Burn the poop!

[MtBlankus]

I've seen a couple of posts on here about burning manure and we'd like to try it. We have 9 horses... and a LOT of poop.
I went down a rabbit hole looking at how we can get rid of the poop and stumbled upon people making pressed bricks from their horse manure and here we are.
I would like to put a stove in this corner (pardon the mess - we have kids!). It measures 39" from corner to window on the right and 56" on the left.
What kind of stove would you recommend? And would it be safe/code to build something like the attached image (but in the corner) and put the TV above the stove? We have a small living room, so trying to maximize the space as well.

 

[begreen]

I'd recommend something, but am afraid you will get crappy results. If the experiment fails or the neighbors start complaining, do you have a good supply of seasoned wood for backup?

In reading up on burning horse manure it's hard to find a report that quantifies actual heat output, burn times, emissions, etc. None of the articles I have read so far even say what stove they burned in. If in an EPA stove, will secondary combustion be possible? If yes, then this may be a usable fuel, but its density is going to be much lower than hardwood, so I expect refueling would be frequent.

Final Report for FNC13-922 - SARE Grant Management System

projects.sare.org

 

[jeanw]

I saw an article on "Farm Show Magazine" years ago. sp a search there I cant remember much about it. Im surprised people dont ask you for it for their gardens . Just a saying yall Thanks

 

[EbS-P]

I’m Sure you can. The settlers on the prairie burned buffalo chips. The time it takes to process and or collect and dry I’m not sure it would be worth it vs wood.

Edit…. The picture shown is possibly a European install. Something like that would take a lot of work to meet US code. It might not even meet EU code. I don’t see a good way to do a corner install with a TV. If that’s the only spot for both I might reconsider.

 

[MtBlankus]

I'd recommend something, but am afraid you will get crappy results. If the experiment fails or the neighbors start complaining, do you have a good supply of seasoned wood for backup?

Our nearest neighbor is over a mile away, so we are not worried about that. There is no smell after the manure is dry, but I'm not sure about when burning it. 🤷‍♀️ I guess we should try that outside first to be sure LOL.
The articles I read said it produces 30% more BTU pound for pound than wood, so I think the stove would need to be rated for that.

 

[kennyp2339]

I thought people only burnt cow pies

 

[begreen]

Our nearest neighbor is over a mile away, so we are not worried about that. There is no smell after the manure is dry, but I'm not sure about when burning it. 🤷‍♀️ I guess we should try that outside first to be sure LOL.
The articles I read said it produces 30% more BTU pound for pound than wood, so I think the stove would need to be rated for that.

I would have to see some real test data on that. It's mostly digested hay or grasses with some grain, right?

 

[begreen]

I thought people only burnt cow pies

They do in some countries, it is a regular fuel in SE Asia where wood is scarce.

 

[Kevin Weis]

If there would get a way to compress it like the bio-bricks I could see it. Horse manure doesn't have the nutrients that cow manure does for ag use. Though some mushroom farms and gardners will still take it.

 

[Newbie78]

The poop from 9 horses will be burnt up very fast. In my world that is barely any poop at all. However, the darn things will make several poops every day, so it is a reliable source.

my stove manuals specifically say to not burn poop (manure), idkw, so you should look carefully into that very interesting and great idea.

 

[electrathon]

It will burn, it will make heat and it will rot out the stove. It is corrosive, like burning wood from the ocean soaked in salt.

 

[ABMax24]

6,500 btu/lb

Home Heating with Horse Manure - SARE Grant Management System

projects.sare.org

You won't catch me collecting manure to burn.

 

[begreen]

It will burn, it will make heat and it will rot out the stove. It is corrosive, like burning wood from the ocean soaked in salt.

What makes it corrosive? High salts?

I found some info on the heat content. It is hard to get nice and dry because it gets flakey according to reports. At 25% moisture content the energy content of cow poop is calculated to be 5,420 BTU/lb.

What is the energy value (BTU/lb) of livestock manure? Our manure source is dairy solids that are separated from the slurry at about 60% moisture. We want to reduce that moisture further and burn the fibers. – Livestock and Poultry Environmental Lear

lpelc.org

 

[begreen]

6,500 btu/lb

Home Heating with Horse Manure - SARE Grant Management System

projects.sare.org

You won't catch me collecting manure to burn.

Up in your area it would be moose poop right? I don't think I'd want to collect from them either.

 

[Newbie78]

Ungulate poops are very dry. They must have a very efficient digestive system.

maybe a pellet stove would work well 🤔😂

manure would be just as easy to collect as wood here... once its dry, it doesn't smell bad. It is just grass, afterall.

 

[BillinTex]

As Spock would say, "Fascinating."
Hope we can get the science on this.
I must confess to gathering elk poop on top of the snow near Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, but not to burn. I dug it into my raised beds and got the biggest Brandywines I have ever grown.

 

[rwhite]

I can't see why it could cause any harm. It's just grass and grain fiber.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

I've seen a couple of posts on here about burning manure and we'd like to try it. We have 9 horses... and a LOT of poop.
I went down a rabbit hole looking at how we can get rid of the poop and stumbled upon people making pressed bricks from their horse manure and here we are.
I would like to put a stove in this corner (pardon the mess - we have kids!). It measures 39" from corner to window on the right and 56" on the left.
What kind of stove would you recommend? And would it be safe/code to build something like the attached image (but in the corner) and put the TV above the stove? We have a small living room, so trying to maximize the space as well.

View attachment 304154 View attachment 304155

Burning horseshit is the perfect option, when it's your only option.

Every other time, it's among the worst.

I'm a cheapskate, and love to use what I have on hand, and readily available. Harvesting animalshit for heat, I'm happy to leave that to dismally poor southeast Asians, and the dustbin of American plains history.

 

[electrathon]

What makes it corrosive? High salts?

I am not sure if it is salts from the urine that is usually associated with fecal or something directly in the poo. Almost all fecal is corrosive, I know some animals it is worse than others, but it is my understanding that all of it is corrosive to one point out another.

 

[ABMax24]

Up in your area it would be moose poop right? I don't think I'd want to collect from them either.

They can be ornery creatures for sure, I've had a run in with an angry moose, I think I'd rather come across a hungry black bear.

People do raise cattle and horses here too though, we even have a heard of wild horses an hour southwest of town.

 

[Highbeam]

I love the thought of your closest neighbor being one mile away.

 

[Osage]

I remember reading a few years back about a company in the northeast that made a piece of equipment that compressed horse manure into blocks for burning. Not sure if they are still doing it. As far as odor when burning it, I know that dried cow manure smells like fire crackers being shot. We used to burn dried cow pies when camping as kids.

 

[EbS-P]

I’m going to recommend a Drolet for this experiment. Cheap (enough) vermiculite baffle. Cheap(enough burn tubes. Mix 50/50 with wood what’s the worst that could happen.

Probably not salt (NaCl ) but he potassium and phosphorus. That’s what makes good fertilizer (and the nitrogen).

 

[begreen]

I’m going to recommend a Drolet for this experiment. Cheap (enough) vermiculite baffle. Cheap(enough burn tubes. Mix 50/50 with wood what’s the worst that could happen.

Probably not salt (NaCl ) but he potassium and phosphorus. That’s what makes good fertilizer (and the nitrogen).

Not sure if much nitrogen survives after combustion. FWIW, wood ash is also high in potassium, calcium and a little phosphorus.

 

[EbS-P]

Not sure if much nitrogen survives after combustion. FWIW, wood ash is also high in potassium, calcium and a little phosphorus.

Good point. We could just spread fire wood as fertilizer but as is just a more concentrated form.