To use, or not to use... The ash pan.

[Tenn Dave]

Fine. She is asking what to do with the ash pan in her stove.

So are you saying no other experiences with other stoves can be mentioned?

 

[Tenn Dave]

Not a habit, a preference.

Be bold and try new things

 

[BrotherBart]

So are you saying no other experiences with other stoves can be mentioned?

Pretty much. She isn't gonna buy God's gift to wood burning and have it shipped to Scotland just to get its ash pan.

 

[begreen]

Been there, done that. After 40 yrs of burning I go with what works for me.

 

[Tenn Dave]

Pretty much. She isn't gonna buy God's gift to wood burning and have it shipped to Scotland just to get its ash pan.

Now Now, who ever said anything about buying another stove. your dislike of WS is showing through..

 

[Tenn Dave]

Been there, done that. After 40 yrs of burning I go with what works for me.

As you should my friend. Go with what works for you and your situation.

 

[FionaD]

Interesting that some of you say your ash in the pan is quite fine. I think if mine was I wouldn't bother trying this. Maybe it depends on all kinds of things; wood type, how hot or slow a burn the stove typically gets, type of stove, etc etc...

It's been interesting this evening though, I have to say, as I think the ash pan is now full to the top of the grate. Early yet to say how it seems to be behaving, but it does seem to me as though the ash is burning down much finer, as if, because it has nowhere to go, it has to stay put and be burned down a little more... It's a really different colour too! Well, I'll see how it 'pans out'

I was wondering if I'd need to remove the log retainer to shovel out the ash, and you say you did that with your F3 Brother Bart; I'm imagining that could sometimes be quite a mess. However if you're saying, BeGreen, that you only shovelled some out your F3 around once a month I could live with that.. It sure must have burnt finer for such infrequent emptying to be possible, it only took me about a week to totally fill up the whole pan space.

Bottom line for me will probably be that, once I've tried both ways, I'll stick with what's the least trouble.

Thanks for all the previous links on the same subject - wow it's 'ash pan a go-go,'. Funny, I did a search and found mostly pellet stove posts on ash pans. I'll enjoy doing some catch up reading.

 

[firefighterjake]

I think the key is to not dump the ash pan too often . . . or to stir too vigorously. The way I do it there usually is a layer of ash and coals above the grates . . . and as someone else mentioned very little to any coals in the ash pan.

 

[begreen]

I was wondering if I'd need to remove the log retainer to shovel out the ash, and you say you did that with your F3 Brother Bart; I'm imagining that could sometimes be quite a mess. However if you're saying, BeGreen, that you only shovelled some out your F3 around once a month I could live with that.. It sure must have burnt finer for such infrequent emptying to be possible, it only took me about a week to totally fill up the whole pan space.

Truth be told the F3 was almost a decade ago and I don't recall how frequently I cleaned it, we only had it for a year. With the F400 we could definitely go a month between ash cleanings as I now do with the T6. I would let the F400 ash pan fill up and then the bottom of the stove too. (Yes I am lazy.) This is easier burning wood like doug fir. It creates less ash. Some other species of wood create a lot more.

 

[Charles1981]

I can't imagine not having an ash pan.

The VC ash grate seems to only let tiny little coals through. I let it fill up every 4-7 days. Open the ash pan door, dump it in the aluminum can outside and back we go.

It literally takes about 5 second and only needs to be done 1-2x a week.

It would be a difficult stove to scoop ashes out of without it IMO.

 

[Poindexter]

Whatever does work, I encourage you to clean out all the remaining ash at the end of the season.

I like to have my ash out and flue cleaned by June 1 or so, so when the fish start running I am free to go salmon fishing knowing the stove is as ready as can be when the cold weather comes back, usually after caribou but before moose season.

 

[begreen]

I like my moose well seasoned.

 

[Hoozie]

I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that uses the ash pan on the 30nc

Pull the plug, push some ash in, a few quick shakes in/out of the pan to level the ash out, repeat until it's full.

Much less dust (and quicker) than trying to shovel it out and having one shovel go wrong and spill everywhere.

 

[Woody Stover]

Fine. She is asking what to do with the ash pan in her stove.

Not a habit, a preference.

a well designed ash pan can change minds........it did for me.

I never owned a stove with an ashpan until the Progress, but can't imagine ever being without one now.

Once you try a good grated system, you don't go back. It's just too clean and easy. She needs to know that so she can be done with the drudgery of shoveling next time she buys a stove.

I think the key is to not dump the ash pan too often . . . or to stir too vigorously. The way I do it there usually is a layer of ash and coals above the grates

That's the way I do it. Then you get the burn benefits of having the ash bed. I just lightly run the poker through the ash when it fills almost to the level of the door.

I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that uses the ash pan on the 30nc Pull the plug, push some ash in, a few quick shakes in/out of the pan to level the ash out, repeat until it's full. Much less dust (and quicker) than trying to shovel it out

Even though there's no grate on the Buck, just an ash dump hole, I still prefer that to shoveling 'em out and trying be careful. It does have a flip-up lid, which has gotta be better than the plug...