# Burn pile - please help me!



## BlessedMom (Jul 20, 2004)

Okay, we've been dropping trees. 
We've got all this brush and I cannot get it to burn.
Help!! What can I do to get this stuff to burn?
I've tried BBQ lighter fluid..paper, cardboard, nothing.
ACK!


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## WolfWalksSoftly (Aug 13, 2004)

BlessedMom said:


> Okay, we've been dropping trees.
> We've got all this brush and I cannot get it to burn.
> Help!! What can I do to get this stuff to burn?
> I've tried BBQ lighter fluid..paper, cardboard, nothing.
> ACK!


One old tire will do the trick.


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## fordy (Sep 13, 2003)

.................Be sure and Mow all the grass all the way around your pile down as low as possible . Try , Charcoal liter by pouring on a spot with really , dry , small twigs , Then , pour a trail of fluid on the ground out away from the fire for several feet and light the trail . This is one reason for mowing the grass down very low . You might want to also wet the ground around the fire with a Squirt handle on a garden hose , BEfore starting the fire . Then keep your squirt handle ready incase a spark is ejected from the fire so you can put it out . You just Can't be Too careful . I have started burning my Brush Pile the morning After it has rained the night Before as the ground will be very damp and therefore Less likely to start perimeter fires if the wind starts blowing . Don't Burn on Windy days and keep your brush pile(s) as small as possible as they can become UNmanagable if the wind picks up and you're not prepared . fordy..


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## BlessedMom (Jul 20, 2004)

WolfWalksSoftly said:


> One old tire will do the trick.


I think the neighbors would notice and here it's against the law.


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## BlessedMom (Jul 20, 2004)

fordy said:


> .................Be sure and Mow all the grass all the way around your pile down as low as possible . Try , Charcoal liter by pouring on a spot with really , dry , small twigs ,


Okay, I have tried this...and it just burns what the liter fluid is on and then it goest out. I've got through a whole bottle of the stuff. 
And sometimes the stuff isn't even damp!
I'm hoping to start early tomorrow morning and get this stuff burned. Once I get it going I can get it to burn great. It just takes me hours, if I can get it going. The last 4 days....I haven't even been able to get it to start after hours of tinkering with it.


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

comfortablynumb said:


> you have to start a fire first with good dry material and get a good heap of sun hot coals and fire going then any green you toss on will be incinderated.
> 
> i suggest a truckload of pallets to get a good core started... done right it wont go out for several days.
> 
> you have to start with a HOT core of dry material, green and moist wont cut it.


i agree. get a good fire going with dry stuff, then toss the green stuff on top. it'll burn.

please don't do the tire burning thing. there's good reason it is illegal in most states.


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## rambler (Jan 20, 2004)

BlessedMom said:


> Okay, we've been dropping trees.
> We've got all this brush and I cannot get it to burn.
> Help!! What can I do to get this stuff to burn?
> I've tried BBQ lighter fluid..paper, cardboard, nothing.
> ACK!


Since you have green wood, you need a lot of heat & a lot of air.

Get some dry branches. Get some dry bigger chunks of wood, like if you have any seasoned wood for the furnace???

Get a bale of straw.

Get a couple gallons of diesel fuel.

Build a camp fire type thing of the dry branches, dry wood chunk or 2, have the green branches over the top of this, soak the green stuff down with the diesel fuel, put the straw bale in the middle, and light it.

Be careful, flamable fuel like diesel will run, and will soak into you, and will flare up into a _very_ hot large flame for a bit. Understand what you are doing, as this is a somewhat dangerous condition.

The straw bale is kindling, the dry branches & dry big chunks will catch fire & keep it burning, and the diesel will create enough heat & spread the fire to light up some of that green stuff. You need enough heat for long enough to dry out the green wood so it will also catch fire & continue the flames.

You will get a lot of smoke from the diesel & the green wood, so expect a visit or call from the neighbors or authorities.

A good 15 mph+ wind really helps, start the fire upwind & let it burn through the pile. OF COURSE this is a bad burning condition for spreading the fire & creating problems, so likely you won't be able to really do this, but if you are in the middle of 40 acres of plowed ground like my brush pile typically is, good stiff wind really helps it burn.

Burning green stuff is just difficult, would be better to let it season for 6 months or so. You will have to pick up & reburn the outer edges several times, green brush just takes more BTU's of heat to dry out than what it actually produces so it puts itself out unless you supply more heat from the diesel fuel/ seasoned wood chunks and constantly push the edges in to the heat.

--->Paul


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## BlessedMom (Jul 20, 2004)

Thank you all so much for your help. I'll try again when I can.
It started pouring down rain yesterday evening again. Still pouring this morning, so it looks like today will be a no go. 
I'll try the diesel and straw and some dry wood. Finding dry wood is going to be a problem. It has rained for almost 19 days straight now. 
And they say we are in a bad drought here! Sheheeeshhh!


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## billyj (Jan 25, 2005)

BlessedMom said:


> Okay, we've been dropping trees.
> We've got all this brush and I cannot get it to burn.
> Help!! What can I do to get this stuff to burn?
> I've tried BBQ lighter fluid..paper, cardboard, nothing.
> ACK!


Mom, I see some good ideas suggested to you and lot of them work and I see some that can be hazardous to your health,
Go buy yourself a large bag of charcoal or two depending on the size of the pile. soak it with lighter fluid (diesel is ok wont flame up like gasoline) let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes before lighting. ( note charcoal must be under the pile) The charcoal will stay hot long enough to get something going and then just kept piling on. Remember not to burn on windy days and keep a water hose close by.

Call you local fire dept. for thier help and advice. 
Where I live we must get a permit and call them
before strikeing the match.


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## antiquestuff (Nov 5, 2004)

Before you spend too much money on those small things of lighter fluid....Coleman fuel is the same thing for a lot less. Well, it's less where I am that is.


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## John_in_Houston (Nov 26, 2003)

Okay, this might be a stupid question, but why not just let the brush pile sit there and rot?


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## opus (Sep 15, 2004)

What....no FIRE???? What could you be thinking? 

LOL!!


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## BlessedMom (Jul 20, 2004)

John_in_Houston said:


> Okay, this might be a stupid question, but why not just let the brush pile sit there and rot?


We don't have that much property and we use every bit of it. The other reason is that it is just ugly! LOL!
And literally, there is tons of it. We have dropped 4 trees so far that were dead or unwanted. The wood is great, but the brush has got to go!


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## John Hill (May 12, 2002)

Here is an idea...

Fire needs, heat, fuel and oxygen(air). You have a better fire if you increase one or all of these. So increase the air. Dig a trench or two and build your brush pile of the trench, angle the trench towards the prevailing wind and if there is no wind a use leaf blower or something like that to get a really good draft going.

Light a fire over the trench with your most combustible material then pile the brush on top, if the fire hesitates give it some air.


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## Hip_Shot_Hanna (Apr 2, 2005)

a Bail of straw works a treat


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## fordy (Sep 13, 2003)

.................What about a Wood Stove for your Home??  fordy


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## fordson major (Jul 12, 2003)

forget the coleman fuel, gasoline and diesel. wish i had pix of my buddy who used this method, bad burns over his whole left arm and face. card board boxes and dry wood is how we burn green cut bush . start fire with the cardboard dry wood then feed in the green brush . usually cut fri/sat during the day then invite friends over for a marshmellow roast!like johns id of a blower! have to try that one!


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## DJ in WA (Jan 28, 2005)

When I got some acreage, I started burning each spring like all the neighbors. But I eventually tired of breathing the neighbors' smoke, and assumed they didn't like mine. I realized there is a better way. Anything bigger than an inch, I chop up and burn in my wood stove over the winter. Smaller stuff I spread out and let it burn slowly, i.e. rot.

If you don't have the room to spread it out, look into renting a chipper. A good sized one is important. We once bought a homeowners type from sears, but it was hard getting curved limbs or brush down the chute.

There are alot of uses for the mulch - paths, covering gardens to reduce watering needs, etc.

As more people move to the country, there will be more bans on burning, and people will have to be more creative on disposing of yard waste.


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## woolyfluff (May 23, 2004)

We use old tires put on bottom get fire going put brush on to very very very hoy hoy hhoy fire will melt tin cans


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## Blu3duk (Jun 2, 2002)

Being a good steward of the land is imperative, that you have very little land and need to utilize all avaialbe space is understandable.... A person doesnt have to burn the green wood as posted above a chipper wil reduce the pile to a small managable pile of woodchips which are useful in many applications.... composting them does take some time, but mixed in with green grass clippings will add carbon to the process to make a healthier compost. Woodchips spread around bases of shrubs hold in valueable moisture, although it does tend to cause some molds to grow on the base of the shrubs if placed to close and will asllow rodents to chew on the bark of trees and shrubs in some occasions [cats have a way of eepingrodents out of these places but not always]. Woodchips on your garden walkways or between your raised beds offer weed control and will eventually breakdown and add to the soil of your garden area too and allow a host of microbes to bring the added soil building other micobes into the area a a greater rate.

The larger limbs while not as easy to cut up into firewood do burn a good hot fire and add to the ease of fire building for most people [a person doesnt have to cut as much kindling] the smaller pieces also fill air gaps in the firebox which allows the fire to burn longer with the fuel provided. a person has to buy less firewood from outside sources as it is already on site.

Now dont take it the wrong way, I love a good hot outside fire, been known to burn one once inawhile here even burning house waste when the notion strikes [ok when it piles up and is more expedient to burn than to haul to the dumpsters in the winter] I aint an old posey sniffer, but i have found a good mix of woodchips in the compost pile offers some great soil after a couple years.

Renting a chipper dont cost as much as buying one, and it gives a person an idea if they ever want to do it again in the future.... some people are prone to avoid mechanical devices. Anyhow there is alternatives to having ahuge pile of limbs outside your window to look at all summer long other than burniing or hauling away!

William


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## comfortablynumb (Nov 18, 2003)

a leaf blower hoooked to a 10 fot iron pipe under the fire will super heat it like a forge...

it will incinderate anything you toss on dry or wet.


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## opus (Sep 15, 2004)

"One hurdle down. Now we are trying to figure out how cheaply we can build a small shed for our bucklings and wether. Sheesh.."

Just did one...$500. http://2005photos.milneweb.com/may/10_may01.jpg.html


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## Blu3duk (Jun 2, 2002)

BlessedMom said:


> I can't thank you guys enough. Honestly, the amount that we had would have taken a long time to chip. I called to rent one and it was $165 for the day. I would have needed it for 2 days. I really couldn't afford 1!
> 
> One hurdle down. Now we are trying to figure out how cheaply we can build a small shed for our bucklings and wether. Sheesh...
> 
> Lori



I guess the cost of rental chippers have gone up in the past couple years, the local shop here rented their 8 inch chipper for $90 per day a couple years back, still high, but no where near the cost of buying a new big chipper, and a person would be amazed how fast those piles go down using a chipper.

As for building a cheap sheep/goat pen shed, pallets.... 3 form the sides, one for the roof, a couple pieces of 2x4 for elevating the roof a bit, then rolled asphalt for roofing.... makes a great temp [15 year or shorter] shed for the pasture. Pallets are easy found for free most places, and even damaged ones contain 3 2x4 short pieces [usually under 40 inches] some places sel them as they are reusable and rebuildable too. Several can built together for individual critters similar to the one opus built singles can even be moved with some effort, but moved intact if needed. and a person can even add plywood over the slats to keep the wind out, or make it look prettier too, or just plain ole paint does wonders on that front. And since its under the building size for getting a permit, the county dont tax one either!!

William


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## fordy (Sep 13, 2003)

.................No Scorched Marshmellow(s)! No burning picture(s) of Ghandi or Virgin(s)  Sacrificed to the Tree God of Sapp and Bark renewal . How will thoust encouage thy folage to Germinate for fear of being Burned at the Stake ??? What of the Earth worms boiled in their earthen tunnels for the cause of "Homesteading" ?? All must be sacrificed for "the Cause"  !! fordy...


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## BlessedMom (Jul 20, 2004)

fordy said:


> .................No Scorched Marshmellow(s)! No burning picture(s) of Ghandi or Virgin(s)  Sacrificed to the Tree God of Sapp and Bark renewal . How will thoust encouage thy folage to Germinate for fear of being Burned at the Stake ??? What of the Earth worms boiled in their earthen tunnels for the cause of "Homesteading" ?? All must be sacrificed for "the Cause"  !! fordy...


fordy you are sooo funny! LOL!


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## Dink Bickel (3 mo ago)

rambler said:


> Since you have green wood, you need a lot of heat & a lot of air.
> 
> Get some dry branches. Get some dry bigger chunks of wood, like if you have any seasoned wood for the furnace???
> 
> ...


I hope that big pile is not too near any building as they will probably burn faster. In your explaining how green wood puts itself out you made me think of the brush fires the Amish had every year, that when you drove by at night were nice rectangles of a few acres, often in wooded areas. That was all green uncut timber how did they ignite it. While they did not drive cars they did use tractors so diesel fuel might have been used. The people in that area were handy as they had figured out they needed doors on the second floor in wintertime. They did catch your eye as there was no steps up to them, one went out above the front porch, but that makes no sense since the snow would be deep there as well. Maybe it was just for cleaning off that roof that was 10-20 feet from the highway and snow blowers are used up there.


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## 012345 (6 mo ago)

Sounds like the pile was taken care of. I can offer some tips on burning a huge pile for any future stuff that any of you have as I had piles of stuff left from loggers and recent projects that were huge with some logs 3 feet in diameter. Pick the side that the wind will blow into it and then use a chainsaw to cut into it so you can get in there a few feet. Then start with small dry stuff and slowly add to that until it is burning good and hot. basically, until you can toss a green 6 inch diameter log on it and see it start to burn at it, it isn't ready to "load up". But, once ready to load up, start tossing bigger and bigger logs on until you simply can't get anymore to stay on it. That will get you a solid fire going and you can then slowly push in from the sides to feed it with a tractor and bucket or skid steer. I had to manually just keep feeding logs best I could and got my pile burned down in 4 days and it was all green wood.


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## starrynights (Oct 7, 2021)

Call your local fire dept and ask if they would consider burning it as a practice thing and to help you out, keep you and the neighbors safe, and so on. If it's a really big pile you might need a permit to burn it anyway.


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## Vjk (Apr 28, 2020)

I always have lots of brush to burn. Most isn't suitable for fireplace wood. I talked with the fire chief once a while back and asked him the rules for burning and he said they applied only to open fires. With a bit of chat he pointed out that since I had a big pile of dirt I had excavated from my foundation and some other projects, I could just dig out one side and build up the other 3 sides and that wouldn't constitute an open fire, just a big burn barrel. So, that is what I do. After a good burn, I start building the bottom of a new pile with old dry branches, layered with cedars. Then pile the greener brush on top. I keep an eye on weather.com and start a new burn when it calls for rain later in the day. I have a huge chunk of old metal roofing that I throw over the pile to keep it (mostly) dry until I get around to burn. Obviously, have a hose powered up and on hand along with a shovel etc. And the tractor is on standby a little bit away. A folding chair, a cigar or 2, and a flask of adult beverage and I'm good to burn.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Vjk said:


> A folding chair, a cigar or 2, and a flask of adult beverage and I'm good to burn.


Required items for a proper fire.

I just cleared about an acre behind our house and across a ravine. Dug a large pit about 10'x10' about 3' deep and tossed all of the brush and limbs and root balls in. Used a weed torch attached to a small propane tank and voila.
I was out there yesterday and tossed a few limbs onto the ash pile of remains that I had started 5 days ago. I stirred it up and within 5 minutes it was going again. That is also a reminder to be careful about leaving them to just "burn out" without clearing the area.


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## patrick in Nevada (Jan 3, 2021)

I run everything thru a chipper...the organic material feeds the ground...


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## muleskinner2 (Oct 7, 2007)

I always let the green stuff sit in the pile and burn it next winter, when there is snow on the ground. But I really don't have to sorry about it any more. It is illegal to burn brush, trash, dry grass, or manure where I live. No outside fires at all.


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