any reason to not do this with ashes?

[par0thead151]

I was running behind today, and noticed that the stove was fairly full of ash. i got a idea, i could get some of the ash to get carried up by the draft, and leaving the coals behind to burn)
i tried this a few times, scoop ash and coals, lightly shake them a few inches above the coal bed, and most of the fine dust and ash will get carried up and out by the strong draft.
is there a reason i should not do this?
i figure it will spread the ashes around the lawn or wherever the wind takes it. probably into my woods.
just curious if anyone else has tried this or if there is a reason to not do this.
thanks

 

[HotCoals]

That approach must take awhile.

 

[par0thead151]

That approach must take awhile.

im not sure if it even does all that much, however it did seem like i had more exposed coals after doing it about a dozen or so times.
it would not replace scooping out the ash weekly, not by a long shot.
however anything i do that can help, will.. well help.
i have a 2.4 cubic foot firebox so any extra room i can get always helps

 

[HotCoals]

This coming Sunday will be four weeks of 24/7burning for me...I may clean out some ash for the first time then.
When your down to just coals try pulling them all together near your air intake and open the air way up...works for me.
I got 3 hours heat doing that 3 times tonight before my reload.
12° f here tonight.

 

[par0thead151]

This coming Sunday will be four weeks of 24/7burning for me...I may clean out some ash for the first time then.
When your down to just coals try pulling them all together near your air intake and open the air way up...works for me.
I got 3 hours heat doing that 3 times tonight before my reload.
12° f here tonight.

i rake the coals forward to burn them down, but most of the time when emptying ash i will remove some coals as well, because i would rather have more heat than use 100% of the woods potential energy. my insert puts out some heat but not too much when burning down coals.

 

[ecocavalier02]

i use everything as heat in the burn. cant see even waisting time to scoop out coals, i'd also end up probably dropping them and burning the carpet lol. as far as the ashes goes doesn't it make a mess in the house trying to scoop and shake them up the flue?

 

[HotCoals]

what the heck dont know what that was all about.

Can you go 24/7 for a few weeks without taking out some ash?
Just curious because I know the Princes has a smaller box then mine but it would seem it still should go a long time between cleanings.

 

[par0thead151]

i use everything as heat in the burn. cant see even waisting time to scoop out coals, i'd also end up probably dropping them and burning the carpet lol. as far as the ashes goes doesn't it make a mess in the house trying to scoop and shake them up the flue?

i must have a great draft as i never have issues with smoke or ash coming out. i even empty my ashes with a 5 gal bucket butted flush against the stove opening, it provides me enough room for my hand and shovel to fit in the stove as well. scoop ash into the bucket, and nay ploom created will be whisked away by the draft.

 

[Beetle-Kill]

parOthead151- keep doing what you're doing with the scoop and bucket. The fly ash up the flue is always gonna happen, but don't force the issue by actively sifting/shaking it up the flue. I'm happy you have a good draft, don't mess with it by adding more residue than you need to. You'll notice everyone responding previously has a Blaze King, myself included. Not a bad thing, but our current stoves burn differently than yours.

 

[CTYank]

I was running behind today, and noticed that the stove was fairly full of ash. i got a idea, i could get some of the ash to get carried up by the draft, and leaving the coals behind to burn)
i tried this a few times, scoop ash and coals, lightly shake them a few inches above the coal bed, and most of the fine dust and ash will get carried up and out by the strong draft.
is there a reason i should not do this?
i figure it will spread the ashes around the lawn or wherever the wind takes it. probably into my woods.
just curious if anyone else has tried this or if there is a reason to not do this.
thanks

I seriously doubt ALL the ash will be carried out. Doesn't take much of a discontinuity to have local precipitation.

IMHO, much simpler to remove them from the stove. Especially simple with an ash-bin below the grate.

 

[soupy1957]

More to the point, I don't like the idea of allowing any additional ENCOURAGED ash of ANY grade, going up thru my chimney. Heck, the point is to keep my chimney as free of clogging as possible. I personally wouldn't encourage ANYTHING that PROMOTED more coatings or congestion in MY chimney!

As for cleaning out the ash at all, I've cut back. I used to clean out a percentage every morning. Then, on the advice of a couple of folks, I have been holding off for as much as 4 days or so, until I get ticked off enough at the ash that seems to congregate around the air inlet, (and I'm constantly pushing it away), or forces my wood loads so high in the firebox that I can't get a good load in there.

-Soupy1957

 

[SolarAndWood]

i rake the coals forward to burn them down, but most of the time when emptying ash i will remove some coals as well, because i would rather have more heat than use 100% of the woods potential energy. my insert puts out some heat but not too much when burning down coals.

Pine is a great tool to burn down your coals while putting out some heat. I don't worry about getting a few coals in the ash can. I leave the can in the house, so the heat ends up inside anyway.

 

[ecocavalier02]

i use everything as heat in the burn. cant see even waisting time to scoop out coals, i'd also end up probably dropping them and burning the carpet lol. as far as the ashes goes doesn't it make a mess in the house trying to scoop and shake them up the flue?

i must have a great draft as i never have issues with smoke or ash coming out. i even empty my ashes with a 5 gal bucket butted flush against the stove opening, it provides me enough room for my hand and shovel to fit in the stove as well. scoop ash into the bucket, and nay ploom created will be whisked away by the draft.

I dint either but that's just a lot of dust seems easier just to take a few shovel fuels every 2 3 weeks

 

[nate379]

Yes. I cleaned mine out when the ash gets to the top of the firebrick, seems to be about every 5-6 weeks.

what the heck dont know what that was all about.

Can you go 24/7 for a few weeks without taking out some ash?
Just curious because I know the Princes has a smaller box then mine but it would seem it still should go a long time between cleanings.

 

[Trktrd]

Seems like all that ash going up the chimney would make a mess on the roof.

 

[Stump_Branch]

I think this represents the opposite of burning clean. Which is worse, scooping out ashes while warm and emptying every now and then, or climbing on the roof and scrubing more often? Id go with scooping out ashes. not to mention i would worry about something being to hot coming out of the flue and land on the roof. Your near woods, could make a nice fire.
I used a 5-gallon bucket, till it melted. Now I use a metal can with a lid. When it gets full, you have great fertilizer, well decent anyways. Winter time use on sidewalks for traction.
One thing that bothers me the most of wood burning is the handling time. From cut, bucked, split and stacked, to in the house to the firebox. Why would i want to do the same with ashes? scrape around the box, sprinkle on coals, scub out of flue, probably in the trash with the other stuff. Too much effort not enough saved.

 

[billb3]

Seems like all that ash going up the chimney would make a mess on the roof.

+1

and into the gutters and then into the soil around the perimeter of the house of which is usually bounded by acid loving evergreens, not ash loving evergreens.

and trampled back into the house on the bottom of shoes and paws.

 

[firefighterjake]

1) Unless you have an incredible draft I would imagine a lot of this fly ash would not go all the way up and out but would accumulate in the stove pipe or chimney or above the baffle
2) If you do have a super incredible draft that actually sucks the ash out I can only imagine what the roof and outside of the home looks like
3) I could think of a lot of other things I would rather do with the time it must take to get rid of the ash in this way . . . like jab myself in the thigh with a dull butter knife, clip my fingernails with a pair of wirecutters, etc.

The more I think about it . . . unless the chimney is fairly short and the draft is really strong I'm betting most of the fly ash didn't go very far in the system and is sitting above the baffle, in the flue pipe or in the chimney.

 

[Stump_Branch]

1) Unless you have an incredible draft I would imagine a lot of this fly ash would not go all the way up and out but would accumulate in the stove pipe or chimney or above the baffle
2) If you do have a super incredible draft that actually sucks the ash out I can only imagine what the roof and outside of the home looks like
3) I could think of a lot of other things I would rather do with the time it must take to get rid of the ash in this way . . . like jab myself in the thigh with a dull butter knife, clip my fingernails with a pair of wirecutters, etc.

The more I think about it . . . unless the chimney is fairly short and the draft is really strong I'm betting most of the fly ash didn't go very far in the system and is sitting above the baffle, in the flue pipe or in the chimney.

This is actually quite entertaining, also extremely stress relieving, only problem is the blood you get all over the wirecutters.

but I would think your right that not much would actually make it out of the system. plus its hard to have the super stong draft and short chimney, at that point in the cycle. at least for me.

 

[pen]

This coming Sunday will be four weeks of 24/7burning for me...I may clean out some ash for the first time then.

Just another way you get to brag about how big your equipment is

I'm fairly certain your stove can hold more stuff than my wheelbarrow.

My 30 needs to be cleaned weekly.

I think this shaking the ash in the wind thing is for the birds. Find a good containment system (metal trash can) that is safely away from combustibles, fill metal can inside, run out to the outside can, dump, cover, come back in and continue to drink your martini that hasn't warmed and finish the cigarette that you had lit before this process started.

I'm willing to bet that if you were going through this trouble you are having problems with getting rid of your ashes?

pen

 

[CarbonNeutral]

Don't do this: took ash outside in metal bucket - no lid, poured water over ashes, wait two days, bring bucket back in house for ash to defrost enough to knock the ash out of the bucket.

It was 0f this morning....

 

[ecocavalier02]

what the heck dont know what that was all about.

Can you go 24/7 for a few weeks without taking out some ash?
Just curious because I know the Princes has a smaller box then mine but it would seem it still should go a long time between cleanings.

i just took some ashes out for the first time in 3 weeks last week.

 

[pen]

what the heck dont know what that was all about.

Can you go 24/7 for a few weeks without taking out some ash?
Just curious because I know the Princes has a smaller box then mine but it would seem it still should go a long time between cleanings.

i just took some ashes out for the first time in 3 weeks last week.

Just because all you guys have a big one, doesn't mean you have to keep bringing it up!

:sick: w/ envy

pen