Cleaning ash from firebox

[griam01]

How does everyone clean out ash from the firebox if you don’t have an ash pan? I have a lot of hot coals but also a lot of ash. I hate to have to wait for everything to complete cool off to clean it out but I have almost 4-5 inches of coal and ash. I do rake it all to the front and place a log on the top and burn it hot to try to bring it down some but it doesn’t help that much. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Supersurvey]

I use a cookie tin in my left hand with a welding glove. The tim fits in my stove to fill with a stove shovel. I then put the cover on and quickly and very carefully carry it outside.

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

Once every few weeks I clean out the firebox using a small shovel to take the ash out. The ash goes in a metal bucket and goes outside. I leave an inch or so ash on the bottom of the firebox.

 

[bholler]

How does everyone clean out ash from the firebox if you don’t have an ash pan? I have a lot of hot coals but also a lot of ash. I hate to have to wait for everything to complete cool off to clean it out but I have almost 4-5 inches of coal and ash. I do rake it all to the front and place a log on the top and burn it hot to try to bring it down some but it doesn’t help that much. Thanks in advance for the help.

I have an ash pan but never use it I just rake the coals to one side shovel out then move them to the other side and shovel again. Leaving an inch of ash or so. It all goes in a metal bucket with a tight lid and then goes outside on a noncombusiblesurface.

 

[blacktail]

I have a stock pot that fits inside my stove. Move ash to one side, slide pot in, shovel, remove, done.

 

[griam01]

How do you separate the coals from the ash? Maybe I don’t have the right tools. I only want to get rid of ash not the hot coals.

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

How do you separate the coals from the ash? Maybe I don’t have the right tools. I only want to get rid of ash not the hot coals.

Rake hot coals to on side, remove ash, redistribute coals for new load.

 

[ChevWood15]

I have an ash sifter I use. Works very well, it looks like a heavy duty deep fry basket. I bought off amazon.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Sawset]

I have an ash pan but never use it I just rake the coals to one side shovel out then move them to the other side and shovel again. Leaving an inch of ash or so. It all goes in a metal bucket with a tight lid and then goes outside on a noncombusiblesurface.

I tried a metal bucket with a tight lid, then set it outside to cool. The vacuum created from cooling off sucked in the sides to half the volume and it looked like it was run over by a truck. Pitched that. Next metal bucket had a looser fitting lid.

 

[buc74]

I picked this up at Menards for like $3 and drilled some holes in it. Works good enough to move the coals over and leave the ask.

 

[Woody Stover]

Swirl a poker through the ash and coals so that the coals rise to the top. Use the edge of the shovel to sweep the coals to one side. Shovel the ash from the other side and slide them off the shovel as you move along the bottom of a shallow, long pan held under the open door, to draw in any ash dust that escapes, which won't be much once you master it. Move coals to the other side and repeat.

Or do like I did; Get rid of the pan-less stove and get one with a grated floor. Then just swirl the poker, the ashes fall through into the pan, and you are done. Pull the cold pan out once a week and walk outside to dump it.

 

[velvetfoot]

When the weather is a little warmer than usual, or there's just too much ashes, I crack open the door and let it burn down to ash. Amazing what a small volume is breaks down to. I do use a rake to bring the coals to the front - the coals provide a little radiant heat there, and they break down quicker.

I use an ash scoop to scoop up the ashes-I got the large one. There are small hot embers, but no more big coals when I do this. The stove is still warm, so there is a nice draft sucking all that fine ash up the stack, rather than it flying around your living room.

This ash scoop is stainless and has been holding up well for several years now. I put the scoop on concrete in the breezeway with the lid blocked by a brick, and it stays like that until I use it again, which may be two weeks or so. Then I empty it in a plastic bag lined metal trash can. I throw out the plastic bag of ashes in the trash, unless the wife wants some, making sure to lift it out before it gets too heavy. Trying to make sure, anyway...it almost broke last time...that would've been a mess.

Ash scoop link:
http://hearthhelpers.com/ash-scoop/

 

[jetsam]

I use two little shovels (they get hot enough to fold in half if you don't rotate them), a coal rake/poker, and an airtight bucket.

Rake all the coals to one side, shovel the other side. Rake all the coals to the empty side, shovel the far side. Rake half of the coals to the new empty side, shovel the middle. Level the coals, add wood, bucket goes outside.

I used to use a fry basket to strain the ash from the coal, but it was more work than it was worth. Still a good idea if you want just the ash for your garden/compost/soapmaking/whatever, or if you want homemade charcoal.

 

[velvetfoot]

I've also used a machete to move coals from one side to another.

 

[jetsam]

I've also used a machete to move coals from one side to another.

Yeah, I still haven't discovered the right tool for that. It's definitely not one of those little stove rakes.

 

[griam01]

I have tried raking it forward and attached is what I have. One pic with flash and one without. I tried to rake to the side but all the coals ended up covered by the ash.

 

[Simonkenton]

I have an ash pan but don't use it. Let it fill up the first day of winter and ignore.

After 3 days of burning, let the fire die down, and I have a big soup ladle and a 3 gallon bucket, scoop the ashes in to the bucket and I am off an running.
April 20, take ash pan outside and dump it in the garden.

Careful where you dump ashes from that 3 gallon pot, some are still hot, and could burn your woods and house down.

 

[bholler]

I really only clean out once a month or so

 

[weatherguy]

I bought a cat litterbox shovel that's all steel and use that to separate the ash and coals then just scoop up the ash. The shovel with holes drilled is a good idea too, either works.

 

[Rhodie]

Really starting to appreciate how well doug fir burns. Seems like hardly anything remains.

 

[ispinwool]

My Heritage burns best with an ash bed...so I scoop out the ash from around the edges of the box every 3 or 4 days.
I also quit using my ash pan underneath...just a pain to use.

 

[Das Jugghead]

I found this aluminum kitty litter scooper on Amazon and figured I would try it out and see how it works. It has some depth which really helps in sifting the coals from the ash. I use a long stainless steel scoop (like the ones used in stock pots) to move all the ash and coals to one side and then use the kitty litter scooper to sift the ash into one pile and the coals into another. Once I have everything separated I use the stainless steel scoop to ladle the ash out into an ash bucket which then immediately goes outside into a steel trashcan. Once the trashcan is halfway to three-quarters of the way full I spread the contents out onto my lawn. My neighbors made fun of me the first season I did this until spring when I had the greenest lawn in the neighborhood.

Yes the carpet will be replaced with tile this summer.

 

[Ben Stark]

I push the coals to one side using a basic ash shovel, “skimming” them with the side edge of the shovel. Then scoop the ash that remains out and into a metal bucket. Work slow to limit dust and avoid accidents. Use the shovel to brush the coals to the opposite side (where you just removed the ash) and repeat. It’s best to leave an inch of ash in the stove bottom. Take the bucket of ash outside and away from the building, placed on gravel, cement or blacktop. Reload your stove, job done! Let the ash bucket cool 2-3 days because glowing embers hide in the ash. As far as frequency goes it’s about once a week.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

I have a big 4 ft flat asphalt shovel i use. I scoop it full, shake once or twice to knock the loose stuff off then carefully walk it the 6 ft thru the door to a can on the back patio hoping nothing falls off in the process. Occasionally some embers fall or blow off onto the throw rug and that starts smoldering but i quickly put that out. It has burn holes in it but thats ok, i just use it for the winter season anyways. I push my hot coals to the back of the stove while i remove the ash and then pull them forward when im done, leave the door cracked a couple minutes to get them glowing hot again and load the stove. If i try and empty ash right into a bucket at the stove i get a cloud of ash all over the room, just not worth trying. I empty my ash once a week probably.

 

[Woody Stover]

If i try and empty ash right into a bucket at the stove i get a cloud of ash all over the room, just not worth trying. I empty my ash once a week probably.

That's where the long, shallow pan I mentioned comes it. You get a shovel full of ash, put the nose in one end of the pan, tilt the shovel up, and slide the ashes off into the bottom of the pan as you draw the shovel along the length of the pan. Sounds complicated but with a little practice you get good at it. And if you hold the pan right under the door, any escaping ash dust gets sucked in. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/cleaning-ash-from-firebox.173842/#post-2335113