First time woodstove user here. What do folks use as an Ash Pail? Mind running me through your personal routine for how and when you remove ashes, how long you wait, what you do with them?
Thanks.
Thanks.
Ash Pail
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I use a metal can with a lid. 5 gallons or so. I start a small fire in the stove, if there isn't one burning, and that pulls ash in the air into the stove, any ash that lifts off the shovel [only a tiny bit if you go really slowly and steadily]. I let the ash sit in the can, outdoors, until the can is full, but at least several days.
Caveat: we burn only pine, and other species [hardwood] may produce coals that can last longer. Or so I have heard. For us, a week is more than enough time to let all coals burn out.
Another caveat: Our stoves, all three of them, have grates in the floor of the firebox and below the grates they have ash pans. So my ash is completely separate from any burning fire in the firebox. You may have to experiment to find the best method for your stove so that you do not have ash flying all around the room. For certain, shoveling the ash out very gently and slowly, and slowly and gently putting the ash into the can helps a lot.
I dump our ash along the side of the one-lane dirt road we live on. Or sometimes out on the property [we have several acres]. Other people use their ash for other things [gardens, etc.] and you'll probably hear from them soon.
Some people on the forum here mention draping a wettened towel or other cloth across the top of their ash can so it can catch any ash flying up as they dump the shovel into the can. Haven't tried it, but sounds good to me.
Some givens you probably don't need to be told: don't dump the ash outside for a while or you might burn down the neighborhood; the ash storage can must be metal or some non-combustible material; the storage must be securely covered and protected from blowing over in the winds; the storage can must be away from combustible parts of your house, including not setting a can with hot coals down onto a wooden deck, for example.
Not far from here, someone poured their ashes into an old outhouse out behind their home. The outhouse was no longer used for its original purpose. The ash dumper swore he'd let the ash sit in his storage can for two weeks [I doubt it]. Anyhow, a few hours later, a neighbor looked out her back window to see smoke coming from the outhouse. Fortunately, the fire was put out before the neighborhood went up in flames.
Caveat: we burn only pine, and other species [hardwood] may produce coals that can last longer. Or so I have heard. For us, a week is more than enough time to let all coals burn out.
Another caveat: Our stoves, all three of them, have grates in the floor of the firebox and below the grates they have ash pans. So my ash is completely separate from any burning fire in the firebox. You may have to experiment to find the best method for your stove so that you do not have ash flying all around the room. For certain, shoveling the ash out very gently and slowly, and slowly and gently putting the ash into the can helps a lot.
I dump our ash along the side of the one-lane dirt road we live on. Or sometimes out on the property [we have several acres]. Other people use their ash for other things [gardens, etc.] and you'll probably hear from them soon.
Some people on the forum here mention draping a wettened towel or other cloth across the top of their ash can so it can catch any ash flying up as they dump the shovel into the can. Haven't tried it, but sounds good to me.
Some givens you probably don't need to be told: don't dump the ash outside for a while or you might burn down the neighborhood; the ash storage can must be metal or some non-combustible material; the storage must be securely covered and protected from blowing over in the winds; the storage can must be away from combustible parts of your house, including not setting a can with hot coals down onto a wooden deck, for example.
Not far from here, someone poured their ashes into an old outhouse out behind their home. The outhouse was no longer used for its original purpose. The ash dumper swore he'd let the ash sit in his storage can for two weeks [I doubt it]. Anyhow, a few hours later, a neighbor looked out her back window to see smoke coming from the outhouse. Fortunately, the fire was put out before the neighborhood went up in flames.
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Sprinter
Minister of Fire
It's good to leave a couple of inches in the bottom for it's insulation value if you have the depth available. Keeps the coals going longer.
Try to wait until the ashes are as cool as possible, but there will always be some live coals in there no matter. So use a metal pan or bucket and get it outside asap because of CO fumes. As mentioned above, coals can stay hot for a long, long time so dispose of them accordingly.
Try to wait until the ashes are as cool as possible, but there will always be some live coals in there no matter. So use a metal pan or bucket and get it outside asap because of CO fumes. As mentioned above, coals can stay hot for a long, long time so dispose of them accordingly.
What type of metal pail do I need to find? I imagine we want something with a watertight lid. Any old thing or is there a specific thing that works best?
Sprinter
Minister of Fire
These are pretty cheap and don't look bad: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Behrens-6-gal-Silver-Metallic-Trash-Can-00108/202264761#.UoU6AOLheIs
Of course, there are a lot of more expensive ash buckets out there too depending on what you want. http://www.homedepot.com/s/ash+bucket?NCNI-5
A lid is nice so the light ash doesn't fly out when you carry it.
Of course, there are a lot of more expensive ash buckets out there too depending on what you want. http://www.homedepot.com/s/ash+bucket?NCNI-5
A lid is nice so the light ash doesn't fly out when you carry it.
Mike, check the local box stores for galvanized metal trash cans with locking lids. Pretty standard item, various sizes. The one I bought (Home Hardware - Canada) is @ 20 gallon size, even has a fire rating sticker on it (I think they market them to wood burning guys, but it's same as any galvanized can as far as I can see). It sits on a 2x2 concrete pad out by the driveway. Lid locks, and I put a small brick on top to weight the whole thing down (winds can get strong out there).
I recall cleaning out the stove once - the previous fire burned out on a monday, stove was out all week while I was away. I cleaned out the ashes the following Friday for a new fire, and dropped these ashes in a garbage bag with some other scraps of stuff, outside by the driveway, to take to the dump at the end of the weekend. A short while later the stuff in the bag was smoldering, bag melted on one side. Just enough small coals hiding in the ashes to ignite some scraps. This was days later. If I didn't see it, I wouldn't have believed it. This was maple and possibly yellow birch.
I have also put warm ashes in the steel can once, thinking they would just cool off right away, but it got real hot on one spot on the side of the can after a couple hours and stayed that way into the evening. I guess they got stirred up enough + enough fresh air to make them glow a bit longer.
IMHO - not a bad idea to have 2 cans - one fills up, let it sit while the other gets filled up. I'd do this but it takes me an entire winter to fill just the one can (weekend burning only). There are stories of folks burning down garages, houses, even stories of dried leaves igniting and taking off in the yard, all from hot ashes.
Sorry to ramble on - be safe...
....
I recall cleaning out the stove once - the previous fire burned out on a monday, stove was out all week while I was away. I cleaned out the ashes the following Friday for a new fire, and dropped these ashes in a garbage bag with some other scraps of stuff, outside by the driveway, to take to the dump at the end of the weekend. A short while later the stuff in the bag was smoldering, bag melted on one side. Just enough small coals hiding in the ashes to ignite some scraps. This was days later. If I didn't see it, I wouldn't have believed it. This was maple and possibly yellow birch.
I have also put warm ashes in the steel can once, thinking they would just cool off right away, but it got real hot on one spot on the side of the can after a couple hours and stayed that way into the evening. I guess they got stirred up enough + enough fresh air to make them glow a bit longer.
IMHO - not a bad idea to have 2 cans - one fills up, let it sit while the other gets filled up. I'd do this but it takes me an entire winter to fill just the one can (weekend burning only). There are stories of folks burning down garages, houses, even stories of dried leaves igniting and taking off in the yard, all from hot ashes.
Sorry to ramble on - be safe...
....
eclecticcottage
Minister of Fire
We have a small ash bucket that's a copper antique one that sits inside. DH got it for me as an Christmas present a few years ago. It's pretty dang cool.
That said, we've found it's not really big enough for a cleanout. We have a 5 gallon steel can with a locking lid that lives outside on some bricks. We'll take off the lid, bring it in and shovel most of the ashes into it. We leave a small layer on the bottom as insulation, and try to move coals off to the side so we can keep those in the stove. Dump the shovel slowly into the bucket if you don't want ash to plume up. We've burned about a 1/3 cord of pine so far and haven't had to clean out, it doesn't make a lot of ash. We dump ours in a safe non-combustible location a few times over the winter, and it's always been several weeks since the last time we put ashes in it.
That said, we've found it's not really big enough for a cleanout. We have a 5 gallon steel can with a locking lid that lives outside on some bricks. We'll take off the lid, bring it in and shovel most of the ashes into it. We leave a small layer on the bottom as insulation, and try to move coals off to the side so we can keep those in the stove. Dump the shovel slowly into the bucket if you don't want ash to plume up. We've burned about a 1/3 cord of pine so far and haven't had to clean out, it doesn't make a lot of ash. We dump ours in a safe non-combustible location a few times over the winter, and it's always been several weeks since the last time we put ashes in it.
5 gallon ash pail purchased at the local True Value hardware store.
I use the ash pan on my woodstove and dump the ashes into the covered (well I take the cover off it first) outside maybe twice a week when burning 24/7. I tend to do this in the morning after an overnight burn. I first stir up the ashes/coals, allowing the ash to fall into the pan while leaving the larger coals in the firebox.
After dumping the ash into the pail I leave it there for several days to weeks before dumping. My philosophy is to treat all ash as if there is a hot coal there. Seems like I've gone to many more fires started by the improper disposal of ash with folks dumping ash (and unbeknownst to them hot coals) into plastic pails, cardboard boxes, trash cans, etc. which they then leave on the back porch, front deck, in the garage, etc. Probably goes without saying, but the ash pail either sits in the snow or on a non-combustible surface away from combustibles.
When the ash pail gets full I either dump in out back in a hole I am slowly filling in with ash, in the garden (when I had one) and during the winter on my gravel driveway where it provides traction and melting. I've also tried to make busts of Backwood Savage with the ash, but I'm not much of an artist . . . so far they all tend to look more like Jags.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/redstonetrade;-ash-can--shovel-set
got this recently, I like it much better than the open steel mop bucket we were using.
the lid stays put as the bucket is a tight fit.
I roll a news paper and stick it into the stove pipe, then light it before cleaning out the ashes, the paper gets the draft going the right way to suck dust into the stove.
got this recently, I like it much better than the open steel mop bucket we were using.
the lid stays put as the bucket is a tight fit.
I roll a news paper and stick it into the stove pipe, then light it before cleaning out the ashes, the paper gets the draft going the right way to suck dust into the stove.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Behrens-6-gal-Silver-Metallic-Trash-Can-00108/202264761#.UoWDA8S1E8w
Can't beat the price and it has a tight fitting lid.
Matt
Can't beat the price and it has a tight fitting lid.
Matt
Too many have thought they were cold. With disasterous results. A smoldering ember can live inside a cold feeling pile of ashes for a long time. Shuffle the trash bag or trash can, expose it and all hell eventually breaks loose.
Sprinter
Minister of Fire
Yeah, you just can never be confident that they are cold even after a few days. You'd be surprised how long embers can stay hot in a blanket of ashes.
![[Hearth.com] Ash Pail](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/117/117754-2af2aae791b9fa778eb4167269426d68.jpg?hash=rHBSPkoW9a "[Hearth.com] Ash Pail")
Sprinter
Minister of Fire
Dustin92
Member
We have a heavy old metal trash can (about 5 gallon or so) That we use for ash removal, and I have been surprised by hot coals even after a couple days. I was shoveling the stove out one time last winter and started smelling a strange chemically burning odor, which I couldn't track down, until I lookes at the side of the can... The paint was burned completely off of about a 3 inch section... I then took it outside and poured water on the ashes.
Wish folks wouldn't keep those cans of ashes and coals in the house. They are just a carbon monoxide pump.
If the old farm house hadn't of been so drafty Dad would never have been around to be my Dad. Their father would scoop up a big bucket of coals from the fireplace every night and put it in the boy's bedroom for heat.
If the old farm house hadn't of been so drafty Dad would never have been around to be my Dad. Their father would scoop up a big bucket of coals from the fireplace every night and put it in the boy's bedroom for heat.
We have one of the square "buckets" with attached "lid" I shovel some ashes about every 7-8 days. They sit in that bucket on the porch, on a noncombustible pad until time to do it again. I then dump them back in the woods. (broken link removed to http://www.northlineexpress.com/wood-stoves/wood-stove-accessories/ash-vacuums2/ash-holder-with-lid-matte-black-ah.html)
I use a pail like the coal bucket in the second link. I got it at Orchard Supply Hardware on clearance for $10. I put the ashes in it and carry it outside.
I have a 5 gallon bucket with a lid that resembles the one in the first link. The ashes get dumped in there and covered. Once the 5 gallon bucket is full nd I m satisfied there are no live embers I dump it in a bag and throw it away.
Dustin92
Member
Ours go outside immediately after scooping and sit on the cement sidewalk behind the house for at least a few days, or if there is any wind I pour a gallon of water in the bucket.
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