Can't Even Have a Burn Barrel

Compost your garbage into methane, then burn that.

Why are you so intent on burning?

Burning only make things worse. In all my hazardous material references, when something is burnt, it creates other chemicals that are much more hazardous than the original item. 'Up in smoke' really means spreading it around.

Recycling or shredding and composting is much more environmental friendly.

Dalhousie University in Halifax Nova Scotia Investigated this about 10 years ago. They found that the hotter you burnt something, the least amount of smoke and ash. The problem is the contribution to greenhouse gasses. If you have to burn things, it is best to use forced air to ensure a clean burn.

There are a number of particulate monitors and systems on the market:

http://www.filtersense.com/particulate.htm

So you´re looking for a home-made smoke incinerator also known as an afterburner. Such system will burn smoke and odors but will pass particulates. It´s the telltale smoke plume and smell that is considered a nuisance in residendial areas, never mind particulates. After all you´re not burning toxic waste.. You will need a fan to duct the smoke into a chamber like a cyclone where a gas oil or LPG gas burner incinerates the smoke. The chamber is vented thru a chimmeny. Incineration takes place by direct contact of the smoke gas stream with the burner flame at 500-600 degC.

Can I really stir things up? Believing in greenhouse gasses and global warming is like believing in the Easter Bunny; they are such wonderful fairy-tales and I am so tired of hearing about both of these items.

Particulates in the air do cause problems with people who have asthma and allergies. Smoking in public should be banned as it infringes on most people's rights to breath clean air.

Let's stop wasting time and money on global warming and warm up those of our friends and neighbors who live without food or shelter.

Stopping the particulates isn't rocket science, just common sense-don't burn stuff!

'By the way I think you are an idiot and we might be better off without you on the planet.'

A bit harsh, maybe, but I am unable to find a flaw in your argument...........

Hi,

I live in a rural area and have no refuse removal service or landfill to take the household waste to. We sort our trash into glass, paper, metal and compostable material, but you are still left with stuff you can not easily recycle.

What is the best of the bad ways to get rid of the bulk of these products so that it can be transported to a landfill?

I was thinking of building an incenerator. Yes, i know of all the other problems surrounding that, but at the moment i either put it up in smoke or it creates a health hazzard for my family.

p

The obvious question that springs to mind is to ask about your local authorities responsibilities. We have very little choice in this matter, we pay a local tax to ensure that our waste is removed, and the local authority performs that task. they do push to make sure that we separate and recycle, which is a good thing. So, do you pay a local tax? Does you local authority have any responsibility in this area? Of course, if you don't pay for this service, you won't get any sympathy from me, as I think that you are taking the cheap option!

Hi Lonnie regarding your barrel burner. Some years ago I had the dubious pleasure of marketing wood and coal fired type hot water boilers. The most effective type for clean flue burning was where fresh combustion air and the partially burnt gases were drawn down through the bed of the fire before being routed over the top of the fire up into the exhaust stack. Both the coal and wood fired types were virtually smoke and odour free when burnt freely , but produced smoke, odour ,tar and creosote when starved of adequate fresh air.

regards

Coben

Dr. Smith,

You points may be valid. However, your unkind approach is something you should be ashamed of. Mean people suck!

Simple add a small centrifugal cage type fan to the bottom of your burn barrel the forced draft will make a smoke free fire.

CR4 Moderator's Note: The comment by Dr. Smith to which several users refer has been removed from this site. The "doctor" has also been notified about his misconduct.

I also live n a rural area and no reasonably priced removal service is available. I would love for someone to describe how to build a small incenerator for home use.

I have also tinkered with the idea of forced air inceneration for my proprietary papers which I do not want in the public domain ( I am a surveyor). In addition to normal household waste, I also generate several pounds of paper with small errors that need to be destroyed. I could just shread then but i still need to dispose of that. A bon fire burns some of them but then i am left with a pile of partially burned paper.

Any constructive comments??

Many places in the world have banned the small incinerators that you are proposing while others have restricted them. They were found to be the largest contributors to Dioxins in the air. There are still some around for Bio waste but they have a very high standard.

Super dragon only 2500 british pounds ... looks alot like a burn barrel

http://www.incinco.com/products/Dragon/dragon.htm

better yet

http://www.skimoil.com/wiseash.htm

Thank you all for the input very much.

I have not been able to be more responsive for the last two days and so I have apparently missed some rather interesting and vitriolic input. I would like to have seen it, I guess, just for the understanding that I might obtain of other people's viewpoints. Responding to a few of your specific suggestions, The main reasons for choosing to burn if possible were best outlined by a couple of "Guest" posts. One not included was the possibility of generating producer gas for other uses.

Bhankii-I will not have enough volume to compost for methane practically, but I have done some experimenting with that. I bet I would get a lot of attention from the neighbors if I built a 500 or 1000 gal methane digester next door. Had a friend with a pig farm that did that for awhile.

Techno-appreciate your input and the links you provided and basic advice to burn hot with plenty of air. Are you familiar with the HAHSA furnaces used in Scandinavia for home heating? I would implement this concept if it seemed appropriate. I like the idea of creating usable energy to sustain my home from waste material while I simultaneously reduce my impact on the landfills, etc. I am not very concerned about my contribution to greenhouse gasses--at least not as long as there are volcanoes.

To some of you other responders, thank you for your input. In the American West where I have grown and lived and worked, it has never been my first response to a situation to ask or demand that "authorities" solve the problem--irregardless of how my tax dollars are being spent/misspent. Nevertheless I understand that in more urbanized or socialized environments that may be the only avenue.

I for the most part wish that all those agencies that are so dedicated to "helping" and "protecting" me would just get out of the way and let me take care of my own problems. Sort of a "desert-lifestyle, look-out-for-yourself" way of thinking I suppose, and surely not appropriate for everyone.

Coffeebean-Thank you for the smoke incinerator/afterburner info. Sounds appropriate and useful.

Coben-good info on the down draft technology and existing development of same. That also sounds appropriate and useful in my tentative design.

First implementation of this will probably be in a recycled fifty gallon vertical LP gas cylinder. Next decision will be front loading or top loading. I would love to be able to burn used tire material but I greatly fear that will exceed the capabilities of a home brew unit. Input?

Thanks all.

Lonnie