Pile of Chips

AC_Hacker · 01-06-15, 05:33 PM

I ran into a crew who were clearing and chipping limbs away from power lines, in my neighborhood.

I asked if it would be possible for them to drop a load of chips off at my house. I could use them for compost.

As you can see from the above photo, they certainly can do that.

The chip pile has been there about three days, it rained on them yesterday, and today I am seeing clouds of steam rising off of the mound.

All of which made me realize that I missed an opportunity.

I could have put a bit of foam insulation under and throw a coil of PEX in the middle of the chips while they were dumping them. That, and a bit of insulation and a cover over the pile, could have made an energy contribution and also accelerated the decomposition to compost.

-AC

ecomodded · 01-06-15, 09:25 PM

I see it as been good for weed control also.

Sounds like you found a source of free material , if you have the backyard space you could probably arrange for many loads to be dropped off , over the coils this time.

If someone had the acreage or space it would be a very cheap way of heating the house or outbuildings.
When the pile is spent you could sell the soil to a landscaping company $.

jeff5may · 01-07-15, 04:26 PM

What you have there is a pile of forever mulch. Lay it about 6 inches deep around your landscape over top of cardboard or thick newspaper. It will literally last forever and end your edging and weeding duties.

If the color doesn't suit you, go buy some rit dye. Mix it with water in a bug sprayer and spray paint the surface. Sit back and watch the neighborhood gawk and leer at your magic.

01-06-15, 05:33 PM	#1
AC_Hacker Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 4,004 Thanks: 303 Thanked 723 Times in 534 Posts	Pile of Chips I ran into a crew who were clearing and chipping limbs away from power lines, in my neighborhood. I asked if it would be possible for them to drop a load of chips off at my house. I could use them for compost. As you can see from the above photo, they certainly can do that. The chip pile has been there about three days, it rained on them yesterday, and today I am seeing clouds of steam rising off of the mound. All of which made me realize that I missed an opportunity. I could have put a bit of foam insulation under and throw a coil of PEX in the middle of the chips while they were dumping them. That, and a bit of insulation and a cover over the pile, could have made an energy contribution and also accelerated the decomposition to compost. -AC Attached Thumbnails __________________ I'm not an HVAC technician. In fact, I'm barely even a hacker... Last edited by AC_Hacker; 01-06-15 at 05:38 PM..

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01-06-15, 09:25 PM	#2
ecomodded Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Vancouver Island,Canada. Posts: 1,037 Thanks: 116 Thanked 100 Times in 87 Posts	I see it as been good for weed control also. Sounds like you found a source of free material , if you have the backyard space you could probably arrange for many loads to be dropped off , over the coils this time. If someone had the acreage or space it would be a very cheap way of heating the house or outbuildings. When the pile is spent you could sell the soil to a landscaping company $.

01-07-15, 04:26 PM	#3
jeff5may Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA Posts: 2,428 Thanks: 431 Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts	What you have there is a pile of forever mulch. Lay it about 6 inches deep around your landscape over top of cardboard or thick newspaper. It will literally last forever and end your edging and weeding duties. If the color doesn't suit you, go buy some rit dye. Mix it with water in a bug sprayer and spray paint the surface. Sit back and watch the neighborhood gawk and leer at your magic.