Starting a fire

[Gary_in_Indiana]

In another post I mentioned I recently created three huge burn piles. A lot of the stuff in them is green, a lot dead and just brought down and a lot had been down and half in the ground for years. On top of all that it's raining today. My question is about actually burning this stuff. How long should I let it dry (assuming no more rain for a while) and what, if anything, should I use as an accelerant on these piles? Someone mentioned a 50/50 mix of used motor oil or diesel fuel and kerosene. Any thoughts on this and any other ideas are quite welcome. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Gary, consider the use of BBQ fire starter (naptha, I think). It's cheap, controllable, and available everywhere. That with some dry kindling and paper usually does the trip for me. Be careful!

 

[mikim]

I like burning in the rain - keeps the hot ashes from flying - I just finished burning a couple of big piles last weekend in the rain - I pour diesel on 'em then light 'em off - The big pile was 10' high and 20' across - and was about 18 months old and well settled.

 

[Kodiak]

I use a propane weed burner with a 5lb bottle.

 

[GarageSmoker]

I use straight diesel on mine with a wad or two of the daily paper to get it going. I have 5 piles of various sizes ready to go, all within 2 months of being alive.

They wouldn't give me a permit Sunday morning because there wasn't enough breeze to spread the smoke (to me there was almost to much breeze to contain the fire, but they aren't standing on my hill when I call them) and they won't give a permit number if it is raining even a tad for the same reason.

My new neighbor is a fireman and he said to wait until night...they can't see the smoke at night.

He is going to get me in trouble...

GS

 

[Richard]

I fill an old 2 gallon garden pressure can with diesel, take my propane torch.... spray the kerosene where I think it will light, light it and spray additional kerosene on to help sustain it, and/or make it "flame up" some to spread the heat & get it going. So far, worked 100% /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

On speaking with my local forester dude, seems diesel is a "Class ??" fuel and is considered "allowed". they don't like to see people use gasoline for obvious reasons, I'd suspect he'd frown on the motor oil part also from perspective of ground water (Just a thought).

With the pressure can full of diesel..you can sustain or even "walk" the fire as you need to. Been most pleased with that setup.

Richard

 

[memenzel]

I found out you need two things to successfully burn a pile of wood no matter what you use to start it. First, be able to get your tractor all the way around the pile so that as it is burning you can keep pushing the pile in on itself. Second, a leaf blower works wonders for spreading the flames through the pile. I have a gutter attachment for my blower so I'm able to set the blower on the ground 8 foot from the pile, lock the trigger on and really get the flames spread through the pile very quickly. Doing it this way, I have burnt brush that I cut in the morning and lit in the afternoon and was gone by early evening.

Mike

 

[brantley]

I tried charoal fluid on my first burn pile. I put the fluid on, let it soak for a few minutes and lit it. It burned for a bit, but the pile did not catch. So I put about a gallon of diesel on and the pile lit up just fine.

 

[frank_f15]

if u have some old motor oil, spread it on the pile or use a little deisel. just be aware that stuff that green and wet might have a tendency to smoke a bit. best if u can let it dry for a bit.

 

[heehaw]

don't remember the exact number of days, but dad always told me, ?? days after brush or trees are cut, they begin giving off a gas, that will allow them to burn much better. in years past, when i could remember the number of days, i have actually done this, and it took nothing but a bit of newspaper to light the fire and then stand back...it would burn completely to ashes...now days i do as the others have mentioned, off road deisel...and once its going, it does well enough..
heehaw