Horse manure briquettes

[horsesforcourses]

My production line has had to close until we start to get better weather! Have 10 bread trays full and several mushroom punnet stacked under cover, but they are refusing to dry out. The moisture in the air is just too damp.
Also, found that the rats had rampage thro them, so had too remake a load again. Still, sorted those little blighters out now!!

 

[Toraylac]

Brilliant thread this. I am definitely going to try and give this a go when we move to our new place and will have to use oil as no gas. Luckily it has 3 wood burning stoves so will give this a go. I knew there had to be a reason to keep the horses!

 

[FinnishLapphund]

If anyone is interested in more methods, I don't think I've seen these two links mentioned on this thread before This man says you can press lots of different things, almost whatever you have available.

If you have these machines...

Also came across an advice about pressing potatoes in water to get the starch out, mix starch with saw dust and the base product, in this case horse manure, to get better briquettes.

 

[JillA]

I haven't had time to do anything about them - one of those summer jobs I reckon, using a spare stable. But does that mean that once they are dry they absorb the damp again, even if they are kept under cover?

 

[freckles22uk]

So how did everyone get on with this?... Im going to make some this year, living in Spain they should dry out really fast in the summer (and yes need heating in winter as its freezing here, even had snow last week)

Ive only got a little brick maker, had it a few years but never used it yet, but I will get one of the big ones if the people that had them say they are good...

 

[Lucyad]

I made my first batch of bricks a few weeks ago, laid them to dry on a pallet in the shed, only to find them all broken up - I suspect that my dog has not only run over them but tried to eat them! So thye got binned.

I think I need to find some bread trays - where do you get them from?

I have collected a large barrow full of poo which has been festering now for weeks, and had added copious amounts of rain - lovely!

 

[JillA]

I have made some and I inherited some fruit and veg trays with my house (don't ask!) to put them in. I have several days' worth drying at the yard but I did wonder whether the rats might find them attractive, so have to take that into account when I m working out where to store them. After all, they (rats that is) live in sewers don't they?

 

[Garnet]

Copied from JillA's thread from last week:

My Dad has made over 200 bricks since Christmas and has constructed a fantastic drying rack system in the garage. (My Mum is not only a poo-brick-maker widow, but she has also lost all her bamboo canes from the vegetable garden to become drying racks!!)

Dad has snuck a few bricks into the house to dry out alongside the woodburner and he has tried burning a few. There was no adverse smell and the bricks burned well, with very little residue. Dad reckons the poo bricks will never make a roaring fire to sit in front of on a freezing day, but they will be great for keeping the fire in overnight as they smoulder rather than creating flames.

Dad has tried various additives, the most successful of which is shredded paper (so he is now tidying his study (Bonus!) to find more scrap paper to feed the shredder!) and has now fine-tuned the amount of water to add to the mix. Their pony is kept on rubber mats with a small amount of easibed, so there is no long fibre in their muckheap.

All in all, Dad thinks the poo-brick-maker is a fantastic gadget and he is thrilled that all the poo will have a useful function at last. My sisters and I clubbed together to give him the gadget for Christmas and it has been a source of activity for Dad and hilarity for all of us ever since!

Dad has the heavy duty one from ebay, like this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/paper-bric...item2a28f1c30e

Obviously the weather has been cold and wet since Christmas, so the ones stored outside have not dried enough at this time of year, but Dad is hoping to build up his production line over the summer when they will dry naturally, so that he has a continuous supply for next winter. He just brought a few in to dry indoors because he couldn't wait to see how they burned!

There is no waste liquid from Dad's bricks, he has a tub trug underneath the press to catch the excess liquid and then adds that to the next batch. Oh and I nearly forgot to tell you the funniest bit - he uses his concrete mixer to make the mixture!!!!!

 

[Stigg]

Has anyone made briquettes out of horse manure?

What is your opinion?

Are there any health concerns for burning in a multi fuel stove

Thanks

I know this reply is like so OLD!... But, I'm in to my second year of making horse poo briquette's. I looed in to it and thought it can cost a lot. or you can do it on the cheap. I bought 16 - 40cm x 20cm x 15cm to make four briquetts. Had 4 steel bottom with holes, welded to the bottom of each one. (the bottoms with holes, were like the size of a potato masher) The bricks are made to the size of an average house brick.
Anyway, I start on the 1st of February and end on the 1st November. I make 8 briquetts a day. Then I put them on a shelf in the barn, a 5ac apart, this is so each brick has time to air well. Each horse poo briquett, takes about 12 weeks fully dry. Lat year and this year... I made 2,400 briquetts and in total, I've spent £406, on shelfing.

 

[cauda equina]

How do they burn?

 

[Blanche]

I saw someone on Facebook saying that they get the cardboard inner tube from carpets. They cut them down to a suitable length and then stuff them. They have been doing this for a few years and it works well.

eta They put the $h!t in a bucket add just enough water to make a thick liquid and then add sawdust, that they get free from a wood mill, then pack it in the tubes.

 

[Stigg]

Pritty good now. I've had to tweak them a couple of times. eg; water : poo ratio. But its going very well and I'm making a little business out of it... Doubt I'd make much money enough for all my time and effet lol... But saying that. Its starting to become a real labour of love and seeing myself relying on my oil, coal and logs, much less. So win win. At fist I used wood as mould presses. That didn't work. Because poo was seeeping in the wood. Wasn't good. I used 6 cheap bread loaf tins. I realised that wouldn't be working for long. So I spoke to my farrier... He did manage to help me out with steel and welding etc.
I've now got 8 moulds. I've been keeping a very close eye the costing of it all. Moulds, buying shelfing and other small bits to start with. Total cost £3,700. I've saved £1,890. We live in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales. In a 5 bed rural farmhouse with 21 radiators.
This is now my second year and my target is to make 1,800 poo briquettes. 8x5 daily x 45wks. Lat year I used 1,300, plus oil. I didn't buy any coal or logs.

 

[[153312]]

what shelving did you use? £406 seems a lot?

 

[Stigg]

I already had 1 from an old gargae. Then racking solutions, to buy some more. You just need somthing thats going to hold the weight.

 

[Stigg]

How do they burn?

Pritty good now. I've had to tweak them a couple of times. eg; water : poo ratio. But its going very well and I'm making a little business out of it... Doubt I'd make much money enough for all my time and effet lol... But saying that. Its starting to become a real labour of love and seeing myself relying on my oil, coal and logs, much less. So win win. At fist I used wood as mould presses. That didn't work. Because poo was seeeping in the wood. Wasn't good. I used 6 cheap bread loaf tins. I realised that wouldn't be working for long. So I spoke to my farrier... He did manage to help me out with steel and welding etc.
I've now got 8 moulds. I've been keeping a very close eye the costing of it all. Moulds, buying shelfing and other small bits to start with. Total cost £3,700. I've saved £1,890. We live in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales. In a 5 bed rural farmhouse with 21 radiators.
This is now my second year and my target is to make 1,800 poo briquettes. 8x5 daily x 45wks. Lat year I used 1,300, plus oil. I didn't buy any coal or logs.