How much dust do you get from your stove

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kingfisher

New Member
Apr 2, 2009
107
Michigan thumb
Seems like I'm getting a bit more dust in the house this winter compared to last winter. My stove is 2 years old.
 
Ask my wife and she'll say too much. But actually it's not bad this year in spite of burning more year than last. Are you cleaning the ash out more frequently this year? Or was the wood dustier?
 
That may do it. I run a shop vac with the upholstery tool on it and let it hang over the door to capture some of the dust as I shovel out the ash.
 
BeGreen said:
That may do it. I run a shop vac with the upholstery tool on it and let it hang over the door to capture some of the dust as I shovel out the ash.
+1 but just remember: ensure there's a filter on your shop vac. I forgot to put mine back on after using it to pick up water and it blew the dust even further!!

Andrew
 
Yes, I have a sheetrock dust filter on the pleated filter in the Shop Vac. It works pretty well.
 
Not too much, surprisingly. I can tell the difference in dust quantity between stove seasons and the rest of the year, but just barely. We have fairly good draft, and the side loading door has almost no tendency to spill smoke or let ash fly out, even when raking. The other big potential source of dust comes when removing ash from the stove. Again, I get very little indeed. I pull the ash pan every 5 to 8 days, and do so first thing in the morning. That way, the contents of the pan are as cool as they can be during 24/7 burning, and that reduces the tendency for ash to kick up out of the pan on the thermals. I carry the ash pan to the garage to empty it into a small metal trash can, and I do see some dust in that area. If I had a stove where I had to shovel the ashes out, I'd imagine I'd get more dust in the house.

Used to get a LOT more dust with the old VC top-loader. As good as that bypass airflow was with the damper open, it couldn't completely capture all the gases and dust during loading, especially as a split or my arm broke the airflow pattern. As much as I liked the convenience of top-loading at the time, I'm glad to be side loading now. My wife is glad, too.
 
Live in the woods, surrounded by agricultural operations, with 2-5 large dogs in and out and in and out all day..

what dust?

;-)
 
No dust from the stove. Some from the wood.

There is no need to get dust from emptying ashes if you do it right and no special tools or equipment is required either. We've never used anything like vacuums or wet cloths or any of that stuff as it is totally unnecessary. Simply handle the ash as if it were gold dust! Easy does it and never drop ashes into a container. That is what causes the ash dust. Just gently sit the ash shovel into the container and then slide the shovel out from under the ashes. That is a big difference from dumping the ashes off the shovel. Try it.
 
I agree with Dennis, limited handling does wonders. The Jotul Oslo has an ash pan, I remove the pan every 3-4 days and bring the ash right outside and place it into another container until it cools.
 
BeGreen said:
Yes, I have a sheetrock dust filter on the pleated filter in the Shop Vac. It works pretty well.

I also put a wet sock on the outlet as insurance.
 
myzamboni said:
BeGreen said:
Yes, I have a sheetrock dust filter on the pleated filter in the Shop Vac. It works pretty well.

I also put a wet sock on the outlet as insurance.

Excellent idea. I clicked on this thread cuz I am a clean freak. I treat ash like its anthrax when I remove it.
 
I can attest to the shop vac thing......Had a thread about it a while back....filter was old, husband was trying to help out in stove room tidying up with the vac, long story short, dust everywhere through the house!!!! No more shop vac.....minimal dust....end of story.
 
myzamboni said:
BeGreen said:
Yes, I have a sheetrock dust filter on the pleated filter in the Shop Vac. It works pretty well.

I also put a wet sock on the outlet as insurance.

I just got my soot eater and am planning my first use of it. Does the sheet rock filter work for soot?

The wet sock sounds like it might help too. Buying some hose and running it outside might work as well.
 
I get rammy when I mess with the stove and rake stuff all around and ashes fly everywhere, scoop it out and just dump it into the bucket, etc. It makes a huge mess. When I'm careful it makes a huge difference.

FIL had his Black lab over and he rolled around on the carpet (even after a good vacuuming) and the dog was suddenly gray. This isn't my primary living space, but is more of a second living room. That was the instigator for me to be a little more careful with the ashes. Just moving slowly and carefully makes a huge difference. I still get more dust on everything in that room than elsewhere in the house, but I probably get the same layer of dust on stuff in one month as I was getting in one week. I borrowed mom's carpet cleaner, too, and the crap that thing had in the bucket was pretty nasty looking. I really wish i had hardwood down there like the rest of the main floor at my house.

I do run an air filter in that room, but it doesn't filter out the heavier ash particulates that seem to fall where they want without being drawn to the filter. I haven't tried putting the filter right next to the stove, though. That might help when the door is open.

Burning wood can be pretty messy if you don't take care. It requires some work, but you can be pretty clean about it, if you try.
 
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