Fettles and Kettles and Lollipops

[sandie]

I posted this as a reply to someone one elses post but it should be a new post really so here it is
Guys, I have a dumb question- I have the two door Resolute of 1985 vintage. Ash Fettle- what is that? I have no ash pan to my knowledge. The air that comes into the stove is from the "Thermostat" and the secondary air hole which is on the left side toward the back. So I am not sure how much ash to leave in the bottom of the stove, what is a fettle, does it have to be cleaned out? From what I can tell the secondary hole does not communicate to where the wood is and the ash build up is am I correct? I am trying to figure out a way to vacuum out the hole on the side since my stove sets between stone walls so there is 2 or so inches on either side of the stove and the walls so can not fit a vacuum hose in there to suck out any fine ash collected but think it is there. I fashioned a blow gun thing with 1/2" pipe that is normally used for sinks etc and took a 90 degree angle and put it at the end of this pipe and then put a small piece of some pipe I cut off and put it in the 90 degree and it in the hole and blew and ashes came out very fine ashes so I am thinking if I take cardboard, make a 1/2hole and put vacuum on that cardboard so it seals all but the 1/2" hole I might be able to suck this stuff out without making a huge mess? Other ideas how to clean out the hole for the secondary?
Fettle= stripes of mettle on floor of stove for holding wood? what is it for and how many are there and is it important to know?
As it is, when the stove is cold I have a small shovel and shovel out ash but never know how much should be in there and how much to take out. Should I leave the charcoal coals or remove them? What is the purpose of leaveing ashes in the stove? Insulation but how much is too much or not enough. There are holes at the back of the stove that are clear of ashes, I make sure but is that how the ashes get into the secondary pathway that I am trying to suck out ? Does a roaring fire suck those holes toward the fire so the ash come out of there on its own? Sorry for all the questions but I want to do this right and want to know the answers.

 

[DAKSY]

Without getting too specific, the ash fettle is the removable cast iron
"fence-like" part that's at bottom of the of the fire box opening at the
front of your stove, either behind the doors when they close, or
just under them.
HTH

 

[sandie]

So do all wood stoves have them or only ones with ash tray? There is something down at the bottom of my stove that feels more like a grate. How much ash is enough and how much is too much?
Another question- Can I use pine cones for firestarters and if so do they put off creasote? Another question, how about pine for kindling? what is the story with Pine and creasote? Does it need a really hot fire to be able to burn Pine or is that a wives tale and should be able to burn it as long as it is dry or never?

 

[DAKSY]

So do all wood stoves have them or only ones with ash tray? There is something down at the bottom of my stove that feels more like a grate. How much ash is enough and how much is too much?
Another question- Can I use pine cones for firestarters and if so do they put off creasote? Another question, how about pine for kindling? what is the story with Pine and creasote? Does it need a really hot fire to be able to burn Pine or is that a wives tale and should be able to burn it as long as it is dry or never?

Actually most stoves DON't have an ash fettle...
A good bed of ashes will protect the bottom of the stove,
but I wouldn't let it get deeper than an inch...
Use the pine. It's wood it'll burn & won't put any more creosote deposits
in your system than any other wood...
If you lived in Alaska or the Great White North, you wouldn't have a choice...

 

[sandie]

so where did the idea come from about pine and creosote? I am burning the pine for kindling but not much else Is creosote from burning to low temp? I have a hard time getting my stove up to temperature for an hour or longer. Is that a creosote factory?

 

[firefighterjake]

I posted this as a reply to someone one elses post but it should be a new post really so here it is
Guys, I have a dumb question- I have the two door Resolute of 1985 vintage. Ash Fettle- what is that? I have no ash pan to my knowledge. The air that comes into the stove is from the "Thermostat" and the secondary air hole which is on the left side toward the back. So I am not sure how much ash to leave in the bottom of the stove, what is a fettle, does it have to be cleaned out? From what I can tell the secondary hole does not communicate to where the wood is and the ash build up is am I correct? I am trying to figure out a way to vacuum out the hole on the side since my stove sets between stone walls so there is 2 or so inches on either side of the stove and the walls so can not fit a vacuum hose in there to suck out any fine ash collected but think it is there. I fashioned a blow gun thing with 1/2" pipe that is normally used for sinks etc and took a 90 degree angle and put it at the end of this pipe and then put a small piece of some pipe I cut off and put it in the 90 degree and it in the hole and blew and ashes came out very fine ashes so I am thinking if I take cardboard, make a 1/2hole and put vacuum on that cardboard so it seals all but the 1/2" hole I might be able to suck this stuff out without making a huge mess? Other ideas how to clean out the hole for the secondary?
Fettle= stripes of mettle on floor of stove for holding wood? what is it for and how many are there and is it important to know?
As it is, when the stove is cold I have a small shovel and shovel out ash but never know how much should be in there and how much to take out. Should I leave the charcoal coals or remove them? What is the purpose of leaveing ashes in the stove? Insulation but how much is too much or not enough. There are holes at the back of the stove that are clear of ashes, I make sure but is that how the ashes get into the secondary pathway that I am trying to suck out ? Does a roaring fire suck those holes toward the fire so the ash come out of there on its own? Sorry for all the questions but I want to do this right and want to know the answers.

I would strongly suggest not vacuuming ash out of a woodstove with a conventional vacuum . . . even if it appears as though the ash/coals are dead. There is too great a risk of a live coal being sucked up by the vacuum and then having it catch the vac on fire. The only time I take a vacuum to my woodstove is at the end of the burning season . . . and that's after the stove has not had a firebox in it for more than a week or two.

I generally try to leave 1-2 inches of ash/coals in my stove. Keep the coals -- even the dead ones -- they'll burn and actually catch on fire fairly easily. These are untapped BTUS so you don't want to toss them. out. I level out the ash in my stove so I don't end up with a high side in the stove which can prevent the longer splits and rounds from fitting all the way in. The dual purpose of leaving ash in the stove is to a) provide some insulation in the floor of the stove and b) more important to you perhaps when you're looking for a longer burn, it will allow the hot coals to stay lit longer so after several hours (or on an overnight burn) you can rake up the ash and find enough hot coals that were insulated by the ash . . . the hot coals hidden in the ash will allow you to get a draft and restart the fire easier.

Generally I try to leave a small gap where the air enters the firebox . . . but in truth I suspect the air finds its own way through the coals.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

fet·tles. Metallurgy. To line the hearth of (a reverberatory furnace) with loose sand or ore in preparation for pouring molten metal. [From Middle English fetlen, to make ready, possibly from Old English fetel, girdle.]

This is from the American Heritage Dictionary.