Best way to handle ashes??

[Desmond]

I've had a new stove for a couple months and have been using the ash drawer every morning to remove the ashes. After I clean out the stove i let the dust settle in the ash drawer for about 5-10 minutes before moving them to an outdoor 45 gal drum. Works good because it limits the dust. Recently my ash door on the bottom of the stove doesn't want to seal properly and has led to over-firing and I don't like it. So i have a metal washer shimmed in the latch to make it seal better and I'm looking for a better way to manage the ash. Are the ash vaccumes the way to go? Shovel into a metal bucket with a lid??? I'm looking for something that will limit the dust/mess.

 

[bert0168]

There is always going to be some mess with a wood stove. How often do you need to empty? I only need to take some out every 4 to 7 days.

 

[ancy]

Same here 4-7 days and I use a metal dust pan and a steady hand.

 

[smokinj]

My garden needs the ash bad the ph is way off so instead of using lime we will hammer it with ash.

 

[Desmond]

There is always going to be some mess with a wood stove. How often do you need to empty? I only need to take some out every 4 to 7 days.

I've been doing it every day or every other....probably more than I need to....

 

[bert0168]

Every day is too much. IMO, you need to leave a bed of as in there to keep the fire from burning itself out too quickly, kind of acts like an insulator.

I know when I cram my stove at 7:30 am and leave for work, I'll have some coals left at 5 pm buried in the ash I can rake up and start again with.

 

[727sunset]

Most stoves suggest leaving about 1 inch of ash to act like as an insulator. I clean mine out about once each week. Best way is to dump the ash to your drawer one day, then dispose of it the following day just in case you had a hot coal. Also place a towel over the drawer when walking thru the house. Once you accumulate enough in your barrel there are many good uses for it.
If you're getting excess draft because of a drawer issue give this priority and find and fix the cause.
Enjoy your new stove and let us know how it goes.

 

[Desmond]

When I say I clean it out i should add that I leave about 1/2" of ash. Anyway, I'd prefer to continue using my ash pan as I have been so I will have to get this problem fixed, I have a Pacific Energy Spectrum

 

[Ronaldo]

My Pacific Energy super 27 has a small spring loaded door in the bottom of the stove and that door can get a piece of charcoal stuck in it at times and not seal properly. I just open and close my door quickly several times to be sure nothing is stuck on it then close it and pull some ashes over the top of the door. This system has been working for me for 12 years and counting----love my P.E. stove.


Ron

 

[Desmond]

My Pacific Energy super 27 has a small spring loaded door in the bottom of the stove and that door can get a piece of charcoal stuck in it at times and not seal properly. I just open and close my door quickly several times to be sure nothing is stuck on it then close it and pull some ashes over the top of the door. This system has been working for me for 12 years and counting----love my P.E. stove.


Ron

Ron - I had something caught in the door a couple weeks ago and had a bad seal whick led to a very hot fire. I have pulled out the drawer and inspected thw door and there seems to be a very small gap that I can only eliminate by pushing up on the bottom of the door. The spring seems very strong and I've scraped the mating surfaces to ensure there isn't something still caught in there. I think the tab that holds the door closed may be bent?!? This stove is 2 months old I don't know if i should call the installer or try to bend the tab up a touch...

 

[Ronaldo]

I guess you could try the tab and be very careful. I am not totally sure that my door seals up all the time , but by pulling a bunch of ashes over the top of it-it seals just fine every time. I suppose that it cant get any combustion air through all those ashes. Good Luck!


Ron

 

[Richard_]

i haven't cleaned my yet , burned over 1/2 cord of wood so far , why you guys cleaning them so often ?

 

[Ronaldo]

Richard, I probably dump a few ashes through the door every day or every other day---does that seem like too much?

Ron

 

[Kensterfly]

A daily clean out is unnecessary and is counterproductive. A good thick bed of ash insulates and helps maintain heat in the stove.
A half inch bed is next to useless. Try going at least four or five days before doing a clean out.

An good ash vac can help a lot. You can pull out a minimal amount of ash around the walls to help with air flow without making a mess stirring up ash every time you clean out. One of the highest recommended ash vacs around is the Loveless Cheetah or Cougar. Basically, they are the same but the Cougar has extra baffling that makes it a little quieter. Some people say the quieter model is worth the extra fifty bucks. I just ordered one off eBay and got a great deal: A Cougar that was about $25-$40 less than most Cheetahs sell for.

 

[Ronaldo]

I put a few ashes through my ash door in the bottom of the firebox every day or every other,but I didnt say that I did a cleaning that often. I do a good cleaning MAYBE once a month----all depends on how I have been burning. When the ash pan is full I carry it out to the garage and dump it in a metal bucket. There is virtually no ashes flying around in the house , with just a few in the garage. One thing I have learned over the years of heating w/wood is that cool or cold ashes dont fly around like warm(HOT) ashes do. If I clean some out of the stove and then dump them in my bucket right away the warm air seems to lift them up into the air and they settle out all over. Just my experience.


Ron

 

[Kensterfly]

I put a few ashes through my ash door in the bottom of the firebox every day or every other,but I didnt say that I did a cleaning that often. I do a good cleaning MAYBE once a month

Ron

I think we got that idea because it sure sounded that way in your first post:

I've had a new stove for a couple months and have been using the ash drawer every morning to remove the ashes.

After I clean out the stove....

Going by that, I personally interpreted it mean that you clean out the stove every day. Perhaps you can see where the confusion came from. You did say, however, that you only leave 1/2 inch of ash in the bottom when you DO clean out. Most of us would suggest a much thicker layer of ash be left on the bottom. If my stove had an ash pan I wouldn't dump it until it was full.

Cheers.

 

[logbutcher]

i haven't cleaned my yet , burned over 1/2 cord of wood so far , why you guys cleaning them so often ?

A daily clean out is unnecessary and is counterproductive. A good thick bed of ash insulates and helps maintain heat in the stove.
A half inch bed is next to useless. Try going at least four or five days before doing a clean out.

These are comments worthy of a Darwin Award. Think. Thimk.

First: Ash is a product of combustion of wood. (Yes, "duh" ). The product is dependent on species used, the amount (mass) of fuel burnt, AND the engineering of any particular wood burner. This is complex ?

Second, ash, being dependent on burning FOR PRODUCTION OF BTUs ( N.B. caps for emphasis ), will be produced at a higher rate THE COLDER THE CLIMATE IS WHERE THE STOVE IS USED ( N.B. caps for emphasis ). So thimk: Texas and Oregon are not in need of as many BTUs as say Alaska, MN, the U.P., Quebec, or even Downeast Maine.

Third, and last, most of us HEATING WITH WOOD WITH NO BACKUP OR USE OF A CENTRAL FURNACE ( N.B. caps for emphasis ) have certain routines that may be O.C.D. or not, in which we prefer to empty the ashes each morning. The use of ashes for "insulation" of coals, or protection of the appliance are a matter of opinion and preference.
Complex ?

Now my rules for ash disposal:
1. Never throw ashes against the wind ( N.B. also for peeing ).
2. Ashes with live coals are placed in a metal container.
3. Do not use ashes on ice ( for those in non-Texas or non-Oregon regions ! ) near the front door. It truly pi$$es off the mistress of the home.
4. In falling snow or rain with wind, please follow Rule #1.
5. And last, ashes should be disposed of ( wrong semantics I know ) where you need the higher Ph for lawn or garden.

P.S. Why are so many online so damn cocksure of their way as the one and true ? ...."I have this 80 hour burn stove ." Or, ...." You need a pipe damper for all stoves. " Or, .. "Why don't you have a Glock." "You mean you don't have a 346XP......361 ?" " I never empty ashes because.........."
Oh why ? Why ?

JMNSHO

 

[blackdogon57]

I've had a new stove for a couple months and have been using the ash drawer every morning to remove the ashes. After I clean out the stove i let the dust settle in the ash drawer for about 5-10 minutes before moving them to an outdoor 45 gal drum. Works good because it limits the dust. Recently my ash door on the bottom of the stove doesn't want to seal properly and has led to over-firing and I don't like it. So i have a metal washer shimmed in the latch to make it seal better and I'm looking for a better way to manage the ash. Are the ash vaccumes the way to go? Shovel into a metal bucket with a lid??? I'm looking for something that will limit the dust/mess.

Like the other guys have posted - a inch or two of ash makes your stove run better and burn longer. I have an ash drawer on mine and I find
that when there is no ash bed the stove also runs hotter and the wood burns much faster. When it comes times to get rid of some ash, wait for the fire do die down then run it wide open with the door open a tiny crack until you are down to a few embers. Put on some oven mits and
scrape most of the ashes into the drawer. Grab the drawer and find a safe place to dump it before you get burnt. If you do it right you will
still have enough coals left to get the stove going again.

 

[chucker]

i clean my sove of ash,s on the 1st of each burning month! let them set in the 5 gallon metal ash can(old gear grease can burned out) for one month till the next cleaning... after that i dump them into a plastic garbage bag and let them set out away from the buildings for a couple more days and if??? ..... toss them into the trash on pickup day.. no muss-no fuss.

 

[Desmond]

I think we got that idea because it sure sounded that way in your first post:



Going by that, I personally interpreted it mean that you clean out the stove every day. Perhaps you can see where the confusion came from. You did say, however, that you only leave 1/2 inch of ash in the bottom when you DO clean out. Most of us would suggest a much thicker layer of ash be left on the bottom. If my stove had an ash pan I wouldn't dump it until it was full.

Cheers.

Ronaldo didn't start the thread, I did. Anyway I havn't cleaned out the stove since I started this post. I now have about 2-3" of ash and the stove is running well. Thanks to all for the advise