Too much ash in stove

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HighHeat22

Member
Sep 29, 2011
172
southern michigan
I have a question that I needed some advice on. I have had a rough time keeping a good fire in my stove all morning and yes I am burning the same wood that I have had all season so far that has burned fine. I had a lot of ashes in my firebox, more than usual, well it was time to clean out and I left a good size of hots in the middle and cleaned out the sides and re- loaded my stove and wow its burning great. So does the ash in the firebox affect the fire/burn or diminish the air in any way. I know this sounds crazy but its burning great now.
 
Too much ash might limit air flow along the bottom of the stove. I would say 1" to 2" of ash is good as it also acts as an insulator for the coals. I also have an air hole on the front side of the stove near the base. Be sure to clear any ash away from that so air flows.
 
No it does not sound crazy, my old stove and the new one both work better with only the min. amount of ashes.
 
Too much ash can block the air coming in . . . and reduce the amount of wood . . . and provide additional insulation to the base . . . but generally I don't find the amount of ash affects the way the fire burns . . . just that it provides insulation and helps preserve the coals . . . which is why I try to keep 1-2 inches in the firebox, which for me is emptying the ash pan twice a week or so when going 24/7.
 
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