Lets talk "ashes". Ashes, as in the by product of a wood fire.
As you know, I'm a wood burner. Hubby says that I have a fascination with burning things, but regardless, I've maintained a woodstove for most of my life. Perhaps its in my blood since Granddad was a fire truck chaser. We have a small cast iron stove in the living area, a Morso Squirrel, that takes the chill off the house and helps keep the mold down. A bonus is that I can cook on it. I also run a small rocket stove for cooking livestock feed (roadkill, slaughter waste). And I also have a homemade TLUD stove for making biochar.
All these stoves are carefully installed so that there are no burnable surfaces nearby and are set on nonflammable bases. The rocket and TLUD stoves only run when I am present and on non-windy days. I keep a pile of soil and shovel handy plus a water source just in case a spark or ember should break loose. I have never needed either but it's good insurance to have both handy.
All stoves are kept maintained, cleaned, and as safe as possible. Most stove owners see the sense in this but the one area that I have seen people make tragic mistakes is with handling the ashes. I know of a house fire, numerous lawn fires, and a garage that burnt.....all due to the ashes. Yes indeed! For real!
My ash container is a metal garbage pail, with lid. I mention the lid because wind can blow ash and live embers right out of the pail on a windy day. I saw it happen to me once. So I'm careful now to get the lid on. If ash is kept indoor (no wind) then a simple metal bucket should suffice, as long as you don't have a toddler or dog........or clumsy spouse......who can knock the ash can over.
Some stories just to illustrate the danger of "cold ashes" and "dead fires". (Names are changed to protect my friends from being embarrassed yet again for their stupidity.)
1- First thing every chilly morning the ash was shoveled out of the stove and into a plastic bucket that "Jill" had been using for years. The bucket was then set outside the kitchen door while she went back to start a morning fire. One day coming into the kitchen to start breakfast, "Jill" noticed an odd smell. Thinking her neighbor was burning trash, she ignored it. 10 minutes later the smell was stronger, so stepping out the kitchen door to complain to her neighbor about the odor she discovered that the plastic ash bucket was melting and on fire. Thankfully it wasn't real close to the house and was sitting on concrete steps.
2- Before starting the evening fire, "Jack" decided to run the chimney brush down the stove pipe. He then shoveled the soot, creosote, and ashes into a paper bag, taking it out to the garage. Back to starting the fire, making coffee, and watching a movie. When he smelled smoke he went to investigate only to find his garage on fire.
3- "John" had forgot to empty is ash bucket that morning, so when he went to scoop the previous night's ashes out of the stove he had more than would fit in the bucket. Assuming the ashes were old and cold, he scooped the extra into a cardboard box. Yes, you can see where this is going. Yes, the ashes were set outside the front door. Yes, the cardboard box smoldered then ignited. The first the "John" knew about this was when his neighbor banged on his window to tell him that his door and porch were on fire.
Then there are the multitude of grass fires. I know of lots of people who take their ashes outside and proceed the spread them about on their lawn and gardens. The ashes look dead, but tiny embers often lurk there just waiting for some fresh air. Ah-ha, another grass fire! Yes. It happens a lot, more than you think.
I've rediscovered something that my ancestors were well aware of.....ash is a wonderful insulator. Embers can stay hot for hours, often a day or more under the right conditions. I've seen ash and embers sit in a bucket for a full day and still have some heat to them. Given some fresh air, and the tiny embers begin the heat up and glow. Something to think about.
Back to my ash bucket. By the way, I have two. One in use, and the second to start using when the first one is full. It takes a week or more to fill a bucket, so it has plenty of time to really become dead before I spread the ashes. I also have an old metal frying pan with lid that I sometimes use. It comes in handy in the house.
What do I do with the ashes once they're cold? I add them to compost. And I sprinkle them onto the pastures that need it. Ashes raise the soil pH rapidly plus provide some trace minerals and other nutrients. Ash is rich in potassium, a plant requirement.
For these photos I set the ash containers on a garden rock wall. But that's not a safe place because of the dry litter from grass, trees, etc. Yes, I tend to be over cautious when it comes to burning my house down. Normally the cans set on a concrete pad outside the side door.
This reply is from Jimmy in Pa. ----
ReplyDeleteEach cord of firewood you burn leaves you with 20 pounds of ashes or more, depending on your fuel source, heating appliance, and wood burning skill.
Safety first:
As with all aspects of wood heating, use vigilance and common sense in handling and managing your ashes. Store them in a covered metal container set on dirt or concrete a few feet in all directions from any combustible surface.
Even though the ashes may appear cold, buried embers may remain live for days, even weeks.
Using your ashes:
Our ancestors learned to make lye, a caustic cleaning agent, at least 5000 years ago by running water through wood ashes, eventually learning to combine it with animal fats and water to make soap. Some hardy folks still do.
Early Americans used ashes or homemade lye water for scrubbing wood floors, laundering clothes and bed linens, and soaking fresh-killed hogs to help remove the hair. For centuries, potters and ceramicists have used wood ashes to create beautiful glazes. Take a look.
Instead of putting them out with the trash, put your ashes to use in and around your home. A few suggestions for modern use:
Take wood ash from wood stove or fireplace in a metal bucket. Never store in plastic until ash is absolutely cool. This way you avoid burning down buildings.
Use only high quality wood ash. No ashes from BBQ grills, cardboard, plywood, painted, or pressure treated wood. Hardwood ash (oak) is superior to soft wood (pine) ash.
Three Caveats
1. DO NOT USE ASH IF YOUR SOIL HAS AN ALKALINE pH of 7.5 or higher. It will make the soil too alkaline or salty. Alkaline soils are found in low rainfall areas in the West. Use wood ash only in locations where soils are acidic, like forest soils and mountain soils, or places where there is adequate rainfall in the warm season .…not in alkaline soils like the desert. If in doubt, contact your local Master Gardeners
If you have been farming or gardening with chemicals, check your soil pH. Most chemicals increase the pH and will eventually salt the soil
On the pH scale, 7 is neutral like pure water, below 7 is acidic with 1 being the most acidic like battery acid; and above 7 is alkaline with 14 being the most alkaline like liquid drain cleaner. Normal garden soil is typically 5.5 to 7.5 pH. Wood ash typically has 10.4 pH
2. Don’t use wood ash near these and other acid lovers: azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries, mums, marigolds, mountain laurel, oak, pecan, and sweet potato
3. Sprinkle wood ash before plants emerge, in winter or very early spring. Don’t plant seeds or seedlings until at least two weeks after ash has been applied, or wait until new plants are a few weeks old to spread it. The smaller they are, the more dramatically plants may react to the sudden increase in pH.
Wood ash has the same composition as limestone. Use it where you would use lime. If you put a pile of wood ash outside, and it rains, it will turn to limestone.
Use only high quality wood ash. No ashes from BBQ grills, cardboard, plywood, painted, or pressure treated wood. Hardwood ash (oak) is superior to soft wood (pine) ash.
The secret to using wood ash is to SPRINKLE IT or DUST IT.
Jimmy continued....
ReplyDeleteUse wood ashes to:
1. Spread finely on the soil on your property. Use a large coffee can or a box with nail holes punched into the bottom. Spread so it looks like fine baby powder on the soil. Wear eye protection, gloves, and a dust mask, and broadcast the ashes evenly on a dry, windless day. Mix them into the soil thoroughly before planting. Hose off any ashes that settle on actively growing plants to prevent burning the foliage.
2. Enrich compost. Enhance compost nutrients by sprinkling in a few ashes so it looks like a fine powder. Adding too much, though, ruins compost.
3. Composting citrus rinds. In a bucket of wood ash, place rinds of citrus or anything that is hard to breakdown. Make sure to cover the bucket.
4. Calcium loving plants. For calcium-loving plants like tomatoes, sprinkle and spread out ¼ to 1/8 cup (NOT MORE) right in the hole when planting. More is not better. It should look like a powdered baby’s butt.
5. Block garden pests. Spread evenly around garden beds, ash repels slugs and snails. Sprinkled lightly about susceptible plants, wood ashes will irritate slugs’ moist bodies and repel them. The repellent effect will disappear after rain or irrigation dissolves the ashes.
6. Control pond algae. One tablespoon per 1,000 gallons adds enough potassium to strengthen other aquatic plants that compete with algae, slowing its growth.
7. De-skunk pets. A handful rubbed on your dog’s coat neutralizes that familiar lingering odor.
8. Hide stains on paving. This Old House technical editor Mark Powers absorbs wet paint spatters on cement by sprinkling ash directly on the spot; it blends in with a scuff of his boot,
9. Clean glass fireplace doors. A damp sponge dipped in the dust scrubs away sooty residue.
10. Make soap. Soaking ashes in water makes lye, which can be mixed with animal fat and then boiled to produce soap. Salt makes it harden as it cools.
Jimmy continued....
ReplyDelete11. Shine silver. A paste of ash and water makes a nontoxic metal polisher.
12. Kill moss in the lawn. Sprinkle lightly over lawns that have moss problems.
13. Toothpaste. In the old days before tooth paste, ash was used to clean teeth. The potential bio-hazards in the modern world are the chemicals used in fire starters, newsprint, and magazine inks. Using baking soda instead tastes much better and is a common practice.
14. Cleaning white boards. Ashes are good for cleaning white boards that have been marked by grease pencil or marker. It even works on permanent marker that has been mis-applied to a white board.
15. Melt ice. My personal all time favorite. Keep container of ashes in car (or on the porch for sidewalks) in the icy season to add traction and de-ice without hurting soil or concrete underneath. In Alaska, they carry a shoe box of fine screened ash to get vehicles out of ice. Sprinkle handful of ashes out about a foot in front of the tires that have power (4 wheel drive –all tires; front wheel drive –front tires; rear wheel drive– rear tires). Drive right out of trouble as if you were on dry pavement. Eliminates the use of salt for icy sidewalks
16. Clean glass and metal Hard to believe, but hardwood ashes make fast work of grease, grime and tarnish on glass, silverware, ovenware, grills, and glass stovetops, as well as gummy residues left by stickers and labels.
Dip a damp cloth in wood ashes, or make a thick paste of ashes and a little water, scrub lightly with a cotton cloth, and rinse away with plain water and another cloth. Wear gloves for these scrubbing tasks to avoid caustic burns.
17. Odor Control - Put in t-shirt material to insert in stored shoes. Also dust on pets that have been skunked - after having shampooed them with Nature's Miracle
18. Dust Baths - place cold ashes where your birds can get to them, the dust baths will control bugs
19. Cooking - As a "fireplace" user, we utilize the burning ember/ash bed as a cooking source. A dutch broiler, nestled into the embers/ash, is a great source for long term cooking, baking
Jimmy continued.....
ReplyDeleteComposition of Elements in Wood Ash
Mean and (Range) taken from analysis of 37 ash samples
Macro elements in average %, range of 37 samples, highest %
Calcium 15 (2.5–33) 31 Potassium 2.6 (0.1–13) 0.13 Aluminum 1.6 (0.5–3.2) 0.25 Magnesium 1.0 (0.1–2.5) 5.1 Iron 0.84 (0.2–2.1) 0.29 Phosphorus 0.53 (0.1–1.4) 0.06 Manganese 0.41 (0–1.3) 0.05 Sodium 0.19 (0–0.54) 0.07 Nitrogen 0.15 (0.02–0.77) 0.01
Micro elements or Trace Minerals in mg, range of 37 samples
Arsenic 6 (3–10) Boron 123 (14–290) . Cadmium 3 (0.2–26) 0.7 Chromium 57 (7–368) 6.0 Copper 70 (37–207) 10 Lead 65 (16–137) 55 Mercury 1.9 (0–5) . Molybdenum 19 (0–123) . Nickel 20 (0–63) 20 Selenium 0.9 (0–11) . Zinc 233 (35–1250) 113
Other Chemical Properties
CaCO3 Equivalent 43% (22–92%) 100% pH 10.4 (9–13.5) 9.9
% Total solids 75 (31–100) 100
My own comment......
ReplyDelete(Laughing and smiling) .... I've already received several emails to let me know that I have a very fancy ash pan! That all metal frying pan that I picked up at a yard sale for $1 cost the original purchaser $100 or more. Wow, who'd have known. Just goes to show you that I've got a classy piece in my livingroom.....even if it's just holding hot embers.