Backyard DIY Charcoal Production

UplandEgger

I said I’d make a DIY In another thread about folks having trouble finding lump charcoal in stores.

Many online sources show charcoal making in a 55 gallon drum, or similar.  I live in the suburbs, and while I don’t particularly care if my neighbors think I’m a hillbilly, my wife has bourgeoisie aspirations that don’t include a 55 gallon drum smoldering away.  

I use a 6 gallon metal pail.  Costs $15 at home depot.  I drilled to 1/2 inch or 3/4 holes in the lid. 

It’s not complicated.  

Fill the can with wood, as full as you can.  Right now I’m using a Silver Maple.  Don’t let the marketers fool you, any hardwood/deciduous tree wood will suffice.  The drier/more seasoned the better.  If you’re anal retentive and have a table or chop saw, you can saw similar sized briquettes. 

Build a bonfire, set the can on top, and light it.   

Initially the holes should steam, eventually the steam will turn to fire.  This is the moisture, and wood gasses burning off, leaving you the more pure carbon of the wood in charcoal form. 

When that’s burned out, let it cool a few hours and collect your charcoal.

Wolfpack

Haven’t seen this done before and I am curious about the level of carbonization compared to “commercial” bought. Have you ever done a comparison on weight vs volume? 

How is the smoke level/after taste of the homemade?

thanks for sharing-

poster

Cool idea. I don't know how i would feel about using a  galvanized pail though. I've seen welders get sick from the zinc

UplandEgger

Wolfpack said:

Haven’t seen this done before and I am curious about the level of carbonization compared to “commercial” bought. Have you ever done a comparison on weight vs volume? 

How is the smoke level/after taste of the homemade?

thanks for sharing-

Honestly, never done a weight comparison on a scale.  I would say that the level of carbonization is on par with most store bought, provided you don't get too aggressive in the size of the logs that you put in the kiln.  If it's big enough to be a firewood log independently you need a really long burn, really dry wood, or a second run the following day.  if you're using chunk size pieces about the size of the chunk wood you can buy for smokers at the store (not the woodchips, the bigger chunks) that's ideal; you can also fit more in the can.  

Taste is fine; some commercial lump I've used has had a randomly odd taste/smell and I haven't had that with the homemade stuff.  Smoke level is comparable to commercial bagged charcoal, unless you use a really big piece that doesn't fully carbonize then you get more smoke (to be expected I suppose.) I've never gotten really adventurous with the woods I've used.  My yard has tons of oaks, and I cut down a maple this spring.  Around here there are a lot of decorative fruit trees (bradford pear comes to mind) and I have some of that wood that I mostly use for smoker wood, but it also makes nice charcoal.  So, I've been using the maple that has seasoned about six months.  It's fine.  

I lit a fire in the can before I did the first batch to "season" it, and burn any chemicals from the manufacturing of the galvanized can.  That may have been totally unnecessary and for all I know, counterproductive.  

If one has can drop the can in a second, bigger barrel, they can be more efficient in surrounding it with heat and use less wood.  

northGAcock

This is one item I am going to continue to purchase. Interesting read though.

UplandEgger

poster said:

Cool idea. I don't know how i would feel about using a  galvanized pail though. I've seen welders get sick from the zinc

I suppose if you were sitting over the top of it breathing it in (like welders often do) that might be the case.  But one doesn't get welder's fever from sitting eight feet away in the outdoors.  The inside of the pail gets coated in a hurry with char. 

Canugghead

Would be interesting to see how this works in a Solo stove, any volunteer?

frazzdaddy

I have some hickory and a 55 gallon drum. I might sit it in the fire pit Fri night during the Zoom call and see how this works

paqman

😳😳😳

I need to step up my game 😂🤣😂

😳😳😳

UplandEgger

Canugghead said:

Would be interesting to see how this works in a Solo stove, any volunteer?

It would work extremely well.
A better way of doing this is to put the kiln in a properly vented burn barrel, which is less efficient than a solo stove.  

UplandEgger

frazzdaddy said:

I have some hickory and a 55 gallon drum. I might sit it in the fire pit Fri night during the Zoom call and see how this works

Obviously it depends on the size of your fire pit, but in a 55 gallon drum I'd follow this guys method:

http://iron.wlu.edu/reports/CharcoalBarrel.htm
QUOTE: Take a 55 gallon drum with a removable lid. Stand it up with the open end up. At the bottom, cut six 1” holes evenly spaced around the perimeter as intake vents (keep experimenting with # and size of holes, I’m not settled on this yet). Fill the barrel with small wood- I’ve mostly been using oak flooring cutoffs, but I think the main thing is that you have the barrel fairly tightly packed. (note: you will not see the vents in these photos- I had the bottom open on these)  

Start a fire on top of the barrelful of wood. Let it burn down to the bottom vents- this might take 6 or 8 hours. Put the lid on the barrel, and toss some dirt on the vents to seal them. Come back in the morning when it’s cooled, and harvest your charcoal. That’s it.

 

UplandEgger

@canugghead with a solo stove the kiln would really work better reversed.  So instead of the holes being on the top they'd be on the bottom to better utilize the gas afterburning effects of that stove design.

nolaegghead

I would advise anyone worried about zinc fumes to follow the general guidelines on not breathing any smoke from fires.  Any wood fire generates smoke that is bad for you.  So, avoid it.  Don't breathe it. But I wouldn't worry about the zinc unless you're making charcoal in your house.

thetrim

So much better and fresher than store bought!

SciAggie

This is the same way we made the char cloth in scouts we used when making fire from flint and steel. 

RRog17

That’s pretty cool. 

northGAcock

RRog17 said:

That’s pretty cool. 

Rumor has it you no longer live in Summerfield NC. You need to update unless you are maintaining a stealth profile in Georgia.

RRog17

northGAcock said:

RRog17 said:

That’s pretty cool. 

Rumor has it you no longer live in Summerfield NC. You need to update unless you are maintaining a stealth profile in Georgia.

Ha. I do not. I also don’t see that info on here any longer or where I can change it.