best way to clean ashes out of stove?

[turnkey4099]

Pretty much impossible as you stated. Plus any live coals will be smothered by the ash and lack of oxygen.

Agree about the symptoms, classic carbon monoxide poisoning. But. No, live coals will not be smothered by the ash. A pile of ash after the fire is out will be hot for a couple days. I have a burn scar on my ankle from stepping in one several days after the fire was out. Lid on might smother the coals but it will take awhile.

Harry K

 

[Ernie Kash]

[album=medium]1652[/album]

I have a small rake and an ash shovel. Every morning I use the rake to push the coals to the back of the stove. Then I take out a couple shovels of ash. Then I rake the coals to the front and build another fire.

I don't worry about cleaning it out until the end of the season. It seems like it will hold a bed of coals longer with a bit of ash in the bottom.

As far as moving the ash out of the stove without it going all over the room, I use an ash bucket with a lid. I quickly and smoothly move the shovel from the stove to the bucket and quickly open and close the lid on the bucket. This seems to keep the flying ash to a minimum.

View attachment 463643

Ditto, been performing that exact same ritual for the last 37 years.Built that rake for a barrel stove that I was using for a while. Picked up that perforated shovel to sift the coals from the ash, figured it might be easier than using the rake...NOT. Found it easiest to do it like your doing. This stove's got an ash drawer but it's too small and a lot messier to empty than just shoveling into an ash can, just blocked off the grate and clean from the firebox.

 

[muddstopper]

I dont agree that covering the coals with ash will snuff them out either. I once had a huge brush pile I have been burning for days. I kept adding brush to it. Anyways, When I ran out of time, I just used the dozer to push a pile of dirt on top of it. That heap set there all winter, Dec to March. I took the dozer and went to spread out the pile and it flamed up. Dont ask me why or to explain how, I just know that it did. As for taking the ash out of my stove, I usually do this in the morning before stokeing up the fire. Usually the ash up front next the door is just ash and all the coals are at the back of the stove. I will just shovel out a few scoops and dump in the bucket, rake the coals to the front and add wood. We get a few warm days with out a fire, I might clean out the whole stove, but usually its just a scoop full or two at a time.

 

[TonyK]

There was a guy from NYC who had a very, very nice log home here in town for a weekend getaway place. He loaned it out to a friend and when the guy left he was nice enough to empty out the fireplace ashes into a 5 gallon plastic bucket and leave them on the front porch. No more weekend getaway place.

 

[svk]

Wow!

 

[mijdirtyjeep]

There was a family a Christmas or two ago that put the ashes from a fireplace in the garbage can on Christmas Eve. The garbage can went up in flames that night and burned the house down. The entire family died in the blaze if I remember correctly.

Maybe mine was just carbon monoxide poisoning, Idk but I will not take the chance again. Ashes go into a steel bucket, lid goes on top and outside it goes outsider.

 

[turnkey4099]

Yep. Spokane has several examples of similar fires, ashes into a cardboard box on the deck, metal can full on the deck. I think I recall one using a paper sack. Stupidity should be make painful...well it is for the homeowner.

 

[Iaff113]

You would be amazed at how often people place ashes in plastic things. Or just take them out and throw them inside the house in a container. Every time I run a call for one of these i scratch my head


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[Mr Black]

Cleaning the ashes out of the fireplace is easiest while it's burning.

Take your spade and disturb the pile of ash/coal. The convection current will carry the ash up and out, leaving just the hot coals...

My stove Burns 24/7 when the temps are consistantly 49° or less.... And don't have any ashes to clean out....

 

[giver]

I usually put som dry soft wood in and burn it real hot, burns the ashes right out