Gone for a week, so came back to a cold wood stove and used it as an opportunity to scoop out the ash. There are some valuable (cold) coals in there, and I’m frugal so it got me thinking that I should rig some loose screen to sift out the coals before disposing of the ash. Does anyone already do this? Am I doing something wrong? To give this post some eye candy, here’s a picture of my dog, under my shirt, in front of the wood stove:
Sifting just to save the lil bit of charcoal is not worth it at all...if you were trying to save some live coals to start a new fire, maybe...
I've saved live coals by using a junk deep fryer basket (small sized from a home unit) but it's kind of a chore. Scrape all ashes/coals to one side. Dump all stuff in basket sitting in stove on other side. Shake. Basket full of coals, ashes in stove. Move basket, scoop ashes, dump coals and go. Kind of thing.
I will pick bigger chunks out of the shovel and toss em back in, or shake the shovel and they fall out.
Same here. The cold charcoal pieces do help with relights. I save those and use them to help start a fire.
I have used a brass shifter, and that seems to work the best of anything that I've found. Not sure I'd buy one, but I had one already. Only takes a couple of minutes to separate out a 5-gal bucket worth. I spread the ash in my yard, where it's kind of mossy. It's still kind of mossy, so not sure that is doing much for me, but ash is supposedly a base, and can replace lime. I've put the charcoal into paper bags & tossed back into the fire to keep a low fire going on a warm afternoon, so I don't have to relight it later. I've also worked the charcoal into the flower gardens, both as chunks, and ground up. It's supposed to be good for the soil, but I can't really say I see much difference. At the end of the day, it's just trying to use something that I'd otherwise dump, and probably not worth putting much work into.
I rake the ashes so it falls through a grate into an ash pan. Whatever remains, is burned in the next fire.
I never thought it worth the time and effort to sift the ashes. Just dump them. Ashes go out on the field come spring.
Yeah of course you guys that find seasoned BL lying roadside and have neighbors giving away cords of oak don’t bother! But a split of quality hardwood here is worth something between my first and second born! I want every last BTU! SloMoJoe and Warner made me realize that I should look online for products, and I stumbled across this very helpful site called “Firewood Hoarders Club”. They had some pretty industrious members back in 2014 and 2017… My home made coal rake and coal sifter. Coal lifter / ash sifter (It’s kinda funny that sometimes Google is an easier way to find something on this site than the Search function.) I’ll probably end up buying a cheap rake or sifter somewhere…will repost here if I do. Thanks!
I have a hardy outdoor wood furnace, so because of the grates I don't generally mess with it until end of the burn season. When I clean everything out I will save the bigger chunks to put in with the stuff I am going to use to start the first fire next year. That being said, I have been known to salvage charcoal from the BBQ grill.
I sift my coals and make Bio-char . the coals are crushed and added to the chicken house bedding . there they absorb odors and are colonized by bacteria . then it's dumped in the in the compost to rot into a wonderful soil. Bio-char is a home for helpful bacteria that a garden needs. it also helps the soil retain moisture.
I will pick the big charcoal hunks out of cold ash. Or sift them and put a few to the side to help in a relight. Hot coals lots get put into the bucket but I will keep enough in the stove to aid in a relight. It's not worth the time to make something op or use a brass sifter etc to get all the charcoals. Unless your really , really in the city wood is too easy to find. Even in the suburbs there is enough limbs down or wood on the side of the road to not waste all those cumulative minutes sifting coals. Just walk outside and pick up two sticks and use those and you will have more BTUs that what you lost in the ashes.
