No ashes in the ash pan

[Jessica1802]

We got a new woodstove last year and I haven’t been able figure out how to empty the ashes into the ash pan. The ash pan is empty. My moms boyfriend was able to empty them once and she said he used the metal things inside the stove to empty it. I’ll attach some pictures to show you what I mean.

 

[bholler]

We got a new woodstove last year and I haven’t been able figure out how to empty the ashes into the ash pan. The ash pan is empty. My moms boyfriend was able to empty them once and she said he used the metal things inside the stove to empty it. I’ll attach some pictures to show you what I mean.

View attachment 269072 View attachment 269073

Did you read the manual for your stove to see what it says?

 

[Highbeam]

Did you grab onto that metal thing and lift it up? Looks like a standard issue ash chute plug. Both of my stoves have a plug that just lifts out.

Feel free to just scoop ashes out through the front door into a metal bucket. Then dump them somewhere safe outside like an old fire pit. Lots of stoves don’t even have ash pans.

 

[jetsam]

Stoves that do have ash pans are often better off getting shoveled out. Opening and closing the ash pan adds wear (and ash) to the gasket, and when the gasket fails you get an air leak in a place where you very much do not want an air leak.

 

[Highbeam]

Stoves that do have ash pans are often better off getting shoveled out. Opening and closing the ash pan adds wear (and ash) to the gasket, and when the gasket fails you get an air leak in a place where you very much do not want an air leak.

Only some ash pan systems use a gasket on a sealed door. The ash plug is more common and provides the seal. The OP’s ash drawer doesn’t have look to have a gasket either.