Am I doing this right?

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Boom Stick

Boom Stick

Feeling the Heat
Oct 26, 2011
312
Capital Region, NY
So this is my first season burning wood. I have an Avalon Perfect Fit insert. From my experience I have to clean this stove out every three to four days or the ashes get too deep and limits the amount of wood I can load into her at one time...My question is about cleaning my stove out. I use a shovel and a small galvanized can with a lid...looks like a small garbage can. Seems like I get a lot of ash flying out of the can and into the air as I clean out. I do own an ash vacuum but don't suck up coals with it. I shovel very gently and take my time but ash flies up every scoop. Just looking to see how experienced folks handle this task. My fires burn directly on brick so there is no screen or ash pan. Just looking to limit how much ash gets in my air as I am not looking forward to breathing in these particulates every year for 4 or 5 months. Thanks!
 
Boom Stick said:
So this is my first season burning wood. I have an Avalon Perfect Fit insert. From my experience I have to clean this stove out every three to four days or the ashes get too deep and limits the amount of wood I can load into her at one time...My question is about cleaning my stove out. I use a shovel and a small galvanized can with a lid...looks like a small garbage can. Seems like I get a lot of ash flying out of the can and into the air as I clean out. I do own an ash vacuum but don't suck up coals with it. I shovel very gently and take my time but ash flies up every scoop. Just looking to see how experienced folks handle this task. My fires burn directly on brick so there is no screen or ash pan. Just looking to limit how much ash gets in my air as I am not looking forward to breathing in these particulates every year for 4 or 5 months. Thanks!
Click to expand...
I just go at it as gently as possibly and then don't have much of a problem.
 
Leave some ash in the bottom of the can. Then don't dump the ashes in, lower the scoop in with the ashes still on it, stab the scoop end it into the ash that is in the bottom of the can, then slowly lift the scoop away leaving the pile of the ash from the scoop almost just laying on the ashes you stabbed the scoop into. Move slowly during the entire process. This will greatly limit the amount of ashes disturbed and flying into the air.
 
If possible empty ashes when there are no hot coals. When the ashes are hot they tend to drift up out of the can. If they are hot make sure the ash can is close to the stove opening. This helps a little.
 
Hogwildz said:
Leave some ash in the bottom of the can. Then don't dump the ashes in, lower the scoop in with the ashes still on it, stab the scoop end it into the ash that is in the bottom of the can, then slowly lift the scoop away leaving the pile of the ash from the scoop almost just laying on the ashes you stabbed the scoop into. Most slowly during the entire process. This will greatly limit the amount of ashes disturbed and flying into the air.
Click to expand...
X2, this works really well and I rarely see much ash that is airborn. Since you have the vac, while dumping the ash, hold the vac hose over the bucket to capture ash ash that is getting away.
 
Hogwildz said:
Leave some ash in the bottom of the can. Then don't dump the ashes in, lower the scoop in with the ashes still on it, stab the scoop end it into the ash that is in the bottom of the can, then slowly lift the scoop away leaving the pile of the ash from the scoop almost just laying on the ashes you stabbed the scoop into. Most slowly during the entire process. This will greatly limit the amount of ashes disturbed and flying into the air.
Click to expand...

I found the same thing out on my own one day while taking out the ashes and I can say it truly does work if you do it this way.
 
I leave my ash can outside and use a regular square end shovel, it takes two loads to empty the ashes, but you gotta take your time and it leaves no ashes inside.
 
Before I got my stove with an ash pan I use to do the same thing Hog stated above but I also used a damp towel draped over the bucket to help suck up any ash that didn't want to cooperate.
 
The big key is to not overload the shovel and then, as stated by others, never, never, never dump the ashes from the shovel. Gently slide the shovel out from under the ashes. Move slowly. There is no need at all to have ash dust.
 
Backwoods Savage said:
The big key is to not overload the shovel and then, as stated by others, never, never, never dump the ashes from the shovel. Gently slide the shovel out from under the ashes. Move slowly. There is no need at all to have ash dust.
Click to expand...
Good point. The most important thing here is not to be in a hurry. Otherwise you risk to have ash dust all around you.
 
Boom Stick said:
So this is my first season burning wood. I have an Avalon Perfect Fit insert. From my experience I have to clean this stove out every three to four days or the ashes get too deep and limits the amount of wood I can load into her at one time...My question is about cleaning my stove out. I use a shovel and a small galvanized can with a lid...looks like a small garbage can. Seems like I get a lot of ash flying out of the can and into the air as I clean out. I do own an ash vacuum but don't suck up coals with it. I shovel very gently and take my time but ash flies up every scoop. Just looking to see how experienced folks handle this task. My fires burn directly on brick so there is no screen or ash pan. Just looking to limit how much ash gets in my air as I am not looking forward to breathing in these particulates every year for 4 or 5 months. Thanks!
Click to expand...

This is a bit pricey, but might be a product that would be worth it for you. I had the same experience as you did with the ash going airborne. I bought one of these and now dump the ash in the galvanized can outside. Any airborne ash is now outside of the cabin. It has been worth the cost for me.

Bill

http://www.amazon.com/Ash-Dragon-Sc...04H0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1329282127&sr=8-2
 
I also do the same as Hogwildz. My ash bucket has a tight fitting lid, so when I slide the ashes off the shovel and bring the shovel out of the bucket, I close the lid on the bucket and go back for another shovel full. Works well - not much ash "gets away" from me!!
 
realstihl said:
If possible empty ashes when there are no hot coals. When the ashes are hot they tend to drift up out of the can. If they are hot make sure the ash can is close to the stove opening. This helps a little.
Click to expand...
This is how I keep my ashes in the stove. I hold the ash can right up tight to the stove opening and tip it in a bit. It only works well if I still have a decent draft going in the stove, the draft acts like a vacum cleaner and sucks the loose flying ash into the stove.
I also cut my shovel handle short so I can turn it easier to dump the ash in the ash can while it's tipped towards the stove opening. The short handled shovel also allows me to scoop the ash sideway inside my stove.
With a cold stove and no draft, the "move very slowly" method works better.
 
That is interesting, not sure how well it would work on a hot stove though? I try to wait till it's warm outside to clean mine so I can let it go cold, but it takes 2-3 days for that to happen. Good thing my stove holds alot of ash too. When burning 24/7 I clean it out every 3-4 weeks.

nelraq said:
I also do the same as Hogwildz. My ash bucket has a tight fitting lid, so when I slide the ashes off the shovel and bring the shovel out of the bucket, I close the lid on the bucket and go back for another shovel full. Works well - not much ash "gets away" from me!!
Click to expand...
 
NATE379 said:
That is interesting, not sure how well it would work on a hot stove though? I try to wait till it's warm outside to clean mine so I can let it go cold, but it takes 2-3 days for that to happen. Good thing my stove holds alot of ash too. When burning 24/7 I clean it out every 3-4 weeks.

nelraq said:
I also do the same as Hogwildz. My ash bucket has a tight fitting lid, so when I slide the ashes off the shovel and bring the shovel out of the bucket, I close the lid on the bucket and go back for another shovel full. Works well - not much ash "gets away" from me!!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Didn't think you had to clean ashes from a BK :snake:
 
Haha. I wish it would hold more ash cause I hate cleaning it. My folks heated their home with a homemade stove, it would hold a TON of ash. We would clean it out once or twice a winter and it would fill up 3 5 gal pails without trouble.
 
I use a shovel and a small galvanized can with a lid…looks like a small garbage can.
Click to expand...
Exactly what I use. Go slow with one hand on shovel and one hand on lid. Sneak in the shovel load like trying to put a mouse in there without it getting loose. Works like a champ.
 
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