How Many Ashes

[Ironworker]

I am ready to clean out my stove and start a fire for the nite, I have been burning for 5 years and have heard several things about ash in the stove, some say leave a little on the bottom and some say it does not matter, so I was just wondering what you guys do, I can always depend on AS for sound info.
Thanks

 

[ancy]

I clean it all out and have no problems.

Sent from my XT881

 

[Sagetown]

opcorn:

 

[Nosmo]

Same As Before

I'm almost willing to bet that you are going to hear the same things you've heard before.

: -) Nosmo

 

[blades]

In both my previous stove and current one manuals it is recommended to leave apx 1" or so ash on bottom of stove, no specifics are given why. One has an ash clean out the other does not.

 

[saw dog]

Hi > I have burned a wood stove all my life and I am An old man, if you want the best results from your stove you need at least 1 inch of ash under your wood at all times. the fuel lasts longer, you get a more complete and eaven burn and the hot coals last longer.

 

[D&B Mack]

I have an insert, but I clean mine out, otherwise the old ashes begin to insulate the bottom of the box and reduce heat transfer for the blower chamber.

 

[rmount]

I always leave an inch or so of ash. i find it makes a nice bed for the embers and keeps them for hours if I don't get around to adding fresh wood for awhile.

 

[allstihl]

im old ,tired , rode hard and put away wet.when i clean out i clean it all out. the old school leave some ash in the bottom was before firebrick lining. without firebrick if you didnt leave ash you could burn through the bottom.

 

[winland]

Hi > I have burned a wood stove all my life and I am An old man, if you want the best results from your stove you need at least 1 inch of ash under your wood at all times. the fuel lasts longer, you get a more complete and eaven burn and the hot coals last longer.

:agree2:

 

[Ductape]

I'm thinking it will depend on your stove. My last stove, it stated to either leave a layer of ash in the bottom, or fill up to the top of the ribs with sand..... I used sand. The manual said it acted as insulation for the bottom of the stove. My current stove, 2008 EPA approved stove, has a removable ash pan under the firebox. Ashes fall through a grate into the ash pan.... really no way to leave ash in it even if I wanted to.

 

[stihly dan]

My old 2007 stove had an ash pan. Manual said leave an inch of ash at the bottom. I found leaving ash did work out better.

 

[Mac88]

When the pan gets full, it gets dumped. Been doing the same thing in the same stove for around 25 years. It works for us.

 

[fubar2]

I don't know where your air intake is located but on mine if they build too high it shuts down my draft. No drafty = no combustionie. Around every five days or so they get dumped, need it or not.

 

[zogger]

Ours is just a cast iron bottom, no firebrick or ash pan (although at one time it looked to have one, there's a clean out door I dont use), so just leave an inch or two of ash and coals. Ofers some protection, and easier to restart the fire with some coals.

I only take it to the bottom at end of season and clean it out good.

 

[J.W Younger]

I guess it depends on a lot of things. Coals will last longer buried in ash, and if I want a fire right now i'm gonna use em to start the wood burning. If its warm enuff to let the fire go out they all gonna get dumped. If the fires burning 24/7 pans if equipped will be dumped and all others will have what i think is the right amout of ash removed when re-filling.
I just made all this up cause i have an OWB.

 

[Whitespider]

Mine has a little trap door in the floor that opens and ash drops into a drawer underneath... requires you to pull/push the ash to the trap door. It's a bit of a hassle, but a super clean system... no dust flying about. I clean the ash out whenever the coal bed is dead, or near dead; if all the ash fits in the drawer it all gets cleaned out... if the drawer fills before all the ash is removed, the remainder stays in the firebox... I'm only gonna' make one trip outside to empty it. I've not noticed it makes one iota of difference.

 

[Rickochet]

My Napoleon 1900 has an ash pan. When it is time to drop the ashes from the firebox to the ash pan is when it is decided. If my pan is full, the firebox might keep an inch or two. If my pan has room for more, the firebox will be devoid of any sign of ash. It works well either way.
:msp_w00t:

 

[komatsuvarna]

I clean mine all the way out. They'll be some more ashes in the bottom in a couple of hours :msp_wink:.

 

[haveawoody]

Less ash = more brick damage and more heat to the stove and shorter coal times.
More ash = less brick damage and less heat to the stove and longer coal times.

At some depth of ash everything will work pretty well, mine gets about 1/2" of ash left before i start a fire.
On my stove it seems to be a perfect tradeoff for all.

Only way to find what your stove wants or you want is start a fire with no ash, then the next with some ash then the next with more and see what your stove likes.
Like everything in a woodstove it's all about tradeoffs and less about absolutes.