Show us your ash pails

[kybishop]

or whatever else you use to put your ashes in. Some folks may have the ash trays or catchers under the stove to keep them in until it needs emptying. For those that don't and store them in a pail or bucket, what do you use?

I found a cool old copper pail down in the cellar of the old house. Makes a great place to put the ashes in each time I clean out the stove. Then I got to wondering what other interesting or cool new or old containers do folks use to store there ashes by the stove.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

The ash can is the little painted steel can to the right of the stove. Came with popcorn in it before its new life. Top seals nice, adds some heat to the room. Can fit two cleanings in it before it is taken outside. And the price was right!

 

[BobUrban]

ED 3000 - you seriously fill that tin can and leave it inside your home?? Big no no. Those ashes and that extra heat are also creating extra carbon monoxide. Do a search here or use Google to see how many families don't wake up every year because of this. Please rethink your ash disposal practice and get it out of the house to a safe place ASAP.

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

If I left that can out .. I have some dogs that would try to eat the contents!

 

[jb6l6gc]

I use a galvanized garbage can. I
Only clean out furnace when is cold ash Is cold

and been off for a significant amount of time. I also have a co detector down there near the area. It's a readable one and it's never shown even 1ppm on history reading.

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

Is this were you go to get away from the Family ?

 

[brhorgan]

I use a galvanized garbage can. I
Only clean out furnace when is cold ash Is cold View attachment 174618 and been off for a significant amount of time. I also have a co detector down there near the area. It's a readable one and it's never shown even 1ppm on history reading.

Would you share with us (me) the rest of your set up? You seem to be very organized and tidy. I'm looking for some tips to help keep the area surrounding my furnace more under control.

If you don't think it would be right to share that here I'd happily take a pm.

 

[jb6l6gc]

Would you share with us (me) the rest of your set up? You seem to be very organized and tidy. I'm looking for some tips to help keep the area surrounding my furnace more under control.

If you don't think it would be right to share that here I'd happily take a pm.

Would be happy to share, actually already have a thread on it. See below.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/this-is-where-i-wage-war.152400/#post-2046307

 

[jb6l6gc]

View attachment 174620

Is this were you go to get away from the Family ?

Ya sometimes lol

 

[Jon1270]

I have one of these, though when I got it the price was less than half what they're asking for it now, and I had a gift certificate that made it almost free. It's a good design -- not galvanized, integrated lid, elevated on legs so hot contents don't threaten flooring yet low enough to make it easy to scoop into, and to get the opening close to the stove door so that most of the dust gets pulled up the chimney. It's also easy to empty it into a bag without creating a huge dust cloud.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

ED 3000 - you seriously fill that tin can and leave it inside your home?? Big no no. Those ashes and that extra heat are also creating extra carbon monoxide. Do a search here or use Google to see how many families don't wake up every year because of this. Please rethink your ash disposal practice and get it out of the house to a safe place ASAP.

Thanks for the warning, Bob, I was wondering about that. I researched "popcorn tin tragedies" on Google, and didn't come up with much, but your advice is well taken!

 

[CountryBoy19]

Just an old steel 5-gallon bucket... I think concrete sealer came in it. I dropped it in a big fire to burn the paint & crap off/out of it so it doesn't stink when I drop hot ash/coals in. Then it gets taken out immediately.

 

[BobUrban]

I didn't necessarily mean popcorn tin as much as just leaving the hot ashes and coals inside your home. As is an amazing insulator and will keep CO producing coals viable for a long time. In a bucket like that days are possible. It is the silent killer that you just never wake up from.

The insulating qualities of the ash is why they need to be treated as a fire hazard long after they are out of the stove and not left in the garage or dumped haphazardly into the trash or off the deck etc..

Best practice: don't put them anywhere you would light a fire and walk away. I.e.: house. Garage. Back yard brush pile. You get the idea.

Do a search here for the flaming garbage truck story. If not so scary it's kind of funny(as long as it's not happening to you)

 

[rippinryno]

Why not put them on the garden? That's what I do. I also feel my ash by hand to make sure it's not warm if I'm leaving it in the garage. I too leave my ash until bucket is full. I would like to see how many families don't wake up from the ash bucket monoxide. Do you have some articles about this bob urban?

 

[heavy hammer]

I just use a metal can out in the garage I dump the ash pan in it every couple days. Then once a week I put in a big metal trash can for the garbage guys, it is in a garbage bag for them but the metal can is in case I missed a hot coal or to. Worked the last ten years. Trash guys never had a melted bag or ash everywhere, everyone happy.

 

[kybishop]

There are a lot of uses for ashes.

https://humblelore.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/30-uses-for-wood-ashes-you-never-thought-of/

We have been putting the ashes in an open bucket for about 40 years I guess. We haven't had any issues. Primarily take the old gray fine ashes out and leave the hot coals in for the next fire. Try to anyway, get some hot stuff in the bucket occasionally and set it outside if so. Otherwise it sits by the stove. Not difficult to tell if you have hot ashes in it or not.

Thanks everyone. Interesting to see you setups and what you are using.

 

[CenterTree]

Thanks for the warning, Bob, I was wondering about that. I researched "popcorn tin tragedies" on Google, and didn't come up with much, but your advice is well taken!

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/had-4-co-detectors-going-off-last-night.136655/

My ashes go from the stove DIRECTLY OUTSIDE!!
I would NEVER (again) keep them inside for any reason.

Ask me how I know that it is a bad idea to delay taking them outside.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/had-4-co-detectors-going-off-last-night.136655/
Bob is absolutely correct.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

I didn't necessarily mean popcorn tin as much as just leaving the hot ashes and coals inside your home. As is an amazing insulator and will keep CO producing coals viable for a long time. In a bucket like that days are possible. It is the silent killer that you just never wake up from.

The insulating qualities of the ash is why they need to be treated as a fire hazard long after they are out of the stove and not left in the garage or dumped haphazardly into the trash or off the deck etc..

Best practice: don't put them anywhere you would light a fire and walk away. I.e.: house. Garage. Back yard brush pile. You get the idea.

Do a search here for the flaming garbage truck story. If not so scary it's kind of funny(as long as it's not happening to you)

Thanks Bob, I knew what you meant!

 

[jotul8e2]

I have two similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Garbage-Can-S...455425853&sr=1-5&keywords=20+gallon+trash+can .

It takes six to eight weeks to fill one, and I only empty the first when the second is nearly full. By that time I can be dead certain sure that there are no live coals left. As for disposal, well, it helps to live on 75 acres.

 

[blacktail]

After buying my insert, I looked at ash buckets at a store and thought they were ridiculously overpriced. So I walked to the housewares section and found a stockpot for significantly less.
It gets dumped 20ft from the back door at the edge of my woods. If it's raining out, I just set it on the BBQ by the back door and dump it later.

 

[firefighterjake]

Ashes are only found in three places . . . inside the ash pan in the stove, inside the galvanized, covered ash pan outside on a non-combustible surface or (once cool) spread on the driveway/in my ash pit. I would never leave ashes inside my home . . . covered or uncovered (except for the aforementioned ash pan in the stove.)

 

[Village Idiot]

I use a 6-gal garbage pail from Tractor Supply. Cheap and the lid fits tight enough that it makes a horrible screeching noise that makes everyone cringe. Once the ash gets put in it, it goes out on the concrete walk away from the house. After about three cleanouts, it gets dumped into a full size metal can for future disposal. That usually entails spreading on the garden/lawn and snow.

 

[becasunshine]

Ok, I am late to this old thread.

We have sold the house with the pellet stove. No more pellet stove.

We have moved to the house with the Blaze King Princess wood stove.

Chimney is cleaned. Seasoned (for several years) split wood is stacked. More wood is on order for later this year. We'll burn down what we already have and replenish probably in Jan/Feb or so, then let that wood age as well.

Up until this year, we used the wood stove on weekends. We'd build a fire Friday night, and stop loading late Saturday night. We'd let it burn down on Sunday, then leave the stove on "low" with no logs or very burned down logs in it, mostly hot cinders and ash.

By the time we arrived the next Friday night, the stove was stone cold. We'd shovel into an ash pail, then dump the cold ashes on the gravel driveway away from combustibles just in case. One weekend's fire in a Blaze King Princess didn't produce a whole lot of ash anyway. It was easy to spread it out and make sure it was cold in the driveway before we walked away from it.

This year will be our first year burning full time.

I am estimating that with a Blaze King Princess, burning wood as the primary source of heat, we'll probably have to clean the stove once or twice a week.

We have put a nice layer of fresh crush and run gravel in the driveway and we have a nice place to set the ash bucket and/or a galvanized trash can on a good layer of gravel to let ashes cool.

I was thinking that we could take the ashes out in the ash bucket, let them sit in the driveway for a bit with the cover on the bucket to smother any embers, then transfer the cooled ashes to a standard 31 gallon galvanized metal trash can for longer term storage.

Am I reading correctly that some of you use TWO (2) galvanized metal trashcans, and transfer ashes in between them outside?

I want to be safe here. We are quite rural and we are largely dependent on a small town/rural volunteer fire department. They are great but we consider it bad form to set our stuff on fire and inconvenience those nice folks

Is the standard ash bucket taken outside and set on gravel for say 24 or 48 hours, then transferred into a galvanized trash can on gravel, both with a lid, sufficient?

If not, please give us some better ideas. We are open to opinions and personal experience!

 

[Jon1270]

Assuming the coals that end up in the ash bucket are pretty small to begin with, I think your plan is fine. A bed of ashes is a great insulator and can keep coals alive for a surprisingly long time, but 48 hours in one noncombustible container sitting on a noncombustible surface before being transferred to another noncombustible container on a noncombustible surface seems pretty conservative. I wouldn't scoop hot ashes and coals into a galvanized container, and I also wouldn't dump ashes from one bucket to another in a stiff breeze while standing upwind of a dry straw bale, but barring mistakes like that I think you're pretty safe.

 

[mass_burner]

The ash can is the little painted steel can to the right of the stove. Came with popcorn in it before its new life. Top seals nice, adds some heat to the room. Can fit two cleanings in it before it is taken outside. And the price was right!

View attachment 174609

You must be single with all that wood in the house.