Heating your home with manure is an environmentally friendly and cost effective way to stay warm. Manure contains a lot of organic matter that can be burned as fuel. With some planning and preparation, you can successfully heat your house using manure.
Gathering Manure for Fuel
The first step is gathering a sufficient amount of manure to burn over the winter. Here are some tips:
- Contact local farmers and see if they have extra manure you can haul away for free. Cow, horse, chicken, and sheep manures all work well.
- Check with stables, zoos, or other facilities that house livestock. They often have an excess of manure and may let you take some.
- Calculate how much manure you will need based on the size of your home and your climate. Plan to gather 2-3 times more than your estimate to be safe.
- Stockpile the manure in a covered area to keep it as dry as possible. Allow it to compost for at least 6 months before burning.
Building a Manure Burning Stove
You will need some type of manure burning stove or furnace to contain the fire and distribute the heat effectively. Here are a few options:
- Build your own manure burner using brick, cinder blocks, or an old wood stove retrofitted for manure. Make sure it has adequate ventilation.
- Purchase a commercially manufactured unit designed for manure burning. Look for high quality stainless steel construction.
- Use a corn or pellet stove modified to burn manure pellets instead. Do this with caution as manure may burn hotter.
Make sure the unit is properly vented and meets all codes for your region. Work with an experienced mason for construction.
Preparing and Loading the Manure
For best results, the manure must be dry and broken into smaller pieces:
- Screen out any large foreign objects like sticks or rocks.
- Spread the manure out and allow it to dry for several additional weeks if needed.
- Break down large clumps into smaller chunks. Manure pellets also work well.
- For pellet stoves, press the manure through a pellet mill or extruder.
- Store processed manure in garbage cans or bins to keep dry.
When loading the stove, fill the firebox loosely without packing it down. Leave some air gaps for better airflow.
Lighting and Tending the Fire
Lighting a manure fire takes a bit of practice. Start with these steps:
- Use fire starter bricks placed on the bottom as kindling. Hardwood sawdust or chips also work.
- Place loosely packed manure on top and around the starter bricks. Leave air gaps.
- Light the starter bricks and allow the fire to spread upwards slowly.
- Do not let the fire get too hot at first. Keep the air vents partially closed.
- Once lit, add more manure, but let each load fully ignite before adding more.
Like other solid fuels, manure fires needs tending regularly:
- Check the fire every 1-2 hours and add more manure as needed.
- Do not let the fire burn out completely as that will lower efficiency.
- Remove ashes regularly to optimize airflow.
- Adjust air vents to control the burn rate and heat output.
It takes practice, but once mastered, a manure fueled furnace can effectively heat a home. With a bit of work, this renewable fuel source can keep you warm all winter long.