What Stoves Have The Best Ash Pan?

[SteveKG]

My Rais has the best I've used. Large and has a cover for carrying outdoors. Nice, since it is often windy here and an uncovered ash pan and the opening of the front door to the porch would otherwise result in an ash storm in the house. When using the stove every day, I only have to empty the ash pan once a week or so. Very nice.

 

[dougand3]

Like many Vermont Castings and Dutchwest, the Resolute Acclaim has the ash pan under the shaker grate - covers the entire firebox. Behind main door. Works pretty well except shaker grate lever don't do alot of shakin'. I rake ash around with shovel and it falls through.

 

[firefighterjake]

I don't even use the one on my Oslo any more. I think it's a pain and could of been designed a bit better. I don't like the way the ashes build up in the rear of the pan. When I pull the drawer out it gets scraped off and falls into the box and has to be scraped out for the pan to fit back in. I can make less mess by shoveling it out when needed. I guess it would work ok if I was cleaning every 2 days or so. I was actually thinking on fitting a piece of steel plate over the back quarter of the grate to keep the ash more up front. Maybe this summer I will try that.

When burning hard and furious I'll switch to dumping the ash twice a week which seems to cut down on the amount of ash that ends up in the ash pan box . . . but even with a bit of the ash spilling over it's not a big deal since when I return I simply take 15-20 seconds to scoop out the ash in the ash pan box, dump it into the ash pan and then put the ash pan back . . . very quick and easy.

 

[Mad Tom]

I don't even use the one on my Oslo any more. I think it's a pain and could of been designed a bit better. I don't like the way the ashes build up in the rear of the pan. When I pull the drawer out it gets scraped off and falls into the box and has to be scraped out for the pan to fit back in. I can make less mess by shoveling it out when needed. I guess it would work ok if I was cleaning every 2 days or so. I was actually thinking on fitting a piece of steel plate over the back quarter of the grate to keep the ash more up front. Maybe this summer I will try that.

When burning hard and furious I'll switch to dumping the ash twice a week which seems to cut down on the amount of ash that ends up in the ash pan box . . . but even with a bit of the ash spilling over it's not a big deal since when I return I simply take 15-20 seconds to scoop out the ash in the ash pan box, dump it into the ash pan and then put the ash pan back . . . very quick and easy.

I am to lazy for the twice a week thing. I find when I am scraping it out it gets all over the place. I only shovel it out maybe once a week. That's just about right.

 

[charly]

My Quad has an ash pan, but I've never even used it. Just as easy to shovel out the ashes once or twice a week. One little bit of whatever gets between the trap door and the seal on the ash dump , you now have a secondary air leak into the fire box. Not worth the the aggravation to have to worry about a run away stove. Keep it simple.

 

[Stephen in SoKY]

When you're looking at ashpans, it's still hard to beat the 12"X23"X3" ashpans on the old circulator stoves. A similarly sized grate above the pan, just take an ash hoe and agitate them through the grate, open the seperate door for the aspan and carry them outside. Even better if you have a coal circulator with shaker grates.

 

[grommal]

I love the ash pan in my Jotul Oslo . . . mostly due its size as it is very large. Like Jags I could never figure out the purpose of having an ash pan where you need to pull a "plug" to drop the ashes into it.

+1 on the Oslo pan. Large and easy to use.

Our old VC Defiant Encore also had a very good ash pan design. At least SOMETHING on that old stove worked well.

 

[coaly]

Hitzer works great. It is huge and fits the stove base under the grate fine. The back of it is open, so it's like a 3 sided scoop. Anything left on the sides, or anybuild up in the back scoops up into the pan when shoving it back in. The hole between the rear grate and the back of the stove where the ash falls into the pan is a couple inches from the pan edge, so it doesn't need a rear side on the pan.

 

[firefighterjake]

I don't even use the one on my Oslo any more. I think it's a pain and could of been designed a bit better. I don't like the way the ashes build up in the rear of the pan. When I pull the drawer out it gets scraped off and falls into the box and has to be scraped out for the pan to fit back in. I can make less mess by shoveling it out when needed. I guess it would work ok if I was cleaning every 2 days or so. I was actually thinking on fitting a piece of steel plate over the back quarter of the grate to keep the ash more up front. Maybe this summer I will try that.

When burning hard and furious I'll switch to dumping the ash twice a week which seems to cut down on the amount of ash that ends up in the ash pan box . . . but even with a bit of the ash spilling over it's not a big deal since when I return I simply take 15-20 seconds to scoop out the ash in the ash pan box, dump it into the ash pan and then put the ash pan back . . . very quick and easy.

I am to lazy for the twice a week thing. I find when I am scraping it out it gets all over the place. I only shovel it out maybe once a week. That's just about right.

HehHeh . . . I don't believe you can be that lazy Tom . . . no one who heats with wood can be that lazy!

 

[OhioBurner©]

HehHeh . . . I don't believe you can be that lazy Tom . . . no one who heats with wood can be that lazy!

Hmmm interesting point. I'll go out a couple times a week and swing the 8# maul for a couple hours but for some reason I think cleaning out ashes is more of a pita. Maybe because I end up spilling ash all over the house lol.

 

[Mad Tom]

I don't even use the one on my Oslo any more. I think it's a pain and could of been designed a bit better. I don't like the way the ashes build up in the rear of the pan. When I pull the drawer out it gets scraped off and falls into the box and has to be scraped out for the pan to fit back in. I can make less mess by shoveling it out when needed. I guess it would work ok if I was cleaning every 2 days or so. I was actually thinking on fitting a piece of steel plate over the back quarter of the grate to keep the ash more up front. Maybe this summer I will try that.

When burning hard and furious I'll switch to dumping the ash twice a week which seems to cut down on the amount of ash that ends up in the ash pan box . . . but even with a bit of the ash spilling over it's not a big deal since when I return I simply take 15-20 seconds to scoop out the ash in the ash pan box, dump it into the ash pan and then put the ash pan back . . . very quick and easy.

I am to lazy for the twice a week thing. I find when I am scraping it out it gets all over the place. I only shovel it out maybe once a week. That's just about right.

HehHeh . . . I don't believe you can be that lazy Tom . . . no one who heats with wood can be that lazy!

It would be nice if the pan was say another inch deeper. As for lazy, I am ending a 3 week vacation soon and have gained 20lbs.