Guest Richzx6r Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 So when we moved in there was a tree type Bush thing monstrosity in the garden that got attacked with various sharp bladed instruments the end result being a huge pile of tree/Bush debris on the lawn I borrowed my uncles drum burner to get through it all but it's taking an absolute eternity and after a few evenings doing it I'm still left with a big pile of plant matter that I just want rid of, I have tried setting light to it using various fuels and a butane weedkiller lance to light it but it wont bloody burn even though it feels dry.......bar getting a bomb dropped on it by the raf......what do all you other pyromaniacs use to get fires going???Oh and both the turps substitute and torch oil were both full earlier and now they are empty So HELP!!!!!!!Drum burnerBiggg pile(s)Fuel.... Quote
old-timer Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 .... what do all you other pyromaniacs use to get fires going??? A ZX6R ? Quote
Guest Richzx6r Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 .... what do all you other pyromaniacs use to get fires going??? A ZX6R ? no can't do that to jigsaw Quote
old-timer Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 OK, serious then...Years ago I bought a house where the garden was a true jungle.So we had to cut back almost everything that was green, which resulted in a huge pile of garden debris.We dug a big hole in the ground (about 1 by 2 meters and more than 1 meter deep and) and started a fire at the bottom.Not too big at first, and only when it burned really well we started to throw in small amounts of debris.Not too much at a time so as not to 'choke' the fire...It is important that the fire gets enough oxygen... When the burning was over, we left the ashes in the pit and just closed it with the dug out earth again.It seems to me that burning stuff in the drum burner might choke the fire if you stuff too much at a time.Looking at the pics of your garden, It reminds me a bit of our garden in those days.It looks like there is enough space to dig a hole to burn your pile...Imho, the problem is not getting the fire started, but keeping it alive... Burning garden stuff yourself in the garden is not allowed in NL anymore.Not even in drum burners.But in those days we would cut back the garden every 2, 3 years and burn the stuff as described.It just might be a better plan than sacrificing your precious ZX6R... Quote
Guest Richzx6r Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 OK, serious then...Years ago I bought a house where the garden was a true jungle.So we had to cut back almost everything that was green, which resulted in a huge pile of garden debris.We dug a big hole in the ground (about 1 by 2 meters and more than 1 meter deep and) and started a fire at the bottom.Not too big at first, and only when it burned really well we started to throw in small amounts of debris.Not too much at a time so as not to 'choke' the fire...It is important that the fire gets enough oxygen... When the burning was over, we left the ashes in the pit and just closed it with the dug out earth again.It seems to me that burning stuff in the drum burner might choke the fire if you stuff too much at a time.Looking at the pics of your garden, It reminds me a bit of our garden in those days.It looks like there is enough space to dig a hole to burn your pile...Imho, the problem is not getting the fire started, but keeping it alive... Burning garden stuff yourself in the garden is not allowed in NL anymore.Not even in drum burners.But in those days we would cut back the garden every 2, 3 years and burn the stuff as described.It just might be a better plan than sacrificing your precious ZX6R... I'm thinking about just taking it all down the dump as all the leaves have burnt off near enough just the bigger bits just aren't taking Quote
Smithers Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 Neighbours tend to get a bit tetchy when there's a bonfire raging away close by, it prevents them hanging out their smalls and getting them all smutty. Most council owned recycling centres have facilities for ditching garden waste. That's the route I'd go down. Isn't there some sort of law about having fires in your garden these days? Quote
Marino Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 Make big barbecue for neighbours all will be happy no complains Quote
old-timer Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 Or you could let someone with an (open) fireplace in the house have it.Tell them that they can take it for free if they remove it from you garden and process it elsewhere...Win-win... Quote
Guest Richzx6r Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 Neighbours tend to get a bit tetchy when there's a bonfire raging away close by, it prevents them hanging out their smalls and getting them all smutty. Most council owned recycling centres have facilities for ditching garden waste. That's the route I'd go down. Isn't there some sort of law about having fires in your garden these days? I have no idea, tbh I haven't checked Quote
skyrider Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 find a ditch and throw your stuff in and drive off fast Quote
Guest Richzx6r Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 find a ditch and throw your stuff in and drive off fast Yea I'd probably get caught knowing my luck Quote
Bender Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 Heat is your problem, you need to start a good fire with really dry wood to start, get a proper fire going and the heat will take care of the rest, just keep feeding it with the garden foliage. Quote
skyrider Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 find a ditch and throw your stuff in and drive off fast Yea I'd probably get caught knowing my luck i can honestly say i have never done it myself Quote
Guest Richzx6r Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 Heat is your problem, you need to start a good fire with really dry wood to start, get a proper fire going and the heat will take care of the rest, just keep feeding it with the garden foliage. Yea I'm guessing it was possibly abit damp after the drizzle yesterday Quote
The Hitcher Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 Well, going by a certain HBO series recently just ask a crazy blonde girl and her dragon to help out . Quote
Stu Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 Heat is your problem, you need to start a good fire with really dry wood to start, get a proper fire going and the heat will take care of the rest, just keep feeding it with the garden foliage. This! You need to get it going first and some heat in the fire! it takes ages for the wood to dry out properly around a year! Quote
onesea Posted May 20, 2019 Posted May 20, 2019 STart it small get it very hot then add more, wet wood so you are going to have to have it hot enough to have the wood drying before it burns....Ironically the the less you put on the quicker it burns but its means constant topping up... Put a big mass in it cools the fire and has to reheat to get rid of the wagter then burn... Quote
Gin Posted May 20, 2019 Posted May 20, 2019 Heat is your problem, you need to start a good fire with really dry wood to start, get a proper fire going and the heat will take care of the rest, just keep feeding it with the garden foliage. This! You need to get it going first and some heat in the fire! it takes ages for the wood to dry out properly around a year! Look I'm all for big fires and big booms, but this sort of thing is more hassle than it's worth. In fact, recently [mention]Saddlebags[/mention] did a massive cut back of our Garden (recently moved into a rental, where the garden had been left to go wild) and he's been throwing as much as he can into the green bin each week but also at the weekend bought: To which he hauled the main amount of it and took it to the local tip. No irritated neighbors, no fire burning for days on end, no fire department call outs, no burnt hole in the middle of the grass... If you don't have a car, just buy a mate a pack of beers for the afternoon. Don't get me wrong, I'm def a pyrohead, but this is more effort than it's worth Quote
elizabethf Posted May 20, 2019 Posted May 20, 2019 We use a drum like that to burn random garden matter but we never start with the green waste.We get a fire going in the drum first, usually planks of wood and turps, plus some newspaper etc thrown in for good measure. once you've got a decent flame going and its nice and hot start tossing the branches in - but not too many at a time! you may need to alternate with more wood/paper to keep it all going! You'll know its going right because plants let off a pretty thick, green tinged smoke.We only stick the lid on the drum once we're done (or if it ever got too out of control!) as a means of suffocating so it all burns out quicker. Quote
elizabethf Posted May 20, 2019 Posted May 20, 2019 In honesty thought it's just as convenient to toss it in the car and go to the tip Quote
fastbob Posted May 20, 2019 Posted May 20, 2019 It's not Rhododendron is it ? If it is , these things are virtually fire proof . I once tried to make a campfire out of them and gave up eventually . Even when bone dry this stuff just won't burn . Quote
MarkW Posted May 20, 2019 Posted May 20, 2019 Fly tip it This is the conversation I had when I phoned Harrogate Borough Council a couple of years ago:Hello, Environmental Services team: how can I help you?- Ah good morning. Can I just check that if I report a load of plasterboard dumped in the street I won't get charged for it being taken away?Absolutely not Sir - we'll send a unit out to clean it up immediately, and the person who reports it doesn't have to pay anything. Whereabouts has it been dumped?- I haven't decided yet: I've only just got back from your recycling centre where they wanted to charge me £2.70 per bag. Quote
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