Ive always left ash in stove after a clean out just cause that’s what my dad did. But I’ve done it both ways with the ideal steel and honestly don’t see a difference in the burn or coals.
That’s kind of vague. It’s all some type of ceramic. The key ingredients help to differentiate between insulating and dense. Fascinating, really. We see the important of both types in rocket mass heaters. And since those types of heaters employ fire just like wood stoves, their respective and different properties are also relevant in wood stoves.
Yep, white vinegar/water works well for me. I also have a scouring pad that is safe for ceramic stove tops, for the occasional stubborn creo spot. So does an ash grate in the bottom of the firebox. I leave a inch or more of ash in the box. But sometimes I'll stir the ash through the grate in the front if I want a more vigorous fire up there at startup. There's a 1/4" hole in the side of the ash pan housing, so some air comes up through the grate if you stir the ash down in a spot. It's grate!
It would be great if my stove had a grate. All the Drolet (and many other SBI stoves) has is a 3" square clean out plug at the bottom near the front of the stove. I don't really worry about ash management all that much. Just push the coals to the back of the stove with the pooper scooper and use my shovel to push the leftover ash down the clean out hole. Then I rake the leftover ash/coal combination forward after putting the clean out plug back in. The only downside to the Drolet Austral that I can see is that when it's really cold out (sub 0°f) and I need to run it hard the ash builds up and the stove eventually fills with just coals. That's where a grate would be great.
I just cleaned my glass for the third time since Oct 28. Issat about normal? My wood is very dry. I use EZ Off oven cleaner in a spray can.
I've found when I burn "lower and slower" that I get more residue on the glass. That darkness goes away as soon as I can make a nice hot fire. When it's warmer weather outside, keeping the glass clean it's a little more work, because having a nice hot fire isn't wanted. My stove has a bow front, and 3 pieces of ceramic glass. Those two side small glass pieces do tend to get more darkening, especially towards the lower outside edges. This is normal. The air wash system on my stove is more focused to keep the main large center glass clean, with the design not doing that great of a job on those lower far edges of the side glass. If a piece of wood gets a little too close to the glass, it can leave a dark spot on the glass. These get burnt off with a nice hot fire. Also is normal is a little bit of ash that ends up on the glass. This can be wiped off with a damp rag, but I only ever do this when there's barely any coals left, or a cold stove. Most times I don't ever bother with the ash dust on the glass, because you can easily see through it. Also, another great tip is to use a razor to scrape the glass clean of any dark spots. You won't scratch the glass if you do it properly. It's an old aquarium owner's trick. Aquarium glass is much easier to scratch than the ceramic glass on stoves.
I usually wet the glass if trying to use a razor blade to scrape. When I was cleaning flats for a living, the bathroom mirrors would often be a mess. I used a razor blade in a holder to scrape and I would wet the glass first to help prevent any scratches.
AFAIK you can't scratch ceramic on a wood stove. I only use an old razor scraper to clean my glass. Works grate! I push hard enough to get the white film off.
That was something I liked about the Buck 91; It had a hinged lid so no plug to mess with, and the opening was more than 3x5" and was in the left side of the floor. It was pretty easy to sweep the ash/coals to the left with the edge of the shovel, skim the coals to the right, then open the ash dump and sweep the ash in. Good thing you could do it quick, because the coals would roast ya otherwise. She also had a short, L-shaped poker that was great to stick down the dump and push the ash pile away from the hole and distribute it around the pan. On that stove, I had to make sure the pan gasket was good, or air would come up through the dump lid and fuel the fire there. I had to settle for the dump on the T5 I got for my SIL, but it's not too bad. It has an ash door that hinges downward, then you can prop a stick under the lever to hold the door open while you sweep down the ash. The opening is a bit small, though. Again, you have to make sure that when the spring pulls the door closed, it slides back into the lock slot, or air will come in and the load will burn hotter..not something you want with a PE, which already draws really easy. Yeah, grate is great. With the right size slots, you can let the ash bed build up, or stir it down, your choice. I need that with the small box in the Keystone; Sometimes if it's cold you need to stir 'em down to make more room for as much wood as you can get in there. And you don't have to deal with a hot pan or bucket right now like you do if, god forbid, you have no dump or grate and have to shovel 'em out like I did with the Fireview.
I hate those ash dump plugs...I never use them...I let the whole thing get ashed over and just scoop the ashes out...only have to handle it once that way.
I first scooped out the ashes but it made a horrible mess with ash flying around (maybe it is because the draft is so poor on this stove) and I kept bumping the shovel on the front ledge of the stove no matter how careful. I now use the ash dump and it is loads better. I "bump" the ash pan a few times as I am loading to spread the ashes out. I usually leave the ashes in the pan and allow them to cool down and any coals to finish burning and dump when it is time to do another clean out.
For cleaning glasses, I use microfiber towels that pulled the dirt from the glass surface without smudging around. And it's removing dust perfectly without making scratches.
Reading through I came to two conclusions.. #1 is I really need to clean my glass #2 I do find that I am not the only one who thinks that the fire burns better with some ash left in the bottom ; no doubt mine does.
FIFY means "Fixed It For You" When one member quotes another post BUT changes it slightly as either a joke or to add a little more information they let everybody know the original quote has been modified by noting "FIFY" Fixed it for you... For example: FIFY Somebody reading your quote in my reply wouldn't necessarily notice it was changed because the quote still makes sense but the FIFY lets them know to compare it to the original. KaptJaq
