Ash Handling Based on Stove Model

[CaptainMauw]

I was doing routine maintenance this year on the old VC Dutchwest 2462 stove when I notice two small hairline cracks in the inner top near where the catalyst sits. Its a replaceable panel/plate, but to do so requires me to remove the beast from the house and fully dismantle the entire thing. The job of dismantling a stove from 1997 that has been the primary heat source for the farm since will only lead to a laundry list of additional parts and more downtime. She's old, and like most all cast iron stoves, every year I add more stove cement to plug air leaks at seams. Tallying up overall cost of a total rebuild and I am well into the ballpark of new cat stoves that are more efficient and easier to control (this VC is a finicky little thing).

So im weighing the option of buying new, but have a peculiar question. My experience with stoves is with cast iron units with integrated ash pans. The ash drops from the firebox down into the pan where I can easily empty it while the stove stays at full power. My VC never powers down in the winter typically, I just rake the ashes thru the grate, add fresh wood, and then pull and empty the pan as it keeps burning at active cat temps. In looking at the Blaze Kings and other similar top of the line stoves, they all require the stove to burn down to nearly out before scooping the ashes out and building a new fire. Factor in that I burn a lot of hackberry that ashes a LOT, and I am worried about possible downtime where the stove wont be heating the house.

So, what does everyone do as far as emptying ash per stove model? Its a trivial question that rarely seems discussed anywhere on the internet. I am curious to what others are doing and hoping it can point me in a direction as far as replacement stoves to look at. I am particularly interested to hear from those with deep, fire brick lined wood stoves like the blaze king and similar. Thanks.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

We have a VC Defiant flex burn. Top load, ash pan on bottom.
Been burning for several weeks so far this year. Small hot fires, add to as needed to keep dampness and warmth during the cool hours.
We don't need to burn through the night as yet.
We let it burn down and rake the fine ash through the bottom grate with an ash shovel tip. When the pan is full, it is accessed via a swing out panel holding the ash pan. About every third time there is ash behind the pan that needs shoveled out. This could be avoided by emptying prior to a full ash pan, which can be judged through the lower stove grate.
Love the top load, but no fire brick. There are dense ceramic panels inside the stove. One is a removable rear panel, behind which is the cat element. We have broken this panel after several years. The replacement panel is almost twice as thick and has been fine. We also love that it is an enameled stove and looks wonderful year round.
When shopping, a stove consideration is flue size, and the defiant's is 8" oval. An adapter is needed to get to 8" round.

 

[moresnow]

Ash handling with my Blaze King is without a ash pan. I use the steel shovel to scoot the good live coals to one side and scoop the ash slowly into a steel ash bucket. Take it outdoors and dispose. This time of year I occasionally dump the hot ash in my firepit/ring to contain it as the surrounding territory can be to dry to dump anywhere else. Ash pans introduce another gasketed door in the mix which is fine if maintained well. A leaky ash pan door can be a problem by letting un- needed combustion air in. With or without a ash pan you can take ash out and keep your fire going no problem. Unless it warms up my stove runs 24/7. Mid to high 50's tomorrow. May let the stove go out. Odd for this time of year. Not complaining! Good luck.

 

[Mustang71]

Ash handling with my Blaze King is without a ash pan. I use the steel shovel to scoot the good live coals to one side and scoop the ash slowly into a steel ash bucket. Take it outdoors and dispose. This time of year I occasionally dump the hot ash in my firepit/ring to contain it as the surrounding territory can be to dry to dump anywhere else. Ash pans introduce another gasketed door in the mix which is fine if maintained well. A leaky ash pan door can be a problem by letting un- needed combustion air in. With or without a ash pan you can take ash out and keep your fire going no problem. Unless it warms up my stove runs 24/7. Mid to high 50's tomorrow. May let the stove go out. Odd for this time of year. Not complaining! Good luck.

Yes this is also what i do. Usually i end up with embers and coals in the bucket and put the bucket outside away from the house. Epa stoves don't like ash build up since there is no grate to circulate air from below. But im also running a 4 year old epa stove/furnace so it doesn't meet the new regulations. Its basically a stove inside a steel box that blows air past it.