Finally got a chance to play with the fire & water idea today, had the
kids take pictures, they can be seen he

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Materials used were a fresh 20 pound propane tank, a 5-gallon plastic
bucket, a number 3 washtub, a valve and hose assembly from a gas
burner, and a few odds & ends.

Tried the plastic bucket first, hoping to get a small flame area, but
it was obvious early on that too much heat was being generated for the
plastic, so I filled up the metal washtub and began experimenting
there.

The fire is sustainable, but very sensitive to ambient wind, which
dissipates the gas before it can ignite. The only time I could
realistically expect to use this in the pond would be during the
summer when there is very little wind.

To keep the flame going in the wind, I had to pretty much either open
the valve fully (which causes an enormous amount of bubbling), or else
place the gas nozzle very close to the surface.

OTOH, on the rare occasions when the wind died down, the flame was
pretty much what I was hoping for in terms of appearance and sound.

At one point I let it burn for about 10 minutes duration, there was no
measurable change in water temperature, but there -was- a residue left
floating on the water. The residue was almost transparent, no
discernable color, no smell. It did not have the characteristic
rainbow appearance that floating oil has.

My pond is intentionally designed so that I can "skim" it by
overfilling it any time, so I think the residue is a moot point,
assuming it is not horribly toxic.

Since the residue had no smell, I don't believe it is the (toxic)
mercaptin which is used to make the gas smell.

Tomorrow I may try it in the pond if the winds abate a bit.


Mike Patterson
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