Wood stoves with no cleanout chamber

[kelLOGg]

The house we bought in 1983 had a Vermont Castings Defiant woodstove in place and we have been heating with it ever since. It has no chamber for the ashes to fall in so I can burn wood in it for 2 to 3 days before it must be emptied; this is only an inconvenience and not a severe problem because our winters are not severe. It makes me think of people who heat with wood in extremely cold climates. I assume wood stoves such as mine are rare there. Having to let the fire die to clean it when the high of the day is quite cold would just not work. Who among us wood burners use such a stove as mine?

[Old Greenhorn]

None of the wood stoves I have ever had included a cleanout. That's more of a coal stove thing I believe. I have 2 stoves running now. On the shop stove I shovel out the ash in the front of the stove before I reload it in the morning every few days. Then I spread everything else out and reload. That's enough to keep up with it. If the stove happens to burn out overnight, I will do a full cleanout.
 On the house stove built more like you defiant, I slide the fire over to the left side and keep that going for a few hours during the day while the ash on the right side burns out to nothing. Then I shovel that right side out in the afternoon and re-spread everything else. I only do full cleanouts if the stove dies.

 The goal is to keep the ash level low, not clean it fully all the time. At least that works for me.

[mike_belben]

have had several of both and prefer the cleanout door, though it is one more air leak to manage. that is the downside to adding them to your stove design. lowers your control of combustion. 

[stavebuyer]

I currently have 2 stoves. One has no clean out and the other has heavy cast plug that has to be removed so you can scrape the ashes into a drawer below. Most times I don't bother with the plug. Using the plug does seem to keep more of the fine ash inside the stove when your shoveling.

Does anyone have a source for a "sifter" to separate coals from the fines? Surely somebody makes something to empty the ash and keep the coals.

[WDH]

 

 

No clean-out.  It has been going strong for 40 years.  Colony Hearth Earth Stove. The door comes off to make clean out easier.  Fortunately in Georgia we get enough spells where it warms up enough for a day or two to let all the wood burn to ashes although there will still be live coals too.

[bluthum]

I've heated almost exclusively with a one chamber Fisher wood stove since 1977. To clean out on a cold day I just let it die down a bit then rake the coals to one side then the other shoveling out the ashes as I go. Then I pull the coals up in a pile as dictated and start a new fire promptly on the coals. No problemas. I think there are more floating ashes escaping than might with other designs but that's life in the big city.... 

[SwampDonkey]

Cold weather clean out isn't an issue. The fire can be out for several hours here, stuff don't freeze that quick. I brush stove and pipes every month, they are poly brushes and fiber glass rod, so has to be a cooled down stove and pipe. Never much there, but routine stuff. ;D I don't use a stove in the house here, I use a forced air furnace. Heats basement and two floors. Insulated duct to second floor.  It has an ash pan and pan door. That door and the combustion chamber door are sealed with gasket and close tight. I actually open the ash door for 5 or 6 minutes to light the fire and close it up, and it stays that way. It draws quicker when starting up. It has a regulated damper.

[SwampDonkey]

Does anyone have a source for a "sifter" to separate coals from the fines? Surely somebody makes something to empty the ash and keep the coals.

Should be able to get a stainless strainer or colander someplace.  Amazon has'm. Might find one the size of a pale and pour coals and ash over it for the ash to drop below.

[farmfromkansas]

I built a rake for the coals, used a piece of flat metal and 1/4" rods, and a piece of 1/2" rod for the handle.  If I were to make a new one, would make the rods twice as long and use twice as many.  Think they are are about 1" reveal and 1" centers.  2" reveal and 1/2" apart would be better.  The flat metal is about 10" long.  

[Walnut Beast]

The Earth stoves were made in Waco NE. Good stoves

[moodnacreek]

I used to heat my shop with a 2' pipe 30" tall 2/3 top was lid with 8" oval straight pipe. [a vertical barrel stove]  For air I had a 2" drop pipe behind the lid.  To clean ashes I used a bent shovel and a wheel barrel twice a year.  This is a very safe design, sparks never get out.

[Nebraska]

@Walnut Beast  I didn't know that about the Earth Stove..hmm

[Southside]

I grew up with wood heat so it wasn't "my" stove, but I sure split plenty of fuel for it and fed it enough, that one was a fireplace insert style, since then I have owned 4 more wood stoves and none of them had any kind of clean out door, just manage it like the others said.  Sometimes you get a few coals in the bucket - just don't ever plan on placing the bucket in the laundry room closet, or by the recyclable pile and all has worked for a long time.  

[Larry]

My 31 year old Vermont Castings Defiant Encore.  Take the filled ash drawer out to dump every few days.  After putting it back in the stove I scrap ashes into the drawer again.  Doesn't matter if I have a fire so long as it's not big.  Rinse and repeat.  This one is in the shop.  Have a knock off in the house that works the same way but not as efficient.

Hank says the stove is great!!!

[Walnut Beast]

We had a Ashley stove and it had a sealed chamber and a lower one with the separate door for the ash pan 

[mike_belben]

A flour sifter can recover just the coals. 

[Corley5]

I've had them all. I wouldn't have one without rocker/shaker grates.  My OWBs have them.  Stationary grates with a pan would be a bare minimum.

[SwampDonkey]

Rocker grates are a plus for sure. I have a poker I just scrape the grates. I have to use it anyway to pull some coals to the front for morning fire anyway. Did I say I love my furnace? ;D

Now boys, take your pale of ashes and set it out doors. :D  I've had two neighbors that tried to set the place on fire putting ashes in cardboard boxes and leaving them in the house or on a wooden deck. ;)

[taylorsmissbeehaven]

I have a Craft stove insert in my house and an Englander stove in my shop. I do like others have said and slide fire to one side and scoop out a bit of ash and then rake back out. Our winters are mild so I get an opportunity to do a bigger clean out on a regular basis. I saw an ash shovel years ago called the "Coal Keeper" I think it was. Kinda like a big slotted spoon. I think about trying to find one every time I shovel out but I have yet to hunt one down.
     Hey Bob it looks like we might want to clean out good in the next day or two. Some sort of winter precipitation headed our way!! Stay warm all, Brian

[DMcCoy]

Does anyone have a source for a "sifter" to separate coals from the fines? Surely somebody makes something to empty the ash and keep the coals.

Here is mine, I made it from rebar.  This is version #2.  My first version the gap between the teeth was too close and plugged up.  Super small coals do make it through but for the most part this has done an excellent job.  I rake the coals to one side and scoop out the ashes, then do the same to the other side. The teeth are about 3" long.  The little bend on the handle end is super important for control.  Our big leaf maple makes big ash clods, the other woods don't.


 

[stavebuyer]

Does anyone have a source for a "sifter" to separate coals from the fines? Surely somebody makes something to empty the ash and keep the coals.

Here is mine, I made it from rebar.  This is version #2.  My first version the gap between the teeth was too close and plugged up.  Super small coals do make it through but for the most part this has done an excellent job.  I rake the coals to one side and scoop out the ashes, then do the same to the other side. The teeth are about 3" long.  The little bend on the handle end is super important for control.  Our big leaf maple makes big ash clods, the other woods don't.

Your mini offset rake is perfect! Sifting would be more trouble and stir up more fine ash than needed.

[snobdds]

My stove(s) have a plug to put the ash into.  Well, it's too small to really be of any value and it just creates more of a mess than anything. So I don't use it.  

I just get my small metal trash can and scoop the ash in, coals and all.  Take the can out and dump it into the outdoor fire pit or incinerator. 

Put in new wood and light it off. 

[KEC]

I have a Thermo Control stove made in Cobleskill, NY; started out years ago with a mid-sized Fisher stove. They recomended to leave a bed of ash in all the time. I tend the stove and rake everything towards the door. In the am I'll take some ash out from just inside the door. When the fire is out or low I'll use a long ash shovel to remove ashes that got pushed way in and that ash is very fine powder, no coals. I don't load too much wood at one time and I don't split my wood small. A short fat piece is better than a long skinny piece  of the same volume. My ash is usually very free of coals. My ash, after being allowed to cool, gets spread out on the land, being mindful not to start a wildfire. The stove has no grate or ash pan. Works for me.

[kelLOGg]

I have raked and sifted a lot but in my experience it is not as convenient as a grated stove where the ashes fall to a pan for easy removal. In the 70s we had a Vermont Woodstove Downdrafter with a door to open and shovel out the ashes. I still prefer that but I'm not switching now.  

Here's my rake for the Defiant.



 

[SwampDonkey]

I have next to no charcoal unless it's still burning in the stove in the morning. Just 99% fine ash. Any charcoal is smaller than your thumb and not much. I have a video of starting a fire, but that is obviously all live coals burning. Some extra draft from the ash clean out door being open and you see them glow up quick.