What To Do With Ash From Your Stove?

For those of us wanting to buy, or already own a wood or multi-fuel stove one of the thankless tasks related to essential upkeep of the stove is emptying the ash pan. This can be a very messy task and certainly not one that many people look forward to. If you're burning wood efficiently you shouldn't really have a lot of ash with some manufacturers such as Burley stating that Fuel is burnt so economically and completely that in tests the ash produced from burning a 100kg stack of logs can fit into a pint glass in one of their wood burning stoves. We have a quick look at some of the ways you can utilise the leftover ash from your stove.

Firstly you must let your ashes cool before doing anything with them, I have an ash bin - this is essentially a metal bucket that sits on the hearth with plenty of clear space around it. I put my hot ashes into this bucket and let them cool overnight before composting them or throwing them away.
This avoids frequently walking around with very hot ashes in your stove's ash pan and is a neat way to let the ashes cool down.

If you're an avid gardener and looking for that extra little bit for your garden then remember that wood ashes are good for the ground. Mix layers of wood ash into your compost.It is also a good idea to add some layers of scrunched up paper or cardboard to allow air in to the compost heap, this returns the leftover, unburnt carbon to the soil and continues the Carbon Cycle. You can also use them to discourage pests like slugs and snails build up little walls of ashes between your vegetables & around your plants.
Coal ashes are not good for the soil as they contain concentrated levels of heavy metals and toxins and should be thrown away in your bin - once they have cooled.

If your path way has turned icy & you are worried about slipping you can sprinkle ashes on the pathway to give yourself a safer footing.
Only use ashes from wood burning as it better for the ground - ashes from coal burning belong in the rubbish bin, if you are concerned about the quality of your earth.