unloading ashes

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ejevans22

Member
Feb 7, 2010
37
south east pa
I haven't been on this forum for a while because I finally got my stove put in and have been preoccupied with that and my baby boy who is 6 months. I have a question about unloading ashes from my stove. I have a napoleon 1400 free standing ( without an ash pan ) and it now being 24 degrees outside all the time it seems like there is never a good time to unload ashes so that i can load more wood. Is there a trick to unload ashes when you burn 24/7? Thanks, Ed
 
I rake all the hottest coals to the back of the stove. Then, I tip my ash buckets so that the whole mouth is facing towards the inside / back of the stove. Then I take a scoop of ashes, shake off any large chunks, and put the powder in the bucket. By having the bucket tipped into the stove, the ash dust get sucked up the chimney rather than being dispersed around my house.

pen
 
I like that technique if your bucket is small enough or tall enough...the ash cloud flying into the air are definitely the issue. Pretty difficult to tame when they are still hot. I try and scoop the ashes and lay them into the bucket SUPER slow to avoid the cloud - like I said - works great when they are cold but still get dusty when they are hot.
 
Same issues here. Burning 24/7. I'll have to try the tilt the ash bucket technique. I know how I do it now there is a cloud that coats everything around my stove.
 
The trick here is to find a bucket designed specifically ashes, they have them out there, you just need to hunt them down. I was at a Home Depot a few weeks ago and they had a really nice steel bucket with a steel lid, perfect for ash. I use an old ash bucket that doesnt have lid, but I have an old piece of welding blanket I put over it to keep the dust in and not flying about.

Craig
 
I just don't use the stove for a day or two. At a warm temp like 24* the house would stay warm for a day easy so it's no problem. Worse case scenario, I just fire the boiler.
 
pen said:
I rake all the hottest coals to the back of the stove. Then, I tip my ash buckets so that the whole mouth is facing towards the inside / back of the stove. Then I take a scoop of ashes, shake off any large chunks, and put the powder in the bucket. By having the bucket tipped into the stove, the ash dust get sucked up the chimney rather than being dispersed around my house.

pen

this is exactly what i do.
works AMAZING.
i have NO ash dust in my home after i started using this method.
 
No special tools are required and no special ash container is required. I started dealing with ashes when I was 6 years old and had a problem exactly one time; my firs time. I learned very quickly that ashes can be handled cold, warm or hot without making any cloud of dust. No mess needs to be made at all. I've posted in many other threads on how to do this but the trick is to do everything slow and gentle. That is all that is required.
 
I'm lucky in that my stove sits within an arms length of my outside doors. I sit my ash bucket right outside the door, and empty each scoopful of powder outside into the bucket then close the door. Ya I do have to open and close the door about a dozen times on each cleanout, but its worth it to not get the the dust in the house.
 
In the morning when the stove is coolest one of us will shovel out 3 or 4 scoops from the front, then rake the hot coals forward. As to the few hot coals that sometimes get shoveled in the bucket...meh, who cares, they'll radiate heat too while they sit in the capped bucket. Takes so little time most folks could probably hold their breath doing this.
 
One day I asked myself "self, why do you keep shoveling little shovels of ash over and over?" So I built a mega-shovel that gets all the ash in one scoop. I carry the scoop outside and dump in my ash bucket. This gets me done quick, keeps my stove temp up and back to burning.

I also have a screening basket in my ash bucket that lets me separate my hot coals from ash and return them to the stove if I want. Again, happens in one trip.
 
wahoowad said:
One day I asked myself "self, why do you keep shoveling little shovels of ash over and over?" So I built a mega-shovel that gets all the ash in one scoop. I carry the scoop outside and dump in my ash bucket. This gets me done quick, keeps my stove temp up and back to burning.

I had a similar epiphany other than the mega shovel part. As soon as the job is done, the top goes on the ash can and it comes right back in the house.

As far as the hot stove goes, I push everything to the back with the coal shovel. Then rake the coals front left with a garden cultivator. Scoop with the shovel until I am down to coals. Rake the coals again. Repeat until that side is done and then do the left side. At the end, there is a nice pile of coals to throw the reload on top of.
 

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NATE379 said:
I just don't use the stove for a day or two. At a warm temp like 24* the house would stay warm for a day easy so it's no problem. Worse case scenario, I just fire the boiler.
Nate: you let your stove go cold for up to 2 days in order to shovel ash?? Do you burn 24/7 normally? I can't imagine letting my stove die for even one day during this time of the year. Cheers!
 
I just scooped out the ashes, for the first time, yesterday. I used the equipment in the attached pic.

I waited until the stove got down to coals and was ready for a reload...I lifted the bucket and placed the lip of the bucket on the bottom ledge of the stove door opening...then I placed one hand under the bottom of the bucket, and lifted it so the bucket opening was pointing into the stove...with the other hand I scooped the ashes and dumped them into the bucket...the draft pulled the dust and ash back into the stove...nothing got out into the house...if anything had gotten in the house and settled on the furniture, my wife would have let me know about it...she has said nothing, and she has no idea that I even scooped it out yet...placed the lid on the bucket and took it outside...make sure you wear gloves while holding the bucket, it gets very hot.
 

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Backwoods Savage said:
No special tools are required and no special ash container is required. I started dealing with ashes when I was 6 years old and had a problem exactly one time; my firs time. I learned very quickly that ashes can be handled cold, warm or hot without making any cloud of dust. No mess needs to be made at all. I've posted in many other threads on how to do this but the trick is to do everything slow and gentle. That is all that is required.
I agree with Denis
 
splitnstack said:
I'm lucky in that my stove sits within an arms length of my outside doors. I sit my ash bucket right outside the door, and empty each scoopful of powder outside into the bucket then close the door. Ya I do have to open and close the door about a dozen times on each cleanout, but its worth it to not get the the dust in the house.

Wow! This seems like the strangest way of emptying ashes I've ever heard of. For sure I would not want to do things this way. Opening that door a dozen times while emptying ashes seems like it would make the work about 10 times more difficult and time consuming than necessary. In addition, what if there is a wind gust? Flying ashes! Also, if this is a deck, I would hope you also remove that container from the deck right away. Many house fires have started this way when folks don't realize there can be some hot coals in there. These hot coals can last a few days too.
 
We burn 24/7, so have to empty the ashes every 2 to 3 days. (We do have an ashpan, but something similar might work for you.) Normally, I go outside and dump the ashpan into an old dairy pail. If the weather's too cummy, we can avoid the ash cloud as follows:

We burn full-cycle fires -- we don't reload until the stove top thermometer temp is around 200, even though the coals remain hot. I bring in an old Pizza box, or other stiff cardboard, and a large split. Opening the cardboard, and setting it down on top of the stove so half of it overhangs the front of the stove, the split is put on top of the stove, on the cardboard, so the cardboard will not fall off. (Two stove doors, here) One door is open just enought to put the pail in front of the firebox door-opening. THE ASHPAN IS ON THE HEARTH, BUT THE ASHPAN DOOR IS CLOSED, INCREASING THE DRAFT THROUGH THE OPEN FIREBOX DOOR. A small flat shovel is used to manually shovel ashes from the pan to the pail. If done too quickly, there may be an ash cloud, but all particulate matter is sucked back into the firebox and up the chimney. The cardboard forms a hood at the top of the open firebox door. The partly open firebox door, the ash lip, and the other closed firebox door (in your case, the front edge of the door opening) form a closed "flue" which draws quite well. We put away everything away, reload, and burn. This 'oughta work shoveling straight out of the firebox. 'Might be worth a try.

Of course, if your stove top is over...I dunno', maybe 250...you might not want to use a cardboard "hood" ???

Regards,
 
wahoowad said:
One day I asked myself "self, why do you keep shoveling little shovels of ash over and over?" So I built a mega-shovel that gets all the ash in one scoop. I carry the scoop outside and dump in my ash bucket. This gets me done quick, keeps my stove temp up and back to burning.

I also have a screening basket in my ash bucket that lets me separate my hot coals from ash and return them to the stove if I want. Again, happens in one trip.

One day I asked myself, "Self, why do you shovel all the ashes and coals from the stove?"

I guess if it works, go for it.


I just do not understand all these posts about emptying ashes and how folks keep saying it is such a mess. Then others post that they also scoop out the coals with the ashes. Such a waste of hot coals!


Here it is again: We simply use a poker and slide the coals to one side of the firebox. Then with a small ash shovel, get a shovel full. Do not over fill the shovel or you might be sorry. Now very gently, VERY GENTLY, move the shovel into the ash container and slowly and gently lower the shovel to the bottom of the container. At this point, the ashes are still on the shovel. Now, slide the shovel gently from under the ashes. Note: there is a difference between dumping the ashes from the shovel from sliding the shovel from under the ashes.

When you get the ashes out (but not all of them. Leave at least 2" of ashes in the stove), simply slide the hot coals to the side you have cleaned and then clean the other side. This all takes very little time and makes a potential dirty job very easy and clean.

If this is done properly, and a child can do this, you will not have ash dust all over the place. Simple, easy and fast.
 
fdegree said:
I just scooped out the ashes, for the first time, yesterday. I used the equipment in the attached pic.

I waited until the stove got down to coals and was ready for a reload...I lifted the bucket and placed the lip of the bucket on the bottom ledge of the stove door opening...then I placed one hand under the bottom of the bucket, and lifted it so the bucket opening was pointing into the stove...with the other hand I scooped the ashes and dumped them into the bucket...the draft pulled the dust and ash back into the stove...nothing got out into the house...if anything had gotten in the house and settled on the furniture, my wife would have let me know about it...she has said nothing, and she has no idea that I even scooped it out yet...placed the lid on the bucket and took it outside...make sure you wear gloves while holding the bucket, it gets very hot.

fdegree, if you don't "dump" the ashes there will be no dust to contend with. Sit the shovel into the bucket, gently, and when it is at the bottom, then slide the shovel out from under the ashes. No dust!
 
Backwoods Savage said:
fdegree said:
I scooped the ashes and dumped them into the bucket

fdegree, if you don't "dump" the ashes there will be no dust to contend with. Sit the shovel into the bucket, gently, and when it is at the bottom, then slide the shovel out from under the ashes. No dust!

Thanks for the pointer, Dennis...I truly appreciate your input.

I've read numerous posts of yours, describing this method...I originally started off doing it that way, and it worked very well. But, with some things I become rather impatient. It just so happens my patience wore out, so I lifted the bucket and started dumping the ashes...for no other reason than to get it done faster. Don't ask me why...your method would not have taken much longer.

I can't explain it...with some things I have the patience of Job, and with other things I can't wait one more second.
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fdegree, always remember that Job turned out pretty well in the end!
 
Backwoods Savage said:
No special tools are required and no special ash container is required. I started dealing with ashes when I was 6 years old and had a problem exactly one time; my firs time. I learned very quickly that ashes can be handled cold, warm or hot without making any cloud of dust. No mess needs to be made at all. I've posted in many other threads on how to do this but the trick is to do everything slow and gentle. That is all that is required.

I was so excited to hear the trick to your life lesson of unloading ashes and then i came upon "slow and gentle." it was almost like reading " be sure to drink your ovaltine."
 
ejevans22 said:
Backwoods Savage said:
No special tools are required and no special ash container is required. I started dealing with ashes when I was 6 years old and had a problem exactly one time; my firs time. I learned very quickly that ashes can be handled cold, warm or hot without making any cloud of dust. No mess needs to be made at all. I've posted in many other threads on how to do this but the trick is to do everything slow and gentle. That is all that is required.

I was so excited to hear the trick to your life lesson of unloading ashes and then i came upon "slow and gentle." it was almost like reading " be sure to drink your ovaltine."

Almost like Mother telling you to wear clean underwear because you might get into an accident and have to go to the hospital.
 
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