Proper Ash Disposal
Disposing of ash is a necessary evil that comes with enjoying a lovely fire at the end of a long day. The burning wood results in a pile of byproduct that needs to be removed in order to be able to continually use your fireplace or stove. Let us walk you through the proper way to remove and dispose of ash, and how often you need to do it to ensure a safe environment. Your plants will thank you!
After a certain amount of burning, some of the ash needs to be removed, but a little of it can actually help. The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) says that having an inch or so of ash under the grate will protect and encourage heat in the coals and result in more heat being produced. This can only be a good thing during the upcoming cold. It takes balance though. Too much ash will do the opposite to the coals, dispersing heat and not insulating the coals. Protecting the firebox is beneficial, but ash overload is where the trouble starts. The ash accumulation could spill over into the floor and singe or burn the flammable materials nearby.
Wait an entire 24 hours before attempting disposal. Ash that may look fine to touch won’t fully be cool until then. If you are unsure or in a time crunch, using heat resistant gloves will be your best bet to not burn yourself. Wearing your gloves, slowly remove the ash from the firebox until all that remains is larger coals that can be relit and about an inch of residual ash. The ash can be put in a bucket or sealed crate until cool, but put the container out of harms reach, in a closet or rarely used pantry. The temptation would be too great for small children or animals. If the ash is still warm, cover the pile in sand or cover with a lid of some sort to keep oxygen out. This will starve out any flame that may be tempted to develop.
Once your ash bucket has been removed from eyesight, forget about it. Wait three days and then uncover it. Relocate the cooled ash to a bag of some sort and put in the garbage. If your garden could use more alkaline soil, sprinkling some ash onto the plants could be very beneficial. Don’t dump the whole bucket though, you don’t want to shock your plants by completely changing the soil pH.
Ash is very alkaline, so too much will change the pH of the soil, and will end up killing your plants. If dumping the remaining ash seems wasteful, there are many other alternative uses as well. Our favorite is using ash instead of salt on slippery surfaces during the winter months to melt ice without damaging your soil!
Give us a call with any questions you have about your chimney or fireplace and make sure to have us out to sweep and inspect before the harsh winter sets in!