A cool tool for ash removal

[BrowningBAR]

Since I burn 24/7 I had to come up with a plan for ash removal without taking the stove all the way down.

Here is what I do.

Once the majority of the larger coals have burned down and the stovepipe temp is around 150F, I start stiring the ashes every half hour or so. I might do this 4 or 5 times until the stove is around 100F.

Then I take a small sheet of stainless steel mesh and while wearing my welders glove I push the mesh along the bottom of the firebox like a shovel. The light ash flows through the screen while the larger coal fragments are carried on the top of the screen to the back of the stove. I then drag the ash under the screen toward the front of the stove.

At that point I could probably open the ash dump cover but instead I shovel it into and ash bucket and take it outside.

Someday I will cut the mesh sheet to a smaller size, weld some flats on the edges to make it a little more rigid, and put it on a handle. Once I have the mesh on a handle I could work on an even hotter stove.

MnDave

That sounds way too elaborate.

In the morning, empty ashes. Whether the stove is 150 or 450. Insert shovel, shake off coals, dump in bucket. Repeat.

It takes about a minute or two.

 

[rkofler]

Here is a pic of the one I made.

Hope you don't hold a patent on this, I clearly violated it. Haven't used in stove yet, but worked great spreading rock salt this morning.

 

[Dyno625]

Nice, I have actually thought mine would work better with a few more holes.

 

[farmerblue]

The fire box on my wood boiler and my wood stove are wide.
If I plan on cleaning the ashes
move all the coals and ashes to one side
move a layer of coals back to the clean side
place a split with the thick side toads the coals and stack a few small to medium splits on it
move more coals on top of the wood pile
I give it about an hour than clean out the ash pile

That's how my granddad did cleaned out his wood stove for years. I do use a shovel with holes in it. I toss the ashes in a steel 5 gallon bucket with lid.

I have never thought of using the coals for cooking, but when I dump the can I pick up the chunks and toss them back in the stove. Most of the time I do not find many chunks in the ashes.

 

[joecool85]

Good for you. So glad that works for you.
Some of us, though, don't have such large stoves and have greater coaling problems, so the "push to the side" thing isn't possible. What I get is a huge multitude of very small coals that can't really be pushed, and the firebox is way too small to just put them to one side in any case.

I have a 1.1 cubic ft stove and that's how I do it...