What do you do with your ash ??

shazzafly

Hello All

This will be my first winter with a multi fuel stove, burning mostly smokeless eggs with the odd log on top.

Fire burns clean, and leaves a nice powder type ash but can you help with these newbie questions ?

1. What's the best way/thing to empty ash into without making a mess, I'm currently using large plant pot ?
2. How do people dispose of the ash, I have been putting in garden but fear I may end up with a small mountain ?
3.Any other general stove keeping cleaning tips as dont want to be dropping ash everywhere.

Thanks all. :)

Man_Overboard_2

shazzafly wrote: »

1. What's the best way/thing to empty ash into without making a mess, I'm currently using large plant pot ?
2. How do people dispose of the ash, I have been putting in garden but fear I may end up with a small mountain ?
3.Any other general stove keeping cleaning tips as dont want to be dropping ash everywhere.

Thanks all. :)

Welcome to world of multifuel stoves!

shazzafly

Hahaha that made me laugh out loud Man Overboard !!

111KAB

Stick mine in our rubbish bin just making sure they are still not hot but in the past also used as part base for a new pathway.

TiredGeek

If the ash is fully cooled when you're cleaning out the fire then vac it out.
We have an old Henry vac, by morning the cinders and ash is either clap cold or cool enough to put your hand in (be carefull if you try that) so there's no danger of it setting the vac on fire. Then it get's emptied into the compost bin. Seems to make the compost nice and free draining....

Greenfires

I believe the accepted thinking in gardening circles is that ash from smokeless fuels shouldn't be used in the garden as it can contain concentrated heavy metals and other nasties. Wood ash on the other hand is absolutely fine, being a natural high potash fertiliser.

If I were you, and it's only my personal take, I'd move to wood. The ash is useful in the garden as well as for cleaning the stove glass, and you'll only need to take an inch out of the stove every few weeks, instead of a bucket every day like you probably do with smokeless!

Swipe

I transfer mine to an ash pan and empty it into my rubbish bin once it's cold. I used to empty it in the garden at my last house but ended up with a huge mound of ash which attracted cats that loved to poop on it. The bin is by far the best place for it IMO.

A._Badger

Greenfires is right about coal ash. You could make a cinder path, if you really wanted one but while wood ash is mildly useful in the garden (though the ash from old wood is nothing like as high in potash as was once believed), ash from a coal fire is quite risky due to the heavy metal content.

All you can do is put it in with the domestic rubbish, once it has cooled.

Getting hot ash out of a stove that is running can be tricky. I have used a device called a Tippy for many years and can thoroughly recommend them! They make the job of handling hot ash much safer and easier.

http://www.tippyash.co.uk/AshCarriers.htm

Hope that's some help.

savemoney

I use to keep mine and put it in a plastic bag for garden. I then mixed with compost. Even though I diluted it I found many plants died or suffered maybe its still too higher concentration of potash. I now just through it in a black bin liner when cold and then in wheelie bin. This is just wood ash not coal ash, I wouldn't use coal ash at all

A._Badger

savemoney wrote: »

I use to keep mine and put it in a plastic bag for garden. I then mixed with compost. Even though I diluted it I found many plants died or suffered maybe its still too higher concentration of potash. I now just through it in a black bin liner when cold and then in wheelie bin. This is just wood ash not coal ash, I wouldn't use coal ash at all

High potash from wood ash is unlikely to kill plants - not least because it tends not to contain very much of it! Sadly, the ash can also make ground sticky are reduce aeration. Too much is not a good thing at all.

Man_Overboard_2

Try this...

The idea of spreading ash/soot over the garden stems from the days when the poor had no alternative!

I once dumped a few bags of soot over my wife's vegetable plot, but the wind got up and blew it in through the open windows

Not good