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Original poster

Crematorium Technician here

686 replies

CodLiverOil556 · 31/05/2018 13:11

I see lots of threads about cremations and Crematoria. I'm currently a crem tech so please ask me questions and I will endeavor to answer them.

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TamiTayorismyparentingguru · 02/06/2018 08:53

Please don’t worry if you don’t want to answer this - you have answered so many questions already and I’ll bet when you started the thread you didn’t expect to get so many!

I was just wondering when you said about cancer patients taking longer and about finding the tumours afterwards. Did I read that right? The tumour(s) survive the cremation in the same way that bones do?

If I’ve read that right (and please do correct me if I’m wrong), is there an option for you to remove the tumour(s) before cremulation so that the family are receiving the ashes of the body back only without the cancer along with it?

MrFMercury · 02/06/2018 07:44

Thank you so much for this Kermit. Along with many others I've found it fascinating and also soothing to hear about how loved ones have been treated. I'm living with a condition that could kill me with no warning and this information is invaluable as I put together my own plans.

catinboots9 · 02/06/2018 07:26

Not being rude people but Kermit has been so polite and informative on this thread.

Lots of you are now asking questions that she has answered several times already. How about taking the time to RTFT??

user1473460538 · 02/06/2018 07:14

Sorry for asking Kermit am I correct in thinking that the ashes a family recives back are just the bones of the deceased? Not the ashes of the coffin ? Would that just completely disappear.

ThanksForAllTheFish · 02/06/2018 04:05

Hi, if you are still answering questions I have one I would like to ask please.

Do you think the job impacts your over all mood and emotional well-being? I would imagine it’s not the type of job you could do with a big happy smile on your face.

I find funerals emotionally draining (as I’m sure most people do). It’s hard to explain but even if I didn’t know the person very well I still find the overall emotion of the funeral. I couldn’t imagine dealing with death every day without it seriously taking a toll on my overall mood.

VimFuego101 · 02/06/2018 02:42

Such an interesting thread. Thank you.

CarefullyAirbrushedPotato · 02/06/2018 02:39

I wish I'd known I could watch him going into the cremator. They told me I couldn't.

CarefullyAirbrushedPotato · 02/06/2018 02:38

Please, I'd like to know, If ashes are predominately calcified bones, what is left of a miscarried baby too young to have osified bones?
The FD said there would be ashes, although I haven't gone to fetch them yet. They can't be woollen blanket ashes if the cremator is at 1000°C. What will I be bringing home?

CarefullyAirbrushedPotato · 02/06/2018 02:35

" it's here that we remove any hips/knees/big pieces before the cremulating happens."
Calcified pelvises? Where do they go?

HappenedForAReisling · 02/06/2018 02:33

A real taboo-buster.
Thank you so much OP.

RailReplacementBusService · 02/06/2018 02:28

Thank you OP.

MRSRUDEBOX · 02/06/2018 01:34

Fantastic thread. Thank you.

Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 02/06/2018 00:44

The strangest thing I have removed from a set of remains is a fully formed coat hanger.

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Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 02/06/2018 00:43

@MummySparkle the cremator is gas fired but I know at least one crem that still has an electric one.

@MarmiteTermite ashes are indeed ground, calcified bone.

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Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 02/06/2018 00:42

@MummySparkle what are they made of? I can't really see from the picture. It's hard to explain how a cremaulator works but it has a spinning chain like device inside a drum. It takes around 180 seconds to do its job.

Cremated remains stay in the ashing chute of the cremator for around 60 minutes then are released into a hopper (like a metal tin) this has a lid on and normally is placed by the cremulator ready to be processed it's here that we remove any hips/knees/big pieces before the cremulating happens.

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MarmiteTermite · 02/06/2018 00:34

Sorry that thanks sounded wrong. Just curious about the terminology.

As a child I couldn’t bear the thought of cremation but interestingly now I can’t bear the thought of being buried and want to be cremated. The thought of being burried alive terrifies me. At least a cremation would be over quickly (I hope).

screamativemom · 02/06/2018 00:33

Happened 7 years ago, would hospital still have records?

LionAllMessy · 02/06/2018 00:28

OP have you watched Six Feet Under?

MarmiteTermite · 02/06/2018 00:28

Thank you very much for a very interesting thread.

Just wanted to ask why the cremulator part is referred to as turning the remains into ashes? Surely the fire does this? If the bones then need to be ground down then aren’t these really ground up bones rather than ashes? Thanks.

MummySparkle · 02/06/2018 00:28

kermit this thread has been utterly fascinating. I've been to a ha duck of funerals / services of rememberance at crems but never had any idea of what happens next. It seems an amazing process and it's obvious from your posts how much care and attention you put in.

Thinking about coffins, for burning fuel the two that I've circled would be the most economical? And the wicker and cardboard wouldn't burn as long.

Is the cremator gas heated or electric like a kiln would be?

How does the cremulator work? Is it just a fast spinning drum or is it something a bit more like a blender? What are the bones stored in whilst they cool?

And can you still tell the DNA of a person from the ashes or does that disappear with the heat?

Crematorium Technician here
Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 02/06/2018 00:03

@SexyManatee I wear heavy duty trousers, polo shirt and sweater.

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Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 02/06/2018 00:02

@screamativemom it all depends on when you lost your little one. Please get in contact with the hospital to find out.

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SexyManatee · 01/06/2018 23:59

Kermit... what do you wear to work?

screamativemom · 01/06/2018 23:59

So they wouldn't have been incinerated in the hospital then? Is there any way of finding out where they were cremated and scattered?

Original poster
CodLiverOil556 · 01/06/2018 23:57

@Cattenberg you can still be scattered in a beautiful garden it's when ashes are left in a big heap. They tend to go like a stodgy mess but if spread evenly then they're fine.

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