Spending a winter evening by a warm fire, whether around a fireplace or outside a fire pit, is the best thing you can do. However, fireplaces need to be cleaned and maintained to function at their best. Ashes can build up in your fireplace as a byproduct of burnt wood. However, they will only harm your fireplace if you don’t carefully remove the wood ashes.
Cleaning your fireplace can be a hassle, but it doesn't have to be hard. So how often should you clean your fireplace? A thorough cleaning is necessary for the functionality and efficiency of your fireplace.
There are numerous ways to approach regular fireplace cleaning (and your fire pit, for that matter). There are also many different options to recycle the ashes around the house.
Here are some helpful suggestions for properly disposing of fireplace ash that might help you avoid a future fire hazard.
How to Remove Ashes Safely from Your Fireplace
There are various methods to remove the ashes from your woodstove or fireplace. Whatever method you choose, cleaning your fireplace after the fire has gone out is imperative.
You may clean your fireplace in a few easy steps. First, allow the flames and ashes to cool. Two, remove the ashes from the fireplace and deposit them in a fire-resistant container using a metal shovel or dustpan. Three, reuse the ashes around your house when cooled before throwing them out in the garbage.
Let the Embers Cool:
In terms of safety, this step is crucial. If you remove hot ashes, it may cause a new fire to ignite in the disposal container. So instead, spread the embers out to allow a quicker cooling process.
Scoop the Ashes Out:
Scoop the fireplace's ashes into a fire-resistant container made of metal using a metal dustpan or shovel. Be wary of warm embers once more since they might spark a fire. Also, keep your ash container away from combustible materials, susceptible children, and animals.
Disposal of Ashes:
Your ashes can be thrown away once you're certain they've cooled completely. Ash can usually be disposed of with regular trash, but you should check with your neighborhood trash collection for advice.
Removing Ash with Special Ash Vacuums
Buy a specialized ash vacuum as soon as you install the new wood-burning hearth or stove or move into a new home with one. The thermal hose included with fireplace ash vacuums is often made of rubber-coated steel and is heat-resistant.
The thermal hose will be handy if your vacuum comes across some surprisingly hot embers. The metal nozzle of the fireplace vacuum is used to clean the interior of your fireplace or wood-burning stove.
Ash vacuums include sophisticated filters that can capture even the smallest ash particles and provide fire safety. You should not use a household vacuum because it cannot only spray the ash particles into the air, but the ashes can also pass past the filter and damage the system's motor.
Ash may be dumped into the ash dump present in your fireplace. If so, use a shovel to push the ashes through the firebox door and a vacuum cleaner to remove the remaining ashes and dust. Homeowners can easily use this system, and professionals can clean the ash dump.
Problems with Removing Ashes with Home Vacuums
Avoid using your household vacuum to remove ashes because it isn't made for the job. When you vacuum your fireplace with a conventional vacuum, you run the risk of two issues:
The device could sustain harm. For example, unseen hot embers in the ash pile will be drawn into the vacuum system and may cause harm to delicate parts. Additionally, a fire could start inside the vacuum's collection chamber.
Airborne ash flakes are a possibility. Ash dust is much finer than typical household dust, making it simple to pass through the filter of a standard vacuum. Breathing in ash dust is bad for people and animals. (It's important to note that you should always wear protective glasses and a breathing mask similar to what professionals wear while working around ash.)
When Should You Remove Ash?
You will always produce wood ash when burning wood. However, the kind of wood you burn and the temperature you burn affect how much ash is produced.
Although you might be inclined to sweep the ash off the firebox bottom after each fire, leaving a 1-inch coating of ash there is preferable. It is simpler to start and keep a fire when there is a layer of ash over the hot coals because it increases the heat of the fuel. But you will eventually need to get rid of the ash. It is time to remove the layer of ash if it grows too thick, stinks, or gets in the way of a fire starting.
Every time an ash pile in a fireplace grows to be greater than an inch, it must be cleaned. It follows that the fireplace does not need to be cleaned after every use; retaining some ash helps insulate your fire. However, the time to clean up is when the ash pile increases by 1 inch, particularly if it touches the grate.
How Might Ash Be Utilized Inside the House?
You may utilize the ashes for various things once you carefully removed them from the fireplace and let them cool in a metal can.
It is possible to reuse ashes around the house. Because it increases the pH of your soil and supplements potassium, ash works wonders in the garden. In addition, you can have some on hand for better traction on ice surfaces. Make use of uncontaminated wood ash.
In the Garden
Your garden can benefit greatly from having ashes in it. They can add nutrients like lime and potassium to your garden or soil as a supplement. Many different types of plants benefit from a potassium supplement. If applied sparingly and properly, a little coating of wood ash might help your soil retain more potassium. The tomato plant is a perfect example of a plant that loves potassium.
Ash, as a Cleaner
Unexpectedly, wood ashes can be mild abrasive when combined with a little water. However, it transforms into a paste to clean dirty glass, buff tarnished metals, and even remove adhesives and sticky residue.
Ash can also make soap, remove skunk odor, polish metal, erase driveway stains, and control insects. In addition, some campers save the ashes from the burning wood to clean their utensils.
Snowy Day Prep
A roaring fireplace often accompanies the chill of winter. Spreading a layer of recycled fireplace ash over snowy, icy surfaces to increase grip is one technique to reuse the material.
Final Thoughts
Ash removal is a quick and easy technique to maintain the health of your fireplace. The ash aids in a better burn by heating the coals. It is appropriate to clean your fireplace in one motion if you are about to do so.
The inch of ash is advantageous but optional. Leaving an inch or so of ash behind might become a headache. Additionally, that inch of ash will be re-accumulated by your subsequent fires.
These pointers should make your relaxing winter evenings in front of the fire secure and stress-free. But if you try to clean your fireplace without the necessary skills or instruments, you risk endangering your property and your health. So trust the experts to handle it.
Since 1985, we’ve helped thousands of homeowners with creosote cleaning and chimney maintenance. That’s why we are the most trusted chimney maintenance company in the Midwest. Contact us to speak to a specialist!
