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[intensedrive]

When I decide to remove ash from the boiler I try doing it around warmer temps, because I always manage to remove some large coals along with it.   Once the ashes reach near the top of the boiler door, and risk raking the back ashes forward causing a huge mess overflowing near the door.  Every time I end up with huge chunks of nice burning coals that heat up my burn barrel for days.  I use a standard dirt shovel dig inn and just shake to try and get the large pieces to remain.  Its a real pain just trying to remove the fine ashes.  Does anyone have a better method?  I stick to warmer days in the forecast because I seem to loose some of those nice coals for overnight, have to build them back up.  Its possible I'm removing the coals too early, but have no other choice as I like to rake everything forward for easy clean out.  I would say on average 5 - 6 shovel fulls every 10 days.  I have heard, and I don't know if this is true, that ash can act as a insulator and prevent heat transfer to the water box.


Thanks
Scott

[RSI]

Back when I had a boiler with no ash pan or grate what I eventually was doing was this.

I used a garden claw welded to a pipe to stir the ashes. It would pull the coals to the top so they could burn.

The when it was time to clean out the ashes, get as much of the coals and unburned wood together and shovel them out onto the ground in a pile along with some ashes.(concrete pad in front of the boiler)

Then completely clean out the firebox fairly well. After that was done, shovel the pile of coals back in and load with wood. There was no need to start a new fire with this method.

With the boiler I had, I always saw an increase in wood usage for a week if the firebox was completely cleaned out and a new fire started. It was because the ashes insulate the hot coals from the water jacket so the stayed hotter.

[tawilson1152]

I use a silage fork in my wood furnace to sift the ash and get the coals to the top.

[GCTerpfan]

I'm not sure how big your fire box is but this is what I do:  All of my wood is cut to 20-24". I keep my fire at the very front of my fire box and every time I fix the fire I pull all of the coals and ash to the front of the fire box with a garden hoe.  I try to keep an ash bed about 24" from front to back and it usually stays level with the bottom of my door as far as depth goes. This leaves the back half of my fire box clean.  When it is time to remove some ash I  use the hoe to push the top layer of coals and hot ash to the back, clean part of the fire box.  Then I shovel out all of the ash that was on the bottom of the ash bed.  The constant pulling of the coals to the front and top means the ash on the bottom is usually fine ash.  After I remove fine ash I reach in to the back of the fire box and pull all of the hot ash and coals back to the front and toss on some wood.  I also remove 5-6 shovels every 10-14 days depending on the temps.  One thing that seems to help is not fixing your fire too often, the more you let the coal bed burn down in between fixings, the finer the ash will become.

[mlappin]

I’d only clean the ash out of mine 3-4 times thru the burning season.

Drive the loader with the yard bucket up to the stove.

Shovel the whole mess into the loader bucket.

Take one of those rakes for cleaning the horse poop out of the bedding and get enough coals out of the loader bucket to light another fire.

Dump the ashes on the manure pile and forget about it for another month.

Before cleaning I’d usually place several large pieces in to help burn all the coals up I could and leave a fine an ash as possible.

With some baling twine and kindling wasn’t that hard to get a fresh fire roaring.

[Pointblank]

With my old central, I'd push all the hot coals over to one side and then shovel out some ash. Then slide the hot coals back over to the clean side and then shovel out the rest of the ash. Was always able to save most of the coals and relight the stove.

[racnruss]

I had an aluminum  scoop shovel that I drilled about 50- 1/2" holes in it.  I'd scoop up a bunch of ashes and shake it in the stove. Most of the ash would fall through and leave the coals in shovel.   Then, I'd throw the coals to one side and scoop out the ashes with another shovel.


Now, I just shake the grates, priceless.

[mlappin]

DUDE, ain’t worth a crap for shoveling corn once you drilled the holes in it!!!


A good aluminum scoop shovel with a good handle is like gold around here.

[intensedrive]

Thank you for all the great replies, going to leave my dirt shovel just for that, shoveling dirt.  Going to modify a fine mesh attached to a pole so I can sift the larger coals on to the ground and then remove the fine ash, then place the larger coals back in.  Never really thought the ash surrounding the firebox was the reason the coals remained.  Removing that insulator, bam the hot coals are lost overnight directly in contact with the water box.

[schoppy]

Don't forget to clean out all the ash completely at the end of the season. I had to weld in a new bottom in an older Central Boiler for a friend of mine. He left the ash in his boiler over the summer and it ate through the bottom.

[straincm]

I have a similar method as many of you here on my CB classic. Before I add wood; twice daily; I take a four pronged garden hoe to the ashes and scrape all the way to the bottom of the fire box to sift the ashes down and bring the coals up. Then once a month I take a garden rake and push the larger coals to the back of the furnace. I then use a flat shovel to scoop the ash into a galvanized trash can. I then pull the coals back to the front and throw wood on top. Coals are nice and red hot by the time I am done shoveling out the ash.

[Bluegrass Wood Burner]

My biggest problem is hot coals falling on ground when I open the door. I like to keep my wood as close to the door as possible so the draft blower will do the most work. I'm wandering if there is something I could place under the door before I open to catch those coals. it would need to be metal, maybe a pan or bucket or something similar. I have always had a fear of a coal catching my woodpile on fire after I go in the house. I keep buckets of water handy just in case and normally just pour water on any coals that fall out if I can scoop them back up and throw in the stove. Anybody out there with a similar dilemma ?

[GCTerpfan]

The only time I have that problem is when I over fill the stove for the time period between fixings. For example if I put 24 hours worth of wood in it and then try to fix it 12 hours later the coal bed is above the bottom of the door and coals will try to fall out.  I try to load the stove for 12 hour burns, that way when I go out to fix it 12 hours later the water temp is still 180 but the coal bed is burnt down below the door and there is just enough coals left to ignite the wood I throw on. 

[Bluegrass Wood Burner]

Good point. I have noticed that when I overfill it seems to pile up the coals. Im trying to figure out the load that I need more and more rather than just fill it up. I have the large firebox(32x32x48) and seems like overkill when its not bone chilling cold out.

[mlappin]

If I had way too many coals to clean out when I wanted, I simply placed several large pieces in and no smalls, your coal bed will burn down right quick.