Making Charcoal

We had a leak in the roof of the 5th wheel during a summer rainshower

that we didn't discover until about a week later...

the musty smell was overpowering.

The-Man-of-the-Place went to work making charcoal.

He dug two pits in the garden area

and split up some oak blocks we had on hand

(picked up for free from a place in town that makes rail road ties)

He started a fire and placed them on top

until they were burning well.

He then covered up the burning blocks with barrel halves

that he cut just for this purpose,

and piled the dirt around them to make an air-tight seal.

He walked away and forgot about the project

until the next day when he removed the barrel halves

and picked up the charcoal blocks that were produced.

These were placed in broiler pan trays and misted down with water

and placed around the 5th wheel to help pull out the musty odor.

Charcoal is a great deodorizor and has many applications.

Caution should be taken because it does stain if it comes in contact

with a surface that you don't want to turn black or gray.

Charcoal also is a wonderful adsorber that is used for

many medicinal purposes.

But that will be another post...

It took a few weeks, with some replacement of the charcoal blocks

but the musty odor is now gone and the 5th wheel liveable again.

And, the-Man now has a stash of charcoal blocks

to use for his autumn dutch-oven-cooking passion!