# burning in winter



## moneymgmt (May 7, 2008)

It might be a stretch to be in the forestry section, but it was the best I could think of.... 
Any pointers on burning brush in the winter? We've got a pile about 10' tall and 20' long that accumulated over the summer. State law says we're ok as long as snow is adjacent to the pile but I'm pondering how to start the fire since there's snow ON TOP of the pile too. I could use gas but I'm afraid it will burn up too quickly before the fire starts. Gotta love Michigan winters!

If you have a better place for me to ask the question please let me know!


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Kerosene or diesel fuel. Get them deep into the pile and lite. 

G


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## Terry Beeson (May 29, 2008)

DO NOT USE GASOLINE!!!!! Gasoline is EXPLOSIVE and can be a BIG danger when used as a fire starter. My wife is an RN and has worked in ERs enough to tell you some pretty gruesome tales of gasoline, alcohol, and similar fuel used. I'm sure Mike and Smitty have a few to add as well. Any distillant that has a lot of fumes is not recommended.

The better alternative would be diesel or kerosene for sure. If you can find some old motor oil or cooking oil that will help as well, but not sure about the environmental aspects. I know we use to use old tires, but that's now illegal.

As George eluded to, get in as deep and low as you can with the driest of the pile and start it there.

Above all... BE CAREFUL!!!


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## moneymgmt (May 7, 2008)

thanks guys. I had thought about fuel oil but its starts about as easily as oil, so i'm contemplating what to get that started with. I know gasoline is pretty "unstable" I guess you could say, when it comes to the fumes and all so I don't want to use it at all. Tires? ....interested to hear more about "how we did things in the good ole days"! I'm sure we'll get it going slow and steady, just curious if there were any tips out there.


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## Geoguy (Feb 22, 2008)

I get rid of all my used motor oil by mixing with sawdust (I've always got lots of sawdust) in a 5-gallon bucket, and using for fire starter in a burn pit out back. Used oil is almost impossible to light but the sawdust helps it get started and the oil keeps it burning for a long time.


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## Kirk Allen (Nov 7, 2006)

As advised, use Deisel and or kerasene and if you have trouble lighting it use a can of WD-40 with a lighter  It makes for a great flame thrower and is plenty hot enough to light off the deisel and/or Kerasene. 

Were gloves when lighting the WD-40


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## chevyll_1967 (Aug 7, 2008)

You cant burn tires in michigan its a huge fine if fire dept is called in and find out your burnning waste(tires). They have to contatct DNR and thats were fine comes from. I use kerosene mixed with drain oil and dump it all over the pile, and if you have an old fertilizer sprayer you dont use any more fill it with this mixture and spray it inside the pile good way to soak it down and let set for hour then light it with a tourch or newspapers.


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## Oscar (Jun 7, 2008)

I use Deisel mixed with Sawdust and finely shredded paper and/or dry grass, hay or straw. I use a propane torch to start it and will pour/toss more Deisel out of a two pound coffee (from a safe distance) can as further excellerant. If the stuff is largely green or wet it's going to take several attempts to get it to burn down. I'd avoid anything that produces a heavy black cloud, such as tires, oil and or anything cointaining petroleum distalists, that is other than fuel oils etc... . I really like the concept of lighting spray mists of flammable liquids and have been know to do it now and then. But I fell a number of times on my head while in the military (Ranger Medic) and am known to do some really dumb stuff now and again!


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

It looks like you don't have enough suggestions so I will add another. 

I prefer diesel cut with a little used motor - 50/50, or even old hydraulic oil. Saves on diesel and still lights okay especially with a small propane torch. 

But sometimes I find myself low on diesel - or when it was $4.50 a gallon I did not want to spend over $20 to burn a big pile of brush. This is where I use gas. 

You *can* use gasoline, but *you have to cut it with oil*. I mix up five gallons for a big fire. One gallon of gas and four gallons of old oil. Stir it up well just before you apply it. Works great but does not have the dangerous flash point of straight gas. 

Now you have lots of choices. If you can't start that fire hire an off-duty fireman.


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## dirtclod (May 7, 2008)

Oh yea, I've seen many tobacco seed beds burned - pile the wood 2-4' deep by 12' wide by 100' long. Throw a couple dozen tires on top, add some k2 and used motor oil and make sure you don't stand down wind. A retired builder who worked in a major city told me he used to get rid of his construction scraps by waiting until it got real foggy then no one could see the smoke. Mostly illegal these days.

Safest to wait until snow is on. So long as the snow is not too deep on top, the center of the pile will usually be dry. Start a small fire in a dry area - it will dry out the rest and spread. Check with your local fire department about burning ordinances. They may even want to participate.


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## Handyman (Jan 2, 2008)

moneymgmt said:


> thanks guys. I had thought about fuel oil but its starts about as easily as oil, so i'm contemplating what to get that started with. I know gasoline is pretty "unstable" I guess you could say, when it comes to the fumes and all so I don't want to use it at all. Tires? ....interested to hear more about "how we did things in the good ole days"! I'm sure we'll get it going slow and steady, just curious if there were any tips out there.


Use Deisel and or kerasene and then use light fluid to start it. The same kind you would use in a BBQ pit. It will light slow enough for you to get out of the way while the other fuel gets started.


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## Terry Beeson (May 29, 2008)

TexasTimbers said:


> ...You *can* use gasoline, but *you have to cut it with oil*. I mix up five gallons for a big fire. One gallon of gas and four gallons of old oil...


Hey Tex.... That's how I cut my Coke... with Crown Royal... 4 parts Crown... 1 part Coke.... :laughing:

A couple of those drinks and we'd "GIT 'ER DUUUUN!!!" for sure!!!! :thumbsup:


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Terry Beeson said:


> Hey Tex.... That's how I cut my Coke... with Crown Royal... 4 parts Crown... 1 part Coke.... :laughing:
> 
> A couple of those drinks and we'd "GIT 'ER DUUUUN!!!" for sure!!!! :thumbsup:


:laughing:

I hate to admit it but in my drinking days that's just about exactly the ratio I used. :drink: Hiccup.

P.S. Life is too short to drink blended whiskey. If you ain't got a good sour mash you ain't got no whiskey.


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## Juniperlampguy (Nov 11, 2007)

I burn those kind of brush piles by taking some dry firewood and building a good size campfire under one side of the brush pile. Preferably on the upwind side so that the wind will help direct the heat into the majority of the brush. Once the dry wood is burning good, I use a rake to pull some of the wet brush on top of it.

If you don't have any dry firewood, I would think a bag of charcoal would work.


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## moondawg (Dec 17, 2008)

*Duraflame?*

Maybe just one or two of those duraflame fake logs you can buy for your fireplace? I got a box of them for 12 bux at Rural king to burn in my fireplace when we first moved in. They burn for a couple of hours.... should be enough time to get whatever you're burning to catch.


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## moneymgmt (May 7, 2008)

Thanks all! I wasn't sure what the response would be in this forum but thanks for all the ideas! Funny enough, there is a huge old tractor tire that came with the lot :nuke: but I'm not a huge fan of fines. Sawdust is pretty easy to come by (go figure in this forum) so I'm going to start soaking it in buckets. Get that underneath with a few pieces of dry wood and I think/hope we'll be good to go. :thumbsup:


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## dirtclod (May 7, 2008)

Just in case you have some left over and want to put it into the fire. :no:

Caution!!! 

Don't ever throw sawdust into a lit fire. It will explode! 

Caution!!!


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## moneymgmt (May 7, 2008)

Well we ended up using the saw dust in buckets mixed with oil and diesel. Dumped the buckets at the base of the pile in 4 places, splashed with fuel oil, and lit with a blow torch. Away she went! The last pic here is after about 90 minutes, it was nearly gone. Good thing it burned well, it was a lovely 4 degrees outside when we lit the fire!

Thanks for your help all!


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

It's a good thing that snow wasn't real dry or it could have gone up like a tinderbox. No one even thought to warn you about that!


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

Handyman said:


> Use Deisel and or kerasene and then use light fluid to start it. The same kind you would use in a BBQ pit. It will light slow enough for you to get out of the way while the other fuel gets started.


If you know what you are doing with a BBQ pit, you don't use lighter fluid... Leaves a nasty taste...

I wonder if a charcoal chimney might be helpful here, get a bed of coals going dump it into the driest part, and pray for a breeze to whip it up.


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## Terry Beeson (May 29, 2008)

dirtclod said:


> Just in case you have some left over and want to put it into the fire. :no:
> 
> Caution!!!
> 
> ...


 
Yep.... just watch this...


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## asipila (Jun 13, 2008)

I know I'm a little late to the party on this thread, seeing as the burn pile is already gone, but I figured I'd add my two cents anyway. I work for timber management company in Northern California and we wind up burning a lot of the slash piles that are by-products of logging. The best thing we have found to use is a propane torch generally used for roofing or killing weeds. It attaches to a standard five gallon propne tank and has about a 10 foot hose. You can just shove as deep as you can get it inside the pile and let it sit for a few minutes. It really does work wonders even with wet materials. It's pretty dry around here right now, but next time we burn I will try and post some pictures. We have some pretty impressive fires.


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