Ash Removal Method - Low Dust

[Alpine]

Hello All, I want to share an ash removal method that I'm using to clean my stove. It is a Hearthstone Homestead with an ash pan that I chose not to use because it's not all that convenient and I don't like the repeated making and breaking of the sliding seal. It's one more thing to have to maintain so I don't use it. I'm sure that I'm not the first to use this method but I hadn't seen it in any of the ash cleaning threads so here it is.

I got Graniteware 18" covered roasting pan from Target for 11 bucks and place it right in the stove while I shovel it full of ash. I slide it from one side to the other to complete the task and I'm not too fussy about throwing "good" coals away. Any airborne ash goes up the chimney during the shoveling process because the roasting pan is in the stove. The pan gets pretty hot so you have to wear gloves and be careful about where you set it down. When the task is complete, I slide the pan out of the stove and put it down gently on my hearth where I place the cover and carry it outside to my covered metal ash can. I wait until I have good daylight before transferring the ash to the ash can so I can more easily dodge the resulting ash plume. The bottom of the pan doesn't seem to get much ash on it so it's not an ash spreading surface. This low dust method works really well, you just have to be careful carrying the hot pan through your house. You could leave it covered in a safe place near your stove if you thought that would work better. Any ideas for improving the method are welcome.

By the way, I'm really enjoying my first wood burning season and I appreciate all of the knowledge that is shared on this great site!

Thanks, Alpine

 

[webby3650]

I am glad that works well for you! I just remove my ash pan, carry it outside and dump it. The process is nearly mess free and requires no shoveling. I love my ash pan feature.

 

[LLigetfa]

Yes, I've seen your method mentioned before and it's fine if you have the room in your firebox. I just hope you don't trip on the way out and dump it. A lot of people seem to like the Ash-Trap but then again, you need room to manouver it. It looks safer to carry.

 

[LLigetfa]

Oh, I also heard of people using a Victorian bed warming pan for ashes. They have a tight fitting lid but don't hold as much.

 

[Alpine]

I investigated the Ash Trap but looks a little cumbersome. I'm glad some like the stove ash pan but it's not for me. Door gasket maintanence is enough and you can get into the overburn kind of trouble if the pan gasket is bad or if the pan isn't seated properly.

 

[CountryGal]

I just hold the ash can lid under the shovel then slowly lower the shovel down into my ash can. It's about the size of a small garbage can with a lid. I usually don't make a mess. Now Paul is another story. He can't seem to get near the ashes without getting them all over the stove ledge outside the door, on the hearth and on the tile surrounding the hearth. But I just wait until he's finished and I have a tiny dust pan and brush and clean it up.

 

[snowtime]

I use a steel pail with lid instead of the built in ash drawer. I find my draft is so good that if any dust comes out of the pail its sucked into the stove and up the chimney. Never any dust with my draft.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I am glad that works well for you! I just remove my ash pan, carry it outside and dump it. The process is nearly mess free and requires no shoveling. I love my ash pan feature.

I knock mine down into the ash pan and let it cool until I need to clean the new ashes from the stove. The thermal mass of the ash does get hot and hold heat. I've never measured how much, but the dead ashes are still warm in the morning after the fire has gone cold.

Matt

 

[precaud]

For stoves without an ash pan, the dustmaking event is going from the shovel into the bucket. Don't dump them in - the trick is to push the full shovel into the ashes in the bucket, then lift the shovel out. Perfecto.

 

[Ithaca]

Good ideas.. puting the pan into the firebox and pushing the shovel into the ashes. I'll try them both. Thanks for sharing because I make one heck of a mess!

 

[Todd]

I have the small garbage looking can with lid, and what I do is remove the lid, take a small wet towel, drape it over the can, shovel out the ash, lift the towel, dump the ash while laying the towel back over, and remove the shovel out slowely. the wet towel is a magnet to the flying ash. Works best if you have another person to hold the towel, but can be done by yourself if you have a steady hand.

 

[LLigetfa]

For stoves without an ash pan, the dustmaking event is going from the shovel into the bucket. Don't dump them in - the trick is to push the full shovel into the ashes in the bucket, then lift the shovel out. Perfecto.

eggs-act-ly

I use a coal hod which has a wide opening so the shovel can be lowered into it without tilting it at the risk of it spilling.

 

[firefighterjake]

Another wood burner who loves his ash pan . . . twice a week I let the stove die down a bit (or go out) and then use a shovel to clean out the ash in the firebox. After knocking down the ash into the ash pan I open up the ash drawer and bring the ash outside and dump it into my 5-gallon pail where I allow it to cool before dumping on the garden, lawn or in the woods. So far little to no fly ash until I dump the whole kit and kaboodle into the pail outside . . . where quite honestly I don't care if ash spills out on the ground or not.

 

[mrsmarv]

"For stoves without an ash pan, the dustmaking event is going from the shovel into the bucket. Don’t dump them in - the trick is to push the full shovel into the ashes in the bucket, then lift the shovel out. Perfecto."

Yup...I learned that through trial and error. Now DH, Tom, is quite another story. I always get up a bit earlier than he does to head him off at the pass, so to speak. By the time he's up, the stove is cleaned out (neatly), very little ash is scattered, and the fire is going. Hey! Maybe it's really a plot by DH to get out of doing the morning routine....so who's the smart one? LOL

 

[woodjack]

One trick I use that's very effective is to have a large pot lid in one hand and the ash shovel in the other. As i place the ashes into the ash bucket I cover with the pot lid. Presto chango - no ash flying around.

 

[bcnu]

My method has been less than satisfactory(don't use ash pan). I have a dutch oven without lid that I shovel ashes into - and dust flys out of. May try the inside the stove method.