Burning!

[Greg M.]

What are some of the bets products for lighting those hard to light slash piles?

Gel packs ...what kind..?
fuel mixes?

any general comments/ tips would be great.

[Nate]

Been a long time since I've done it but drip torch worked well. Not sure what the gas/diesel ratio was but I know for firefighting now there is specific drip torch fuel, which I assume would work well in this application? Straight diesel doesn't work as you need something like gas in a smaller proportion as an accelerant.

Sawdust soaked with diesel strategically placed in the piles are also a good way to get hotspots going if the pile is super soaked/dirty. How they're piled makes a big difference, if a straight blade dozer piled it it's going to have shit ton of organics and be harder to burn.

A leaf blower can be used to fan the fires but watch out.

And if you like to rock and or roll then you can do this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1kpobfCgAk

[Greg M.]

Thanks Nate!

I've got the torches all fixed up, and the ratio suggestion is 2/3 diesel to 1/3 gas. I've also purchased a gelling agent and now have a snotty/ jello-y mixture for some of those older more difficult piles.

[Nate]

You just glob the gelling agent into the piles beforehand or it somehow works attached to the torch?

[ryguy]

We never used the torch, always the gel. Toss the gel into an advantageous spot, light the tip of a long gel-covered stick and toss it into pile.

[theoderix]

I have always used tiger torches with propane. Hard to light piles are dealt with presto-logs. The results are not dramatic but effective

[Jimbo the Mook]

Anarchists and forestry workers take note: dissolve styrofoam packing peanuts into gasoline and you will end up with something similar to napalm. Pour contents into plastic grocery bags, tie off the ends, and place strategically into stubborn piles, or onto the doorsteps of disgraced former Prime Ministers for a twist to the "ol' burning poop in a bag" gag.

[Greg M.]

You just glob the gelling agent into the piles beforehand or it somehow works attached to the torch?

We scooped it into ziplock bags.. We used it mostly for the stubborn blocks/areas...old piles/ really wet piles etc. It works pretty well.

[peroxide]

How does pay work for burning? Is it a day-rate kind of thing? Hourly? What kind of money are we talking on a daily basis with an average burning season in October/November?

[Nate]

How does pay work for burning? Is it a day-rate kind of thing? Hourly? What kind of money are we talking on a daily basis with an average burning season in October/November?

I'm disconnected from it but a few years ago I called spectrum and they were paying guys $135/day for burning, providing accommodation but no food I believe.

As far as I could tell they had enough guys hungry for work that it was something just to keep their loyal/longterm guys a little bit busy.

My guess, I could be wrong, but my guess is that there's so little winter work out there and enough guys that would jump at whatever comes up that you're not going to find any big burning contracts or burning that pays decent money. Would love to know if this isn't the case, however, if there's someone who's done it recently on a larger scale.

[ryguy]

I've done burning off and on for over 10 years. For my company, as Nate said, it's just a bit of added work after the fall planting is over. I get paid more than $135 but my employer is taking very little for himself. It's just another way for him keep some of his employees busy for a couple of weeks. Also, the work is VERY easy and our days usually end earlier than at planting.

[theBushman]

The company I worked for took the contracts for the sake of doing the contracts, and the majority of the burners were Ministry Fire Fighters laid off for the season. It was day rate, union level pay.

[peroxide]

Thanks for the info. I might have the opportunity to go burning this coming fall. I might be taking a bit of a pay cut from working on a road crew, but setting slash piles on fire for a few hours a day seems a bit more fun than breathing in a bunch of asphalt dust for 13 hours a day.