GAS CAN ASH CAN ?

[bmwloco]

My old VC Resolute II is pretty easy. I leave an even "floor" of ashes in the bottom of the stove. No bricks.

When the ashes get to high, I shovel them out into a simple two gallon steel bucket I picked up at Lowes. I hit it with stove black, so it looks like it belongs.

Ashes go into the compost bin in the back yard.

Oak and Locust keeping us warm tonight; stove at 650F, 17 year old chocolate lab passed out in front of stove. A great way to start the new year.

 

[Heem]

thats what i was thinking

5 gal gas can sitting next to the stove

thanks

Now that's my kind of sense of humor, haha.

 

[rustynut]

savage
seeing what you wrote on smothering the chimney fire
whats the plan?
dumping the ash back into the stove ?
i'm thinking i dont want to open that door if the chimney is on fire to avoid feeding it more air?
wondering if you could explain ?
rustynut

 

[savageactor7]

Rusty...yeah that's pretty much the plan...with a bucket of ashes you open the door, dump the contents of the bucket like it was water on the fire then close the door.

I have never done that bucket trick btw the few chimney fires we had I locked down with the inline damper.

I don't recommend that approach but back in the bronze age some would use the opportunity of a chimney fire to clean their chimneys out. You just keep chocking down the damper when when the fire roared...it slowly cooled then you'd open it up again and the fire would get to a point that you'd chock it down again. After a few repetitions the chimney was clean, and you knew that when the damper was wide open and the chimney didn't take off. The real trick doing that is trying to maintain a cool controlled chimney fire. Pretty reckless thing to do huh?

Anyway my wife always wanted a bucket of ashes to smother the fire cause that's what everybody did back then. Now that the newer stoves don't have inline dampers I think a standby bucket of ashes is even more valid.

Just say'en...sometime this spring I'm going to put in an inline damper, should have never let those installers talk me out it that.

 

[rustynut]

savage
think i might be a bit shy on opening that stove door with the chimney roaring..............
dont fully understand how putting out the fire in the stove would stop the chimney fire even if the ash did work ?
arent we talking about 2 different fires ?
did put in an inline damper in with the install so i guess that was a good thing
checked the air intake and it doesnt completly fully close it down
their is a small opening by design
hard piped the outside air durring the install
was thinking about adding an additional damper inline on the intake pipe
could put one together that would actually close off the intake more completly than the purchased dampers available
dont know just yet
Murphy stopped by recently (ya, the one with the law) and i've been kind of busy..........
fyi: can has been emptied and drying. no time right now to play with that project
rustynut

 

[Gamalot]

I burn only coal in my stove and have always been under the impression I don't have to be concerned about chimney fires unless I burn wood and get a creosote build up.

Is this correct?

I also think I could shut down the air inlets and snuff out a fire pretty quick if it ever did happen unless I had some other issue in the chimney itself.

I think the idea of keeping a bucket of ashes close by to extinguish a fire goes more to the older type stoves that were not air tight and if the fire in the stove itself ever got to running away then the ashes would be a good defence.

By far, the best way to extinguish a chimney fire is to completely shut off the air supply.

Gary

 

[Martin Strand III]

having a time finding an acceptable metal can for my ash.......
had an idea
got a military style gas can .... interesting to use for an ash can, .....
anyone got any ideas .....

You guyz missed the mark.

MARTY'S VIEW ON ASH CANS

An acceptable metal can used for hot wood or coal ashes should not be a galvanized metal can.

Galvanized metal, the coating to prevent the underlying metal from rusting, contains zinc. Heating galvanized metal releases, among other things, toxic zinc oxide and other toxic zinc substances into the air you breathe. This is not good for you, your family, your pets - heck, even your bird or your neighbors.

Welders are especially aware of this particular toxicity ("Metal Fume Fever", (broken link removed to http://files.aws.org/technical/facts/FACT-25.PDF)). Please be aware and respect it as potentially hazardous.

To avoid this problem, select an ash can for hot wood/coal ashes that is enamel coated steel, not galvanized steel, preferably with a double bottom and tight lid. They're out there.

Aye,
Marty
Grandma used to say, "Don't work harder. Work smarter."