diesil to get fire going, whos done it?

[Pis-ton broke]

I,ve got to burn some heavy timbers, 350 x 350 x 500long. problerbly 4 bits of them, with a few other smaller timbers. they are in a big sand areana, so minimiamal risk of starting a fire else where, and everything is still moist after the rain. I am on acreage. I need the areana . Whos used disesel to aid in burning? I thought i could pour a litre over it and lite it. I think it will need a bit of heat in it to start it. But if it goes wosh-ca, i might not do it.

mick

[falconhell74]

its the fumes that go woosh-ca

[Burnout]

Diesel can be used to light a fire as the one you described above.... Just soak a couple of smaller pieces of the material in diesel about 1/2 an hour before you light up. These couple of smaller pieces should be pushed part way under the set of material to be burned.
I'd shove a couple of balled up sheets of newspaper under the whole lot and light the paper first.

[svo supporter]

Why not use paper, then twigs, then smaller pieces of timber to get the heat into the main bits of timber? Even if you have to create a few holes throughout the main timbers and stuff this stuff into it.

The issue with using diesel or petrol for that matter is, it can catch alight fairly quickly, which then turns rather nasty on the body.

[Ford_The_Win]

Why not just get a couple of packets of those fire lighters, the white slabs. They will burn longer than raw diesel will and very safe to use.

[chamb0]

A good reasonably safe burn mix I've used with driptorches is 3 parts diesel to 1 part petrol. It won't combust explosively like petrol and is perfect for burning piles of timber.

[naddis01]

Chamber is on the money. We use a mix like this all the time on the farm with drip torch's and on bonfires. We have never had an issue with this mix.

[my_gxl]

We always used diesel to help light the fire in our heaters when i was younger. Never had an issue.....until someone used petrol one day.

[nuthin' fancy]

And when the fire is going chuck in some empty deodorant cans. Fiddly bits cans go right off too.

[OLDFORDNUT]

diesel has been used by farmers the world over for generations as its slowish to take off(no big wuuuuummmpppp) like petrol and much safer and slower burning so wood gets some heat in it while diesel burns as it does not evaporate like petrol

[DJR-351]

pfft.....Bear Grylls would just rub a couple of them logs together....

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by DJR-351

pfft.....Bear Grylls would just rub a couple of them logs together....

[RG]

Originally Posted by my_gxl

We always used diesel to help light the fire in our heaters when i was younger. Never had an issue.....until someone used petrol one day.

Diesel on the timber then a glass bottle half full of petrol with a burning rag in the end of it was always a favourite.

Yes, yes I know it is dangerous and irresponsible. Fun but.

[steve.zissou]

I have never used petrol to start fires and I have never poured 20 litres on a bonfire to start it and I never cracked my neighbours window over 400 meters away with the resulting explosion.

diesel = good
petrol = bad

[The Yeti]

you say your on acres, so why not call up the local RFS / CFA what ever and get them to organsie the whole lot from permit to buring, put on a BBQ and a few drinks and perhaps a donation to the brigade and job done and safe

[Pis-ton broke]

Originally Posted by The Yeti

you say your on acres, so why not call up the local RFS / CFA what ever and get them to organsie the whole lot from permit to buring, put on a BBQ and a few drinks and perhaps a donation to the brigade and job done and safe

It doesn,t work like that on a farm mate, you get on and do the job , cause i know i,ve got a stack of other stuff to do, couldn,t waste a day like that, but thanks for your input.

Thanks for all the great massages, some real good ones and the one with the firestarters was funny but thanks anyway. I could get out there with two sticks and rub them together. But this is piering out of sydney hardour, is really solid stuff (see messerments) its old turpintine.

Some funny comments about the mad stuff poeple do around borfires, Ha Ha. I when i was young, we used to throw fibro on the fire, an boom, she she would realy go off.

But as i,m new to disiel on fires ,well i just needed to know the buring characterics (big word) . and now i know.

thanks all, check out this crazy bonfire vid, its funny and sad all in on vid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-wnQfy4iwE

any further crazy bonfires storys would be good.


mick

[Riksta]

Originally Posted by Pis-ton broke

Thanks for all the great massages

Wish I could come on the forum and get a great massage.

[Pis-ton broke]

ha ha

you cracked me up.

[dave351cid]

diesel is fine to use. slow burning with very little fumes to explode unlike petrol.

as someone said before it would work best if you pour some diesel onto the logs and let it soak in for a while. that way it will keep the fire burning a bit longer giving the wood time to get going. make sure there are some air gaps between the timbers.

a bunch of old rags soaked in diesel put under /between the timbers works too. kerosene is good as well.


i have seen some nasty after affects of starting fires with petrol.




.

[ebxr8240]

Bail of hay soak in diesel ..
Throw hay biscuts through and around wood ..
Light with screwed up paper and your done..

Don't tell Mr B Brown what your doing tho !!!!

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by Pis-ton broke

It doesn,t work like that on a farm mate, you get on and do the job , cause i know i,ve got a stack of other stuff to do, couldn,t waste a day like that, but thanks for your input.

well um I think you dont understand my background or my perfesion

but if your gonna flash it up your self do it properly

make sure you have water (Good supply) that can reach all the way arround the pile (and I dont mean by shooting it over the top of the pile).

if your "on a farm" and I have it all wrong you will have the requirement to do this more than once, so look in to buying a drip torch this is a device you fill with a mix of 60% Diesle & 40% Petrol and light, you light the wick and use it as a torch to light the pile

you also need to check the council requirments in terms of permits and alike I would argue that if this is sawn / milled timber its used building materials and you wont be allowd to burn it in a lot of council areras

Now its in the middle of the dresarge arena whats it sarrounded by? is it grass? is it kept short or long and over grown? if its the latter, cut it and get rid of the clippings

O and if you loose the fire, your liable for the damage it causes

go's back to planing it early and a BBQ and a few beers beaing easyer dont it


I gotta go now I have to go and work on my farm (um yea its only 10acres but people call less farms ) then after that I have to go to my parrents place as I need to do a few fence repairs at their farm but its hard casue I'm tired becasue we had a few fires last night

Actualy that work bis BS I'm just cutting fire wood today

[Psi-Pop]

Diesel is a good choice, don't ever use remote control car fuel. I know this somehow.

[Pis-ton broke]

thanks yeti, I do take it very seriously ,( buring stuff ) this is why i,m asking. We have had our share of bush fires, but i,m on 90% cleared land.
I,m going to burn today at 3 - 4pm as the heat will go out of the day, and we have had intermitted rain last week and some of this week (S,W, Sydney). so undergrowth should be mosit still. Well i,m on five arces, you got me there, its not a farm as i don,t produce anything, i guess i could say "my property"is that right? however five acreas still needs mantaince, i helped my niehbour and slashed her paddock, i hit rock with the slasher and now the gearbox on the slasher has no oil in it, so that has to be repaired (by me), but that doesn,t stop the weeds from growing ( posions fire weed harmfull/deadly for the horses) and if you can tell me how to how to fix fire weed i would be greatfull!!. theres a couple of things and i,m not even started on my prodjects, found out in the week that the house has termites in it.
well my niehbour has tried to get out the fire guys for a burn off, he said do this, do that, put in a fire trail, i graded one in (got 3 tonne tractor stuck on a 40degree day, i was very peed off) , they did all the paper work and more, and guess what, they won,t come out an burn off.
well i,ll get throught it.
cheers

mick

[vibe_xr6]

For some reson, cletus has come to my mind a few times in this thread

[vibe_xr6]

Originally Posted by The Yeti

well um I think you dont understand my background or my perfesion

but if your gonna flash it up your self do it properly

make sure you have water (Good supply) that can reach all the way arround the pile (and I dont mean by shooting it over the top of the pile).

if your "on a farm" and I have it all wrong you will have the requirement to do this more than once, so look in to buying a drip torch this is a device you fill with a mix of 60% Diesle & 40% Petrol and light, you light the wick and use it as a torch to light the pile

you also need to check the council requirments in terms of permits and alike I would argue that if this is sawn / milled timber its used building materials and you wont be allowd to burn it in a lot of council areras

Now its in the middle of the dresarge arena whats it sarrounded by? is it grass? is it kept short or long and over grown? if its the latter, cut it and get rid of the clippings

O and if you loose the fire, your liable for the damage it causes

go's back to planing it early and a BBQ and a few beers beaing easyer dont it


I gotta go now I have to go and work on my farm (um yea its only 10acres but people call less farms ) then after that I have to go to my parrents place as I need to do a few fence repairs at their farm but its hard casue I'm tired becasue we had a few fires last night

Actualy that work bis BS I'm just cutting fire wood today

I know i wouldnt be touching a fire with water that i just lit with diesel

[ebxr8240]

A broad leaf spray will fix 99% of weeds.. Horses will have to be moved for a while.. Cattle can eat what the horses don't eat as they can be fussy. Cleaning up some weeds as well and keeping paddock fresh for horses..


Why would you want water near a fire if there's no fuel nearby ??
Water on wood fire which has been started with diesel is safe to spray..
It's water on diesel itself "in container" which is "bad" news..

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by vibe_xr6

I know i wouldnt be touching a fire with water that i just lit with diesel

Can I ask why?

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by Pis-ton broke

thanks yeti, I do take it very seriously ,( buring stuff ) this is why i,m asking. We have had our share of bush fires, but i,m on 90% cleared land.
I,m going to burn today at 3 - 4pm as the heat will go out of the day, and we have had intermitted rain last week and some of this week (S,W, Sydney). so undergrowth should be mosit still. Well i,m on five arces, you got me there, its not a farm as i don,t produce anything, i guess i could say "my property"is that right? however five acreas still needs mantaince, i helped my niehbour and slashed her paddock, i hit rock with the slasher and now the gearbox on the slasher has no oil in it, so that has to be repaired (by me), but that doesn,t stop the weeds from growing ( posions fire weed harmfull/deadly for the horses) and if you can tell me how to how to fix fire weed i would be greatfull!!. theres a couple of things and i,m not even started on my prodjects, found out in the week that the house has termites in it.
well my niehbour has tried to get out the fire guys for a burn off, he said do this, do that, put in a fire trail, i graded one in (got 3 tonne tractor stuck on a 40degree day, i was very peed off) , they did all the paper work and more, and guess what, they won,t come out an burn off.
well i,ll get throught it.
cheers

mick

All good mate, the only animals I have is our family dog a caged cockateal and the possum that dances on my roof most nights and eleventy squilion rabbits that run arround the house yard after dark, and we grow nothing, I only have my acres so the kids have a big yard to play in,

houses with termites are part of the fun, my joints riddeled with them or was,

now back to the "fire guys" you do realise the "fire guys" or RFS as they are knows are volanteers, they get nothing out of it except the satisfaction of helping their comunity, so if you need a HR done let me sugest somthing that worked for our brigade when I was there, come go down on a training night, show an interest, (dont BS telling them you might joine un less you might) talk to the captain expalin what you want to do and what you need the permit for, then offer to put on a BBQ for their members and offer a small donation to the brigade they are always looking for somthing be it little extras the council and state governemt dont give or a training aid they always want money, The last thing my old RFS brigage brought is self was a Lighting tower for the tanker, it ran off the trucks air system to elivate it and had Zenon lights, this thing was sensational at MVA's or house fires and was fully funded by the brigade through donations.

that said theres nothing wrong with flashing it up your self if youve taken the proper precations, such as having a good supply of water and having the area arround the fire cleared of vegitation

[Pis-ton broke]

Originally Posted by ebxr8240

A broad leaf spray will fix 99% of weeds....

this is what i hear to. I will look in to it.

I lit the fire today at about 3pm, i poured about four litres of disiel on it. thorugh a match on it and it sterted to burn nice and easy, just what i was after. have just checked it now and those big bit of timber have a bright glow with small flame. the one inch steel bar that is in the timber is red hot. I think it will burn to ash, finger crossed.

thanks again for every ones input.

mick

[vibe_xr6]

Originally Posted by The Yeti

Can I ask why?

Might have just been this one fire, but i saw water try and put it out and the diesel sat on top of the water and spreaded everywhere