30 March 2014

Grave warmer


The one illustrated above is propane-fueled.  The Dakota County Star reports that others are heated by charcoal:
The grave defroster is approximately 8 feet long, and 4 feet wide.  It is double walled steel construction, insulated between the two walls...
It is then filled with 100 to 120 pounds of charcoal, lit, sealed, and then left for a period of 24 hours or so.  Once that time has passed, one man can easily dig the grave within an hour’s time.  Propane can also be used to heat the unit, in which case a 100-pound cylinder would be used.  However, with the cylinder, it burns at a higher temperature and requires supervision.  The cost, at the present time, is also significantly more for propane than charcoal.
Via The Soul is Bone.

5 comments:

  1. That one appears to be propane-fueled, unless I'm misunderstanding something.

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    Replies
    1. You're quite correct. I was in a hurry this morning and didn't notice that the photo and the text from the source didn't correspond. I've now tracked down the source for the text, added it to the post, and modified the phrasing. Thanks.

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  2. that settles it! I want to be buried up north- they can throw a kalua pig luau at the internment. after all, why waste all that good charcoal just to make a hole when everyone can have some super delicious slow cooked pork and get the burial done at the end? this ties in with my desire to have an irish wake.

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  3. The cemetery just dug Darren's mama's grave with the power of serious hydraulics. But she would most definitely have approved of a kalua pig luau instead.

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  4. I knew a gravedigger who worked in an old cemetary where they used these gaadgets. In one large section they would and could only dig with shovels because coffins shift ove the years and some old graves were simply unmarked. It could take 1 man up to 12 hours of work to dig a grave but usually 2 men did it in half a shift in the ever stone filled New England soil.

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