We Have a New Wood Burning Stove

[IXLR8]

That's interesting.
My stove lets me burn about 3 days or so before I need to get rid of the ashes. But mine has a metal (thick) cover over the ash pan opening. So I have to pull that cover off to get to (expose) the opening. The ash pan itself has a sliding cover on it which I keep open. So far I've let the stove cool down to remove the ashes but I guess I could try it while there are still coals in it? I'd have to take that thick cover off and push the ashes into the pan and replace the thick cover. Then add logs and hope the remaining coals ignite them.
Am I thinking correctly?

The bottom of my fire box is grated, about 5/8" openings.. so the ashed can drop into the pan. The pan is on a swing out door, so I can swing out the door, clean the pan, close the door and continue. With the pan door open, LOTS of air goes into the fire box which is why I fill the box with wood so it takes a bit to get it all going. Then I shut it all down and let the thermostat control deal with it, it will burn for between 8-10 hrs depending on wood and how cold it is outside.

 

[ultrarunner]

Future residents wishing the same might not be as fortunate?

\

One can only hope... my biggest grip is when the law is imposed on existing, permitted, EPA stoves.

There was a time when one could reasonably expect to be Grandfathered, at least until it came time to make a change or in some cases sell.

Looks like all bets are off now. Remember, what starts in CA has a habit of going national.

A lot of the tree guys used to sell firewood until the market disappeared. Then they started chipping everything and now commercial operations are being forced to sell or re-power any 50hp and up chippers because these must be registered now... and it costs a lot to register and license yearly.

Anyway, beautiful stove and I'm sure you will have many years of enjoyment!

 

[3RRL]

The bottom of my fire box is grated, about 5/8" openings.. so the ashed can drop into the pan. The pan is on a swing out door, so I can swing out the door, clean the pan, close the door and continue. With the pan door open, LOTS of air goes into the fire box which is why I fill the box with wood so it takes a bit to get it all going. Then I shut it all down and let the thermostat control deal with it, it will burn for between 8-10 hrs depending on wood and how cold it is outside.

The bottom of my stove is lined with bricks except that one where the thick metal piece is that covers the ash pan opening. From the photos above, you can see the ash pan that hangs below. It appears from the design of it that it's for emptying the ashes only when the burn is out. Getting that thick piece of metal off (about the size of 1/2 a brick) requires me to push the coals out of the way then lift it off with a little tool they supply. But with coals still in there, I could accidentally knock one out of the stove.
It's a Hampton stove.

Since yours has a grate that exposes the ash pan, I'm wondering if I can leave that one thick piece of metal that covers the ash pan opening off? It would sure make it easier when getting the ashes out during a continuous burn. That way, I could scrape at least some of the ashes into the ash pan (around the coals) to reduce the amount of ashes in the stove, then load it up and continue.
Just wondering if that would be OK to do and safe?

The ash pan itself is all metal and has a sliding top to it.
When you take it out of the stove, you slide the top shut so you don't spill the ashes or whatever coals are in it.

\

One can only hope... my biggest grip is when the law is imposed on existing, permitted, EPA stoves.

There was a time when one could reasonably expect to be Grandfathered, at least until it came time to make a change or in some cases sell.

Looks like all bets are off now. Remember, what starts in CA has a habit of going national.

A lot of the tree guys used to sell firewood until the market disappeared. Then they started chipping everything and now commercial operations are being forced to sell or re-power any 50hp and up chippers because these must be registered now... and it costs a lot to register and license yearly.

Anyway, beautiful stove and I'm sure you will have many years of enjoyment!

Thanks, we love the color after sweating it at first.
I know what you mean about the grandfathering. Nothing is sacred anymore. If they change the regulations here, lots of people would be screwed since wood stove heat or fireplace heat is all they have in their homes. I do have central air and heating, but do not use it. So they could make me change since I'm equipped to deal with it. But what about the thousands of homes (in my rural area) that are not set up like mine? It would cost big bucks to add gas lines and heaters for them.

 

[IXLR8]

Since yours has a grate that exposes the ash pan, I'm wondering if I can leave that one thick piece of metal that covers the ash pan opening off? It would sure make it easier when getting the ashes out during a continuous burn. That way, I could scrape at least some of the ashes into the ash pan (around the coals) to reduce the amount of ashes in the stove, then load it up and continue. Just wondering if that would be OK to do and safe?

The ash pan itself is all metal and has a sliding top to it.
When you take it out of the stove, you slide the top shut so you don't spill the ashes or whatever coals are in it.

My ash pan is also all metal, there is also a cover that slides over it. Cover has a handle so you can easily carry the whole thing outside to dump.. hot or not. Although I just shovel the ashs into a bucket and carry that out to dump. The ash pan door is also gasketed so it is air tight when closed. I don't know if your plate is providing any air flow control. My stove does not have any bricks in it so I don't have that issue. Hopefully these pics will clarify what I have. Maybe you could cut some slots in your metal plate to knock the ashes through, or make up another plate with openings in it.

 

[3RRL]

Thanks for the photos Jim,
I see your ash pan opening is full size of the stove. Mine only has that one small opening covered by the thick piece of metal. It's about 4" x 4" and at least an inch thick. The air flow control seems to run below the bricks all around the bottom of the stove. So it's not the cover piece. This stove burns everything to ashes nearly 100% so maybe it's made just for that. Seems unhandy to me though, when trying to keep burning and just removing the ashes. It's a great little stove so I'll just have to live with it I guess. I got a little shovel to get some of the ashes out without using the metal cover. That at least lets me keep some coals in yet remove some ashes. It's been burning for 3 days straight now.

 

[escavader]

The bottom of my stove is lined with bricks except that one where the thick metal piece is that covers the ash pan opening. From the photos above, you can see the ash pan that hangs below. It appears from the design of it that it's for emptying the ashes only when the burn is out. Getting that thick piece of metal off (about the size of 1/2 a brick) requires me to push the coals out of the way then lift it off with a little tool they supply. But with coals still in there, I could accidentally knock one out of the stove.
It's a Hampton stove.

Since yours has a grate that exposes the ash pan, I'm wondering if I can leave that one thick piece of metal that covers the ash pan opening off? It would sure make it easier when getting the ashes out during a continuous burn. That way, I could scrape at least some of the ashes into the ash pan (around the coals) to reduce the amount of ashes in the stove, then load it up and continue.
Just wondering if that would be OK to do and safe?

The ash pan itself is all metal and has a sliding top to it.
When you take it out of the stove, you slide the top shut so you don't spill the ashes or whatever coals are in it.
ROB,
AS I stated before i have grates for the ashes to fall through into the pan,and i know alot of others do also.Its kind of nice ,because the stove came with a shaker handle ,so when things start to plug up ,you can shake them down in the pan.Ithink if you could get some grate to replace that cover [or one that covers the whole bottom of the stove]it would work great.It needs to be fine enough so the larger coals dont drop,just the finer stuff.You can work the fines down through by raking the coals around with your poker.
My grates are cast iron,and they will warp if you dont keep the ashes from building up to them,Too much intense heat,and not enough air around them i guess.That being said i usually dump twice a week during the cold part of the season.


ALAN

 

[MossRoad]

I'm wondering if I can leave that one thick piece of metal that covers the ash pan opening off?

I wouldn't do it. Mine has bricks on the walls and floor too, except for a 4" square area for the ash cleanout. There is a handle of the front of the stove that you pull forward, then tip down to open the ash dump chute. It is spring loaded, so you cannot leave it open. My manual specifically states to never run the stove with that ash dump open for any period of time, except when emptying ashes.

You may want to check your stove instructions.

 

[3RRL]

Thanks Moss,
I read the instructions on mine but I don't recall them saying that specifically ... I could have missed it though? I'll read them again.
I also don't have the spring loaded handle like you do. Like I said in my previous post, I'll just live with it. I was afraid to leave it open for fear of too much heat and the ash pan not being insulated enough to withstand it.

 

[MossRoad]

Thanks Moss,
I read the instructions on mine but I don't recall them saying that specifically ... I could have missed it though? I'll read them again.
I also don't have the spring loaded handle like you do. Like I said in my previous post, I'll just live with it. I was afraid to leave it open for fear of too much heat and the ash pan not being insulated enough to withstand it.

My manual said it will also affect the draft. If you open that up, there is no controlling the draft, as the ash pan is not sealed. As the fire builds, it will suck more and more air, which could lead to overheating the stove and/or chimney.

 

[Lloyd_E]

Egon,

Rule of thumb: you should get 1 cord per acre... wind falls, clean up, select trees etc.
So, if you have a 5 acre lot you should get 5 cords per year forever.

Lloyd