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Cow-Fired Boiler

ScottMP
ScottMP Member Posts: 5,883
in THE MAIN WALL
Your going to need some funnels, duct tape and some plastic hose .... How well do you know these cows ??

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Comments

  • Paul Cooke
    Paul Cooke Member Posts: 181
    Methane Gas

    My neighbor has a lot of cows.

    Is there a safe and relatively easy way to capture the gas from his manure pile?

    And, if there is, could I safely put it in some sort of container and bring it back to my place to heat my home?

  • Matt Clina
    Matt Clina Member Posts: 90
    Or Just Let

    a few cows sleep in your home. They give off quite a bit of heat.
  • Jason_15
    Jason_15 Member Posts: 124
    Holy Cow!!!

    This paints a "purdy" picture!!!
  • Andrew Hagen (ALH)
    Andrew Hagen (ALH) Member Posts: 165
    Maybe

    Ask a bioresources engineer. They love that kind of stuff. I have heard of putting manure from feedlots in a closed container and let it decompose to reduce impact on the environment. What I saw said something about capturing the gas for fuel, but it seems like the contaminants might destroy whatever was burning it pretty quickly. I'm not sure how many have tried it.

    Homesteaders in North Dakota burned cow pies for fuel...

    -Andrew
  • Mike T., Swampeast MO
    Mike T., Swampeast MO Member Posts: 6,928


    The common people in India still burn cow pies for fuel. They scoop them up immediately and throw them against walls to dry. A haze of "dung smoke" hangs over many of their cities.
  • Paul Cooke
    Paul Cooke Member Posts: 181
    Duct tape

    Not sure that duct tape will stick to the cows.

    Is there a better solution?
  • RoosterBoy
    RoosterBoy Member Posts: 459
    I must say ,if the application....

    of duct tape is an issue ...the Red and Green show might provide you with some excellent, informative and inspirational techniques.

    i find them to be rather adroit at the entire deal ,from inception of invention thru application...
  • Paul Cooke
    Paul Cooke Member Posts: 181
    Red Green

    My favorite was when they took an old refrigerator and turned it into a portable ice fishing shack.

    If my memory is correct I think they adhered shag carpeting to the walls for soundproofing, and, I think they used duct tape.

    So, based on that use of duct tape, could a person assume that it might work on a cow?
  • Bob W._3
    Bob W._3 Member Posts: 561


    I think they can make bio-pellets out of the solid stuff which could be burned in a pellet stove or boiler. I'd go with burning the corn myself, not whats left over after its fed.
  • Dirk Wright
    Dirk Wright Member Posts: 142


    From what I have heard, one way to do this is to cover the pile of manure with sealed sheet plastic. A hose is inserted and sealed through the plastic sheet to collect the methane. I assume there's a vacuum pump of some kind. The methane is then burned directly on site to generate electricity. In the Third World, there are a few containers that generate biogas using manure. I think they were installed by the Peace Corps. I saw a TV show on it once.
  • Edward A. (Ed) Carery
    Edward A. (Ed) Carery Member Posts: 138
    No Problem

    Hey,

    What's the problem??

    Other people do things like that.

    See the photo. I think that tube would fit up the cow's,,,,
    oh well, never mind.

    Ed
  • Joannie
    Joannie Member Posts: 96
    Red Green

    Did you see the movie when they ran out of duct tape? I've never seen Red so freaked out before. It was hysterical! I wanna marry him.
  • Guy_6
    Guy_6 Member Posts: 450
    great

    That's a great picture. I can just imagine the person in the back lighting up a smoke....
  • Paul Cooke
    Paul Cooke Member Posts: 181
    Paper or Plastic

    Do you know where I can get one of those bags?

  • Edward A. (Ed) Carery
    Edward A. (Ed) Carery Member Posts: 138
    Source for Gas Bag

    I wonder if Grainger sells the gas bags.

    Look them up in their book under "K",,,,,, for Ka-boom.


    Ed
  • Jason_15
    Jason_15 Member Posts: 124
    Gas bag

    The trick is to fill the bag from your neighbors meter while he is sleeping, then when you need heat simply squeeze the bag into your system. Easy as pie Ha Ha Ha!!
  • mike parnell
    mike parnell Member Posts: 42
    moo doo

    i believe the is a company in vermont called moo doo, that sells moo doo dirt and fertilizer. but they put the doo int a large digester capture the methane for the generators,and the black gold that comes out of the pile is sold at most garden centers.........check it out.........
  • Aidan (UK)
    Aidan (UK) Member Posts: 290
    Digesters

    Do a google for methane digesters. They're an established technology and provide power at many sewage plants. No BS.

    http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/energy_methane.shtml

    http://www.green-trust.org/methane.htm
  • J Matthers_2
    J Matthers_2 Member Posts: 140


    At one of the sewage treatment plants in LA they capture the methane, pipe it to the power plant next store and save about 6 million a year in energy costs. Now thats a gas!
This discussion has been closed.

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