Hi all looking to see what people's choice in cleaning tools are for their wood stoves. Ash vacuums with any special attachments,scrapers,shovels? Just looking for some more efficient and thorough ways of stove cleanout thank for everyone's time!
Do mean for the annual cleaning or just the day to day stuff? As for the daily or rather, weekly, a small ash shovel is all we ever use. Clean ashes when needed but the only time we clean all the ash out is once per year (annual summer cleaning). Never clean all the ashes from the stove except for that once per year as the stove needs at least an inch of ash on the bottom (for insulation) and you will also get better fires with some ash there. With our stove, in the deepest part of winter we might empty some ashes from the stove every 3 or 4 days but normal average is perhaps weekly. Spring and fall are only occasionally. Most ash vacuums still have warnings about sucking any hot coals into the vacuum. Use them sparingly.
Thanks for your input!I clean ash out every probably week and a half or so leaving an inch or so in the bottom.i have a hearthstone castleton soap stone stove so keeping the heat in there is a must. I was mainly looking for tips on the once a year cleanings as far as getting as much flaked ash and any flaked creosote out as possible.it burns very well so I don't have much creosote but I belice in a good cleaning regardless
