What Stoves Have The Best Ash Pan?

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leeave96

Minister of Fire
Apr 22, 2010
1,113
Western VA
I really like the ash pan on my Woodstock Keystone - the only thing lacking is a set of grates like in the old days where I could shake the ashes out of the coals.

I'm just courious - in your opinion, what stove has the best ash pan and ash pan set-up and why?

Thanks!
Bill
 
I can only speak of the Isle Royale, but the ashpan works pretty well. If I HAD to complain, I would like to see it a bit bigger, but the grate on the floor of the stove to the pan works well and the removal of the pan is easy. The ones that don't make any sense to me are the ones that you have to pull a "plug" and then sweep the ashes into it. Bad design in my opinion.
 
We used to burn a VC Encore and I thought it had a very clever ash pan design. It sat in a frame and swung out with the access door. You could then take the ash pan removal tool, which slid over the top of the ash pan and allowed you to remove it, sealing the ashes in place while you toted it out of the house or where ever.
 
I love the ash pan in my Jotul Oslo . . . mostly due its size as it is very large. Like Jags I could never figure out the purpose of having an ash pan where you need to pull a "plug" to drop the ashes into it.
 
The only real complaint I have about my Englander 30-NC is the extremely small, and rather useless ash pan. It also uses the plug mentioned above.
 
Also never use the ash pan, though it might make a good bun warmer. Fortunately the T6 has a big deep belly that takes a lot of ash to fill up, so cleanouts are not too frequent.
 
FYI VC encore ash pans have a reputation for not seating properly. Mine needed to be adjusted, the door was out of alignment.
 
When we lived in Michigan our house had a large Tremont stove. This stove was actually a wood-coal combination and the floor of the firebox had a big coal grate. This was super for getting rid of ashes but keeping the good coals. You just had to move them a bit and they would fall into the huge ash pan for dumping. I was a dummy in that we left that stove when we sold the house and moved to South Carolina. The new homeowners wife did not want that nasty old stove in her house so they carried it to the dump. I cried when I herd that. But to answer your question any coal stove with a coal grate would work super with wood ashes. David
 
Great topic, as I'm frustrated with ash dust getting in the house when I empty my Woodstock Fireview. I was talking about ash removal with my in-laws on Christmas day. They used to have a VC Encore that did have that great removal system. My old VC Resolute Acclaim also had a drawer, but no cover. All in all, it was a pretty good removal system.
 
I'm another PE user that doesn't use the ash pan-more trouble than it's worth. It's easier to shovel it out.
 
I have an older Dutchwest Large which has a good ash pan. However, my Jotul Oslo's is very, very good. It was one of the deciding factors when I was shopping for a stove.
 
The one I really liked belonged to my brother-in-law. It was a huge wood/coal burner out of a house basement. 5 ft tall, with a firebox almost 3 feet across. It had a large round heat chamber around the top with connections for ductwork. To clean the ashes, you put a 5/8" socket on a flex-handle and turned the grates. Ashes were easily removed with a scoop shovel, a wheelbarrow full at a time. He used it to heat a 30'x80' workshop.
 
Have never used the ash pan on my T5 because of all of the complaints from other PE owners. I'm fine with that. I take a couple of shovels of ash out now and again and burn on what's left in the box. No complaints with that.
 
My previous stove was an Extra Large VC Dutchwest. It had a great ash pan. The pan ran the length of the fire box and was directly under it with a grate system.
My current stove, Buck 91, has an ash system but it is small and it is a lot easier to just shovel them out. Works for me.
 
My Mansfield ashpan is, IMO, a complete waste of time. The ash grate on the stove floor needs to be pushed open to allow the ash to fall to the pan, but larger coals then get trapped in the grate slots and prevent the grate from sliding shut. I also find the ash pan to be more mess than simply shoveling out the ash using the old method. Why don't wood stoves have shaker grates?? Cheers!
 
I love the ash pan on both my stoves. If the Morso was a touch bigger it could hold 2 days worth of ashes but other than that, no complaints!
 
I don't even use the one on my Oslo any more. I think it's a pain and could of been designed a bit better. I don't like the way the ashes build up in the rear of the pan. When I pull the drawer out it gets scraped off and falls into the box and has to be scraped out for the pan to fit back in. I can make less mess by shoveling it out when needed. I guess it would work ok if I was cleaning every 2 days or so. I was actually thinking on fitting a piece of steel plate over the back quarter of the grate to keep the ash more up front. Maybe this summer I will try that.
 
I also love the Keystones ash pan. Every time I rake the coals ash fall through the grates into the pan. Just open the door, slide out the pan and dump outside. No fuss or mess.

Woodstock sells an ash pail for the Fireview that sits right under the door and it's not too messy since the fly ash gets sucked back in through the door but there are occasions where you bump the shovel or lose your grip and dump the ash all over. My next stove will have an ash pan and probably be a top loader.
 
Mad Tom said:
I don't even use the one on my Oslo any more. I think it's a pain and could of been designed a bit better. I don't like the way the ashes build up in the rear of the pan. When I pull the drawer out it gets scraped off and falls into the box and has to be scraped out for the pan to fit back in. I can make less mess by shoveling it out when needed. I guess it would work ok if I was cleaning every 2 days or so. I was actually thinking on fitting a piece of steel plate over the back quarter of the grate to keep the ash more up front. Maybe this summer I will try that.

Seems like that would be a plan that would work. ;-)
 
The ash pan on my 2010 Quad 4300 Step is as useless as boobs on a bull. To use it, first, the stove has to be cold. My stove is always cold, especially during the winter. Then, they give you some lame tool that you use to lift the "plug" off with. After removing the plug, you're supposed to rake the ashes into the hole, empty out the ash pan, replace the plug and then relight your stove.

totally stupid.
 
The Dutchwest has a good system, a grate and a slide out ash pan. The ash pan will only hold one days ashes so I empty the first thing in the morning before I open the firebox or change any setting on the stove. With a pair of welding gloves I carry the pan outside and empty into a metal container. The ash pan does-not have a cover, but if the ashes are undisturbed it's pretty clean.
 
The one on my Jotul is great. It has the grate on the bottom and ash pan underneath. The on my VC was great with similar design. the one on the PE Summet sucks! It wouldn't be so bad if the box was deeper. it only has a trap door with a huge ash bin, but a 1.5 x 1.5 or 2 x 2 in trap door in the front left corner as you view it. Pain in the a$$ if you ask me. Certainly not worth the extra dollars to have it as an option.

jmho

cass
 
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