At the end of a long fire I open the air all the way and rake most of the ashes to the front of the stove. I let them burn down and repeat the process until I have burned up most of the charcoal. Then I spread the remaining ashes to give a level platform to rekindle the fire.
While raking the ashes flat I notice large (2" to 5" dia., 1" thick) hard cakes of ashes near the front of the stove. They are seldom even warm and I could pick them up with my unprotected hands but I still wear gloves. These large cakes look like and have the same texture as broken fire brick. All my fire bricks are intact and sound so it is not my stove falling apart.
I have an OAK and these cakes are located just below where the outside air enters the firebox. I am not worried about these curious objects but am wondering how they are created.
Any suggestions?
John_M
While raking the ashes flat I notice large (2" to 5" dia., 1" thick) hard cakes of ashes near the front of the stove. They are seldom even warm and I could pick them up with my unprotected hands but I still wear gloves. These large cakes look like and have the same texture as broken fire brick. All my fire bricks are intact and sound so it is not my stove falling apart.
I have an OAK and these cakes are located just below where the outside air enters the firebox. I am not worried about these curious objects but am wondering how they are created.
Any suggestions?
John_M