Steamer and ash solidification

[BriGuy89]

I use a simple iron steamer on an iron trivet to help increase humidity levels as the wood stove burns.

Some of the ash that gets airborne as the stove gets opened and cleaned makes its way into the steamer and its water.

As that "mixture" has been "cooked," some of it has solidified (very thinly, and mostly on the bottom). Now it's really hard to remove. Some chunks flake off but even scraping isn't doing much at this point.

An ideas on how to get rid of the solids? Or should I just not worry about it?

 

[habanero]

A mild acid, like vinegar (acetic acid), should help loosen the deposits. You might have to soak it a while.

On edit: I should also mention that what you're seeing isn't likely ash deposits, but rather minerals from the water dropping out of solution.

 

[BriGuy89]

I should also mention that what you're seeing isn't likely ash deposits, but rather minerals from the water dropping out of solution.

I agree -- most probably comes from the water but a small part of it has to come from the ash as well.

Sometimes when the water level is low but temp still quite warm, one can actually see small crystal growth. The young kids love seeing that!

Thanks for the advice.