| Archive for countrytalkandtips.myfreeforum.org ........................ smallholding, crafts and country life ................................................... IN IRELAND ....................................................... |
| blowin |
overheating haystackDue to worsening weather the hay had to be baled and stacked before it was fully dry . Some of it was quite warm even before it was lifted . The stack was sheeted to keep the rain off but now there is very little air circulation over its top , which I am told can present problems in itself .Is there a specific temperature at which the hay will become useless and/or spontaneously combust ? Anything in particular to look out for ? Other than steam or flames , that is ! Many thanks |
| wayland |
Did`nt you do this last year?  I would find a steel bar and push it deep into the stack. Afler leaving it an hour or so withdraw the bar and see how hot it is. If you cannot touch the hot end you have a problem. You will need to let heat out of the stack by digging. This can be a dangerous thing to do as letting air into a stack that is about to ignite will cause it to set afire. So do it sooner than later. Is your stack out in the field?. Be careful mate.
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| blowin |
I think I should put all of my posts under the " Mistakes That Others Might Learn From" section ! 
Last year's stack did in fact go up in flames but that was nothing to do with spontaneous combustion . Someone put a match to it ! Don't ask !
I am pleased to say that I have already swapped this year's for some lamb in the freezer but I still feel some responsiblity for it . Not to mention that I am getting fed up with being told that I really should/not have done this or that when it doesn't have anything to do with me ! I make more than enough mistakes of my own ! . Many thanks for the practical advice . Someone over on RC kindly added some very interesting scientific detail . That site is down at the moment but I will copy the post to here when they are back up . Meanwhile I am going to try to find a recipe for some wacky wild-food which benefits from being cooked in the middle of a haystack . I think all this endless strimming has finally got to me . |
| blowin |
Here is a link that Mystic Tree put up on the RC forum :
www.psla.umd.edu/extension/publications/haycombustionp1c.pdf Unfortunately it won't let me copy and paste the text into here . In summary it says that the nutritional value of the hay prgressively declines at temps above 120 deg F , followed by blackening and the possibilty of spontaneous combustion at 150 deg F . I am trying to imagine what 150 F would feel like .  . Too hot to keep your hand in for any length of time ???
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