Monthly Stove Clean Out, What Do You Guys Use?

[joshua mason]

no ashpan in my old sierra stove. shovel out about every 3 to 4 days. try to leave the hot coals. i like the idea of making some kind of sifter. may add that to my project lists.

 

[turnkey4099]

I have a "King" - knockoff of an Ashley not the "Blaze King" thingies. It has grates over an ash pan with no shakeer unfortunately. Depending on type of wood burned the ashes need to be raked down through the grates as they build up, many species dthe ash pretty much goes through the grates by itself. Best species for ash going through? Locust - hardly any raking needed. Worst? Red Elm. None of those ashes fall through without considerable persuasion .

When the ash pan is full, I pull it, carry it out, give a good 'swing' and the ashes spread outon the lawn. Been doing that 35 years now and I see no bad stuff happening...really don't see any 'good' happening either . Bad weather tends to concentrate the ash disposal in areas near the exit doors so there have been a few tons deposited in a few spots over the years.

Harry K

 

[Steve NW WI]

... Bad weather tends to concentrate the ash disposal in areas near the exit doors so there have been a few tons deposited in a few spots over the years.

Harry K

Kinda like the dairy farmers, the field closest to the barn gets the most "nutrients", no matter how much ya try to keep it even.

My big furnace has grates and an ash pan, no sifting needed, just dump the ash pan into an old metal tub every few days, cold ashes go on the lawn or driveway as needed. No fancy glass door to clean, can't see thru cast iron very well. If the stove goes out (seldom between now and late Feb.), I'll scrap the ashes down that didn't fall thru on their own, and go up the ladder and have a look down the chimney.

End of season gets spring cleaning, scrape all soot/buildup off the inside of stove, clean out bottom of stove, check and replace firebrick as needed, full chimney and stove pipe cleaning, etc. Gotta be ready when ya first feel that "brrr it's cold in here" - but do have a quick look down the chimney to make sure critters haven't snuck in and built a nest - ask me how I know this, never mind I'll tell ya.

First fire this year, I lit the stove and a couple minutes later started hearing the roaring sound of the chimney burning, and went outside to see sparks coming out the top of the chimney. Plenty of dew on the grass, and wind carrying everything away from the house, so I watched it and let it burn itself out. It was a scary few minutes to say the least. Note=my chimney is a lined block chimney, freestanding next to but not attached to the house. Id've been more worried and probably taken the hose to it if it were an internal chimney.

Best I can figure, some bird found a nice place for a nest this summer, and dry bird nest material catches fire real easy and burns fast. It won't happen here again.

 

[Streblerm]

I have an old Vermont Castings Defiant. It has no cat but does sort of have a secondary burn. It is big, throws a bunch of heat and is hungry for wood but it keeps me warm. I only "clean" the stove once a season. All I really worry about is the fine ash that builds up in the air passages.

As far as ash removal goes, i keep a small rake and shovel near the stove. I rake the coals to the back and shovel out a scoop or two of ash into a covered bucket that I keep outside the back door. Depending on what/how much I burn sometimes this is a daily ritual.

It is interesting how different woods leave different amounts of ash. I think it has to do with the bark as much as anything. I am burning almost exclusively silver maple right now and it doesn't leave much ash. The bark is very thin. Last year I burned a bunch of slabwood which has a high bark/wood ratio. I would clean several scoops every day with the slabwood. It seems like the thicker the bark, the more ash you get.

 

[mayhem100]

I have a Morso 3660 and use it as a side loader exclusively. When the ashes fill the firebox up to the bottom of the side door opening its time to clean it out. I'll wait itll whatever is in there to burn down to coals and then rake the top coals towards the front of the stove. Scoop up the ashes and coals in the back of the firbox down to the grates, rake the coals from the front to the back and clean that part out. Get the cover on the ash bucket and set it out on the gravel patio or in the middle of the basement floor for about a week before I dump it.

In the dead of winter with the stove running hard 24/7 I have to do the ashes every week or so, depending on what type of wood I'm burning.

 

[CrappieKeith]

With my BJ90 I'll dump my ash pan 2 or 3 times to every cord.

 

[tooold]

I have a Country brand stove that is epa non cat secondary burn. I did get the ash pan pedistal instead of the legs.
1. push all coals and ash to rear using home made tool
2. use home made coal rake to pull coals to front
3. use supplied tool to lift out plug in bottom of firebox
4. use home made ash scraper tool to shove all ash down hole.
5. replace plug
6. slide ash box out rh side and dump in metal trash can
7. start new fire
I do this every 1 to 2 weeks and it takes me about 5 min. I clean the glass about every 2 months with fireplace glass cleaner. Never vacuum cracks on the inside of stove.
I check chimney twice a year.

 

[logbutcher]

Most of the above posts are right on, especially "what's the big deal".

Some tips from too long flaming with wood:

1. IF you're using any wood stove for full time heating, empty/clean the ashes often. Like it's been said: in winter with 24/7 heating, the routine for most wood stoves is every day. Shoulder times, less ash emptying. You'll get more effective burning with less ashes.

2. For most species and stoves, ash will insulate live coals for days. Use a steel bucket for storage, or empty where there's no wind or chance or blowing live coals.

3. Warning: throw ashes with the wind. Wet finger to determine direction. And for sure, do not throw ashes against wind when it is raining or snowing.:hmm3grin2orange:

4. Too many ashes can clog cats.

5. Stoves that are deep below the doors, still need routine ash removal for efficiency.

No big deal. It's S.O.P.