what do you all do to clean out the ashes

When cleaning out hot ashes from a hot stove, I open a window to allow more air up the flue and much of the dust gets sucked back into the stove. Don't dump the ashes into the pail. Lower the shovel down to the bottom of the pail, place a cover over the pail, and slide the shovel out from under the ashes gently so as not to raise as much dust.

I do it the same way, and have the same problem. I tip them off the shovel and into the bucket very slowly. It helps when the stove/ashes are cold, for some reason they aren't as dusty.

abby4000 said:

Any tips and or tricks to cleaning out the ashes out of my insert while NOT getting ash dust all over the place. My current method is using a steel bucket and shovel the ashes in. Problem is I always get a fine dusting of ashes all over the mantel and fireplace. It drives me nuts. I have even tried putting some water in the bucket in hopes to "catch" the ashes so they do not make a mess of my house.

Thoughts?????????????

Click to expand...

1) By nature burning wood is a dirty business. So just get used to that idea.

2) You could mist the ashes with a spray bottle before you start shoveling.

3) Shop Vac.

Same as LLigetfa I have what looks like an very over sized gravy bowl the nose of it fits into the stove opening so all ashes/fines go straight up the flue.

*apparently it's called a coal scuttle...sorry.

Someone in another thread made the suggestion of pushing the shovel full of ashes into the ashes already in the can, then pull the shovel out of the pile. It perhaps makes more sense once you do it. You need to have the ash can tilted (or have one of those fancier ash carriers that allow you to insert your shovel at a near horizontal angle). I have found that following this method seriously reduces the amount of ash that goes airborne from the ash pail.

Beyond this I do many of the above suggestions - a nice hot flue and door of the stove open to help draft the ashes into the stove and up the chimney to be dealt with another day.

Werm said:

Same as LLigetfa I have what looks like an very over sized gravy bowl the nose of it fits into the stove opening so all ashes/fines go straight up the flue.

*apparently it's called a coal scuttle...sorry.

Click to expand...

I wish it all went up the flue but invariably some still lands on the wife's Chip and Dale furniture.

Another name for it is coal hod. The angled spout lets you lower the ash shovel at such an angle to not dump on the way down. I push the loaded shovel down into the ashes and then tip the shovel and pull it out.

This is what I've been using for a couple of years . It works better than other methods that I've used .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB9U0lZCWbA

I tell my son it's time for him to empty the ashes. That's why we had kids.

I asked the same question here and got some good replies

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/46897/

and the best I can do is be real careful not to dump the ash into the bucket. a drop of an inch or two makes dust. If you angle the bucket and do it p a t i e n t l y you can reduce the dust. Make sure you don't put too much on the shovel, make it a 5 minute job rather than 2 minutes

Just watching that video that Nixon posted shows why most folks have a problem with ash dust all over the place. You can tell that guy does not know how to handle ashes!

The key to handling ashes is to handle very, very easy with extremely slow movement. Also, you never "dump" the ashes nor do you shake the container like that goofball did in the video. That gives you dust.

I was taught as a 6 year old boy how to empty ashes from a stove and was slapped silly if I got dust all over. Rather than dumping ashes, you always slide the ashes into the shovel and then slide the shovel from the ashes. That is, get the shovel to the bottom of the container very gently, sit the tip of the shovel on the bottom while slowly raising the handle and then gently slide the shovel from the ash. Done properly there is no need for ash dust. Handle with kid gloves, so to speak.

Im surprised being from Canada you would say "you all" I would think it should be "how do you clean out the ashes, A" I use the ash pan that came with the stove. Seems to be the only way I can do it with out a big frigging mess. Now if you dont have a pan?

Bigg_Redd said:

abby4000 said:

Any tips and or tricks to cleaning out the ashes out of my insert while NOT getting ash dust all over the place. My current method is using a steel bucket and shovel the ashes in. Problem is I always get a fine dusting of ashes all over the mantel and fireplace. It drives me nuts. I have even tried putting some water in the bucket in hopes to "catch" the ashes so they do not make a mess of my house.

Thoughts?????????????

Click to expand...

1) By nature burning wood is a dirty business. So just get used to that idea.

2) You could mist the ashes with a spray bottle before you start shoveling.

3) Shop Vac.

Click to expand...

What Redd said. I run the vac near the top of the bucket to catch the finer stuff before it gets too far

Backwoods Savage said:

The key to handling ashes is to handle very, very easy with extremely slow movement. Also, you never "dump" the ashes nor do you shake the container like that goofball did in the video. That gives you dust.

I was taught as a 6 year old boy how to empty ashes from a stove and was slapped silly if I got dust all over. Rather than dumping ashes, you always slide the ashes into the shovel and then slide the shovel from the ashes. That is, get the shovel to the bottom of the container very gently, sit the tip of the shovel on the bottom while slowly raising the handle and then gently slide the shovel from the ash. Done properly there is no need for ash dust. Handle with kid gloves, so to speak.

Click to expand...

It's very Zen.
A good time to practice slowing down and not rushing through everything in your life.

i just sit in my little seat in front of the stove,open up the ash tray door and empty out the ashes outside then replace the ash tray and shut the door.
what could be easier ?

like redd says firewood is a dirty business :-/

Backwoods Savage said:

Just watching that video that Nixon posted shows why most folks have a problem with ash dust all over the place. You can tell that guy does not know how to handle ashes!

The key to handling ashes is to handle very, very easy with extremely slow movement. Also, you never "dump" the ashes nor do you shake the container like that goofball did in the video. That gives you dust.

Click to expand...

You're absolutely right that the guy demonstrating it was doing it wrong .
I just posted the video to give the OP a picture of what I use . It just eliminates one step in the ash removal process .
But , as You said ,slow ,and careful is the best way to remove ash regardless of what method You use .

Back when I had my Earth stove I had a bucket that fit right into the stove. The ash went up the chimmney as I shoveled it and had very little mess when removing it from the stove.

In the AM after a full night burn
Open damper air fully
Open door slowly to get good draft.
Aluminum pail and shovel and a wet towel near stove door.
Pull ash forward slowly with ash hoe.
Scoop with small shovel
Lower shovel into pail and cover with wet towel.
Pull shovel out slowly.

Not dust floating anywhere. You will get steam from the hot ashes under the wet towel. I call it my morning facial