What Is In Your Stove Right Now?

[Ashful]

This shagbark hickory is something else. I have about a cord at least to go. If there was a ash vac that could take everything out of the king in one shot hot coals and all I’d buy one. Even if it was a grand. That fine dust is like sanding Sheetrock.

I have a 4" round cast iron drain grate that is a perfect fit into the hole left by the 4" square ash plug in the Ashford 30's, which is the same thickness as the upper rim of the plug, such that the top of it sits flush with the brick when installed.

In any case, I pull be plug, use the same tool to drop this grate in place, and then use an ash rake to plow the mix of ashes and coals across the grate. Ash falls thru, coals stay in the firebox, voila. I don't know how anyone manages to use an ash plug system without some type of grate over the hole, and think stove manufacturers using an ash plug system should just provide this as part of the rig.

No need to ever get a stove perfectly clean, other than occasional inspection. I just scrape the ash thru the hole, and don't bother with a vacuum other than August/September, when I replace any damaged bricks before the new season.

 

[zmender]

Spent the morning spreading a can of foams to some leaky parts of the roof. Hope it pays off!

A mild evening at 35F, with living room currently at 68. full reload with locust around 7pm, and topped off just now with 2 oak splits.

 

[NickW]

Loaded up about 7:30 with mostly ash, a couple of sugar maple and 1 little stick of ironwood. 26 now with a pretty strong north wind going down to 16 outside; over 80 downstairs, 70 in the LR and 67 in the bedroom. Kitty's were enjoying the heat about an hour ago... Definitely not 200lbs of dog though!

 

[thewoodlands]

It's 35.1 tonight, the basement temp is starting out at 72 with the temps up here 68 & 69. A full load of ash went in the wood stove for some overnight heat.

 

[thewoodlands]

It was 37.6 this morning, the basement started out at 70 with the temps up here at 68 & 69, another load of pine went in the wood stove this morning.

 

[Caw]

Ashes. I'm feeling under the weather today and just didn't feel like getting up to do it. It's still 68 in here and a high of 49/sunny so the sun and heat pump can do the work today. I'll be at work suffering.

 

[NickW]

15 degrees out. House is still warm enough for now but have a quick hitting shoulder season fire burning down some coals.

 

[shortys7777]

Nothing. Had a nice load of ash going last night and the house got really toasty. It was still 71 when I left this morning and no one will be home most of the day. It'll be ash again tonight.

 

[zmender]

66F at living room. Although it's warm outside right now (47F), forecast calls for steadily dropping temperature throughout the day until we hit 35 tonight.

Reloaded with half load of ash, oak, and locust - all shorts and uglies.

 

[Gearhead660]

Will be getting down around 10 degrees tonight, wind chills near 0. Fired up the insert in addition to Myra. Will need the extra BTUs. Both chewing on a mix of elm, locust and hickory.

 

[Garbanzo62]

Have some Ash in the box at the moment. Just a few splits to keep the stove hot and a coal bed for later. It is 45 in Central Ct. forecast is for it to get Upper 20's. Next two days it is only going to be in the mid to Upper 30's. Will have some more robust Loads . Not suppose to crack 50 for a whole week.

 

[zmender]

Living room at toast 68F. Going down to 29F tonight and high is expected to remain in the 30s next couple of days. Shoved out some ash tonight and fully reloaded with locust and ash... putting some BTUs into the house.

 

[Qvist]

First Fire of the winter 30 degrees tonight. Its been down to 24 a few days already but just got the chimney cleaned. Burning hackberry.

 

[thewoodlands]

It was 29.5 out tonight, the basement started out at 72 with the temps up here between 68 & 70. The overnight load is mostly ash except for two splits of pine.

 

[NickW]

13 degrees going down to 10 with slightly below 0 wind chills. Loaded up at 8:00 with ash, maple and small ironwood for fillers. Over 80 downstairs, 68 LR, 66 bedroom. Had the flue locked in at just over 700 and stt at 650 with the air 1/4 open and damper all the way shut for close to an hour, got distracted and both dropped (550 & 480). Opened the damper a little bit and it's coming back up. Oops.

 

[zmender]

31F outside, 63F living room. High will be 38 today. This morning I'm burning a load of mostly locust with some ash mixed in.

 

[thewoodlands]

We had a low of 23 this morning, the temps up here were between 65 & 67 with the basement temp starting out at 68. A load of pine went into the wood stove after coffee this morning.

 

[Kevin Weis]

Very dry Ash for the next 3 weeks or so. Teens tonite with 30 mph gusts.

 

[Garbanzo62]

Going to be Ash for some time now. I have a touch over 2 cords of burnable Ash at the moment. Will probably mix in some of the Slabwood I got last winter at some point, just shy of 2/3 of a cord of that. The Test splits on the slabwood seems like most of it is good to go. However, still getting some high 20's and low 30s on some of the Thicker pieces that were on the edge and the top cover missed. Going to give that as much time as I can as the species is varied and when they were cut into slabs is unknown. (Mixture or Oak, Maple, hickory, birch) I have about another 3 cords of Oak and Beech that will not be ready this year.

 

[Dieselhead]

I’m burning down last nights load to make as much room in the firebox possible for tonight/tomorrow. 35 and windy as I type, with clouds. Low of 24 tonight expected, hopefully the wind takes a break.

 

[Solarguy3500]

It's been a little warmer here over the last few days so I haven't been running the stove. Today it got colder again so I fired up a load of mostly sugar maple running E-W with a couple of cherry sleepers running N-S underneath. This is my first E-W burn in this stove. Took a little longer to get going and fully up to temp, but its cruising along now at around 820° flue temp right at the flue collar and just over 450° STT.

 

[thewoodlands]

I've been telling the wife we would use the pellet stove, about an hour ago I put the first bag in the old Yankee so that is going. We didn't burn have any fire after this mornings so the house was between 65 to 68.

I ran the propane fireplace with the fan on, that has the area I'm in 71 to 77, that's off.

 

[fvhowler]

Coldest night of the season for me. Temps will drop into the 20s in central NC. A mix of oak, red maple and sweet gum in the stove.

 

[NickW]

Going to be Ash for some time now. I have a touch over 2 cords of burnable Ash at the moment. Will probably mix in some of the Slabwood I got last winter at some point, just shy of 2/3 of a cord of that. The Test splits on the slabwood seems like most of it is good to go. However, still getting some high 20's and low 30s on some of the Thicker pieces that were on the edge and the top cover missed. Going to give that as much time as I can as the species is varied and when they were cut into slabs is unknown. (Mixture or Oak, Maple, hickory, birch) I have about another 3 cords of Oak and Beech that will not be ready this year.

If you need to pull from the oak/beech stack, check the beech. It seasons way faster than oak.

 

[Niro]

Going down to 25° tonight. Been burning mostly Ash, might have to blend in some Oak.