On Sun, 03 Dec 2006 02:33:55 -0600, wrote:

I got my new barn all closed in just before our heavy freeze took
over. But I still need to put 3 posts in the ground INSIDE the barn.
The soil in there is fairly dry on the top so I am hoping its not
frozen too solid or deep yet. But I did find the shovel was hard to
penetrate it yesterday. It was really too cold to proceed with the
job anyhow.

Anyhow, I know the public utilities have a means to build a coal fire
on the top of the ground when they need to dig up something in the
street. I dont have access to coal, nor would I want to burn it
indoors because of the odor. But I can get regular charcoal. My
question is this: What is the best method to burn the charcoal to melt
the ground? Do i just burn it right on top of the soil, or should I
put some sort of metal container around it, or what? I mean in order
to deflect the heat downward, not as a safety measure. I am not
worried about causing a fire, when the nearest flammable (wall) is at
least 9 feet away, and I am not planning to make a huge fire, just the
amound needed to grill some burgers on the grill.

Seems like the long way around. When we had a pipe frozen next to our
foundation, the plumber just beat at the ground with a heavy bar to
break it up.