Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[James Miller]

I don't remember who said to find the Kinco Ice Breaker gloves but I found some of those and the lesser-insulated "warm grips". Good stuff. Thanks whoever told me about that.

Next question. I thought I read on here about screening out coals from ash and leaving the hot coals but dumping the powder. Was that this thread?

I clean the ash out when there's coals left if its really cold out and I don't want to let the stove cool the whole way. Done it many times with the stove at 200* or better. A good set of heavy leather gloves comes in hand if your Gona dump the ash pan at that temperature and a metal ash can.

 

[woodchip rookie]

Thats not what I mean. I can dump ash when its hot. I mean seperating the powder from the hot coals and leaving the hot coals in the stove and dumping the powder

 

[James Miller]

That's what I just described clean the ash powder out and leave the coals there to rebuild the fire. With are stove the ash falls in the pan and 95% of the coals stay. Wasn't trying to be smart.

 

[MechanicMatt]

Furnace?? Hahahahaha, bought my house ran one winter paying the oil man to keep me warm. After that the stove went in. Within a year my wife was hooked. We'd be a BBQ and she'd see a dead standing tree and comment "how much firewood do you think is in that tree". Her sister mocked her once, then she asked her sister what they pay a year in oil, argument over....

Steel ash bucket is a must, I get mine from tractor supply, they usually last 3 years.

 

[woodchip rookie]

Wasn't trying to be smart.

I know. I must be missing something. I have a NC30. I dont use the ashpan. I shovel everything out into metal bucket. I think I will have to get a screen/strainer and shovel everything out, take it all outside and sift it outside then bring the bucket with the hot coals back in but that sounds like a pain. I just hate to throw 2 gallons of heat out in the ash pile.

 

[muddstopper]

I know. I must be missing something. I have a NC30. I dont use the ashpan. I shovel everything out into metal bucket. I think I will have to get a screen/strainer and shovel everything out, take it all outside and sift it outside then bring the bucket with the hot coals back in but that sounds like a pain. I just hate to throw 2 gallons of heat out in the ash pile.

I usually just take a shovel or two of ash out of the very front of the stove every time I fill it with wood. With a hole dug out next to the door, I rake it full of coals from the back of the stove and then pile in the wood. Since my draft controls are mounted on the door, everything close to the door burns first and is complete ash, so it might get a amber or two when I scoop out the ash, but 99.999% of the unburnt coals stay in the stove. On warm days, I let the fire die way down, (12-14 hr burn times), enough so that the stove is warm to the touch, and will scoop out as much ash as possible with out removing coals, rake the coals to the front of stove and pile it full of wood.

 

[Cody]

I usually just take a shovel or two of ash out of the very front of the stove every time I fill it with wood. With a hole dug out next to the door, I rake it full of coals from the back of the stove and then pile in the wood. Since my draft controls are mounted on the door, everything close to the door burns first and is complete ash, so it might get a amber or two when I scoop out the ash, but 99.999% of the unburnt coals stay in the stove. On warm days, I let the fire die way down, (12-14 hr burn times), enough so that the stove is warm to the touch, and will scoop out as much ash as possible with out removing coals, rake the coals to the front of stove and pile it full of wood.

I usually let it die out on weekends to scoop all the ash out, otherwise during the week, like you, I just shovel the large coals to one side and scoop most the ash out, then scoop the coals back to that side and scoop some more ash out.

I have a pair of leather insulated gloves that a pup chewed the cuffs off on one of them, they've been designated as the woodstove gloves now.

 

[JustJeff]

Same. On warm days or when the fire has burned down, I shovel the ash into a 5 gallon metal bucket. The hot bucket either gets set in the garage or outside depending on just how hot. I have an ash drawer but it’s a pain in the ash. Haha! So shovel it is.

 

[MustangMike]

Steve, the IT saw always was and always will be the 372xp. The greatest there ever was and the greatest there ever will be......

Heck yea, almost as light and almost as strong as an 044, what more could you want!!! (By the way Matt tells everyone he has dibs on my 044).

 

[Streblerm]

I know. I must be missing something. I have a NC30. I dont use the ashpan. I shovel everything out into metal bucket. I think I will have to get a screen/strainer and shovel everything out, take it all outside and sift it outside then bring the bucket with the hot coals back in but that sounds like a pain. I just hate to throw 2 gallons of heat out in the ash pile.

I have the same stove. I gave up on the ash pan too. I have a small rake. It’s like a kid’s version of a dirt rake. Every morning I rake everything to the front with a sort of lifting motion which brings the coals to the top. Then I push the coals to the back of the stove and take a couple shovels full of ash out of the front of the stove.

I use the rake on reloading as well with the same pull/lift motion to pull all the coals to the front of the stove near the primary air.

Using this method I was able to reduce what goes into the ash pan by about 1/2.

 

[James Miller]

I know. I must be missing something. I have a NC30. I dont use the ashpan. I shovel everything out into metal bucket. I think I will have to get a screen/strainer and shovel everything out, take it all outside and sift it outside then bring the bucket with the hot coals back in but that sounds like a pain. I just hate to throw 2 gallons of heat out in the ash pile.

It sounds like most people in this thread are running modern stoves. I'm using a 20 year old Vermont Castings so maybe its me that's missing something. Iv looked at the quadrafires? I feel like a new stove would pay for its self over a few years and being more efficient can't hurt.

 

[Streblerm]

It sounds like most people in this thread are running modern stoves. I'm using a 20 year old Vermont Castings so maybe its me that's missing something. Iv looked at the quadrafires? I feel like a new stove would pay for its self over a few years and being more efficient can't hurt.

Going from a VC Defiant to the Englander NC30 I went from burning 8 cords to 5. I also burn more into the shoulder seasons with the new stove as it is easier to keep a small fire. Burn times went from 4-6hrs to 8-10. The only regrets I have about the Englander is not putting it in sooner.

 

[farmer steve]

It sounds like most people in this thread are running modern stoves. I'm using a 20 year old Vermont Castings so maybe its me that's missing something. Iv looked at the quadrafires? I feel like a new stove would pay for its self over a few years and being more efficient can't hurt.

gotcha beat by about 35 years. the old Baker falcon in the shop was made back in the late seventies. the shop is about 70* right now.

 

[woodchip rookie]

I started with 2 Fishers, so I can run old stoves too. I still have my single door 3 vent Huntsman in the garage. Just trying to get more efficient with my process.

 

[JustJeff]

Everyone I talk to that has an englander, loves it. One of the few that will pass the upcoming epa regs.

 

[James Miller]

One more thing the EPA doesn't need to be involved in.

 

[chipper1]

Heck yea, almost as light and almost as strong as an 044, what more could you want!!! (By the way Matt tells everyone he has dibs on my 044).

Multiples of each, some ported and some stock .

 

[farmer steve]

good C/L ad here this morning.
https://york.craigslist.org/grd/d/know-what-seasoned-firewood-is/6428150012.html

 

[James Miller]

good C/L ad here this morning.
https://york.craigslist.org/grd/d/know-what-seasoned-firewood-is/6428150012.html

Any good saw deals on there?

 

[James Miller]

Multiples of each, some ported and some stock .

One of any would be good here.