Oslo Front door ash spillage

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ColdNH

Minister of Fire
Oct 14, 2009
599
Southern, NH
I tried the search function, but could not find what I was lookign for.

For those of you with an Oslo, what have you done besides not using the front door have you done to make the stove spill less ash into the room when opening the front door.

So far I love the stove and when its running full tilt I use the side door for reloading, but I find it much easier to build fires from scratch via the front door, since its shoulder season right now, i find myself building alot of fires from scratch. Everytime I open the front door after using the stove, even opening it slowely, i get a nice dump of ashes on to the ash lip. Is this an annoyance I just have to live with? Im not a fan of vacuuming up the mess as I dont want to suck a hot ash into my vacume cleaner and burn the house down. Using a dust pan and broom still leaves a mess.

Have any of you found a way to resolve this issue or do i just need to deal with it?

Another reason I would like to resolve this ash issue is because it woudl be nice to load some of my shorties N+S without reaching my arm 2 feet into a hot stove via the side door, or having hot burnign ashes fall out the front door.
 
Well, one thing I'll say is that you should be building your fires at the rear of the firebox, & raking the coals to the front, near the doghouse. If you're burning this way, maybe you're raking the coals too high...
 
I have heard if you open the side door first, then slowly open the front, you get less spillage.
I have also heard alot of other things that turned out to be crap as well.
I dont use the front door.
Good luck
 
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I have heard if you open the side door first, then slowly open the front, you get less spillage.
I have also heard alot of other things that turned out to be crap as well.
I dont use the front door.
Good luck

LOL, thanks, I see your in the same boat as me. Love the stove, just wish the front door was more usable..
 
If memory serves me right at least one or two members have partially fixed this by modding their stove . . . I think one guy laid an over-sized gasket on the inside lip to keep the ash back in the firebox and another guy made a metal L-shaped piece to keep the ashes at bay. I suspect the threads containing the info and pics are still out there . . . somewhere.

I agree . . . it's a nuisance. I just have learned to use the side door . . . and put up with the ash in the front . . . I figure this flaw is designed to keep us Oslo owners humble.
 
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Load it through the side, enjoy it through the front!
 
The only time I open the front door of mine is to clean the glass. Did you get a manual with that stove? I use mine as per thier instuctions but for some modifications because of my setup. They been making high quality stoves for quite along time and if you use thier guildence and alittle tweekin here and there you are gonna stay hot all winter long.
 
My sister only views fire from the front.. she feeds it from the side, as the fire gods decreed.

I asked her just a while ago about front loading, and I swear, she hasn't EVER tried it.
 
Made the mistake of opening the front door last night to move a log off the glass, got a hand full of hot burning ashes into the room. really hate the uselessness of the front door. Do you guys fret about logs laying on the glass? loading E/W 99% of the time makes it almost impossible to keep them off the glass.
 
I have an Oslo. After a while you just get used to the ash lip being covered with ash. I guess that is why it is there.

If you look at the design, it is obvious why the ash spills. The door gasket is BELOW the containment. As wood burns above, the ash works its way forward thanks to the air wash and builds up inside the door. Open and you get it.

I really don't care. I use the front door for start up as I like the big opening. I also use it if I have N/S length wood. I just live with the ash leak. The stove is so easy to run and works so well I can deal.

ac
 
Only time my front door gets open is for a major cleaning or when the dear wife wants to run with the screen on so she can see real fire up close, not through the glass. My observation, ashes are going to collect at the lip of the door and clean up is minor.
 
Made the mistake of opening the front door last night to move a log off the glass, got a hand full of hot burning ashes into the room. really hate the uselessness of the front door. Do you guys fret about logs laying on the glass? loading E/W 99% of the time makes it almost impossible to keep them off the glass.

Nope . . . it's sometimes incovenient since it interfers with the air wash somewhat and can gunk up the "glass" . . . and I don't place the wood so that it is lying against the glass on purpose . . . but if a split rolls up against the glass I don't worry about it.

Like other folks . . . I open up the front maybe once or twice a week . . . just to clean the glass.
 
Get yourself one of these or similar poker. Never a need to fret about where the wood wants to go.No need to open the front door on the stove. With this poker, I tell the wood where to go and if it does not, I move it.
The tool is invaluable with any kind of wood burning. Length overall is 30 inches. No, I don't remember where I got it but any fire store should have it or similar.
Should have quoted ColdNH
 

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The ash issue is a flaw on an otherwise great stove, but not a major one. I have gotten so used to loading from the side that the idea of loading in the front never occurs to me, I only do that when starting from scratch. A good poker or one of those claw jammies at home depot and you should never have to reach in there at all, dont forget a good pair of welder's gloves.

I love this stove, it was a real life saver when Sandy rolled through here, we had hot drinks & food when many of our neighbors took off cause it simply got too cold without power. I used to worry about the logs on the glass but I dont give that a second thought these days.

Enjoy!
 
Get yourself one of these or similar poker. Never a need to fret about where the wood wants to go.No need to open the front door on the stove. With this poker, I tell the wood where to go and if it does not, I move it.
The tool is invaluable with any kind of wood burning. Length overall is 30 inches. No, I don't remember where I got it but any fire store should have it or similar.
Should have quoted ColdNH

Got me one of those and welding gloves, I guess I am so used to loading my old stove via the front door that it will take more time adjusting to the side door. Was hoping someone had a good fix for the ash issue, looks like most have just learned to deal with it.
 
I've pretty much learned to stack my loads to keep them from falling forward into the glass. This is year 6 for my Oslo. I've not had one single problem with my door glass and can testify that each and every split that's shifted or rolled or slid up against it has burned to ash just fine.

Here's a goofy tip, I go through one cheap walmart 2 in. paintbrush each year. It's part of my hearth tool set. I use it to brush ash from the inner lip of the stove. I work all day and the stove is burned down pretty good when I get home, I just go in there with that brush and brush the ash outta there.

I also brush that inner lip/shelf before opening the front door (which is only 1 or 2 times a year) and the brush also can get out most ash between the glass and the lip inside there where there is a half inch or so groove/slot.
 
+1
Thas so funny, I also have been using a cheap Home Depot brush to do some ash sprucing, its a little singed but it actually works better now. :)
 
Good tip on the paint brush, definitely going to try that
 
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