ASH ?

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sbk12rs

sbk12rs

Member
Hearth Supporter
Dec 29, 2009
29
Smithfield , RI
We still haven't used the Quad 24/7 , hasn't been cold enough .

But it got me wondering if I'm getting lazy about the ash . I haven't been cleaning it out between fires .

Like tonight , there was about an inch of ash across the whole floor of the stove with some half fist sized unburnt mixed in .

I tossed a couple splits , paper and some pine to get her started and its off to the races .

So ................ ?

Do you clean out the ash before you start a fire ?

If the fires hot enough it seems like the ash will burn ??? true ?

Just wondering ............

( Its an older 3100 WITHOUT the ash pan )
 
A bed of ash is a good thing. I clean about when it starts spilling out the door.
 
A bed of ash will help keep the coals hotter longer, as long as it's not too much to smother them.
 
Just about two weeks of 24/7 burning,I'm sure I can go another two weeks easy before cleaning out some burnt ash.
 
Same here, and when I empty it out I don't clean it all out, leave like ~1" or so.

BeGreen said:
A bed of ash is a good thing. I clean about when it starts spilling out the door.
Click to expand...
 
When safe to do so, I get the ash can and take out the ash, leaving about a half inch to one inch of ash on the bottom, leveling it off, and cleaning it from around the air inlet and door. I'm of the mind to make sure I don't allow too much to build up. I want as much room for re-loading, as possible.

-Soupy1957
 
on week 3 here. love raking he a 3 inch pile of ash olny to find some blazing hot coals underneath
 
We leave a couple inches of ash in the stove.


sbk12rs, you are not only causing yourself more work than necessary but you are also not having the best fires if you clean the ashes like that. Ashes are also a great insulator to help protect your stove. Let those things pile up, like BeGreen suggests and you will have better fires. When it is time to clean ashes, just use a poker and gently move the hot coals to one side, scoop out the ashes, leaving a couple inches, then move the coals and repeat. Also, handle ashes like they are explosives. Never dump them into the ash container! Get ashes on the shovel and then very gently lower the shovel into the ash container and then, important, slide the shovel out from under the ashes. Never dump those ashes or you will have white dust over a lot of your home. Handled with care it can be a very easy job and you might also find that weekly ash cleanout is enough for most times. That varies though. Sometimes we got 2 weeks (spring and fall) and other times (mid winter) we may have to clean ashes every 4th or 5th day.
 
sbk12rs said:
We still haven't used the Quad 24/7 , hasn't been cold enough .

But it got me wondering if I'm getting lazy about the ash . I haven't been cleaning it out between fires .

Like tonight , there was about an inch of ash across the whole floor of the stove with some half fist sized unburnt mixed in .

I tossed a couple splits , paper and some pine to get her started and its off to the races .

So ................ ?

Do you clean out the ash before you start a fire ?

If the fires hot enough it seems like the ash will burn ??? true ?

Just wondering ............

( Its an older 3100 WITHOUT the ash pan )
Click to expand...

I almost never clean out the ash, hubs does more frequently though. If it's not up to about the door lip (over an inch I think) I don't feel like the fire lasts near as long, leaving the ash gives it a nice deep coal bed and the burns are definitely longer, it provides insulation for those coals, a lot of BTUs lost if there's nothing to keep those coals hot!
 
Dunno about what Quadrafire recommends, but PE manuals call for leaving a 1 inch ash bed which I do.
 
Just finished cleaning ours out for the first time this year and we've been lit since the 2nd of October.
 
sbk12rs said:
We still haven't used the Quad 24/7 , hasn't been cold enough .

But it got me wondering if I'm getting lazy about the ash . I haven't been cleaning it out between fires . And you shouldn't . . . you really want a layer of ash in the stove . . . it helps preserve the coals and will make running the stove a lot more pleasurable. Only clean out the ash when it builds up too much . . . and as for cleaning out the entire stove . . . wait until late Spring to do that task. See . . . you weren't lazy . . . you were being smart.

Like tonight , there was about an inch of ash across the whole floor of the stove with some half fist sized unburnt mixed in . 1-2 inches is good . . . having some unburned coals is even better . . . the coals will catch quicker and get you going faster.

I tossed a couple splits , paper and some pine to get her started and its off to the races .

So ................ ?

Do you clean out the ash before you start a fire ? I[b] think I answered this question . . . but again it's a definite no. Ash is good.[/b]

If the fires hot enough it seems like the ash will burn ??? true ? Ash burn . . . no. Will ash help you with a fire by providing insulative qualities that can preserve coals . . . and do coals burn . . . yes.Just wondering ............

( Its an older 3100 WITHOUT the ash pan )
Click to expand...
 
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