# burning grass



## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

I was wondering, if a person had a lot of grass (and weeds) and hardly any trees and a wood burning stove, how would they go about using the grass (and weeds) for fuel? I've seen grass pelletizers for sale but they are way expensive. You can buy a lot of wood pellets for the money. You can also buy a basket to fit in a wood stove that will burn pellets or wood chips so you don't really need an expensive pellet stove. The simpler and less labor intensive the process the better, BTW.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

Got any large livestock about?

mix the manure and you "biomass" and make bricks.

not sure what type of ratio ? 

simple and with a little thought should not be to labor intensive...


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

I know we have an difficult time extinguishing hay that ignites. It seems to smolder forever. I wouldn't be hard to build a HAHSA that could take round bales. I know they've been built with doors large enough to take pallets. The original company no longer sells the plans. The design was simple enough the plans weren't needed.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

No large livestock, just goats and poultry. Everybody is pretty much free range so rather hard to gather manure from them.

The Hahsa looks interesting but I'd have to buy the materials and pay someone to build it.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

All my neighbors have horses many are happy to get rid of it.

I would think the horse manure would only bind so much grass as it pretty "Fibrous"
as is.

But there has to be a similar resource there?

"off the topic slightly"
I'm actually wondering if it would be easier for me to do the manure thing like this guy did. 

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/hooker87.html

Like I said all the neighbors have horses.
Seems an interesting and very economical option.
most will happily load me with as much as they have!
So really the biggest thing would be producing the bricks.
I'm thinking that could be easily remedied.

Thanks for getting me thinking...


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Thanks for posting that article. I saw it yrs ago, and had been looking for it again.

I just don't have manure right now. Hoping to get a steer sometime in the future, but have to do some fencing, etc.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

You might look into mixing it with chicken manure and litter and converting it to methane or make them into a very large compost pile and put a waterline in the pile to collect the heat so that the heated water could be pumped into your home. It's been done with wood chips.


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## doingitmyself (Jul 30, 2013)

Grass burns plenty hot to use but its so slight of density that i think the act of feeding it into the stove would make more heat than the burning of the grass!!! Ok not really but kinda. I know "buffalo chip" burns well enough to use as fuel. If you could compress the grass enough and keep it tight while it burns i think you would be on to something!! Interesting idea! Good luck!!


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

fishhead, interesting idea, but the chickens roost in the trees and anywhere else they please so I really don't have the manure where it could be scooped up to be used.


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## MichaelK! (Oct 22, 2010)

What the ancient Chinese used to to is make bundles of grass that where held together by individual strands of the grass. Once tighly held together grass burns well enough to be usefull for cooking.

Lay handfulls of grass so all the stalks are parallel to each other. Then wrap some of the strands crosswise like you would a hank of rope. That will hold together long enough to burn with real flame.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Yes, that would work for cooking. I was thinking something that would heat a house without me sitting and manually bundling the grass and feeding it continuously. I'm wondering now if it might be possible to make a baler that would make log size bales? Maybe something goat powered? I have lots of goats. They could take turns. LOL


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

Hay bales are* 3 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 9"*

http://www.bobs-toyshop.com/shop/viewitem.php?productid=15


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

I'm thinking if you got a section of real heavy scheduled pvc 6" or better pipe you could make a piston from plywood and a good steel pipe , drive the piston with a bottle jack and compress wet material into a useable form. 
The press frame could be as simple as a 6x6 bolted to a wall. 
If you had access to large enough steel pipe that would work just as well.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Tongue in cheek here. 

You need a couple rubber bellied hay balers (horses). You can got plenty for free. You may need to tweak your inputs but those road apples come in a handy little package. Put a predrying oven above the work surface and you can heat your house, cook your meals and TRY to use up a FREE waste product....James


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Thanks for the link, Wolf.

Sorry, no horses for me. LOL

Downhome, I was kind of thinking of a metal box but a section of pipe would likely work. Maybe with one of these:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200326415_200326415


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

my ideas a whole bunch cheaper!

but ya that would work!


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

well my minds still on this lol, got to thinking a farm jack might be less labor when compressing the stuff. perhaps a T post rather then the pipe.

if ya got any welder friends have them weld the Tpost to a small square/circle of 1/4" plate you can bolt to the plywood piston head.

to get the grass in the pipe as well as out after compressing it , something like a sausage stuffer? made for the purpose though. place the pipe form,fill the trough and pull the handle until your pipes full. if you built it sturdy might be all you need to make you logs.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

I'm not quite sure I'm following you on this. Trying to visualize it.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

ok try this for a visual, rather then a sausage stuffer a can crusher.

a "bench" you can lay the pipe on , a back stop for one end for the pipe, space between the "can crusher" and pipe for material (the trough), pull the handle forcing material into the pipe. once full put it under the hydraulic press and compact it.

I'm also thinking it would be easier to pack the pipes with dry material and wet before you use the hydraulic press.

the fill plunger does not have to extend to far as the material will push the prior stuff to the end.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

ok cyn this is close to what I had in mind... 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ11FR2FsWY[/ame]


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Thanks! That looks like something I could do. Have to see what parts I can scrounge up from around here. Don't get off the farm often since I don't drive anymore. I'll have to order a press though.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

like I said just use a bottle jack, bolt a timber up to a wall on a out building and there's your press. 
Just span the timber over several studs. 

As far as a the packing apparatus , the lever should be fixed (like a sausage stuffer) 
think it would make use much easier. only need to pull or push the handle.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

I scrounged up some stuff that might work. Don't have a jack. Been several yrs since I owned a vehicle.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

Cool, be interesting to see what you come up with.

a bottle jack can be had cheap less then 15 bucks.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

If you want heat why not build a solar collector? I would think that you live in an area with lots of sunshine in winter.

Solar Gary has lots of plans on his website.


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