# How often do you clean out your stove ashes?



## jeremyjudd (Dec 11, 2010)

We always had a wood stove growing up, and it seems like we only cleaned the ashes out a few times a season.  We always burned Tamarack (lived in Oregon growing up), and of course it wasn't an EPA approved stove.

I burn with the Pleasant Hearth 1800 sq foot model, and it seems like I accumulate more ashes then I remember when I was younger.  I'm burning oak and hickory (in North Carolina now), seasoned 1 1/2 years under a covered barn.

If I don't take the ashes out once a week they really start to build up in the stove.

What about your stove?  How often do you remove the ashes? What works best for you?

~jeremy


----------



## jotul8e2 (Dec 12, 2010)

Whoa whoa WHOA  Once or twice a season?  Once a month?  What are you guys burning?  I burn three or so cords of oak/hickory a year, which is not a particularly large amount.  Do you realize how much ash that is?  Maybe 90 gallons (loose).  And that is supposed to remain in the stove for the SEASON????

I can't vote because my Jotul Oslo will fill its pan after three to four days of 24/7 burning.  And it does not like ashes to build up in the firebox.  My Dutchwest Medium cat stove has is smaller and with a smaller ashpan that fills at about the same rate.  It doesn't care if ashes build up, however, so I suppose I could empty it less often, but it would be a lot more work to shovel,rake, and shake the ashes out of the firebox.


----------



## ansehnlich1 (Dec 12, 2010)

I don't get ash, run 5, maybe 6 cord through the Oslo each year and no ash, hmmmmmm.

I empty my ash pan daily, for real.


----------



## bobforsaken (Dec 12, 2010)

I empty mine every day or two.      Rarely do I go more than two days...   Of course.. i'm buring a lot of Poplar right now


----------



## tfdchief (Dec 12, 2010)

Every 2 days max.  Of course I leave a nice bed of ash after cleaning.


----------



## JeffT (Dec 12, 2010)

Every 3 to 5 days depending on what wood comes off the stack.


----------



## madrone (Dec 12, 2010)

Depends on what I'm burning and how often. Doug Fir leaves almost no ashes, so once a month is enough this time of year. A couple of years ago I had a lot of Cottonwood, so more like once a week.


----------



## nate379 (Dec 12, 2010)

When it's full, round once a month or so.

The stove my folks heat their place with, empty it 2-3 times over the winter.


----------



## colebrookman (Dec 12, 2010)

ansehnlich1 said:
			
		

> I don't get ash, run 5, maybe 6 cord through the Oslo each year and no ash, hmmmmmm.
> 
> I empty my ash pan daily, for real.


+1 here


----------



## bboulier (Dec 12, 2010)

Right now, I work every day, so I burn only on weekends when my son and daughter-in-law come by to share the fire with my wife and me.  And, not so much wood stored for this year.  Next year is going to be much better!  I partially clean up ashes after every fire.  I leave some, but I really don't understand the theory about leaving ashes.  My view is that ashes might inhibit the ability of fire brick to store heat by insulating the brick from absorbing heat?  I wish an engineer or a company representative would supply some hard data on this issue.


----------



## Mcbride (Dec 12, 2010)

every 2 weeks is probably average. More when its really cold out, less in spring & fall.


----------



## nate379 (Dec 12, 2010)

Seems to me that most of you are loosing lot of your heat by shoveling out the ashes.  I cleaned my stove a few days ago.  I didn't put wood in it a full 24hrs prior and still when I shoveled out the ashes they were hot enough that I could have tossed wood in the stove and started a fire without trouble.
How are you separating the ash from the glowing hot coals?


----------



## Sierra Guy (Dec 12, 2010)

We have a close to a full pan of ash after burning (mostly Oak with some Pine) all day.  We can sometimes go two days if we don't sweep it down the grate but wouldn't want to try it any longer.


----------



## nate379 (Dec 12, 2010)

Used to have a stove with a grate and we just leave the ash holder on the bottom fill full and then used it like a normal stove.  When we cleaned the stove, just cleaned the top.  Found it worked better that way.
My Blaze King has a box in the bottom the ash could go, but you have to pull a plate in the firebox.  It's pretty much pointless.


----------



## pen (Dec 12, 2010)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> Used to have a stove with a grate and we just leave the ash holder on the bottom fill full and then used it like a normal stove.  When we cleaned the stove, just cleaned the top.  Found it worked better that way.
> My Blaze King has a box in the bottom the ash could go, but you have to pull a plate in the firebox.  It's pretty much pointless.



+1  Agreed!  Just remove it from the stove as necessary.  I've yet to use the "ash plug" (gotta be careful how you say that) on mine yet.

pen


----------



## modo (Dec 12, 2010)

I clean out every other day.  Remove the ash and leave the coles.


----------



## clr8ter (Dec 12, 2010)

There was another thread here recently, and almost everyone agreed that it is best to leave ashes in your stove. At least a 1" deep bed on the bottom. I asked what about the stoves, (like mine, an Oslo), that have a grate and a pan. Some people said use it, some said forget about it for the season. It occured to me this morning that if I do it often enough before the ashes in the pan get to the bottom of the grate, that I can just remove the pan, dump the ashes, and put the pan back with no mess, and without disturbing the ashes in the stove.

Today it's raining, so I can throw them on the lawn. I need an ash bucket.......


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Dec 12, 2010)

The poll is pointless as there are not enough choices.


I also find it hard to believe that folks empty their ashes daily!! Even every other day. That seems to go against the grain of wood burning. Leave a good ash bed in the stove and things will go much better. 

Nate asked what folks are using to separate coals and ash. We simply use a poker and it is easy to do; but then, we never clean out all the ashes either. That should not be done.


----------



## burr (Dec 12, 2010)

Daily, if I dont it'll start to leak out of the chamber causing a mess worse than I keep now.


----------



## jotul8e2 (Dec 12, 2010)

re: ash bed

It depends upon the stove.  As I noted above, I have a Jotul Oslo and a Dutchwest cat.  The Oslo does indeed burn better with a bed of ash in the pan - but if allowed to accumulate in the firebox it chokes out.  Jotul makes a big deal of their "Airwash" system that keeps the glass clean.  It does indeed do this, but it appears to me that it works by setting up a circulation pattern across the top toward the front, down the glass, and then through the grate.  All I know for sure is that a deep bed of ash, or coals for that matter, is a good way to have a long lasting, 250 degree fire.

My Dutchwest, on the other hand, takes its air through the side door and I don't think it cares if there are no ashes, ashes in the pan, or in the firebox.  I suppose I could leave them until there is no more room for wood.  But it is easier all around if I just empty the pan when it gets full.

In neither stove do I carry out any significant amount of coals.  The grates on both do an excellent job of keeping the coals in the firebox and dropping the ash through.

I note that many of you who have long ash cleaning intervals have inserts which have no ash pan.  Clearly they are designed to operate with an accumulation of ash.


----------



## jeremyjudd (Dec 12, 2010)

Hm.  Sorry about the choices.  Maybe I'm just missing it, but I don't think I can edit the poll once posted.

I had no idea some people empty out their ashes daily.

I know wood type matters.  Perhaps tamarack had very little ash.  I know dad used to burn 4 cords a year in that stove, but I also remember cleaning the stove out as something of an "event".  i.e., it didn't happen often...


----------



## ControlFreak (Dec 12, 2010)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> Seems to me that most of you are loosing lot of your heat by shoveling out the ashes.  I cleaned my stove a few days ago.  I didn't put wood in it a full 24hrs prior and still when I shoveled out the ashes they were hot enough that I could have tossed wood in the stove and started a fire without trouble.
> How are you separating the ash from the glowing hot coals?



Get one of those cheap sheet metal shovels.  Drill a network of 1/2" holes in it.  Instant ash separater.  My stove has a flat bottom (no ashpan hole), so I just take the shovel and slide it forward/back along the bottom.  Ashes end up in the front, coals end up at the back.  Then just shovel out the ash in the front.

Burning 24/7, I do this every morning so the coals are not hindered by the ash, and I also don't get the crusty formations of ash.


----------



## velvetfoot (Dec 12, 2010)

I might have been emptying out the ashes on my little insert not often enough. 
I had a coal roll out onto the run recently (another thread) and I also think I can't put as much wood in there when the ash level is high.


----------



## nate379 (Dec 12, 2010)

The last 2 times I cleaned the stove I just shut it down for a day or two and kicked on the boiler to heat the house.  When I was growing up that is what we would do at my folks as well.  Most often would clean the chimney and stove all at the same time.  Usually 2-3 times over the course of winter.

Yes the ashes are still pretty warm even then, but it's much safer than trying to shovel out red hot ash/coals.

I cleaned my stove earlier this week ago and the first 2-3 loads didn't last as long as they do once I have a nice thick ash bed built up in the stove.  Also was harder to get the next load going since I didn't have much heat/coals to worth with.  Once I get a decent ash bed I have no problem keeping the stove going 24/7 by loading it about once every 12hrs.

Most days I just have enough time to throw wood in the stove and get it going.  If I had to play around with ashes, lighting a fresh fire, etc I wouldn't even bother heating with wood.


----------



## madrone (Dec 12, 2010)

I use a small ash shovel as my only tool. Rakes coals, shovels ash, moves logs. No need to modify it. Push the coals to one side by lightly raking them with the edge of the shovel. Shovel out about 3/4 of the ash, and pull the coals back up front. No need for perfection. In my stove I find a layer of ash slows down the burn and keeps the coals hot longer. The ash can just pile up in there without becoming an issue until it's spilling out the door. Cleaning daily sounds like a PITA.


----------



## jrprusak (Dec 12, 2010)

Me, 2 times per year, burn 5 cords per year.. save the ashes for summer and spread on the lawn for moss control.. I notice some of the newer stoves have the lower fire brick almost even with the bottom of the door, what a mistake, I'm sure those would have to be cleaned every week.. My stove can hold almost 6 inches deep of ash....


----------



## Mcbride (Dec 13, 2010)

I am sure some other stoves are different, but on every blaze king i have owned ( 3 now in different houses)  they just do not work correctly without a nice bed of ash and coals.

A few times i shoveled it out too well by accident, and its not right for a day or 2 of burning again.

My parents got a new wood heater about 8 years ago, and it sucked for the first week, and then started to work well.
After about 2 weeks they cleaned it right out, and back to poor burning, once the ash got deeper it was fine again to.
I forget the brand name of theirs, but they learned to only clean out about half the ashes, or pay the price.


----------



## cptoneleg (Dec 13, 2010)

Ashes, clean out a shovel full daily or more when 7/24s   but my stove is  a tool  and I take care of my tools.  I shut her down ,let burn down and give her a real cleaning, showroom floor clean, just like it was a shinny new red sportscar, heck I can make ashes quick.


----------



## VCBurner (Dec 13, 2010)

I empty the ash pan about once a week.


----------



## VCBurner (Dec 13, 2010)

jotul8e2 said:
			
		

> I can't vote because my Jotul Oslo will fill its pan after three to four days of 24/7 burning.  And it does not like ashes to build up in the firebox.  My Dutchwest Medium cat stove has is smaller and with a smaller ashpan that fills at about the same rate.  It doesn't care if ashes build up, however, so I suppose I could empty it less often, but it would be a lot more work to shovel,rake, and shake the ashes out of the firebox.



Where are the two stoves installed?  I have a Dutchwest Large Cat 2461 is that the same model as yours?  I'm very keen on the Jotuls though.  How do the two compare?


----------



## ezwryder (Dec 13, 2010)

My LOPI Endeavor burns so completely that I don't think a get a lot of ashes.  I'm heating about 1850 Sq Ft and hardly ever turn on the LP furnace, and end up emptying the ashes about once a week.  Although I'm a newbie at wood burning, it does seem like 1" to 2 1/2" of ash holds the heat much better and for darn sure holds red embers for many hours.  Although it's a lot more work than I thought it would be, I love wood burning.


----------



## raybonz (Dec 13, 2010)

I only clean some of the ashes out and that is when there is too little room for wood.. I rarely clean it all out as the stove runs better with 1-2" of ash in it plus it helps protect the stove bottom.. You will have to see what works best for you..

Ray


----------



## raybonz (Dec 13, 2010)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> The poll is pointless as there are not enough choices.
> 
> 
> I also find it hard to believe that folks empty their ashes daily!! Even every other day. That seems to go against the grain of wood burning. Leave a good ash bed in the stove and things will go much better.
> ...



+1 I couldn't say that any better! Some think I am crazy that I never empty my ashbin but my stove runs better that way and the ash does no harm..

Ray


----------



## firefighterjake (Dec 13, 2010)

I voted "once a week" but in reality it's usually 1-2 times each week . . . I always leave some ash and coals in the firebox.


----------



## JTRock (Dec 11, 2014)

I'm wondering myself. Haven't done it yet this year, the ash is at the door lip of my summit and I have been burning everyday for about a month, Thinking maybe tomorrow I will have too. The past few days I have been getting awesome restarts in the morning though. I stir it around with the poker and have been unearthing a plethora of red hot coals better than previous.

I'd hate to lose that by prematurely removing the ash


----------



## velvetfoot (Dec 11, 2014)

I'd say once every two weeks.  It's amazing how low the ash bed gets when the coals burn all the way down.  Not always practical, but still amazing.


----------



## tsquini (Dec 11, 2014)

I clean out the ash every 4 years. I like to build up a nice bed of ash about 5 ft deep.


----------



## David.Ervin (Dec 11, 2014)

Depends on how hard I'm driving the stove, but on average, I'll take out a full bucket of ash about every five to seven days.  I don't time it, I just do it when either ash is spilling out when I open the doors, or it's piled up so much that I can't get as much wood in there as I'd like.


----------



## JTRock (Dec 11, 2014)

David.Ervin said:


> Depends on how hard I'm driving the stove, but on average, I'll take out a full bucket of ash about every five to seven days.  I don't time it, I just do it when either ash is spilling out when I open the doors, or it's piled up so much that I can't get as much wood in there as I'd like.



That's the point I'm getting to now


----------



## Offset (Dec 11, 2014)

I clean out the firebox on my Alderlea T5 about once per week.  I never empty the built in ash pan.  I empty the stove first thing in the morning using a metal bucket and the fireplace shovel.  I dig into the bottom of the stove and lightly shake the shovel to knock off any large glowing pieces.  Doing it at this time of the day the stove still has some draw left with the damper wide open and the dust seems to get pulled back into the stove so it does not make a lot of mess.  I know I lose some heat into the bucket but not a whole lot.  

I put the can outside out of the wind and clean up the area around the stove immediately afterwards.  I have used this method since I got the stove, three years ago, and it seems to work well for me.


----------



## Manitoulin Maples (Dec 11, 2014)

I have a PE Super 27 and use the ash dump feature every day in 24/7 burning.  I have to empty the built in ash drawer once a week.  Most of the time I burn splits north-south in my stove so it's nice for ash removal because most of the coals are at the back of the firebox.  I do move any live coals that are hanging around the front to the back, then I open the ash dump door and scrap the loose ash at the front of the stove lip into the drawer, being careful not to scrap live coals in there.  Then I rake the coals to the front of the stove, and sometimes let them burn down a bit if needed before re-loading.  I do this every morning and the stove runs way better.  If I leave the ash it builds up too much and logs get smothered and the air flow to the back is not as good.  I keep a 1" layer of ash in the bottom at all times but removing the excess each day really helps.  

Personally I don't understand why more people don't like the PE ash dump feature?  IMO it's just so much easier than using a shovel and metal bucket.  I've tried it both ways and the ash dump feature takes about 5 seconds. The other other way is not nearly as simple...you go get your bucket outside, get your shovel ready, empty the stove carefully without ash going everywhere, take the bucket back outside etc.  I pull a lever and scrap some ash to the hole and then it sits in the drawer inside the stove until I empty it.  Maybe I'm missing something or maybe other stoves don't have a great ash dump feature?  Of course everyone has their own personal preference...for me it's the ash dump all the way

We actually have a driveway with a steep incline so I most of the ash on the driveway instead of sand all winter.


----------



## jimdrea (Dec 11, 2014)

I have a Napoleon 1402 and have been using it steady now for two months. I empty every 4-5 days. When the ash builds up to the point of falling out when I open the door to load. I always leave an inch on the bottom.


----------



## Offset (Dec 11, 2014)

Manitoulin Maples said:


> I have a PE Super 27 and use the ash dump feature every day in 24/7 burning.  I have to empty the built in ash drawer once a week.  Most of the time I burn splits north-south in my stove so it's nice for ash removal because most of the coals are at the back of the firebox.  I do move any live coals that are hanging around the front to the back, then I open the ash dump door and scrap the loose ash at the front of the stove lip into the drawer, being careful not to scrap live coals in there.  Then I rake the coals to the front of the stove, and sometimes let them burn down a bit if needed before re-loading.  I do this every morning and the stove runs way better.  If I leave the ash it builds up too much and logs get smothered and the air flow to the back is not as good.  I keep a 1" layer of ash in the bottom at all times but removing the excess each day really helps.
> 
> Personally I don't understand why more people don't like the PE ash dump feature?  IMO it's just so much easier than using a shovel and metal bucket.  I've tried it both ways and the ash dump feature takes about 5 seconds. The other other way is not nearly as simple...you go get your bucket outside, get your shovel ready, empty the stove carefully without ash going everywhere, take the bucket back outside etc.  I pull a lever and scrap some ash to the hole and then it sits in the drawer inside the stove until I empty it.  Maybe I'm missing something or maybe other stoves don't have a great ash dump feature?  Of course everyone has their own personal preference...for me it's the ash dump all the way
> 
> We actually have a driveway with a steep incline so I most of the ash on the driveway instead of sand all winter.



I will admit that I have only tried twice to empty the stove via your method using the ash pan.  Both times I had difficulty trying to get the pan to seal again, I was getting draw up through it.  Was a doing something wrong, probably, but I did not feel comfortable emptying the stove in this manner.  Glad it works for you.

From just a bit east of you in Haliburton, Ontario.  Snowing hard here this morning.


----------



## Highbeam (Dec 11, 2014)

I've been burning doug fir all season and have not emptied my BK. In fact, the ash accumulation is so low that the little hook on the ash plug is still sticking up into the firebox. Doug fir doesn't leave much ash or coal.


----------



## R'Lee (Dec 11, 2014)

With my BKK,  burning 8% rock maple, normally (99% of the time) on "idle," I scoop out about a gallon and a half of ash once every two or three weeks.


----------



## Manitoulin Maples (Dec 11, 2014)

Offset said:


> I will admit that I have only tried twice to empty the stove via your method using the ash pan.  Both times I had difficulty trying to get the pan to seal again, I was getting draw up through it.  Was a doing something wrong, probably, but I did not feel comfortable emptying the stove in this manner.  Glad it works for you.
> 
> From just a bit east of you in Haliburton, Ontario.  Snowing hard here this morning.



Beautiful region of Ontario!  Spent some time there long ago.  First I should say that my Super 27 is about 10 years old so perhaps the mechanism is different on new stoves...what model do you have and how old is it?  The lever on mine does require a decent amount of force to engage the spring all the way and then it needs to be held open by holding the lever out.  Sometimes I have to open and close the flap a few times if it doesn't close completely because ash can stick around in there and the flap won't seat properly when you close it.  Try opening and closing a few times and then pack the hole full of ash again.


----------



## Jonathan Corcoran (Dec 11, 2014)

madrone said:


> Depends on what I'm burning and how often. Doug Fir leaves almost no ashes, so once a month is enough this time of year. A couple of years ago I had a lot of Cottonwood, so more like once a week.


I am burning Doug Fir also and I was wondering why I had so little ash. I have a Homestead and have been burning since early Nov. I've not had much ash at all


----------



## sal77 (Dec 11, 2014)

When I had my Fireview (1976 vintage) non-EPA, I emptied ashes about 3 times a season for about 2 cords of wood. The fire was built right on top of the fire brick, there was no grate. I recently purchased a Vermont Castings Resolute Acclaim 2490 and the ashes have to be emptyed at least once a week. On this stove the fire is built on a grate and ashes fall into an ashpan. I think by building the fire on the ashes over and over again, helps to reduce the ashes even further,


----------



## FionaD (Dec 12, 2014)

How often ashes need to be emptied must be dictated by so many factors,including the size of the stove. If my wee Jotul F3 cb was emptied less than twice a week, when burning all day, I'd be struggling to fit any wood on top of the ashes pretty quickly!

I love the ash box and grate in the f3. Maybe because the ash doesn't all fall through, much of it stays the box. So what happens is that, if I don't disturb the ash bed much, about half of what's there falls thru the grate and into the ash box, which I empty about once a week, and that seems to leave a pretty stable amount ash/coals that forms bed about an inch or two deep.... That's with burning mixed hardwoods; oak, ash and birch mostly just now.

Every now and then I'll rake some ash from out of the corners, where it can build up if I let it, but I mostly only use my rake when preparing the bed for a reload. 

I find it so easy to empty the ash from the pan... Mess free and takes one minute. Last winter (my first winter as a stover) I experimented for a while not using the ash pan at all, just letting it fill up to the grate and shovelling out the ash from the top. That was too much work for me... and I couldn't see any advantage to it, not with this stove anyway....


----------



## edyit (Dec 12, 2014)

about once a week, and even then its maybe 2-3 scoops after raking the coals


----------



## cheechblu (Dec 12, 2014)

Every morning. Could go every other. Tops.


----------



## SpAmSoNiTe (Dec 14, 2014)

I've still been experimenting with my NC30.  I have tried shoveling a small amount down the ash pan hole every day or so, letting it sit in there to cool a day, dump into my ash can and repeat.  Today we've got high's close to 50 in Northeast Ohio so I shut her all the way down and will do a full cleanout before I relight Tuesday(tomorrow's high is 51!).  Got a Kerosine heater helping out when I am home and if it drops below 55 the furnace will pick up the slack..


----------



## The Cank (Dec 15, 2014)

I collect about 5 inches of ash after a 24 hour period . I normally empty it out every day or two but maybe I have been doing it wrong so I am going to let it build up till It becomes a problem ...I'm going to see if it extends my burn time which would be fantastic as Im getting about 4 hours out of a full stove from load up to embers.


----------



## claydogg84 (Dec 15, 2014)

My Oslo is full after 2 days.


----------



## Higgs (Dec 15, 2014)

I take 2 to 4 small shovelfuls of ash out every 3 or 4 days. Just pull the coals forward and take the ash.


----------



## BradleyW (Dec 15, 2014)

I usually take some ash out every day, leaving a couple inches of coals and ash on the floor of the stove. Last year I had an EPA stove and a non-EPA stove, and I noticed that the non-EPA stove left very little in terms of ash and coals. It seems like an EPA stove will leave a bed of coals glowing hot for hours, and a non-EPA stove leaves almost no trace that anything burned at all. I think it's one of the reasons that some people say that EPA stoves are fussy and hard to use compared to older stoves.


----------



## Woodro (Dec 15, 2014)

Half bucket full every few days.


----------



## Hardtopseadan (Dec 15, 2014)

One month with our BKP C and I don't think I could fill  a 12 oz. can. We LOVE  this stove.


----------



## dafattkidd (Dec 15, 2014)

I like to pack the ashes down. I can turn 3" of ashes into 1/2" by complressing the ashes. I like this method in the shoulder season. My stove is oversized for my space, so by doing this it reduces my need to remove ash with a shovel (a messy process I have grown to dislike), and having a deep compacted ash bed really helps hold coals over extended periods of time between loads. 

But when it's super cold and we're burning 24/7 I empty the ashes about once per week.


----------



## Mag Craft (Dec 15, 2014)

I burn a lot of cottonwood and it makes a lot of ash.  I empty everyday.


----------



## Rossco (Dec 15, 2014)

Hardtopseadan said:


> One month with our BKP C and I don't think I could fill  a 12 oz. can. We LOVE  this stove.



Yeah I only clean it when it's shut down. I've done it twice this season, first time was when we left town and returned to a cold stove, second was when I installed the convection deck and cleaned the chimney.


----------



## bobdog2o02 (Dec 15, 2014)

The only modification I made to our princess was to cut the loop off of the ash plug,  I can run about 2-3 weeks on low and 1 week on higher settings before needing to shovel out.  I made a screen to sift out larger coals when cleaning out too.  Clean stove and easy reloads.....


----------



## fitter9 (Dec 16, 2014)

How often I clean out ashes depends on how hard I'm pushing my stove. Sometimes it's every 2 days when it's really cold. Other times I can go a week or so. 
  I know it's time when the ashes start to block the doghouse and it becomes a pita to keep pushing  the ashes out of the way. I push the coals to one side and take 2 or 3 shovel fulls. Then I do the other side.


----------



## aansorge (Dec 16, 2014)

This is another HUGE reason why I love my Blaze King. With 9 inches of depth you can wait a very long time between emptying ashes. The benefits are: higher efficiency due to not shoveling out a bunch of hot coals to try and make room for wood and cleaner indoor air.  

My enerzone fireplace is fun to run once in awhile, but back when it was my sole wood stove, I got tired of the mess of the shallow firebox.  Ashes are constantly spilling out of that thing on reload! I'm thankful that is just a supplementary source of heat now for when the real cold hits.


----------



## M@dMinute (Dec 16, 2014)

In my Progress Hybrid I average about once every 9 days, the pan varies from full to 70%.  I rake the coals right before a reload, empty out the ash.  I am burning all Black Maple.


----------



## bsruther (Dec 16, 2014)

With the old stove, I was removing ashes every couple days. With the new stove, it's about every 5 days to a week. The amount of ash I get varies. I usually try to clean as much ash out as possible, depending on how hot the coals are. I never let the ash bed get deeper than 2 inches. Stove's been cold since Saturday so I cleaned all of the ash out yesterday. It will be nice to go back to burning tonight.


----------



## Ford850 (Dec 16, 2014)

I slide out my ash pan first thing in the morning before adding wood.  It's 'coolest' at that time, and is an easy process.  Slide it back in empty, add wood to the bed of coals on the grate (above the pan), and fire it back up.  If I let mine go for more than a day the ash pan is overfull and makes a mess when sliding out.


----------



## Poindexter (Dec 17, 2014)

I am cleaning my Ashford 30 about weekly, been running 24/7 since mid October or so.

I notice birch ashes more than spruce and dryer wood ashes less than wetter wood, but that's all I got.

I did make a scoop very much like an all metal tool for cleaning the cat's litter box with some expanded sheet metal mesh, a piece of wrought iron bar stock and a few bolts from Lowe's-Depot.  I whittled on a piece of 2x2 a little for the handle.

My next coal sifter scoop I am going with bigger mesh, holes maybe 3/4" x 1" or so.

My stove runs better with at least half an inch of ash on the floor.


----------



## Quentin2 (Dec 17, 2014)

It varies but Ive been pretty lazy about it.  Last year I burned all spruce which coaled very little I only shoveled when I swept chimney, I think 3 times.  I'm burning more cottonwood and birch this year so I'm seeing more coals and ash.  I think I've shoveled twice, my ash right now is about as high as it's ever been.  Long story short I'll go with one a month.


----------



## Bigg_Redd (Dec 17, 2014)

jeremyjudd said:


> How often do you remove the ashes?



As often as I have to, and that all depends on what I'm burning. This winter I'm burning mostly Doug Fir which leaves almost nothing behind.  I scooped a couple shovel fulls out the other day for the first time all year.  When I burn mostly alder it's a once per week affair.


----------



## Toploader (Dec 17, 2014)

I empty once a week but I do 2 pans worth in one session. I used to do it once every 2 or 3 days but once a week gives me better economies of scale.
I have a piece of sheet metal 24" x 16" tucked behind the stove that I lay down on the hearth to catch the ashes that inevitably fall so when I'm done there's no need for a broom.


----------

