What Preps are you doing this week? Part 5.

[General DeGaulle]

My results weren't bad... they didn't exactly blaze, but they did burn, and for quite some time too. Sort of on a par with unseasoned wood.

[peejay]

I don't think they'll be missing them any time soon to be fair. Dad makes sure he has at least a couple of years worth of turf in the shed the majority of the time...

[ukpreppergrrl]

Have you actually tried burning the bricks, and were they any good?

Reason I ask is my mum got one as well some years back and the verdict was the results were pretty much useless & it never got used again. I can't imagine the method could vary much for such a simple kind of device.

I asked the forum 'brain trust' about these a few years back, the collective wisdom was that they were crap so I didn't take it any further. Sounds like your mum had the same results, pity, in theory it sounds like a great idea.

I looked into these as part of the proposal for getting a wood burning stove. The collective wisdom seems to be that the ones that create a solid brick don't burn well at all. But if you create one in the shape of a donut (the sort with a hole in the middle, not the ones filled with yummy custard) then these burn well. These can be made using a piece of soil stack with a smaller diameter pipe in the middle. Google is your friend. Alternatively one that looks a bit like an air brick also works well. The key is the hole(s). Unfortunately my wood burner had to be shelved as all available cash is going on vet bills, so I never got round to testing the theory.

[Deeps]

I looked into these as part of the proposal for getting a wood burning stove. The collective wisdom seems to be that the ones that create a solid brick don't burn well at all. But if you create one in the shape of a donut (the sort with a hole in the middle, not the ones filled with yummy custard) then these burn well. These can be made using a piece of soil stack with a smaller diameter pipe in the middle. Google is your friend. Alternatively one that looks a bit like an air brick also works well. The key is the hole(s). Unfortunately my wood burner had to be shelved as all available cash is going on vet bills, so I never got round to testing the theory.

That's good to know, I don't use that much wood but we do get through a fair bit of paper.

[General DeGaulle]

Very good points here. Time to get out the welder and alter my brick maker! Shouldn't be too difficult to alter it so it produces a couple of holes in each brick. Maybe lying a couple of short tubes laterally inside the brick maker when making the brick, which can be removed when the brick emerges from the mould would help.

[Brambles]

Found some Carbolic Soap and put a couple of bars in the stash.

[ukpreppergrrl]

Very good points here. Time to get out the welder and alter my brick maker! Shouldn't be too difficult to alter it so it produces a couple of holes in each brick. Maybe lying a couple of short tubes laterally inside the brick maker when making the brick, which can be removed when the brick emerges from the mould would help.

That sounds like an excellent plan! Would love to know if it works. Thinking about it I know you can buy pre-made compacted sawdust "briquettes" that are a log shape with a long hole down the middle of the length of the log. Those briquettes would seem to confirm that a hole of some sort is required for these things to burn well! I guess yours would be two donuts side by side! Incidentally...the research I did all talk about spending the summer making paper briquettes and letting them dry in the sun, for use over the winter. It's really hard to make them over the colder/wetter months as they don't dry properly. So now's the time to make them!

[jansman]

I have looked a time or two at those briquette makers.It seems ( to me) a lot of work for mixed results.Now if I could get me one of these:

http://www.briquette-it.com

[peejay]

Minor prep but a useful exercise anyway. We had the fire alarm go off at early work this afternoon. My first thoughts were: Phones (mine & work), car keys, pack-a-mac type coat I keep in my bag. We all trudged outside into the drizzle & I met up with colleagues who didn't have phones, wallets, keys etc. (Taking bags is frowned upon, I guess to avoid blocking stairs/doors etc.)

After waiting around for around 45 mins (something like 2000 people that is, from a 7-story building) we heard them say over the megaphone that they were "having problems stopping the alarm so couldn't go back until sorted, so, disappear for an hour or so when hopefuly it'll be sorted".

I debated going home for a bit (20 mins away) but a few of us ended up going for a walk in the City Centre but when we came back the alarm was still going so they'd invoked DR (Disaster Recovery) plans & we could enter to retrieve our bags etc. but had to get back out again ASAP.

It made me glad that I was no longer parking in the building underground car park as I used to because, if there were a real fire then things could have got slightly awkward...

After all that I got home & within half hour an Air Ambulance is landing in the park behind our house so of course I had to go for a nose (they weren' t needed in the end thankfully for the patient) but both of these have stuffed any thoughts of productive work for the rest of the day...

[Prepping_Al]

I ran a fire drill at one of our buildings recently and and I was disappointed at the turn out of the fire marshal's even though they were give a heads up that we would be doing it that month. These people are supposed to be prepared I did pick a sunny day which most appreciated but like your experience I would doubt if it was a real fire many were going home easily.

My phone and car keys sit handily on my desk if I need to go both get grabbed with out a second thought, spare coat is kept in my car close to the evacuation point