Our Company Blog

Proper ash disposal

If you have a woodstove or wood-burning fireplace, you know that it comes with the regular chore of removing ashes. One cord of firewood produces 50 pounds of ash, and the average home utilizing wood as a heat source burns three cords of wood each year. That’s a lot of ash to clear out of your fireplace and dispose of properly!

While it seems simple, clearing ash from you fireplace does involve some risk. Improper ash disposal can lead to burns, a home fire or carbon monoxide poisoning.

We’ve put together our steps for successful ash removal.

• Don’t remove all the ash. You shouldn’t remove ashes from the fireplace each time you build a fire. While too much ash can lead to corrosion in your firebox or inhibit your ability to build a fire, an inch bed of ash at the bottom of your fireplace helps insulate your fire and helps your fire burn more efficiently. 
• Leave ashes in the fireplace for at least 24 hours after a fire before you attempt to remove them. Otherwise, you risk removing smolder embers, which can lead to a fire or carbon monoxide emission in your home.
• Treat ashes like they’re still hot. Always assume that the ashes in your fireplace are hot, as smoldering embers can lurk at the bottom of your fireplace for some time. Wear protective gloves, and use a metal shovel to remove the ash.
• Leave burning embers in the fireplace. If you do notice embers that are still burning or smoking, push them to the back of your fireplace and leave them there, surrounded by a bed of ashes. Don’t try to remove them with the rest of your ashes.
• Place ashes in a metal bucket. Once you have cleared your ashes, place the bucket away from combustibles in a well ventilated area, in case it is still burning. If the ashes are smoking, they will release carbon monoxide that can build up to dangerous levels in an unventilated room.

Once your ashes have been removed from your bucket and left to cool for some time, you can bag them and place them with the rest of your trash, but you may want to consider saving them, as there are several good uses for fireplaces ashes. If you’re a gardener, the ashes can be sprinkled on and turned over into your soil, or they can be placed with the rest of your compost. Ash also can be sprinkled around plants to keep away slugs and snails. Ashes also can be used to melt ice, remove pavement stains and control algae in ponds. A wet sponge dipped in ash makes a great scrubber for glass fireplace doors, and a paste of ash and water can be used to polish silver.

If you have any questions about proper ash disposal, don’t be afraid to call the experts at Your Chimney Sweep. We consider it part of our job to educate our customers about fireplace operation and safety.

The anatomy of your chimney

From the outside, your chimney seems simple enough. It’s a hollow tube that carries smoke from your fireplace or heating stove out of your home. On the inside, your chimney is much more complicated. There are many nooks, crannies and different working parts. Understanding the anatomy of your chimney can help you to communicate concerns with your chimney sweep and help you understand any concerns or problems your chimney sweep discusses with you.

Do you have a metal or masonry chimney?

To understand your chimney, you first have to know what type of fireplace and chimney system you have. There are masonry fireplaces, built of brick and stone, and there are prefabricated fireplaces, factory-built lightweight metal fireboxes with a metal chimney. Occasionally, you will find a hybrid fireplace system, which most often combines a masonry firebox with a metal chimney. You should be able to determine the type of chimney you have by glancing in your firebox, and perhaps peering up the chimney with a flashlight.

What is inside the chimney, anyway?

The components of a factory-built fireplace vary. Each one is specially constructed to create the ideal burning conditions for your fireplace. Masonry chimneys, however, are a little more complex. They can contain up to 22 different components to help usher smoke upward and away from your living spaces.
The basic components of a chimney are:

• The chimney throat. Located just above the firebox, this if the first chamber that smoke rises into from your fireplace.
• The smoke shelf. As the name suggests, the smoke shelf is a horizontal shelf at the bottom of the chimney throat. It’s meant to keep any debris from falling down the chimney flue and into the firebox.
• The damper. You’re likely familiar with opening and closing the damper. Located at the bottom of the chimney throat, the damper serves as a “door” to the rest of your fireplace. When closed, it keeps drafts, animals or debris from finding their way into your home. When open, it allows smoke to exit the firebox.
• Smoke chamber. From the throat, smoke travels into a smoke chamber, where it is funneled upward.
• Flue. The flue is the main portion of your chimney, the long, hollow tube through which smoke rises on its way out of your home.
• Crown or chase. If you have a masonry chimney, your chimney will be topped with a masonry crown, which helps to keep water flowing away from the inside of your chimney. A prefabricated chimney has a metal chase cover to serve the same function.
• Chimney cap. At the very top of your chimney, there should be a chimney cap, which is elevated off of the flue with a wire case. It prevents water from running down the inside of the flue and keeps animals or debris from entering the chimney.

Fortunately, the certified chimney technicians at Your Chimney Sweep are experts on all of the elements of your chimney. When you’re scheduling your next chimney sweeping, give us a call! In addition to providing you with a thorough chimney cleaning and inspection, we’ll be able to answer any questions or address any concerns you have about the anatomy of your chimney.