Coal burn down/prep for emptying ashes

Started the coal burn down;
Rake coals forward, lay a split on top & burn on high.

No flash:


Flash:

 

Raked again
one more split
Still getting a lot of heat output.
Does that look like near 2/3 cord of birch ? Amazing




split added


1:30 PM
Should be good to empty by 3 or 4 PM

22 ° F outside now

 

I guess I've never had to worry about burning coals. My defiant seems to have that job done every day when I get home. Still enough for relight, but barely.

 

Good info you have been posting, Dave, for me with my first EPA stove

 

With OATs ranging above 15°f at night & mid 20s daytime.
I don't have many coals, they get burned down to where not much left after 24 +/- hours.
When getting the -17°f nights to near zero daytime temps, I need the heat from a good fire, so I
reload after about a 12 hour burn & have lost of charcoal.
Takes about 8 hours to burn down this many coals, yet still put out enough heat
for todays 20° temps, using the on split on top.

 

It really is amazing!

 

So the one split on top keeps the temps up while not adding yet too much more charcoal to get burned down? Do you do that with the cat engaged and full open air, or wide open without the cat engaged? ..or some other settings?

 

Get lots of coal burning down, one splits worth of coals not noticeable.
Cat engaged, Stat on high 3.5, blower 75%

 

Crack door (bypass is open) for 15 to 20 minutes just to cool it off enough
to work with welding gloves.
Rake most the coals to one side, realizing, the stove is hot & so are the ashes & charcoal.
Shovel to bucket





close door, cracked open
Hurry up with the 1st bucket to the garden. Make some steam.


Rake coals to the other side, shovel & to the garden. 3/4 bucket full


Stove clean with some hot coals left to start the new fire.

 

Couple more pictures of the new fire on top of the coals.
1/3 load since it only has to burn 6 hours
then full load for the night & it's warmed up to 24°f outside



Close bypass, run in med -high , with fan 60%
Good to go.

 

Beautiful routine! How much does the ask help the garden do you think?

 

I put it between the raised beds, keeps many of the bad bugs away & most of the weeds out .
.

 

What model Defiant are you running?

 

1975. Parents bought it new in 1979 for $900. Heated their house until about 95. I pulled it out of storage from the back corner of dads barn last winter.

That is the exact point when hoarding, cad, etcetera first began.

 

Ah, the original Defiant. Okay, the burn time makes sense. I had the old Vigilant from the same time period. Good stove, just not the most efficient.

 

For the first time, I've been doing the same thing with every load of ashes this year.
Need to build some raised beds this winter too.
Keep up the pics and info Dave......love it.

 

Nice work and process Dave. This may be a silly question but do you have a pic of the rake you are using? I am working on my process of ash cleaning with coals present. Don't really like waiting for everything to burn down all the way to clean up the box. Thanks in advance.

 

That would be one thing I need , a better rake for the coals.
The one that came with the stove.

May make this into a coals rake :


Or take one of my garden tools, shorten the handle & use it.

 

No burn down last night.
Stove not putting out a lot
Just a few hot coals left


Lots of room for a full load: