Your welcome.
Simple tool that comes in very handy.
One of the drawbacks to a firebox with corners is that the corners don't clear ash as easily as the rest. A few seconds "scratching"
with that tool from underneath keeps them clear.
With their smallish size, range fireboxes need all of the firebox putting out heat. And as you noticed, the heat output goes up a lot when the grates are properly cleared.
Plus, that right-angle tip can be dragged along firebricks, or refractory liner, once every day or two to scrap off clinker scale that tries to grow on the surface like barnacles on a boat bottom. If clinker scale builds up on the liner it will not only reduce the firebox capacity, it's rough surface makes shaking ash that much tougher as coal gets hung-up on it.
Plus, you can use that bent tip to drag all the fly ash buildup off the top of the oven and over to the firebox to shake down with the rest of the ashes. Keeping the oven top clear not only helps extract more heat for room heating, it also helps keep oven temps high and more consistent.
Handy tool, that gets a lot of use with a range.
Paul
Tended as such it burns like a fresh ash free fire and will run happily with fully closed intake damper.
