A New DIY Incinerator

A friend of mine gave me a new fire barrel.  He used a torch to cut holes in the bottom for better airflow.  The airflow on this thing is just right!!  Since I have had this barrel I have learned that just about everything burns.  The heat and flames from this thing are astounding!  Everything I have put in this thing has been reduced to ashes.  I use it to dispose of paper waste.

If only we could figure out a way to harness this energy...

How to build:

1. Get a 55 gallon drum.   
2. Cut five equally spaced 3 inch holes in the side wall of the barrel about six inches up from the bottom.   
3. On the bottom cut a buch of 1.5 inch holes.  Sit the Barrel on top of some bricks.   
4. Load it up.  Light it up.  

This thing would be a very awesome heater for outside events!

Clean Your Chimney!

Creosote Sucks!  Below is a pic of all of the crap that came out of my chimney this year!

I can't say it enough.   Wood heating is awesome... But if you have a Wood Stove it is important that you clean your chimney every year!

I cracked open my pipes this year and was truly amazed at the amount of build up in my horizontal flue pipe and in the vertical chimney pipes.  My horizontal flue pipe was 50% full of crap.  And when I pulled the cap off at the bottom of my chimney a 5 inch plug of soot and debris fell out of the chimney.

This stuff is no joke.  Creosote buildup can cause some pretty nasty fires.   Suggestions:

• When in doubt clean it.  You don't want to risk a chimney fire.
• Use chimney cleaner products throughout your burn season.
• Get yourself a good chimney brush and flex extensions so you can clean your system at least once a year.
• If you are building a new system make sure you have clean-outs positioned well in your system so that you can clean easily.
• Burn dry seasoned wood.  Wet \ Green wood will cause more buildup in your pipes.
• Burn your fires hot.

Cheers and Holiday Greetings to All!

Shipping Containers as Homes

I have been doing a lot of reading about shipping containers being used as building blocks for houses.  Wow!  What an awesome idea!  These things are made of steel, Weatherproof - made to withstand storms at sea, and made to stack 9 units or more high.

Ever since I read about this I have been wanting to build one.  The thought of escaping the mortgage game is very appealing to me these days.  I guess I have reached the age where I'd rather spend my time living than working.  I am guessing that a very rugged and sizable structure could be build for cheap by using these containers as the building block.

One thing is certain, housing will become more and more of an issue as the population rises and the economy changes.  People will always need a place to live.  Shipping Containers could be one way to build a home that is yours without spending the rest of your life in debt.

I will post links of interest that I find in my reading about Shipping Container Homes here...

Like and Time of A Renaissance Ronin  - This site has a ton of info.

ContainerBay  - This page has links to a bunch of container projects across the globe.

Want to Live in a ISBU Shipping Container - A great article with useful links and resources.

More to come...

My New and Improved Push Mower

I know.... I know....  It's stupid.  It's dangerous.  But its pretty awesome too!   I've been clearing some land around my place and this thing is great for cutting paths \ trails.   It cuts down small trees, vines, brush like no other.  There is no finer thing than turning something that was otherwise useless into something that is extremely useful and somewhat bad ass!!  I suppose I could have spent 10 grand on a real brush mower... But this thing is doing the trick quite nicely so far.  :)

I do not recommend you try this at home...  I keep telling myself that its only dangerous to the people standing in front of it.