Crusty ash in EKO firebox

[Tony H]

Went to clean out the last ash from the boiler and all the loose stuff came out fine and then ran into quite a thick layer of crusty hardened ash at the rear and some on the sides just below the "rails" in there. I got alot of it off but wondering if left would it cause damage to the wall of the boiler ? Seems like must have had more this year because I don't really remember having to do that much scraping the last two years.

 

[stee6043]

I don't think you're going to damage the boiler by not getting 100% of the junk out. Do you spray some WD40 or anything after you scrape? I do along with adding desiccant for the summer. I sleep well at night...

 

[Tony H]

No have not sprayed anything , I just leave the doors open all summer.

 

[benjamin]

For the record I have no EKO and no basement, but you might be careful about leaving the door open all summer where ever the eko is. You could easily get condensation as the temperature and humidity vary, the mass of the water will contribute and the chimney being open could draw air and moisture in. The ash sounds like it just got nice and hot and solidified a little, probably no more or less corrosive than any other ash, but you sure don't want it to get wet. It may be better to close it up and keep it filled with really dried wood to act as a dessicant.

just my two cents.

 

[stee6043]

For the record I have no EKO and no basement, but you might be careful about leaving the door open all summer where ever the eko is. You could easily get condensation as the temperature and humidity vary, the mass of the water will contribute and the chimney being open could draw air and moisture in. The ash sounds like it just got nice and hot and solidified a little, probably no more or less corrosive than any other ash, but you sure don't want it to get wet. It may be better to close it up and keep it filled with really dried wood to act as a dessicant.

just my two cents.

+10. I believe the EKO manual suggest blocking the chimney and spraying the inside of the upper chamber down before sealing it up for the summer (doors closed). I shove a towel in my chimney, clean upper and lower chambers as good as possible, spray a little WD40 in the upper chamber, insert two canisters of dessicant (one top, one bottom) and close the doors tight for the summer. I don't think you want air circulating through the boiler during summer, in my opinion...