opinions on ashpans?

[begreen]

I don't have one and don't feel any need of one- at least with my stove.

AP, the only appliance listed in your signature has an ass pan. Agreed, no need need for an ashpan on the American Standard.

 

[Jags]

But the ash pan is for Suzy homemaker. If you like ash pans, please indicate whether you are female and whether you like Martha Stewart.

I'm a 6'0 tall, 240 pound male that is 8 hairs away from a gorilla. I'm an outdoors man and x-military that can darn near bench press a Volkswagen and I hate Martha and all that she stands for, but I like my ash pan. Huh, go figure.

 

[savageactor7]

RIDGERUNNER30 I use to think I couldn't live without one...but actually things are better without one. Just for clarity we've burned for over 20 years with an ash pan.

 

[myzamboni]

My Jotul has a very functional ash pan, It could not be easier! I take the pan outside, dump it in a larger pan to cool, re-insert. Done!! I don't miss shoveling a bit. I could not imagine taking advantage of this option, especially if it was already installed on my stove.

Totally agree.

 

[BrotherBart]

But the ash pan is for Suzy homemaker. If you like ash pans, please indicate whether you are female and whether you like Martha Stewart.

I'm a 6'0 tall, 240 pound male that is 8 hairs away from a gorilla. I'm an outdoors man and x-military that can darn near bench press a Volkswagen and I hate Martha and all that she stands for, but I like my ash pan. Huh, go figure.

Don't BS me. I see that Creme Brulee on the front of your shirt. You bake brownies in that ash pan don't ya? Don't ya?

 

[Later]

My Jotul Castine has a great ash pan, I love it. My Dutchwest didn't have one and I loved it too. Doesn't really matter to me.

 

[Jags]

But the ash pan is for Suzy homemaker. If you like ash pans, please indicate whether you are female and whether you like Martha Stewart.

I'm a 6'0 tall, 240 pound male that is 8 hairs away from a gorilla. I'm an outdoors man and x-military that can darn near bench press a Volkswagen and I hate Martha and all that she stands for, but I like my ash pan. Huh, go figure.

Don't BS me. I see that Creme Brulee on the front of your shirt. You bake brownies in that ash pan don't ya? Don't ya?

Yes :red:

Hey, what can I say...I like brownies too.

 

[firefighterjake]

What more can be said . . . some love 'em, some hate 'em and some don't care one way or the other.

I suspect whether you like an ash pan or not doesn't depend so much on whether you played with GI Joes or played Suzie Homemaker so much as to what you grew up using (i.e. your first stove) and/or how functional the ashpan was . . . or was not.

My old Shenandoah and current Oslo had ash pans with them (not options) and they were large . . . ash would drop into the pan from the grates above. Like Webby I clean out my ashes (about twice a week when going 24-7) by removing the pan, dumping them into a 5-gallon pail outside to cool and then replace the pan -- a 5-minute operation . . . easy-peasy, little mess (and no fly ash which I sometimes get when I opt to shovel ashes out) . . . I like the ash pan.

That said, occasionally I shovel out the ash or hot coals if there is a large build up and while I find this method to be a bit messier with some fly ash (no matter how careful I am) and a bit longer, it's not really an issue . . . so while I like the ash pan, I could also live without it if need be.

 

[TreePapa]

But the ash pan is for Suzy homemaker. If you like ash pans, please indicate whether you are female and whether you like Martha Stewart.

I'm a 6'0 tall, 240 pound male that is 8 hairs away from a gorilla. I'm an outdoors man and x-military that can darn near bench press a Volkswagen and I hate Martha and all that she stands for, but I like my ash pan. Huh, go figure.

Don't BS me. I see that Creme Brulee on the front of your shirt. You bake brownies in that ash pan don't ya? Don't ya?

Yes :red:

Hey, what can I say...I like brownies too.

Do the residual ashes add flavor to the brownies?

 

[Jags]

But the ash pan is for Suzy homemaker. If you like ash pans, please indicate whether you are female and whether you like Martha Stewart.

I'm a 6'0 tall, 240 pound male that is 8 hairs away from a gorilla. I'm an outdoors man and x-military that can darn near bench press a Volkswagen and I hate Martha and all that she stands for, but I like my ash pan. Huh, go figure.

Don't BS me. I see that Creme Brulee on the front of your shirt. You bake brownies in that ash pan don't ya? Don't ya?

Yes :red:

Hey, what can I say...I like brownies too.

Do the residual ashes add flavor to the brownies?

It makes for a nice "toasty" flavor.

 

[begreen]

they call 'em ash browns.

 

[grommal]

1st - depends on your stove and wood. If you have a high-quality stove and well-seasoned wood, you should only need to clean out your stove once a day, max.

If I'm burning Quercus in the T-6, I'll clean the ash every 4 days or so.

The T-6 comes with an ash pan.

Ash pans are there to get Suzy Homemaker to buy the stove.

If Suzy has no woodburning experience and thinks Martha Stewart is a roll model, then she will not be able to imagine what on earth she would do to get the ash out if there wasn't a neat little pan to neatly pull out and neatly walk to the outside can. What? Use a shovel? That sounds messy!

The T-6 comes with a square hole about 2 inches square through which you push ash to the pan.

I can't, for the life of me, imagine why on earth I'd take the time and mess to 1st push the ash into the hole and then close the hole and then pull the ash pan and then dump the ash pan and then reinsert the ash pan when I could simply . . .

. . . Use my hoe tool to push all hot coals to back. Use shovel to remove from ash directly into 2 gallon metal can. Use hoe tool to spread coals (add wood if needed) and take can outside to dump in big ash can.

Amount of ash that hits my floor doing this - zero. Some dust gets in air, but not enough to even think about.

If, of course, you have a stove in which you can't burn the wood down all the way, having an ash pan to push hot coals into might be useful.


But the ash pan is for Suzy homemaker. If you like ash pans, please indicate whether you are female and whether you like Martha Stewart.

It's an unfortunate but true statement that many stoves are purchased not because they are good burners, but because they look good in the showroom and have "features" that are not related to burning wood.

Just call me Suzy!

There is no way, absolutely no way, that cleaning out the ashes from my old VC would not have taken 5x as long, needed to be done at least 3x as often, and produced some loose ash in the air or accidentally spilled on the floor, without the ash pan system.

I guess if shoveling ash is for real men, I must be in touch with my feminine side.

 

[begreen]

It really depends on the stove. Some have good ash systems and others do without it. FWIW, if I had to clean out ashes once a day, I might not have a wood stove. It really depends on the design of the stove and personal maintenance preferences. Some love the cleaning ritual, and that is totally cool. Personally, I gravitate toward the lazy person's stove. The less maintenance to keep good burning performance the better. It was the same when we had a pellet stove. While others reported cleaning glass and clinkers daily, twice a month was more my routine with the 1200i, with an end of season super-cleanout. If that meant burning the best pellets, then so be it. In spite of me, our pellet stove worked fine, year after year.

 

[adrpga498]

Ash pan is fine with me. Every 4th or 5th day reload on embers in the morning dump ashes into a 55 gallon drum with lid outside . Load smaller splits over embers prior to removing ashes, quick air shot while removing ash pan good to go for another few days. Rince wash repeat. Have a good weekend everyone.

 

[dvellone]

I love my Castine's ash pan. I shoveled for years burning 24/7 in a cold climate and have no affection for the chore. After installing the Castine life got a lot easier as far as tending the fire goes.

 

[johnn]

Ash pan is fine with me. Every 4th or 5th day reload on embers in the morning dump ashes into a 55 gallon drum with lid outside . Load smaller splits over embers prior to removing ashes, quick air shot while removing ash pan good to go for another few days. Rince wash repeat. Have a good weekend everyone.

I was going to be "coy" and comment on your Hogan Blades,,until I read your "Pro-file",,,I`ll shut up now! But I gotta know;;;Whats your gap wedge?

 

[jrousell]

If we are talkign about an ash pan thta sits below a cast iron grate where the ashes can fall right into the pan easily- then great.. if we are talking about a stove with a firebrick bottom where you have to pull a plug and swipe the ashed down a hole into the ashpan -- that is another story- and I find them almost useless.. but no problem- I just scoop them into a bucket that has a lid

in general I find it to be no problem at all- and maybe even nicer to handle the pail then an ashpan...