Was just curious how often you guys clean the ash out of your wood stove? It only takes a few minutes, but I clean it out every morning before starting a new one. If I don't, the box gets small pretty quick. Was curious about others.
Cleaning ash from wood stove
- Thread starter coachgrd
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I drive my tractor up to the stove and fill the bucket full then take it out and dump it in a low spot in the woods. I only have to clean mine out a couple times a year. Usually the last time for the year I get 2 buckets full
We have a stove I had fabricated about 30 years ago. It heats the house easily. We empty ashes about every 10-15 days, and that is usually about a 5 gal. bucket. It's real efficient, heats the house easily. Furnace has not been on this winter. KCP&L probably thinks the meter is broke!!
I have a VC Montpelier insert and I have to do it weekly. Fills a 3 gallon ash bucket. The time also depends on the wood type and temperature. If I run it damped to get long burn throughout the night, I end up with more ash, but in the form of chunks of carbon. Seems if I burn it hot, more for looks, but lose some heat in the fast draft, i get more fine ash. I go for a happy medium.
On your stove, do you have a separate ash drawer? Sounds like not. You should be able to go at least a week. Are you dampening down the fire at all so it isn't running full blast? if not, that will cause a lot of ash, but not nearly as much heat overall.
On your stove, do you have a separate ash drawer? Sounds like not. You should be able to go at least a week. Are you dampening down the fire at all so it isn't running full blast? if not, that will cause a lot of ash, but not nearly as much heat overall.
85Hokie
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Ok,
I got a question for you wood burners -
I had a bud of mine a while back that SWORE......that IF the wood was cut down (tree) directly AFTER a full moon......that it left LESS ash behind when burned.
When I burned wood - I really did not care if/when it was cut, as long as it was dry, and sometimes when my supply was low, a green piece would get in the stove too!
But I am curious as to the "ash" based on when tree was cut.
I got a question for you wood burners -
I had a bud of mine a while back that SWORE......that IF the wood was cut down (tree) directly AFTER a full moon......that it left LESS ash behind when burned.
When I burned wood - I really did not care if/when it was cut, as long as it was dry, and sometimes when my supply was low, a green piece would get in the stove too!
But I am curious as to the "ash" based on when tree was cut.
You get more ash when the bark is on. I burn 24/7 and like was said, the hotter the fire the finer the ash. I try to keep a steady fire during the day, but damp it down at night and get easy to start up chunks of charcoal in the AM. As for cleaning out the ash, if there is a lot of fine ash I shovel it into the metal bucket and put it in the bulkhead until I go outside to the 55 Gal. ash barrel, but when it comes to how often I shovel out the ash, at least every other day, if not take a little out every day, be sure to leave some ash on the bottom to help the next fire get started and burn better.
I have a tiny wood stove, but it’s very efficient. I cut my wood 12”-14” as 16’s just wont fit. It has an ash box, that I empty twice a week. I usually let the fire go out every afternoon, so it’s start new every morning. I can get a couple little shovels out every morning, and I keep an ask bucket by the stove. It takes a week or two to fill the maybe gallon and a half ash bucket. I think the wood you burn says more about the ash, than anything. I got a semi load of birch mostly, with about 20% red fur. The birch burns great, but the bark leaves more ash than fur or Tamarac.
All that being said, I LOVE sitting in front of a warm real fire in the morning watching the sun come up.
All that being said, I LOVE sitting in front of a warm real fire in the morning watching the sun come up.
Lil Foot
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I have an insert fireplace with a very small ash capacity, & I try & knock off any bark before I bring wood in, lots less ash produced when wood is clean. I burn mainly oak, with an occasional piece of Scraggly bark Cedar or Alligator bark Juniper for aroma/atmosphere.
When it's time to clean, I let the fire burn out. Then I put about 2-3gals of water in a steel 5gal bucket, & shovel the ash into that while using an old, small shop vac to suck up the dust. When I'm done, it's easy to pour the ash slurry out.
No chance of starting any fires with the dumped ashes.
When it's time to clean, I let the fire burn out. Then I put about 2-3gals of water in a steel 5gal bucket, & shovel the ash into that while using an old, small shop vac to suck up the dust. When I'm done, it's easy to pour the ash slurry out.
No chance of starting any fires with the dumped ashes.
North Idaho Wolfman
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We quit using a wood stove 2 years ago, love the pellet stove!
When we did I would say it really depended on what wood we were burning and the condition of the wood.
Western larch, Red fir and Birch are the best here, but I liked cottonwood for the spring and fall overnight wood, then burn slow and cool.
I must have had a good stove because I only cleaned ash about every 3 weeks to a month when it was running 24/7 and for 7 cords I would only take out the 3 gallon bucket 6 or so times a year.
In contrast, I can run the pellet stove all winter and only produce one 3 gallon bucket of ash.
When we did I would say it really depended on what wood we were burning and the condition of the wood.
Western larch, Red fir and Birch are the best here, but I liked cottonwood for the spring and fall overnight wood, then burn slow and cool.
I must have had a good stove because I only cleaned ash about every 3 weeks to a month when it was running 24/7 and for 7 cords I would only take out the 3 gallon bucket 6 or so times a year.
In contrast, I can run the pellet stove all winter and only produce one 3 gallon bucket of ash.
I also have a ussc stove model 1402 wood only, 30 yrs old with original blower motor, great stove. But it has a small ash drawer, needs to be emptied every 2 or 3 days
I thought I was the only one burning several cords...I'm going through almost 2 a month...
We just had a Regency i3100 installed in the fall. If I'm burning seasoned dry oak, then I can empty the ash down to an inch or two at the bottom every couple of weeks...thats considering I burn 24hrs a day...
I did receive a delivery of wet wood..black walnut. It was sizzling when it burned. I was cleaning out ash and wood chunks every other day....that stopped when I got seasoned oak delivered...
coachgeo
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it all comes down to size of stove. Like another poster in here.. mine is tiny... 12 to 14" logs is all that fit but then again home is only about 700sqft. Normally when cold in evening (only time it is used. cause no one is home otherwise) you have to add a log an hour. Have to clean ash out before every new use (daily) and there is no ash tray. It will not hold enough wood to go all night so needless to say..... it does not get fed overnight thus it burns out... burn less than on cord a winter
BUT.... when do clean out ash; I sift the ash thru a piece of expanded metal and keep the Bio Charcoal (not much) and throw that back in. On re-light it gets hotter faster that way allowing you to reach efficient burn temps quicker.
BUT.... when do clean out ash; I sift the ash thru a piece of expanded metal and keep the Bio Charcoal (not much) and throw that back in. On re-light it gets hotter faster that way allowing you to reach efficient burn temps quicker.
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I heat exclusively with wood.
The parlor stove is a Vermont Castings with an ash drawer that is pulled out when the front door is fully opened. The design is a royal PIA! The ash pan needs emptied every other burn session. Continuous burn would make the task most disagreeable.
The main house heat is a Fisher log wood stove. 28 inch wood fits comfortably.
In the cold of winter, lots of wood is put through the door of that stove. The ash is emptied every other week or "as required".
I use a sand shovel to scoop out the ash and cinders after a "down day" with no added wood.
The sand shovel is backed up with an aluminum grain shovel to catch any ash that might fall off the sand shovel. Manipulation of the two tools is not difficult even if making the way out doors through both entry door and storm door of the house can require deft manipulation of elbow or knee ;-)
The ash can is set outside. two paces from the door. The distance serving to keep the rising ash from infiltrating the house.
The two shovels have proven effective at containing any ash that may drop from the sand shovel.
It all works for me...
The parlor stove is a Vermont Castings with an ash drawer that is pulled out when the front door is fully opened. The design is a royal PIA! The ash pan needs emptied every other burn session. Continuous burn would make the task most disagreeable.
The main house heat is a Fisher log wood stove. 28 inch wood fits comfortably.
In the cold of winter, lots of wood is put through the door of that stove. The ash is emptied every other week or "as required".
I use a sand shovel to scoop out the ash and cinders after a "down day" with no added wood.
The sand shovel is backed up with an aluminum grain shovel to catch any ash that might fall off the sand shovel. Manipulation of the two tools is not difficult even if making the way out doors through both entry door and storm door of the house can require deft manipulation of elbow or knee ;-)
The ash can is set outside. two paces from the door. The distance serving to keep the rising ash from infiltrating the house.
The two shovels have proven effective at containing any ash that may drop from the sand shovel.
It all works for me...
I'm a pellet stove convert as well. Had a regular woodstove for years and years. Cut and split all my own wood for it.
Now with the pellet stove, it's a heck of a lot less work, but still get the nice heat of a fire.
Only downside I have felt, is cleaning (scraping) out the burn pot. That can be a bit of a chore. Because we don't heat exclusively with the pellets though, it only gets done every couple of weeks.
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Do any of you guys that have wood pellet stoves worry about Carbon Monoxide off-gassing from bags of wood pellets? I know some people buy the pellets in bulk and store the bags on pallets in their garage.
CO is a byproduct of combustion. Unless your pellets are on fire I cannot see how they would produce CO. On the wood stove front I have 3.5 cord through the Blaze king and have produced about 5 gallons of ash. Which is 3 cleanouts as the stove has a large 6 inch deep belly. Well seasoned wood burns well and leave little deposits behind if you. Are a effort to burn down your coals before reloading.
Once a day, usually in the AM
I made a second ash pan so it’s an easy swap in / out.
Stove is a Jotul Rangeley
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