Ash

[HappyCamperMan]

Happy New Year!

I've heard that it is best to not remove all ash from my wood stove but, rather, to leave about 1" for insulation purposes. True? Also, is there an issue with too much ash in the woodstove? In other words, what if I'm lazy and leave a bunch of ash in before starting a new burn?

Thanks.

 

[tcassavaugh]

i find it burns better with some ash in it too. i have an ash grate and pan which makes it all the more easier for me and my little Jotul.

 

[mark cline]

Happy New Year!

I've heard that it is best to not remove all ash from my wood stove but, rather, to leave about 1" for insulation purposes. True? Also, is there an issue with too much ash in the woodstove? In other words, what if I'm lazy and leave a bunch of ash in before starting a new burn?

Thanks.

I always leave about an inch, just in the middle of the fire box . Then build my fire on top . It gives a little insulation to the bottom of the stove . Its what the owners manual said . Leaving excessive ash will cut down on the firebox volume , where you won't be able to add as much wood . Up until now ,I only started a fire at night then it went out over the next day , then repeat. Our daytime temps have been in the 40'sF, so a continuous fire is not needed . I remove ash when it starts to create a mess or when the fire is out . If we get a normal winter , removing ash on the fly is more the norm..

 

[firefighterjake]

Happy New Year!

I've heard that it is best to not remove all ash from my wood stove but, rather, to leave about 1" for insulation purposes. True? Also, is there an issue with too much ash in the woodstove? In other words, what if I'm lazy and leave a bunch of ash in before starting a new burn?

Thanks.

True.

No . . . unless you have so much ash that there is not enough room for any wood.

You heat with wood . . . you are a wood burner . . . by the very definition you are not lazy and are A-OK to leave a bunch of ash in the firebox.

 

[FirewoodAddict]

Happy New Year!

I've heard that it is best to not remove all ash from my wood stove but, rather, to leave about 1" for insulation purposes. True? Also, is there an issue with too much ash in the woodstove? In other words, what if I'm lazy and leave a bunch of ash in before starting a new burn?

Thanks.

From the looks of it you have a Clydesdale as do I. I burn 24/7 and every morning I will scoop out the ash halfway between front lip of the opening and the floor of the stove, approx. 2" of ash left over. I am in the hunt for a good coal sifter which should give me a little more room in the box for more wood with more coals and less ash!

 

[HappyCamperMan]

Thank you, all. Yes, I have a Clydesdale. I'm a newbie and learning from the wealth of experience on this site. I'm focusing on figuring out how to get the most heat possible from my insert. Today I finally figured out that I need to be a bit more patient in shutting down the air. I was closing it too far, too fast. I'm now trying to figure out how to load my stove. I've got a lot of room left after I put in a few splits. So, maybe rounds? Or maybe I should quarter some splits?

 

[enchant]

Not sure which is worse on this forum - necro-ing old posts or asking questions that could be answered by searching. This is what I found and it's related to what I need to know.

I have a new Jotul Castine stove. It replaced my old 602. I also have a fireplace insert in another room. This Castine has an open grate in the bottom which empties into an ash pan. This is my first experience with something like this. In the past, I generally left the ash in place. It rarely built up through the daily burnings. I might empty the Jotul 602 once a month, and I'd leave it in the insert all season and shovel it out in the spring. There would be less than a gallon of ash at that point. I'd heard that a layer of ash is good for insulation and the fire burned better.

The Castine is leaving a lot more ash, and I need to empty the ash pan every morning. However, I might be doing things incorrectly. In the morning, I rake around the coals and pull the ash into the grate and down into the ash pan. Should I not be doing this? Should I just leave it alone and only empty what has fallen naturally into the ash pan?

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

i find the more ash i have in the stove the longer the coals and embers stay hot to start a new fire in the morning. 3 inches of ash i can always rake the coals and just toss more wood on in the morning. If i empty the ash then im rebuilding fires from scratch every morning.

 

[enchant]

I'm not yet comfortable enough with this new stove to fill it before going to bed. So the coals will probably be cold for me regardless.

 

[saydinli]

I am in the hunt for a good coal sifter

I stumbled across this the other day. Might be worth a try

http://www.ashdragon.com/products/ash-dragon-sifter