Filling a cistern

[newbury]

Burning things can be FUN!
and it will get the rats and snakes out.

 

[civilian]

Do you have a backhoe with a hydraulic thumb or mini ex with thumb? Reach in with bucket and thumb, pull some wood out to see what else is down there. Then decide what to do. But is the ground strong enough to support your backhoe? Old bomb shelter? Keep us posted if you find anything. Jon

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

Ideally you need to get to the bottom, to punch a hole in it so it is free draining.

As to getting air in so it can burn, a vent pipe hooked to a blower is a good idea. Get it as far in as you can, and then work it in further as the fire Burns things out of the way. I’d also recommend a 50/50 mix of diesel and gasoline as an accelerant to get it started burning. Shouldn’t take a lot, but. I’m fairly sure it will take some.

 

[RalphVa]

You've a start on kugelkultur for that little area. Just finish filling it in and grow some good stuff there.

 

[Number15]

Gonna try and light it today. I figure I have about 10% chance of it catching. It's been wet here lately.

 

[Egon]

To do it properly consider bringing in a large hoe, about twenty foot depth, and dig it out.

 

[Number15]

well I used a lot of petroleum products and as predicted it would not light. It was fun watching the flame front in the bowl of the cistern.

As for punching a hole in it, with the amount of rain we have been getting this thing should be full. Initially I had an idea to fill it and float the wood out. I quickly saw that it would not be possible to do that, for a few reasons.

 

[ruffdog]

I'd be pulling that wood out and drying it so I could burn it in the woodstove. Who knows what is down there? Good or bad I would find out!

 

[LouNY]

A slight variation of shoot, shovel and shut up; fill it and forget it.

 

[tomplum]

You've a start on kugelkultur for that little area. Just finish filling it in and grow some good stuff there.

My wife converted the main garden to this. Personally, I think the jury is still out. The snakes love it though so that's a plus.