|
Post by desertwoman on Apr 3, 2015 10:22:04 GMT -5
omg, pea- that's intense!
|
|
|
Post by desertwoman on Apr 3, 2015 10:27:25 GMT -5
OM- trying to wrap my brain around this- how does a wet hay stack become "high risk for ignition". My non science brain thinks if it's wet it would be less likely. Or are you saying if the hay is fresh /green (therefore more moisture and hotter)as opposed to dry? I don't even know when hay is cut, in it's growing cycle.
|
|
|
Post by James on Apr 3, 2015 11:20:50 GMT -5
Yes indeed. Any time you have a pile of organic matter, hay, leaves, compost or whatever there is a good chance of internal heating even to the point of ignition. Haypiles and compost piles may self-ignite because of heat produced by bacterial fermentation. Many a barn or haystack has been burned down because the hay was too damp when piled. Always put your compost heap away from your buildings for this reason.
|
|
|
Post by brownrexx on Apr 3, 2015 16:17:02 GMT -5
OM- trying to wrap my brain around this- how does a wet hay stack become "high risk for ignition". My non science brain thinks if it's wet it would be less likely DW, wet as in damp but not soaking wet. Think about your compost pile. Doesn't it need moisture (but not soaking wet) to really heat up and decompose? The microbes need moisture to live and metabolize their food and they produce heat as a byproduct.
|
|
|
Post by desertwoman on Apr 3, 2015 18:23:30 GMT -5
OK got it. When I read "wet haystack" what I visualized was a really wet pile. Not damp.
|
|
|
Post by lilolpeapicker on Apr 3, 2015 18:35:15 GMT -5
For me, I did not think...period...but it was cool of the evening and it just didn't dawn on me that would happen. I guess I didn't think it would be that wet. But I should have.
|
|
|
Post by oliverman on Apr 3, 2015 23:22:31 GMT -5
To avoid spoilage, hay needs to be baled when it is below about 16% moisture, unless wrapped with plastic to seal out oxygen. Above about 22% moisture there is a high likelihood of extreme heat buildup. Between those two points, some spoilage and heat buildup is likely to occur, but not so high as to cause a fire risk. Sometimes we are stuck trying to decide whether to risk of some spoilage occurring in storage by baling too soon, or risk damage from rain that comes if we wait. Sometimes I envy the hay growers in dry climates that irrigate, because they can decide when to make it rain.
|
|
|
Post by claude on Apr 4, 2015 13:49:21 GMT -5
I sold our John Deere tractor to a neighbor when we bought a larger model with a bigger cutting deck. He had cut his lawn and drove the mower into the garage and parked it. Hours later they had pizza for dinner and when finished, tossed the empty box into the garage where the recycling cardboard was piled. The box landed on the hood of the JD...at 2 am the fire alarms went off..the wall of the garage went up in flames from spontaneous combustion, the oil from the pizza box and the other cardboard. Luckily , the all got out with damage confined to the garage. They were very lucky.
|
|
|
Post by claude on Apr 4, 2015 13:54:35 GMT -5
Phew ...you were lucky pea..
|
|
|
Post by berrygal on Apr 6, 2015 5:29:58 GMT -5
Canadiyank and peapicker--how scary about your fire and almost fire!!
I am familiar with stories of fresh hay bales combusting (again, never happened to anybody I knew, so I didn't know if they were just stories or not) but hadn't heard that with compost, although it would make sense...thanks for all your input!!
|
|