washernoob
Well-known member
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- Jul 3, 2010
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Whats the story behind this behemoth?
I have never heard of one of these before!
Fascinating!
I have never heard of one of these before!
Fascinating!
Heres one for ya- Incinerator
- Thread starter washernoob
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Remember that a lot of rural areas didn't have regular trash pick-up in the past, and really remote areas don't have it today. Sears and Wards did well in the late 19th and early 20th centuries due to their network of catalog stores in small towns and rural areas. I suspect these incinerators were mostly bought by well off farmers who otherwise would have had to haul their trash to dump sites or burn it in bonfires.
westingman123
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2009
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- 1,541
Oh, you make me feel old! It is how we disposed of trash (almost everything was burnable) in the past. In St. Louis, we had ash pits in the alleys for the remains.
cfz2882
Well-known member
a lot of grocery stores used to use them to burn all the excess cardboard and other
burnable debris they generated-many had a secondary burner about halfway up the
stack to cut down on the smoke.Both my local grocery stores still have their
incinerators in place,but i haven't seen them used in about 18-19 yrs.
burnable debris they generated-many had a secondary burner about halfway up the
stack to cut down on the smoke.Both my local grocery stores still have their
incinerators in place,but i haven't seen them used in about 18-19 yrs.
Right Up To The 1970's Burning Rubbish
Was perfectly legal in NYC and many other areas. It wasn't until the "Clean Air Act" and other laws aimed at air pollution, along with growing concerns about the environment lead to laws banning burning of rubbish.
Towns and local areas with government run incinerators were forced to shut them down or undergo expensive retro fitting to filter fumes. This is when many cities such as New York started sending trash to landfills both locally and elsewhere.
Many old timers blame the increase in rodent populations esepcially in urban areas on the fact trash that was once burned daily now sits for one or two days (sometimes more) awaiting collection. Living in Manhattan am there to tell you those plastic bin liners are buffet for rats and mice. Step outside any night when they placed on the curb for pick-up and you'll not only see rodents playing "king of the mountain", but the bags actually move about from the rats inside.
Was perfectly legal in NYC and many other areas. It wasn't until the "Clean Air Act" and other laws aimed at air pollution, along with growing concerns about the environment lead to laws banning burning of rubbish.
Towns and local areas with government run incinerators were forced to shut them down or undergo expensive retro fitting to filter fumes. This is when many cities such as New York started sending trash to landfills both locally and elsewhere.
Many old timers blame the increase in rodent populations esepcially in urban areas on the fact trash that was once burned daily now sits for one or two days (sometimes more) awaiting collection. Living in Manhattan am there to tell you those plastic bin liners are buffet for rats and mice. Step outside any night when they placed on the curb for pick-up and you'll not only see rodents playing "king of the mountain", but the bags actually move about from the rats inside.
That's fancy. Our incinerators were nothing more than giant metal drums, fueled by their contents. They weren't used for leaves as much as other combustible waste. Leaves could be piled in the gutter and lit on fire there.
My grandfather used to love to burn, and when he lived with us for a while he did it almost daily. The home movies of my first communion procession up the steps into the church were double-exposed with footage of my grandfather burning. Everybody was ROFL the first time that inf(l)amous reel was run on the projector.
My grandfather used to love to burn, and when he lived with us for a while he did it almost daily. The home movies of my first communion procession up the steps into the church were double-exposed with footage of my grandfather burning. Everybody was ROFL the first time that inf(l)amous reel was run on the projector.
YES!! I remember incinerators from when I was a young child-every backyard had one in the area where we lived(Denver)The trash truck only picked up cans and bottles and the ash from the trash burners.An apartment where I lived in had a Morse-bolger incinerator in the basement-the apartment building engineers used to use it.The area beside the incinerator simply holds a dumpster.The workplace I am at now used to have a similar Morse-bolger incinerator.Used to be used here-the janitorial folks firing it up in the morning.Now it has been removed and replaced with a dumpster-for sensitive papers-a large shredder.Incinerators are among the best means of trash size reduction!better than any compactor or shredder-but the fumes!There lies the problem.The incinerator shown in that picture looks too old to use.One of the ones that was in a basement.Some homes had indoor ones.
We had a nice blue for some reason I think Caloric in the basement for years. Had a big flue pipe into the chimney that was setup for it when the house was built. Anything other than metal or glass went it and the timer could be set to run for 10, 15 or even 30 minutes. Big jet of gas burned just about anything. I do recall seeing a few steak bones in the ash bin, but I think chicken bone burned up. Completely lined in fire brick with a very heavy lid, it certainly weighed more than the 60 lbs. claimed in the listing.
Today Part Of The Problem Is
So much plastic and other things that shouldn't be burned due to the chemicals they give off and or chance of going "boom".
Back in the day foods came mainly in cans, wrapped in various types of paper, tin foil, and later plastic cling wrap. Today most everything comes wrapped in plastic cling wrap with styrofoam or plastic as well. So things like meats and poultry wrappings that rot and will attract vermin cannot be burned. Neither can most frozen food containers such as those for "TV' dinners as they have mainly moved to microwave safe plastics instead of tin foil.
So much plastic and other things that shouldn't be burned due to the chemicals they give off and or chance of going "boom".
Back in the day foods came mainly in cans, wrapped in various types of paper, tin foil, and later plastic cling wrap. Today most everything comes wrapped in plastic cling wrap with styrofoam or plastic as well. So things like meats and poultry wrappings that rot and will attract vermin cannot be burned. Neither can most frozen food containers such as those for "TV' dinners as they have mainly moved to microwave safe plastics instead of tin foil.
chance of going "boom"
Oh for sure. A neighbor kid and I would toss empty aerosol cans into incinerators for exactly that reason. Spray paint cans were highly preferred. Back in those days, it seems everybody had a funky part of the back yard where the burning was done and it was usually remote enough for us to get away with mischief.
Oh for sure. A neighbor kid and I would toss empty aerosol cans into incinerators for exactly that reason. Spray paint cans were highly preferred. Back in those days, it seems everybody had a funky part of the back yard where the burning was done and it was usually remote enough for us to get away with mischief.
G**d***n Kids Get Off My Lawn
And stay out of my yard! *LOL*[this post was last edited: 8/25/2011-07:10]
And stay out of my yard! *LOL*[this post was last edited: 8/25/2011-07:10]
Yes,anti burn and pollution ordinances,then the increased use of plastics finally killed houshold incinerators-maybe excepting some folks that used their fireplaces and woodstoves as "makeshift" incinerators-these appliances work poorly for that duty.burning of vinyl-for example releases chlorinne,hydrochloric acid,vinyl chloride fumes.Now normal use of vinyl is safe-and for some vinyls-even lead.Lead is a good plasticiser and weatherproofing agent for vinyl.Just don't burn vinyls.Other plastics-too.And the fumes from these quickly damage furnace and stove,fireplace fireboxes.Put the plastics in the trash or plastic recycle bin.But burning does make good in this information sensitive world--papers that have been burned are not recognized-esp if the ash is stirred and broken up.The Pentagon still uses an incinerator in their power plant-in the parking lot-for generating electric power to run the place and heat.They burn their sensitive papers there.They have ben doing that since the place was built around WW2!.
polkanut
Well-known member
With Wausau being surrounded by rural areas, many people in those areas have burn barrels. While most of our townships offer garbage collection, it is quite expensive. When we cleaned out grandma's house, I took all of her really outdated clothing to my friend Leroy, and he burned it in his barrel. He has also given me permission to bring anything, anytime to his house for burning. He also collects larger items on a huge pile down in a valley south of his house, on the edge of his woods, for a huge annual bonfire, which he lights after our first big snowfall.
The elderly couple that lived next door to my parents had a garbage burner in their basement. It was about half the width of an apartment size stove, and had a cooktop as well. Emil would also burn wood in it and use it as an extra heat source in the winter. It was white enamel w/ black edging. I think it was a Monarch brand, but my memory is slightly fuzzy on that part.
The elderly couple that lived next door to my parents had a garbage burner in their basement. It was about half the width of an apartment size stove, and had a cooktop as well. Emil would also burn wood in it and use it as an extra heat source in the winter. It was white enamel w/ black edging. I think it was a Monarch brand, but my memory is slightly fuzzy on that part.
iheartmaytag
Well-known member
We had a burn barrel, but my sister lived in an older part of town and they had a gas fired incinerator on the back of their lot. It really was much cleaner than the burn barrel. Burning of any sort was outlawed in the city in teh early 70's. Outside, in the county, they continued to burn until about the early 80's. Now it's a total burn ban.
I remember St. Joseph Hospital used to have a huge smoke stack at the far end of their building by the physical plant. The smoke stack was at least five stories high. Years later talking to one of the physical plant operators that had been around a while the incinerator shared this smoke stack with the boilers. From what I was told in those days the hospitals burned all of their "medical waste" there. You never saw smoke coming from that smoke stack, but when it was cold you could see the steam vapor rising.
I remember St. Joseph Hospital used to have a huge smoke stack at the far end of their building by the physical plant. The smoke stack was at least five stories high. Years later talking to one of the physical plant operators that had been around a while the incinerator shared this smoke stack with the boilers. From what I was told in those days the hospitals burned all of their "medical waste" there. You never saw smoke coming from that smoke stack, but when it was cold you could see the steam vapor rising.
Basement incinerators were quite common here until the 50's. I read in an old magazine once about how the "well outfitted, modern home" had a garbage chute in the kitchen so that after wrapping kitchen scraps or even the contents of the cloth vacuum cleaner bag in newspaper and neatly tied with cotton string the "package" could be dropped down the chute to a bin in the basement. There, the "man of the house" could toss the bundles into the incinerator and fire it up as one of his after-dinner duties.
We had a basement incinerator
for many years. Of course, we had to discontinue use of it in the mid 70s, but it was a very useful item.
As a small child, it scared the living #%*$ out of me, which is just as well. Because of it, I refused to go to the basement after dark for many years, and after, I would run up the stairs.
I think it was my love for the washer and dryer that helped me deal with the fear.
Lawrence/Maytagbear
for many years. Of course, we had to discontinue use of it in the mid 70s, but it was a very useful item.
As a small child, it scared the living #%*$ out of me, which is just as well. Because of it, I refused to go to the basement after dark for many years, and after, I would run up the stairs.
I think it was my love for the washer and dryer that helped me deal with the fear.
Lawrence/Maytagbear
In the movie "A word to the wives" shows an incinerator or gas disposer inside a house is shown. Start watching after 10:30.
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polkanut
Well-known member
I love the fact that all the appliances shown are gas, even the Servel refrigerator. Except the Whirlpool washer, of course.
