Thanks man.I have been throwing in sticks and woodchips in layers to get the airflow through out the barrel.I did try just solid woodchips and found that it wouldnt burn out properly.
Caffeinated chickens! We love using our chickens to compost almost every waste product from our kitchen, garden, and yard. We have started throwing charcoal into their coop with the straw they live on. It’s done an awesome job at keeping any smells down and we have pulled quite a bit out to use as a fertilized mulch around our garden.
Can't one put air channels in the middle of the barrel to help distribute the heat throughout the retort chamber? Something like steel pipes. Or smaller burn chambers within the larger burn chamber? Basically, use some mechanism to create air spaces through the middle to give the heat and gasses unimpeded freedom of movement. That's what I'm planning on doing with my dumpster size retort.
Yeah that definitely would help. I have seen some interesting designs along those lines. If I get enough to build another retort I would consider building one specifically for wood chips. I have nearly an unlimited availability with both types of feedstock so having a retort for each would make ultimate sense. Thanks for the suggestion. 🙂
@therealprtrhsenteal I'm supremely pleased I can help someone I respect as much as I do you. Blessings on building your new retorts. I saw somewhere where someone had found the maximum burn chamber size to use with chips. I'll see if I can find it again and message you if I do. I'm thinking it was from Living Webs Farm.
I just char everything in my open fire pit & collect the char for new beds & save the ash for my other beds as well as scattering around the acidic yard in mid-spring after most of the rain has stopped.
The pit and trench is definitely a good way to go. I had done some pit char a few years ago with some larger material and I think I am gonna fire up a pit this year again. Thanks for sharing! 👌
Keep up the good work, I myself make a lot of I use the pit method I can make about hundred gallons per burn. I'm on 50 Acers have lots of brush but I also use a lot of construction wast.
I repurchase a old 3 point fertilizer spreader to build a kon tiki kiln. I purchace end cuts from pallet plant which is green hard wood but $50 for 4 cords works for me making 1.25 yards of charcoal for a burn session which takes 8hrs to complete burn
Interesting. It sounds like you need a wood chip tumbling device to continuously stir the chips while they are carbonizing. It would need a through shaft with bronze bushings, a stand off distance and a motor to churn the chip pile. Because the chips are small they should actually go faster per batch.
I’ve got a dryer drum that I use as a fire pit. It’s perforated and cast nice shadows across the fire pit area. I wonder If I could use that to char my end cuts if I put a fire around that.... or would it burn too much. Seems like it might be more efficient. Oh wait you burn above you cuts? I think there’s a way to use this dryer drum vs a perforated oil drum
Properly made biochar will be devoid of nearly 100% of residuals. There will however be some residuals and one cannot be 100% certain that all of chemicals residue has been eliminated. Best practice is to use feedstock that has not been chemically treated. Another reason to avoid to burning treated wood is the smoke released into the atmosphere is not the best for the atmosphere. If it were me I would avoid making char with treated wood but I know people who do. Good luck. Thanks for the question.
You can take a 55 gallon drum, cut a 16 inch wide opening in the side. You have to keep feeding the wood in the barrel. But once it is full you get a little over 30 gallon of charcoal. Farming Life Australia Channel shows how to make.
A way to create gas exchange, within the internal chamber without making airflow.... you made me think, i like. From your holes in the internal run perforated steel pipe up through the wood chip?
Yeah that would be an interesting design. I spoke to a guy a few months ago that had created something similar that works for shavings and saw chips. I would love to see that design in action. Thanks! 👌
Yeah it definitely could! I just haven't devoted time to develop that as a secondary function. I definitely would consider finding a way to harness the excess energy if I lived where we saw freezing temperatures more frequently. Thanks!
Good experiment. I have the same problem with my material so I stay with the half barrels. I was thinking of trying the chips in my horizontal retort with some bigger chunks through out so it is not so packed in. What do you think?
I was thinking the chips might work with like sticks or larger stuff mixed in and I'm more of an open pit or open barrel type burn. I make mine just in an open 50 gallon. It's a bit of a all day of the affair adding smaller pieces of wood often as the pile grays
@@B30pt87 exactly. I do have a lid that I put on if it's real windy. You just keep adding little by little and as it grays you just keep putting more on.
Yeah that may help but only one way to know for sure. I like the idea of having some kind of vent tubes in the center to assist with airflow. Mike from food plant nursery was telling me about something that he has devised that seems to work well. I would like to get something going for the wood chips so I can eliminate crushing. I guess I will get to get around to it with all the spare time I have! 😉
This is my method also in half barrels, it is time consuming but my area is closer to the shop so it's a good excuse to get outside for me. Do you quench, and with what, do you leave the charcoal soaking in the barrel?@@farmerjhemp
I get all of my wood chips and feedstock for my char from local entities and business contacts just by merely asking the question. Good luck in your search. 🙂
I used a rocket stove on wood chips and could not get a complete burn in 5 hours. Gonna try using a giant fresnel lens and rotate the wood chips in a metal barrel.
Did not see where you used wood chips such as those created from a wood chipper. I only saw you using end cuts for the process or did I miss it in the video
All of the wood chips I used have been run through a chipper. Wood chips can vary quite a bit depending on what is being chipped. Is there more wood or more foliage, branches, vines etc. The other factor that can greatly affect the quality of wood chips that one gets is how frequent the chipper is being maintained. Sharpness of the knives and their relation to the anvil is important in getting really good chips.
To maximize profit, will you recommend using dried leaves with drift wood as bio fuel and facial matter sludge as bio char feed stock? This is after removing pathogens from sludge with leaves ash?
@@therealprtrhsenteal common ! Is that a joke? There is google....that's dung," all kinds" for the most part. The one most people flush down sewage pits for free plus the one animals produce ..
@JapalekeFlybirds You sure could have said that a whole lot more effectively. Insults rarely do more than cause others to think less of you, confirm your biases, and reduce your credibility. Try offering a helpful perspective next time. You initially said facial, not fecal. Those are two different things entirely. The response from Porter and Teal was a perfectly good one.
возможно стружка будет лучше прогорать если смешивать ее с крупными кусками дерева, или вставлять несколько металлических перфорированных труб в центр бочки со стружкой
I think the only problem with putting something in the smaller chamber is that there will be less room for making char. It would be awesome to make something larger than what I currently but I need to find something that doesn't cost anything. I'm looking! 😉
@@therealprtrhsenteal You know those hand crank compost making drums? If you took your metal drum and an axle with a crank, placed it over a fire, you could give it a crank every once in a while to mix things up. No fun babysitting but it can help convert packed items better.
Thanks man.I have been throwing in sticks and woodchips in layers to get the airflow through out the barrel.I did try just solid woodchips and found that it wouldnt burn out properly.
Yeah it can be done just not very efficiently in a system like mine. I'm hoping someone puts out a video showcasing their design. Get on it! 👊
On it@@therealprtrhsenteal
Caffeinated chickens! We love using our chickens to compost almost every waste product from our kitchen, garden, and yard. We have started throwing charcoal into their coop with the straw they live on. It’s done an awesome job at keeping any smells down and we have pulled quite a bit out to use as a fertilized mulch around our garden.
This is excellent! Thanks for sharing. 👌
Can't one put air channels in the middle of the barrel to help distribute the heat throughout the retort chamber? Something like steel pipes. Or smaller burn chambers within the larger burn chamber? Basically, use some mechanism to create air spaces through the middle to give the heat and gasses unimpeded freedom of movement. That's what I'm planning on doing with my dumpster size retort.
Yeah that definitely would help. I have seen some interesting designs along those lines. If I get enough to build another retort I would consider building one specifically for wood chips. I have nearly an unlimited availability with both types of feedstock so having a retort for each would make ultimate sense. Thanks for the suggestion. 🙂
@therealprtrhsenteal I'm supremely pleased I can help someone I respect as much as I do you. Blessings on building your new retorts. I saw somewhere where someone had found the maximum burn chamber size to use with chips. I'll see if I can find it again and message you if I do. I'm thinking it was from Living Webs Farm.
Look at sawdust stoves for inspiration.
I just char everything in my open fire pit & collect the char for new beds & save the ash for my other beds as well as scattering around the acidic yard in mid-spring after most of the rain has stopped.
The pit and trench is definitely a good way to go. I had done some pit char a few years ago with some larger material and I think I am gonna fire up a pit this year again. Thanks for sharing! 👌
I myself feel like I get the most char for my effort with a pit burn... I haven't had good luck with my retort yet but I need to try again.
Keep up the good work, I myself make a lot of I use the pit method I can make about hundred gallons per burn. I'm on 50 Acers have lots of brush but I also use a lot of construction wast.
Right on. In-ground is the way to go for property cleanup. I use the trench method frequently here as well. Thanks for the nice words.
I repurchase a old 3 point fertilizer spreader to build a kon tiki kiln. I purchace end cuts from pallet plant which is green hard wood but $50 for 4 cords works for me making 1.25 yards of charcoal for a burn session which takes 8hrs to complete burn
That sounds awesome. I would love to see that thing in action. 👍
Interesting. It sounds like you need a wood chip tumbling device to continuously stir the chips while they are carbonizing. It would need a through shaft with bronze bushings, a stand off distance and a motor to churn the chip pile. Because the chips are small they should actually go faster per batch.
That sounds like quite a system! I have yet to devise something so complex.
I’ve got a dryer drum that I use as a fire pit. It’s perforated and cast nice shadows across the fire pit area. I wonder If I could use that to char my end cuts if I put a fire around that.... or would it burn too much. Seems like it might be more efficient.
Oh wait you burn above you cuts? I think there’s a way to use this dryer drum vs a perforated oil drum
I would like to see your setup. It sounds interesting! Make a video man! 👊
Even if you have a few peice that aren't charcoal will turn into organic material.
True enough!
I think you could burn woodchips in a stove modeled off of a sawdust stove, and use that that to fuel the pyrolysis of the bigger fuelstock.
Quite possibly this could work.
can I make biochar with chemically treated wood - and would it be safe to put is in my garden or to give to animals?
Properly made biochar will be devoid of nearly 100% of residuals. There will however be some residuals and one cannot be 100% certain that all of chemicals residue has been eliminated. Best practice is to use feedstock that has not been chemically treated. Another reason to avoid to burning treated wood is the smoke released into the atmosphere is not the best for the atmosphere. If it were me I would avoid making char with treated wood but I know people who do. Good luck. Thanks for the question.
I love your videos. I was wondering if you have made charcoal/biochar out of any invasives like Autumn Olive/Russian Olive?
I do not have any autumn olive on my property and it does not grow prolifically in my area. Thanks for watching and glad you like the channel. 🙂👋
You can take a 55 gallon drum, cut a 16 inch wide opening in the side. You have to keep feeding the wood in the barrel. But once it is full you get a little over 30 gallon of charcoal. Farming Life Australia Channel shows how to make.
Sometimes I feed my retort during the burn and I just lift the lid and put more material in. Thanks for the suggestion I'll check it out. 👌
A way to create gas exchange, within the internal chamber without making airflow.... you made me think, i like.
From your holes in the internal run perforated steel pipe up through the wood chip?
Yeah that would be an interesting design. I spoke to a guy a few months ago that had created something similar that works for shavings and saw chips. I would love to see that design in action. Thanks! 👌
Does your inner barrel have any holes in it? How do the gasses get out of the retort into the bigger barrel?
Beside making BioChar..
Looks like it could heat water
Yeah it definitely could! I just haven't devoted time to develop that as a secondary function. I definitely would consider finding a way to harness the excess energy if I lived where we saw freezing temperatures more frequently. Thanks!
Maybe mix you woodchip with your regular wood
Good experiment. I have the same problem with my material so I stay with the half barrels. I was thinking of trying the chips in my horizontal retort with some bigger chunks through out so it is not so packed in. What do you think?
I was thinking the chips might work with like sticks or larger stuff mixed in and I'm more of an open pit or open barrel type burn. I make mine just in an open 50 gallon. It's a bit of a all day of the affair adding smaller pieces of wood often as the pile grays
@@farmerjhemp Open 50 gallon? Like, barrel with no top, and holes cut in the bottom, or no top and no holes?
@@B30pt87 exactly. I do have a lid that I put on if it's real windy. You just keep adding little by little and as it grays you just keep putting more on.
Yeah that may help but only one way to know for sure. I like the idea of having some kind of vent tubes in the center to assist with airflow. Mike from food plant nursery was telling me about something that he has devised that seems to work well. I would like to get something going for the wood chips so I can eliminate crushing. I guess I will get to get around to it with all the spare time I have! 😉
This is my method also in half barrels, it is time consuming but my area is closer to the shop so it's a good excuse to get outside for me. Do you quench, and with what, do you leave the charcoal soaking in the barrel?@@farmerjhemp
Where do you get all that fantastic wood pieces for free?
I get all of my wood chips and feedstock for my char from local entities and business contacts just by merely asking the question. Good luck in your search. 🙂
I used a rocket stove on wood chips and could not get a complete burn in 5 hours. Gonna try using a giant fresnel lens and rotate the wood chips in a metal barrel.
I would like to know how the lens works for you. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Did not see where you used wood chips such as those created from a wood chipper. I only saw you using end cuts for the process or did I miss it in the video
All of the wood chips I used have been run through a chipper. Wood chips can vary quite a bit depending on what is being chipped. Is there more wood or more foliage, branches, vines etc. The other factor that can greatly affect the quality of wood chips that one gets is how frequent the chipper is being maintained. Sharpness of the knives and their relation to the anvil is important in getting really good chips.
To maximize profit, will you recommend using dried leaves with drift wood as bio fuel and facial matter sludge as bio char feed stock? This is after removing pathogens from sludge with leaves ash?
Define facial matter sludge?
@@therealprtrhsenteal common ! Is that a joke? There is google....that's dung," all kinds" for the most part. The one most people flush down sewage pits for free plus the one animals produce ..
@JapalekeFlybirds You sure could have said that a whole lot more effectively. Insults rarely do more than cause others to think less of you, confirm your biases, and reduce your credibility. Try offering a helpful perspective next time. You initially said facial, not fecal. Those are two different things entirely. The response from Porter and Teal was a perfectly good one.
@@jasonschannel9017 my bad...
возможно стружка будет лучше прогорать если смешивать ее с крупными кусками дерева, или вставлять несколько металлических перфорированных труб в центр бочки со стружкой
Thanks for the suggestion. 👊
Probably wouldn't bother with second run the woodchips will tum into compost as char or not.
My retort works best with the larger feedstock so woodchips in this design hasn't shown itself to be worth the second run.
Merry Christmas from Freedom Mountain Homestead,Elk Creek Missouri
Thanks so much and we hope you have a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2024. 👋
If you had a tumbler in that retort, it will pyrolyze much faster.
Took me 3 days to try to convert wood chips and still they all weren't done.
I think the only problem with putting something in the smaller chamber is that there will be less room for making char. It would be awesome to make something larger than what I currently but I need to find something that doesn't cost anything. I'm looking! 😉
@@therealprtrhsenteal You can always try the trench method.
@crazysquirrel9425 I actually am gonna do a trench this year. 😉
@@therealprtrhsenteal Where I live, no open burning permitted....
DRAT
@@therealprtrhsenteal You know those hand crank compost making drums?
If you took your metal drum and an axle with a crank, placed it over a fire, you could give it a crank every once in a while to mix things up.
No fun babysitting but it can help convert packed items better.
Hello sir
It's shahid here
How's your health sir
I hope you doing well ❤
And nice to see you again
Hey Shahid! 👋 My health is great . I hope you are well. Thanks 👍