Ash disposal - Only you can prevent forest fires

[semipro]

I'm not sure its been brought up for this burning season but...
Please store and dispose of stove ash responsibly. There are many reports every year of outside fires caused by improper ash dumping, some with home and life loss.
Coals can stay alive in your stove and ash can for days. Its best to store them in a covered metal can for a while before dumping them. We use two cans in rotation just to make sure.

 

[MAD777]

Great reminder! Thanks!

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[begreen]

Always put ashes in a metal can and don't put the can on a combustible surface. Dead leaves are definitely combustible.

 

[Sodbuster]

Always put ashes in a metal can and don't put the can on a combustible surface. Dead leaves are definitely combustible.

I have one of those campfire popcorn poppers that I've reinforced and use for ash remove. About every other re-load, I pile my coals to one side and remove a popper full of ash. That goes into a metal 5 gallon ash can,(outside) until it's full and then into a 55 gallon metal drum. In the spring the drum gets put on the compost pile. Using this method, I never have to let my stove go cold to completely empty all the ash. As a side benefit all the ash dust stays in the stove.

 

[Sodbuster]

I'm not sure its been brought up for this burning season but...
Please store and dispose of stove ash responsibly. There are many reports every year of outside fires caused by improper ash dumping, some with home and life loss.
Coals can stay alive in your stove and ash can for days. Its best to store them in a covered metal can for a while before dumping them. We use two cans in rotation just to make sure.

It may have been around our house or maybe a ways a way, but a few years ago, someone disposed of ashes they though were cold in their trash can. Well, turns out they weren't completely cold and they started the trash on fire, in the garbage truck. The truck had to dump its whole load on the side of the road to save the truck.

 

[KimiBwoah]

Once I fill one ash can it sits on slab for 7 days before I dump it.

 

[Sodbuster]

Once I fill one ash can it sits on slab for 7 days before I dump it.

The insulating properties of deep ash never cease to amaze me.

 

[KimiBwoah]

The insulating properties of deep ash never cease to amaze me.

I'm just thankful for this forum. I would've been that ass dumping his pan on the yard after a couple days of it wasn't for all the info here.

 

[BrotherBart]

A guy south of me dumped his ashes behind the house a few years ago. The bill for fighting the fire that destroyed many acres that the county presented him with was huge.

 

[KimiBwoah]

A guy south of me dumped his ashes behind the house a few years ago. The bill for fighting the fire that destroyed many acres that the county presented him with was huge.

Glad that wasn't me. I'm not dumb enough to not realize my ash can't hold heat but you all exposed me to the fact it's just better to be safe, period.

 

[BrotherBart]

A whole family died locally last year in the fire when one of them scooped the ashes out of the fireplace and put them in a sack on the front porch of their mansion home.

 

[KimiBwoah]

A whole family died locally last year in the fire when one of them scooped the ashes out of the fireplace and put them in a sack on the front porch of their mansion home.

Jesus Murphy. That's so sad. I'm just glad I came to the experts and put Reddit's wood stove page out to pasture. This is the most helpful and well meaning online forum I've ever dealt with.

 

[firefighterjake]

I usually figure on seeing at least one house fire each year caused by the improper disposal of ashes . . .

 

[Sprinter]

The other thing sometimes overlooked is to get that can covered and outside right away. Those coals are not only hot, but are emitting CO.

Regarding that, Whenever you have any burning appliance like wood stoves, propane fireplace, propane anything, get a CO detector. Or even if you don't have those things. They can be as life saving as a smoke detector.

If your CO detector does go off, go ahead and get out and call 911. Most departments will have a sniffer and they do not mind the call.

 

[WayneN]

I keep CO2 detectors along with smoke detectors in every room. I've seen some bad things happen due to furnaces malfunctioning.

I also let my coals burn down pretty much into nothing but dust. If I'm cleaning while still burning, I make sure no big coals go into the ash can. Another good tip I learned in here is to make sure the ash can has a tight fitting lid. A fire can't burn if there's no oxygen. After a day or two the whole can is ice cold and ready to go.

That said, I only clean ash maybe once a week so it sits there for a while before I dump into a regular trash bag.



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[Woody Stover]

I also let my coals burn down pretty much into nothing but dust. If I'm cleaning while still burning, I make sure no big coals go into the ash can. Another good tip I learned in here is to make sure the ash can has a tight fitting lid. A fire can't burn if there's no oxygen. After a day or two the whole can is ice cold and ready to go.

I have a grated ash pan on my stove so nothing bigger than maybe 5/16" makes it through. The ash pan housing also has a small hole that feeds air through the ash pan area, so anything that does make it into the pan is pretty much out by the time it sits in there for the three-day period before the ash pan is taken out and dumped into the ash bucket on the porch. That sits another three days before it's dumped, usually in the garden, compost heap, or an auxiliary fire pit that's down there. If I toss ashes in the woods, it's wet out...but you still need to keep an eye on it for several hours.

 

[firefighterjake]

CO2 = good gas ... puts the fizzy in soda and beer

CO = bad gas ... kills you

 

[Rearscreen]

Years ago I dumped ashes across the street in the snow next to the stream. Hours later smoke was coming from small holes in the snow over there, and there, and over there...moral of the story, being young and stupid is potentially dangerous and, leaves burn under the snow.

 

[DUMF]

Just know "which way the wind blows" ( Dylan) before dumping...also.
How many of you/us have gone out at zero dark thirty for the morning ash throw, to miss that wind eddy blowing ashes and coals into our beards in snowfall or rain. It sticks and hurts.

 

[KD0AXS]

The other thing sometimes overlooked is to get that can covered and outside right away. Those coals are not only hot, but are emitting CO.

Regarding that, Whenever you have any burning appliance like wood stoves, propane fireplace, propane anything, get a CO detector. Or even if you don't have those things. They can be as life saving as a smoke detector.

If your CO detector does go off, go ahead and get out and call 911. Most departments will have a sniffer and they do not mind the call.

Here in MN CO detectors are required in all homes. At minimum there must be a detector within 10 feet of each bedroom.

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[Sprinter]

Just know "which way the wind blows" ( Dylan) before dumping...also.
How many of you/us have gone out at zero dark thirty for the morning ash throw, to miss that wind eddy blowing ashes and coals into our beards in snowfall or rain. It sticks and hurts.

I try to miss that experience, but on the other hand, I do like Dylan.

 

[AppleRock]

I usually figure on seeing at least one house fire each year caused by the improper disposal of ashes . . .

Around here, at least 2 or 3 incidences per winter.
Mine sit in the ash pan for at least a week (or more, depending when I need to empty the firebox again)
I empty the firebox (into the ash pan) only after it's been at least 24 hrs since that fire has died out.
I have a sand spot where they are then dumped, and then covered with more sand and/or snow, depending on winter conditions.