Burn Barrels

RSKY · Saturday at 11:39 PM

I use mine to burn paper, cardboard, and limbs. Nothing goes in it that I wouldn't want spread across my yard.

There was a thread on burn barrels a few years ago where a guy from Tasmania explained how to make one that would burn anything by putting vents in the side and angling them so that the air sucked in swirls in the barrel. Mine have three levels of vents angled with a crow bar and sledge hammer. Once you get the fire started it will burn wet limbs, wet paper, basically anything else you can dump in it. Nothing left except fine ashes.

Perfectly legal here. I even gave one to the deputy sheriff next door.

RSKY

rangerfredbob · Sunday at 2:45 AM

bcp said:
Washington doesn't like burning or burn barrels.

View attachment 4770813

Bruce

Good ol North California... I know Oregon isn't far behind... big cities and idiots ruin good states...

RayIN · Sunday at 3:17 AM

drizler said:
Try shops that do a lot of heavy truck maintenance . They actually have to pay to get their drums hauled away. They buy bulk in 55 gal drums from the local or regional oil supplier. Also try those same oil wholesalers themselves. They often have to pay for their empty drums to be removed and they have a lot of them sitting just piling up.

There are 55G drum recycling companies that buy and clean them for resale. I used to buy from such a company, bought them by the truckload to temporarily store hazardous waste at the plant until enough accumulated to become worthwhile to call the hazardous waste disposal company.
One year they gave me a miniature steel drum thay had made to the size of a 2G piggy bank as a thank you for all the business.

Slowpoke Slim · Sunday at 7:39 AM

Can usually find folks giving them away here. Not all the time, as most frequently they are for sale. But if you keep watching the want ads, the free ones do come up. I usually pick up a couple at a time when I can get them. I'm down to one spare "new" one now, plus the one I'm using.

We are allowed to burn trash here at our current house only if it will fit fully contained in a metal burn barrel (or similar). I use a plain old 55 gal oil drum. I only burn small cut tree branches, cardboard and paper. All other trash goes in the wheely bin (we pay for trash service here). We have a lot of cardboard, between Amazon packages for the wife and Chewy.com dog food packages for the 5 labrador dogs. I would need 2 more wheely trash cans if I couldn't burn it separately.

Our last house was on a county island that allowed all burning, used to burn piles of cut brush and branches on a cleared spot directly on the ground, and burnable trash in my burn barrel. Non burnable trash went in the wheely bin or to the dump if it was large enough.

And 45 acp will not penetrate a steel 55 gal drum barrel. 5.56 Nato ball will go through one side, but 7.62 Nato ball will go through both sides. So for "efficiency" I use my M-1A.

bdhsfz6 · Sunday at 9:29 AM

Unless there is a burn ban in effect due to drought, burn barrels are still legal in farm country where I live. Who knows how long that will last though.

I got sick of buying barrels only to have them rust and burn through. I went to our local propane dealer and they gave me a used 420# tank for free that had failed inspection. I cut the top off with a torch (just kidding)

and have been using it for over 10 years now.

If you do this, know full well the consequences if you don't do it properly.

I filled it with water, drilled a hole and used a cordless Sawzall to do the cutting. After I drained it, I cut vent holes in the base with the torch. The tank is made of 3/16" steel and now, a decade later, it's rusty but just as solid as the day I got it.

A funny but true story: A guy from a neighboring farm saw me cutting up the tank this way and said I was wasting my time. He said he takes his out in a field and builds a fire under them. If they blow, go get another one. If they don't, it's safe to use the torch.

skipmarcy · Sunday at 9:37 AM

I get the empty methanol drums from our farmer's co-op free. Usually last about 2 years. I only burn paper or cardboard and maybe a little wood/limbs. I never burn garbage, plastics, treated lumber etc. I use a hole saw and cut 7 or 8 2" holes in the bottom for good burn AND water drainage. I set the barrel up on 3 busted concrete blocks.

CH4Ohio · Sunday at 9:45 AM

Slowpoke Slim said:
And 45 acp will not penetrate a steel 55 gal drum barrel. 5.56 Nato ball will go through one side, but 7.62 Nato ball will go through both sides. So for "efficiency" I use my M-1A.

Really? Must depend on the load. I ventilated my last one with a .380 that I had in the truck console. Used to use a .38 Special primarily. Both went through and left exit holes in the opposite side.

tradosaurus · Sunday at 2:48 PM

I tried the 55 gallon metal barrels to burn but they lasted about a year and I couldn't put big boxes in them without having to put labor in cutting them down.
Now I have the XXL size burn barrel made out of 11 gauge steel from Proud Pyro. It's expensive but can hold large items.
I had bought the 14 ga burn barrel from them but it only lasted 3 years before rusting through. My fault for not cleaning it out and the ash holding water after a rain.
Now I use the concrete patio deck blocks to raise the sides. I don't attach one of the sides and put the trash through that instead having to remove the heavy lid each time.

BEFORE (14 gauge steel)