Cremators generally comprise of a main cremating chamber, a secondary air chamber and a holding chamber. The coffin is cremated within the main chamber. In accordance with Health Department Regulations, coffins must be cremated individually.
The body will be placed in a cremated coffin, which goes into the crematorium. The coffin and body are heated until they turn to ash. The leftover bone matter will be pulverized into ash as well.
Are coffins sold back to the funeral director for re-use? No. The coffin and the body inside are cremated together. There are occasions where the deceased or the family of the deceased has opted for using a cardboard coffin in which their loved one will be cremated.
Each coffin has a unique nameplate
Cremators are only big enough for one coffin at a time. Because the process takes between 2-3 hours, it's very unlikely there would be a mix up. Crematoriums can only conduct a handful of cremations a day, and they take extreme care when checking nameplates and transferring ashes.
During cremation, the body parts that do burn consist of organs, soft tissue, hair, and skin, while the water in our bodies evaporates. The body parts that do not burn are bone fragments. Teeth usually burn during cremation, but not entirely.
The cremation chamber must be clean of ashes before another cremation can start. These rules mean that you don't have much control over how a cremation is done. Does the body feel pain during cremation? The body does not feel pain during cremation because the person is no longer alive.
The soft tissues, muscles, skin, and hair are burned and the bones are calcified until they break into small pieces. Any gases are released through an exhaust system, so there is rarely any smell associated with the cremation process.
Preparing the Body for Cremation – The cremation provider will prep the body by removing all jewelry, pacemakers, or medical devices in order to prevent melting or explosions during the cremation process. Jewelry is returned to the family and medical devices are often recycled or returned to the family.
Generally, the body is dressed in clothing before being placed in a casket or cremation container for the cremation process. Families often include items in the cremation container, such as religious objects and flowers. Not all materials may be safely cremated.
Can more than one body be cremated in a cremator at the same time? The Code insists that each cremation is carried out separately. Exceptions may be made in the case of a mother and baby or twin children providing the next of kin has made a specific request in writing in this regard.
The body and container is then moved into the retort, or cremation chamber—an industrial furnace that holds and cremates the deceased. The retort is an enclosed space, so you cannot actually witness the cremation process. Rather, you watch the contained body enter the retort.
Also known as commingling, mixing cremated remains is illegal unless it is specifically requested by the deceased. This simply comes down to a matter of personal preference of the deceased. Most cremation chambers will not mix the remains of your loved ones—they'll usually leave that up to the family to do.
Cremated remains can usually be collected from the crematorium within 2 working days. It is possible to collect on the same day by prior arrangement if there is an urgent need - for example travel overseas for a memorial service or scattering.
If desired, it is possible for small personal objects to be cremated with the deceased. These objects will be burned with the body. Glass, rubber and large metal items can not be cremated. Any objects that you wish to keep such as jewellery or other items should be removed prior to the cremation.
We refer to cremated remains as ashes but what is left behind is actually bits of bone. After cremation, a special processor grinds the fragments into what we call “cremains.” This is what we mean when we refer to ashes.
Average Cost of Cremation in Australia
The cost of a cremation tends to vary from company to company, but generally speaking, the process is much more cost-efficient than a burial. This is in part due to the fact that there are much fewer expenses in the process which result in the lower cremation cost.
These larger fragments are then ground down into smaller pieces. Something that people don't often know is that the belly button never burns to ash; it remains hard and in the same shape.
Items that are not safe for the water or marine life are not permitted. What happens to ashes scattered at sea? Human ashes are like sand and they do not float. They will not dissolve in the water; instead, they will descend into the ocean until they hit the floor.
Cremated ashes are clean and sanitary. The process of cremation has eliminated any potential contamination. What's more, cremains are kept secure in a bag, making it very difficult for someone to tamper with them or spill them.
Because of the cremation chamber's high heat, some bodies go into what's called a pugilistic stance, meaning the elbows, knees, and fists clench from dehydration due to the extreme heat. The pugilistic stance may make the body appear shorter or stiffer, but it will not make the body sit up.
If you're being cremated, your brain, like the rest of your body, will burn and become ash (usually the entire body is gone within 90 minutes).
If a person who has recently deceased is cremated their body will be burnt to ashes and therefore no DNA samples can be extracted from the ashes. There may be instances where there are some remating bone shards but, the rate of success in extracting DNA is low.
Removing organs before cremation does not happen. Even if an autopsy has been performed, the organs are cremated with the rest of the body.
Ashes are heavier than some people expect
But human ashes aren't the same type of ash - they're made of bone. Bones are made of various acids, minerals, and salts, which means they're heavier than many people expect. How heavy the ashes are will depend on the person who's died.