central boiler---how do you handle your ash?

[adamant]

how do you guys handle the ash in the boiler? i was thinking of one of those galvanize trash cans with a lid.

 

[antos_ketcham]

I have a couple of large galvanized garbage cans with lids. I used this with my CB and now with my Greenwood.

The real trick is having two so one you can use to capture hot coals and charcoal for re-use and the second for dead ash. With this system I never have to relight the fire as I can always lay back a bed hot coals for re ignition.

Pete

 

[JustWood]

My dad uses a wheelbarrow and shovel

 

[Jersey Bill]

I use 2- 1.5 gallon galvanized buckets. The day-old ash goes in a plastic bag for temporary storage.
then I distribute the ash from the bag around before it gets too heavy. I live on a 1 acre wooded lot and I can't put too much ash in 1 place.
I will find a new place in the woods and dump the bag and spread it around with a rake. My garbage service won't take it.
Sometimes I bring the bag and rake while visiting friends and dump by them. Last year I burned 5 quards of wood which produced about 200 lbs of ash.

 

[Gooserider]

I have two 20 gallon galvie trash cans that I fill in rotation. When one gets full I start filling the other, as the second gets full, I will use the ashes in the first for traction on the driveway and scatter any extra over the yard and garden patch as fertilizer. I have a big stainless colander that I use as a spreader - messy but it works... Last year with the smoke dragon I'd also recover about 5 gallons of charcoal for the BBQ out of each 20 gallons of ash. This year it looks like there is no significant charcoal in the ash from the VC (and I get less ash volume as well). However the important thing is that this means that any ash I scatter has been dead for at least a few weeks, so no risk of fires, etc.

Gooserider