products, oil, kitchen garbage, etc. Not only are they illegal to burn here, I for one really don't want to breath rubber laden air.
Burn permits are issued (free) from Oct.1st thru April 30th for either hand piled burns or acreage. Responsibility for damages are that of the person burning, i.e. permits have no bearing on responsibility - so DON'T catch the woods on fire or any structures!
Furthermore, the fire department is totally volunteer, so there well may NOT be help available if the fire gets out of hand. Heck - the 30 year old fire truck that they do have only holds 500 gallons of water. So burner be aware
PILOON
Super Star Member
OK, I picked up my burn permit today, that is, barrel burn permit.
It was like being cross examined by the police this year.
I had to tell them what kind of lid, spark arrester and water provisions I kept on hand.
\OK as I had all the answers, even own a forest ranger type backpack pump!
Also obtained a 2nd location for our lake owner association that serves mostly for marshmallow baking and weener toasting.
The joke is that they want us to go online and contact STOPFEU, (a gov't forest fire fighting agency)to verify the hazard level.
They are under the assumption that we all carry a blackberry device when toasting dogs, besides in our area there is no cell reception.
I suggested that they should erect fire hazard boards at main arteries indicating the hazard level as very common in most parks.
The response was 'no budget for that' and were not happy when I suggested that an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure.
Guess they rather pay fire fighters and water bombers.
Fire department is mostly volunteer and I gather the fighters are more or less assured an 'average income' based on statistics over the years.
I'll be at next council meeting and promise that in future we will have fire hazard level warning signs.(I can be stubborn)
Our Association is very pro active in as we paid for and erected "No camp fire" signs as the city had no budget to do so.
It was like being cross examined by the police this year.
I had to tell them what kind of lid, spark arrester and water provisions I kept on hand.
\OK as I had all the answers, even own a forest ranger type backpack pump!
Also obtained a 2nd location for our lake owner association that serves mostly for marshmallow baking and weener toasting.
The joke is that they want us to go online and contact STOPFEU, (a gov't forest fire fighting agency)to verify the hazard level.
They are under the assumption that we all carry a blackberry device when toasting dogs, besides in our area there is no cell reception.
I suggested that they should erect fire hazard boards at main arteries indicating the hazard level as very common in most parks.
The response was 'no budget for that' and were not happy when I suggested that an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure.
Guess they rather pay fire fighters and water bombers.
Fire department is mostly volunteer and I gather the fighters are more or less assured an 'average income' based on statistics over the years.
I'll be at next council meeting and promise that in future we will have fire hazard level warning signs.(I can be stubborn)
Our Association is very pro active in as we paid for and erected "No camp fire" signs as the city had no budget to do so.
N80
Super Member
I thank God I live somewhere that we don't have to deal with all this bureaucracy and micro-management of our personal affairs. Granted, this is not an area where serious forest fires (like out west) are an issue. We have them from time-to-time on a small scale. Rarely if ever are homes/ businesses involved. Rarely do they even seriously damage the timber.
Someone above also mentioned that burning garbage was a bad idea. Why? It has to go somewhere right? Landfill. Incinerator. Whatever.
Anyway, my place is in the middle of my 250 acres which is in the middle of thousands of other acres with maybe 3 homes in a couple of square miles. Contained burning, regardless of what the container is, isn't going to hurt or bother anyone and thankfully my state and local authorities have nothing to say about the matter (at least that I am aware of or that they are willing to enforce).
Would I feel different in an area at high risk for serious wildfires? Of course. Do I care if my neighbor half a mile away might have to smell smoke from my burn barrel once in a while? No, I do not. And since I know my neighbors, I know that they don't either.
We are also quite fortunate that even in this very rural and deeply impoverished county we have convenience centers where we can take almost anything, including yard trash, appliances, mattresses, recycling, oil, chemicals and batteries and those centers have very good hours. The ones in the county I actually live in often have fairly restricted hours which makes them less that 'convenient' and almost useless.
Someone above also mentioned that burning garbage was a bad idea. Why? It has to go somewhere right? Landfill. Incinerator. Whatever.
Anyway, my place is in the middle of my 250 acres which is in the middle of thousands of other acres with maybe 3 homes in a couple of square miles. Contained burning, regardless of what the container is, isn't going to hurt or bother anyone and thankfully my state and local authorities have nothing to say about the matter (at least that I am aware of or that they are willing to enforce).
Would I feel different in an area at high risk for serious wildfires? Of course. Do I care if my neighbor half a mile away might have to smell smoke from my burn barrel once in a while? No, I do not. And since I know my neighbors, I know that they don't either.
We are also quite fortunate that even in this very rural and deeply impoverished county we have convenience centers where we can take almost anything, including yard trash, appliances, mattresses, recycling, oil, chemicals and batteries and those centers have very good hours. The ones in the county I actually live in often have fairly restricted hours which makes them less that 'convenient' and almost useless.
CajunRider
Platinum Member
In my area the dump is open on Wednesday and weekend and we can take almost anything there. We sort them out by household, construction & white goods, and recyclables and put them in those huge dumpsters.
I mentioned that burning garbage is a bad idea because some of the stuff nowadays can emit toxic fumes when burned. The amount may be small but it sure can affect the person standing next to the fire. If there is another convenient way to bring it to the dump then it is preferred. However, if it is legal for one to burn it, one has the freedom to do so if one wishes.
2LaneCruzer
Epic Contributor
OPEN BURNING
Open Burning is the burning of any material in an
open
fire or an outdoor container.
Smoke from open burning pollutes the air and can cause health
problems for children and adults. These problems can be worse for
people with reduced lung function such as Asthma.
Burning trash is illegal in South Carolina. Trash may contain toxic
chemicals, and those chemicals are released into the air when they
are burned in an open fire.
Small sticks, leaves, grass clippings, and kitchen vegetable waste make
great mulch and compost for your garden. Larger stumps and limbs may
be collected and used by your county government to produce mulch.
Most counties offer mulch either free of charge or for a small cost.
State law requires that you notify the S.C. Forestry Commission before
you burn certain vegetative materials.
•
If you plan to burn residential yard debris within city limits,
contact your local government for local burn ordinances.
•
If you plan to burn residential yard debris outside city or town
limits, you should call a toll-free number for the county in which you
live. A list of these numbers can be found on the internet at:
SCFC Residential Burning
•
If located next to woods, brush or grassland call the Forestry
Commission at:
(800) 777-3473
before burning vegetative materials
from land clearing or right of way maintenance.
For more information:
SCFC Outdoor Burning
Remember, even though you may have notified the Forestry Commission,
you must still follow DHEC’s regulations for open burning.
If you need to report open burning in your neighborhood, please call your
Regional DHEC EQC office (Refer to list on the back of this brochure for
local DHEC Regional Offices).
For more information on Open Burning visit:
DHEC: Open Burning Poses Risks To Health and the Environment
IN SOUTH CAROLINA
it’s against the law to burn:
•
Household garbage and trash
•
Paper
•
Motor and waste heating oils
•
Roofing materials such as shingles and tar
•
Tires and other rubber products
•
Building materials
•
Plastics
•
Paints
•
Household cleaners
•
Farm chemicals
•
Electrical wire
•
Insulation and duct work
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
Here are some clean, easy ways to get rid of garbage:
•
Mulch or compost yard waste
•
Recycle newspapers, magazines,
cardboard, cans, plastics and glass
•
Recycle used oil at your local recycling center
N80
Super Member
Thanks for the information. It is good to know. As I was careful to include in my post, it often comes down to a matter of enforcement and the level of salutory neglect. Burn barrels are everywhere in the county where my cabin is, openly, in front yards and actively in use. People sell them by the roadside. For my purposes I will continue to understand the law based on the level of salutory neglect demonstrated by the authorities. I also suspect that if I turned in one of my rural neighbors for using a burn barrel, something else might get burned.
