Spankin' New Hardwood Floors & My Messy Insert...Ughh!

[jscs.moore]

Hey Guys...been burning with my HI300 insert for 3 seasons now and never had to worry much about the mess of wood burning. We bought our current house about 4 years ago and when I had the HI300 installed in our main living room we had about 20 year old carpeting in there so we never worried much about the mess of burning wood. Well...all that has changed now as my wife finally convinced me to have the ratty old carpeting ripped out and have brand spankin' new 5" plank hickory hardwood installed. It is absolutely gorgeous and now my wife won't even let us come in the house with our shoes on

So now I'm trying to figure out the best way to burn this season without making a mess with loading wood into the insert and removing ash, etc. Also, anyone have some good ideas for protective floor covering around the hearth area to protect the hardwood flooring? I know if I don't come up with a good plan to protect the new floor, my wife's going tell to run the heat pump instead

 

[Highbeam]

The wood slings are extremely awesome for minimizing mess. You use it like a drop cloth and roll up the sling along with the mess when you’re done. We are a no carpet family too. It’s actually easier to clean than carpet but the chips are sometimes more visible.

 

[brenndatomu]

The insert stove in our living room can only be reached by crossing carpet that is in nice shape...so no messes on it (although the kids are pushing the limits here!) I found by hauling the wood in a clean 5 gallon bucket...then be very careful with loading, and sweep up the hearth after every load. Also I don't have the ash dragon, but do something similar that was inspired by it...it keeps the mess down pretty well.
(broken link removed to http://www.ashdragon.com/)

 

[jscs.moore]

The wood slings are extremely awesome for minimizing mess. You use it like a drop cloth and roll up the sling along with the mess when you’re done. We are a no carpet family too. It’s actually easier to clean than carpet but the chips are sometimes more visible.

Thanks...never heard of a wood sling? Is it like a drop cloth or something...where to order?

 

[Highbeam]

Thanks...never heard of a wood sling? Is it like a drop cloth or something...where to order?

Here’s a pic of mine from right now. Ordered on amazon. It holds a full 2.85 cubic foot load of wood so I can carry it in with one hand and not a huge armful with chips on my chest!

 

[moresnow]

My wood floor has been worry free. I keep a small wisk broom and pan near my ash bucket next to the stove. A quick swipe or two after reloads and its spic and span.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

My sister-in-law gave us an actual Ash Dragon for Christmas a few years back. It’s nice.

We used a wood carrier similar to Highbeam’s, but ours had small ends that helped us contain chips and bark as well.

What about an attractive hearth rug if your wife is particularly worried about the floor? It could be taken outside and shaken, if necessary. Our insert was in our basement with light-colored carpeting, and I put an old doormat of mine in front of our wood ring because my husband occasionally set the log carrier on the ground or the wood outside and then set it on the carpet. It wasn’t the most attractive, but it also wasn’t our formal living room. Here’s a photo I dug up the other day for someone else. It wasn’t all cleaned up when I took it, but you can see the little rug and the Ash Dragon.

I can completely understand your wife caring about the mess. I was definitely upset with my husband when he made more than necessary. I love wood heat, though, and would not choose a heat pump. I just did most of the bringing wood in and stove loading and cleaning. That might be another way to reduce the mess.

 

[jetsam]

I got a 3x5 rug and then built a hearth pad out of 2x3s, cement board, and tile, and set the framed pad on the rug. The rug is completely under the pad, but it keeps the hearth pad from scraping on the floor. All the mess stays on top of the tiled hearth pad and can easily be swept/vacuumed off. I usually just brush it into my ash shovel and dump it in the stove.

 

[jetsam]

I just did most of the bringing wood in and stove loading and cleaning. That might be another way to reduce the mess.]

I love this answer and will be bringing it to my wife's attention.

 

[KennyK]

I got this wood carrier with sides. The sides help chips and dirt/dust from falling out of the sides and it’s plenty long enough for even longer splits. Surprisingly well built for only $10 on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MUD1NEW/?tag=hearthamazon-20



That ash dragon looks really cool! @DuaeGuttae, Do they work well?

 

[firefighterjake]

As mentioned . . . wood sling (purchased mine from LL Bean) . . . and diligent cleaning around the stove. I keep a whisk broom and dust pan near my woodbox for that express purpose.

 

[Bad LP]

I also use the LL Bean wood carrier. My field stone hearth is flush with the mahogany floor and a fire resistant rug traps loose bits of bark and debris and also stops any small hot coals versus allowing them to bounce off the hearth onto the floor.

I'm very anal about keeping the area clean. Pan and broom are nearby and a cordless Dyson vac works great for the minor clean up on a known COLD rug. It is never used during an active fire.

 

[yooper08]

Wood canvas tote aka sling. If you're up to it, you can bring in at least two loads of wood in the one Highbeam has (have the same one).

Wool rug for in front of the hearth. The nice things about wool is that it's nice material, naturally fire resistant, and if some coals do fall on it on the off chance, you just brush the spot. Could get one for right in front or a runner for the entire/majority of the hearth. After burning season, roll it up and store it until next season if you want. The only caution here is sunlight. If your hearth gets plenty of sunlight, with a rug, the floors will fade differently.

For scooping out ash, just take your time and do it when the firebox has hot coals. The only time I get ash outside of the ash lip is if I make a mistake or have a cold box.

Vacuum hearth regularly or use a small whisk broom for the debris.

 

[barnaclebob]

I too have a bag style wood carrier (Inno Stage) and very few chips end up on the floor. Just a few right below the stove door. I might get a sling carrier because its easier to unload the wood into the staging pile thats on the porch. I would be able to just unroll the logs into the pile instead of having to pick each one up.

The only time wood should be handled indoors is to put it into the stove. If you fill up a log holder indoors that holds a day or two worth of wood you'll get a ton of mess.

 

[Highbeam]

To reduce mess, I don't handle firewood inside the home other than to lift if from the sling into the firebox. There is no firewood stored inside the home that will be picked up again and loaded into the stove. Those extra handling steps are where the mess (and bugs) comes from. I suppose that means my wood is cold but it's very dry so no problem lighting up.

 

[prezes13]

I got the sling and I bought small rechargeable vacuum. My insert is flushed so it makes a mess with ash spillage. Every time I load my stove I vacuum in front of it.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I got this wood carrier with sides. The sides help chips and dirt/dust from falling out of the sides and it’s plenty long enough for even longer splits. Surprisingly well built for only $10 on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MUD1NEW/?tag=hearthamazon-20


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That ash dragon looks really cool! @DuaeGuttae, Do they work well?

The Ash Dragon works well, in my opinion. Is it essential? No. Are there other ways to remove ash neatly? Yes. I wouldn’t have bought one for myself. It was a great gift for us, though, and we have appreciated owning it. In fact, we’ve just been getting a quote on a woodstove and had to decide whether we wanted an ash pan or not. We decided against it because we won’t be burning cords and cords and ash removal with the ash dragon is so quick and easy. (At least it was with our shallow-fireboxed Revere. I hope it will be as easy as in a different stove.)

 

[DuaeGuttae]

To reduce mess, I don't handle firewood inside the home other than to lift if from the sling into the firebox. There is no firewood stored inside the home that will be picked up again and loaded into the stove. Those extra handling steps are where the mess (and bugs) comes from. I suppose that means my wood is cold but it's very dry so no problem lighting up.

I agree that our mess came when we had wood stored inside. We didn’t do it always, but we had the wood ring there when we were expecting a blizzard or days of ice storms or severe wind chills. We would load it up before the severe weather moved in, and we traded that convenience for the increased need for mess containment. It also wasn’t unusual for us to have a few splits left when loading the stove, and it was nice just to stack them there. We never had insect issues with our wood once it seasoned.