Ash Storage

dutch · Post by **dutch** » Mon. Jan. 13, 2014 4:40 pm

quick question about ash storage. I have always stored it in a 55 gal steel drum
outside, with something to cover the barrel to keep water out. the past 6 weeks
i have filled 2 barrels, so I take them to our local landfill with my normal dump run.
free to dump ashes.
one of my barrels must have taken on water, it was heavier than heck. not to mention
frozen. so when I dumped it out of the back of my pickup it landed like a solid ice cube.
took a bit of colorful language to break this apart, mostly by picking up one end of the
barrel and dropping it over and over to get the ash out.
fast forward to today, I don't want to have that happen again so I put my barrel
in a detached garage. no snow/water can get into the ash now.
other than a little dust from emptying my ash pan, is there any reason not
to store the ashes there? I really can't believe there could be enough live
coals to cause a problem?

GoodProphets · Post by **GoodProphets** » Mon. Jan. 13, 2014 5:03 pm

Not worth any risk.

Can you get a second ash pan?

Pull it out and let it sit, then fill up second ash pan. When needing to dump, dump the first and
Switch out. Then let that one sit till next time. Gives it time to cool.

I have 8 ash pans and two smaller back ups.
I take em outside once a week to dump

buffalo bob · Post by **buffalo bob** » Mon. Jan. 13, 2014 5:06 pm

as long as it is a steel barrel u should be ok, keep it away from combustables and find a steel lid ...what could catch fire???

dutch · Post by **dutch** » Mon. Jan. 13, 2014 6:49 pm

GoodProphets wrote:Not worth any risk.

Can you get a second ash pan?

Pull it out and let it sit, then fill up second ash pan. When needing to dump, dump the first and
Switch out. Then let that one sit till next time. Gives it time to cool.

I have 8 ash pans and two smaller back ups.
I take em outside once a week to dump

i do have a 2nd ash pan, it sits empty next to my stove, then when I service the stove at nite
i pull the full one out, and put the empty one in while I fill the stove and then dump the full pan.
where would I leave this full ash pan? not in my house, and if outside it's going to take on water,
and if it's in the garage it's the same as being in the barrel. i'll have to think about that.

i could get a steel lid, these barrels are old and dented so i'm sure it wouldn't be an air tight
seal, but with a stoker (very different than my hand fed that dropped live coals) I don't see any
hot coals in my ash.....

captcaper · Post by **captcaper** » Mon. Jan. 13, 2014 7:10 pm

I just throw it off my back yard bank. Grass and weeds grows through it all summer and it disapears. I also use it for sanding the drive and grass area were I drive or walk on. Sand with some salt that one gets at the town pile will kill the grass. Even run off from the drive will. Since I've been using the ash instead of sand/salt the grass has never been thicker in the summer.

Rick W · Post by **Rick W** » Tue. Jan. 14, 2014 10:15 pm

Dutch - please remember that the byproduct of incomplete combustion is carbon monoxide. Now while coal probably will not have nearly the amount of burning embers usually seen with wood stove ashes, why take the chance, keep'em outside. I keep mine in a covered metal container then use them to 'sand' my long uphill driveway. They work great! You say your near Syracuse, hopefully your south of the Oswego / Tug Hill Plateau area and their feet of snow!

titleist1 · Post by **titleist1** » Wed. Jan. 15, 2014 8:30 am

dutch wrote:i pull the full one out, and put the empty one in while I fill the stove and then dump the full pan. where would I leave this full ash pan? not in my house,

I don't see the issue leaving this full ash pan next to the stove to cool before taking it outside, what am I missing? I do this all the time. The ash pan cools for the day before I take it outside to dump which seems to minimize any dust plume as I carry it out. Althoug it is warm there are no active coals in it when I take it out of the stove and if there were they immediately start to extinguish since there is no airflow to keep them going. I have a CO monitor about 5' from where it sits to cool and never had it register a reading from the ash pan.

Now if any of our cats were inside cats, the dumb things would probably use the ash pan as a litter box forcing me to change my process!

Flyer5 · Post by **Flyer5** » Wed. Jan. 15, 2014 8:57 am

titleist1 wrote:
dutch wrote:i pull the full one out, and put the empty one in while I fill the stove and then dump the full pan. where would I leave this full ash pan? not in my house,
I don't see the issue leaving this full ash pan next to the stove to cool before taking it outside, what am I missing? I do this all the time. The ash pan cools for the day before I take it outside to dump which seems to minimize any dust plume as I carry it out. Althoug it is warm there are no active coals in it when I take it out of the stove and if there were they immediately start to extinguish since there is no airflow to keep them going. I have a CO monitor about 5' from where it sits to cool and never had it register a reading from the ash pan.

Now if any of our cats were inside cats, the dumb things would probably use the ash pan as a litter box forcing me to change my process!

That's why we have as pan covers if people want. Less concern for dust when carrying .

dutch · Post by **dutch** » Wed. Jan. 15, 2014 9:40 am

a lot of differences of opinion!
if it's ok to leave the ash pan in the house,
then I guess it's ok to dump it into a steel barrel in the garage

when I had my handshaker, it was a totally different ash, by shaking
i always had some hot coals drop into the pan, so those coals were
live, you could feel the heat, and see it out in the cold weather.
these ashes from this stoker are much finer, and I have yet to
see anything hot in there other than the the top of the
ash pan itself from the heat of the stove.

our snow has all melted, a few snowbanks left is all. a dusting this
morning here, but no real snow in the forecast. guess i'm happy I didn't register
my sleds yet!

captcaper · Post by **captcaper** » Wed. Jan. 15, 2014 10:17 am

dutch wrote:a lot of differences of opinion!
if it's ok to leave the ash pan in the house,
then I guess it's ok to dump it into a steel barrel in the garage

when I had my handshaker, it was a totally different ash, by shaking
i always had some hot coals drop into the pan, so those coals were
live, you could feel the heat, and see it out in the cold weather.
these ashes from this stoker are much finer, and I have yet to
see anything hot in there other than the the top of the
ash pan itself from the heat of the stove.

our snow has all melted, a few snowbanks left is all. a dusting this
morning here, but no real snow in the forecast. guess i'm happy I didn't register
my sleds yet!

I was able to in 400 miles of excellent riding in before it now has gone. I squeezed off the first just before Xmas. Most folks didn't realize how nice it was. We went out New Years day at 7 am and we owned the upper 1/3 of NH that ride. So nice. Back to hiking now for a while I guess.