Got Christened Last Night!!!

For a few laughs at my expense :

I was holding the moron card last night when I emptied my ash tub. Was outside, wind to my back emptying my tub into a trash bag. Wasn't paying attention and not being careful, as I turned my tub over inside the trash bag too quickly, a plume of ash dust that rivaled any nuclear blast hit me in the face. Dust was wafting off of me as I was walking back to the house. It was a beautiful sight!!!

So, just a reminder to those unfamiliar with burning coal: ash tub emptying is an outdoor activity and even with the wind blowing in the right direction, patience is still a necessity.

When I'm dumping my ashpans, even with the wind at my back, I almost always get a 'dusting'.. just part of the process.. a slow and gentle tipping of the ashpan helps.. but my impatience usually trumps the 'gentle'.

Greg L

I empty into a 55 gallon drum & then every now & then hand truck the drum to "the dumping ground". Yaaa, it matters not how the wind blows, we humans are ash magnets. In one motion I take the last two steps, hold my breath, remove cover, dump, recover & walk away. Getting the cover back on stops the nuclear dust, but there's always some escape. After I'm three steps away I resume breathing.

This was funny to read because it happened to me also just last night!

Freddy wrote:I empty into a 55 gallon drum & then every now & then hand truck the drum to "the dumping ground". Yaaa, it matters not how the wind blows, we humans are ash magnets. In one motion I take the last two steps, hold my breath, remove cover, dump, recover & walk away. Getting the cover back on stops the nuclear dust, but there's always some escape. After I'm three steps away I resume breathing.

God willing, hope you never forget that last step!!!!

I think everyone has don't that at least once

have a dirt/gravel rd. here I turn my back to the wind and let her go. no problems till the wind suddenly changes..then run like hell..

They call me a sissy when I wear my dust mask, but it works just fine for me, no coughing or gagging and I'm happy.

I learned the hard way just like everybody else.

Provided the wind is blowing from the proper direction, I stand with the wind to my side, and heave the ashes out over my pile...then I watch the big dust cloud get blown down to my wood-burning neighbors' houses. I doubt they notice, but it makes me feel better.

An old adage in the Navy applies here too.
Three things you don't while on the ship's deck. 1. Don't draw on the Lone Ranger. 2. Don't mess with the Chief. and 3. Dont piss into the wind.

I use the dump and run tactic....

I think this goes hand in hand with the initial learning curve along with losing your fire by shaking it into the ash pan and puff-backs.

Well at least you didn't inhale.

Been their done that.

Trash bag?

I use to spread it around the pine and spruce trees to save the lawn from the acid from the trees.

Where I use to live. The landlord had his yard hard filled with coal ash from a shoe factory. He had the most healthy pear,cherry,apple, and peach trees that I had ever seen. He also had blueberries, rasberries, grape vines, and rhubarb. It was about a one acre lot. But it had a huge amount of fruits to sell and give away. Its now a parking lot.

I can dump in the woods on my property...I have a spot that drops down about 5 ft quickly..I check the wind, hold my breath and do the quick flip method and then run before the nuclear mushroom cloud has a chance to rise up out of the depths below and snag me! ...but the fall out has cought me plenty of times!