Cleaning ash from firebox

[griam01]

Thanks all. I used my metal kitty litter scoop and an old roasting pan. I had so much ash that I couldn’t separate all of it easily. I did the best I could after letting it cool overnight some and then took it out and dumped in the snow.

 

[blacktail]

I guess having a small stove that gets nearly cold every day is an advantage in this case. Cleaned it out this morning and took a pic. Having the stove a little warm helps as the draft pulls any dust up the pipe.

 

[weatherguy]

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. View attachment 239427

Yes the carpet will be replaced with tile this summer.

That's the one I bought at Walmart, works great.