Woodmaster Ash Auger

[oneoldbanjo]

Has anyone ever purchased or used the Woodmaster Ash Auger? I have owned my Woodmaster for one full heating season and it works really well. The ony thing that I think could make it better is if there was a way to remove the ash and leave the coals behind - my current method is to pick a Saturday morning and rake coals about every 15 - 20 minutes without adding wood until all the coals are burned away.....it takes a couple of hours to burn them up and then I showel everything out. I bought some metal hardware cloth with about a 1/4inch grid to make a shovel that will pick up the coals and let the ash fall out - and with it I plan on seperating the coals from the ash when cleaning out the excess ash. I only need to to this every couple of weeks.

If the Woodmaster Ash Auger would remove the ash and leave the coals behind it would be convenient.......but I don't know anyone that has one to let me know if they are a gimmick......or really handy.

 

[Butch(OH)]

I was going to purchase an ash auger with mine but the dealer talked me out of it. Still thinking about one for the reasons you stated. I thought about some kind of screen to seperate coals but have never started on it. My current meathod is to keep raking coals towards the door like WM tells us to do then when I have a pile of ash/coals accumulated every few days I shove a flat point shovel under them and shake it back and forth. This action floats the coals up and ashes down to the shovel. I then lift it straight up out of the stove and have mostly ashes to dump in my bucket. 4-5 shovels full every few days this way. Ash problems vary a lot with the type of wood burned. We burn some Sycamore in wammer weather and that stuff makes more ash than heat, Pine makes about the same heat but almost no ash, I realy dont mind having pine around to burn but dont have much of it. Ash auger system for my 4400 was over $400 last I checked a year ago.

 

[pipe welder]

I have had woodmaster 4400 for a year now. I have the augar and it basically worthless. The problem is not the augar but the steel plate above has only about one third enough holes for the ash to fall through. I use a garden hoe and rake to move things around and helps a little but still have to shovel out weekly. The ash hoe that comes with it is a joke. I considered modification of the plate but I think I will just sell the unit and build my own as I would like the option to burn coal also. Burns way to much wood for my taste anyway.

 

[abohac]

I have an auger and it works ok (gets the fines). Don't you have a grate? If you don't have a grate don't bother with an auger if you don't want coals removed.

 

[Mill R Time]

I have a 4400 also With ash auger and grate. the first couple of years i also thought it was worh less. Did what( butch) described. works ok,. But then I thought there has to be a better solution. this fall (the day before I fired it up) I cut MUCH larger holes in the grate baseball size holes, I don't use a rake but have a selection of rummage sale garden hoes, one round for the barrel some nice and square etc, work great . The trick is to pull the ashes that are fine by the door. Maybe you dont know this but the grate has a deflector , that when the draft fan blows it goes under the ashes, much better burn. Take the fine ashes, scrape them into the delector opening and turn it backwards? i know it sounds nuts but it holds like a 5 gal. bucket of ashes. at the end of the week crank em out or the days you have a little more time, this makes a complete burn of the ashes. all you need is the auger and crank get steel plate and cut some big holes. It took 4 years but I got er now take it for what its worth. Love the wood master IT burns all wood flawlessly

 

[pipe welder]

I wasn't bad mouthing woodmaster it is a good unit. The plate is the grate and has small slots in it, just not anyway near enough of them. If you hold your hand over the fan out put hole while it is running you will find it doesn't move much air. A bigger fan, more holes in the grate and some fire brick would make that puppy rock. These changes would cost woodmaster very little and it would make a cleaner burning faster recovery and maybe use less wood. The unit would olso be more user friendly.

 

[carney19]

The key to making the grate system work is making sure that you "stir" or rake the coals frequently.

I work for WoodMaster and also own a 4400 and I have found that the key to making it work is... When you fill your stove all that should be in the firebox is hot coals and ashes...very little, if any, whole or partially burned chunks of wood. If you take the extra couple of minutes, every time you fill, to use the "worthless" ash hoe (which I love and use all the time) and stir or move the coals around in the firebox it will greatly increase the success you have in ash removal. At the risk of sounding like a "homer" ....I love my Woodmaster!!

If anyone needs help or other info with their Woodmaster product don't be afraid to ask...I am the Tech. Writer for the company and usually have most of the answers at my fingertips.

 

[oneoldbanjo]

carney19. It is somewhat difficult for me to anticipate when I will only have ashes and coals in the furnace - our weather is somewhat unpredictable and my wood pile presently is a mixture of species and age that I have gathered up and does not burn consistenly with each filling. I leave for work at 6 in the morning and I often have evening meetings that can last until 10 at night and I need to keep enough wood in the furnace to burn for my 16 hour work days. On 40 degree days I need to add about a wheelbarrow's worth of wood once a day and on 20 degree days I have to add that much wood in the morning and at night. I generally stir the ashes and move the wood when I get up in the morning and at night before I go to bed - even if I only need to load wood once a day.

My reason for posting this thread is that I have found it somewhat time consuming to get the fine ashes to the bottom and the coals on top during normal routine operation and loading with wood - especially when there will normally be some wood left over that is still burning. About once every two weeks on a weekend I can let the wood burn out and I keep raking coals to get the ashes all burned up. Since the air does not flow up through the ash bed in the Woodmaster I have found that the coals do not burn very deeply from the air passing over top - and it is necessary to rake and re-rake to get the coals completely consumed.

I will be building a tool that will allow me to sift/filter out the coals from the ash. My plan is to use the hoe to push everything to the back - then use the new tool to pick up some ash/coal mix and sift the coals out so I can bring them up to the front of the furnace to be burnt. I have found that the coals really don't burn up well if you throw wood on top of them...the wood gets the air and burns before the coals do. I plan on my tool looking like a grain shovel with hardware cloth for a bottom - you just pick up a shovel full and shake it to let the ashes drop out and leave the coals behind.

 

[carney19]

I understand your problem. The auger system that we make works the best if you use it frequently...once every 2 or 3 fills. Just auger it out into a steel 5 gallon pail and replace the lid on the pail to snuff out any excess embers.

I personally don't use the auger system but I do have the grate. I modified it with a kickstand that drops down when you lift the grate. Then I scoop out the ashes with a shovel.

Be sure to take pics of the ash shovel when you get it finished and tested...sounds cool.

 

[magnumhntr]

The key to making the grate system work is making sure that you "stir" or rake the coals frequently.

I work for WoodMaster and also own a 4400 and I have found that the key to making it work is... When you fill your stove all that should be in the firebox is hot coals and ashes...very little, if any, whole or partially burned chunks of wood. If you take the extra couple of minutes, every time you fill, to use the "worthless" ash hoe (which I love and use all the time) and stir or move the coals around in the firebox it will greatly increase the success you have in ash removal. At the risk of sounding like a "homer" ....I love my Woodmaster!!

If anyone needs help or other info with their Woodmaster product don't be afraid to ask...I am the Tech. Writer for the company and usually have most of the answers at my fingertips.

In that case, how is the gasifier coming along? I talked to Chuck about 2 weeks ago and he said sometime mid summer is when they will be up for sale. I am anxious to see one in action and get some field reports back from it. Anything you can tell us about it thus far?

Thanks!

Chris

 

[HUSKYMAN]

Carney good to have you aboard, its nice to have people around that know what they are talking about

I didnt get the auger on my WM, I just figured it would be one more place for ashes and corrosion to build in the firebox, and more work to clean it. I thought the whole point of the auger was to clean the ashes out without having to restart the fire? The way you guys make it sound thats not the case. If so I am glad I did not get one.

Carney whats the best procedure for cleaning a Woodmaster to get it ready for the summer? Just shovel out as many ashes as possible and then wash it out and oil it? Whats a good type of oil to use?

Thanks

 

[abohac]

The key to making the grate system work is making sure that you "stir" or rake the coals frequently.

I work for WoodMaster and also own a 4400 and I have found that the key to making it work is... When you fill your stove all that should be in the firebox is hot coals and ashes...very little, if any, whole or partially burned chunks of wood. If you take the extra couple of minutes, every time you fill, to use the "worthless" ash hoe (which I love and use all the time) and stir or move the coals around in the firebox it will greatly increase the success you have in ash removal. At the risk of sounding like a "homer" ....I love my Woodmaster!!

If anyone needs help or other info with their Woodmaster product don't be afraid to ask...I am the Tech. Writer for the company and usually have most of the answers at my fingertips.

Carney, You build a good stove. I bought mine 6 years ago and have been very happy.

 

[carney19]

Magnum....I really wish I could tell you something about the new stove...however, I am under a strict "gag order". I can tell you that we are testing and fine tuning right now and that I have seen it, watched it and ultimately loved it!! It is one sweet little unit. Sorry I can't say more. I will find out if there is anything more that I am allowed to tell and I will get back to you.

Husky...In our stoves around the shop, we use a type of peanut oil. It is environmentally safe and works good. Don't use automobile oil...not good for the environment. As for the cleaning ....you can pm me your email address and I can email you the '08 version of the owner's manual. Not too sure if it will give you any more info but you are welcome to it.

In the end there is really no substitute for elbow grease when cleaning.