Please talk to me about emptying ashes. Anyone got any tips to make this horrid job less horrid? We have a woodburner that we light every day in winter and we love it, makes the house so warm and cosy. BUT I hate the job of emptying ashes, which needs done every 2 or 3 days. Last year we got an ash vac. Thought long and hard about getting one, as they are expensive. Then we were given one as a gift! It was excellent while it worked. No mess. So easy. But then the filter just seemed to keep getting clogged and it hadn't enough power to suck anything up. Man in shop said it needed a new filter. Worked well again....for about 3 uses, when I needed to take filter out and clean it with an old toothbrush. Messy, nasty job. But it worked well one or two more times....until yesterday it went poof. Won't work at all now. Have cleaned filter again, but no joy. Having to resort back to the old fashioned way of lifting out the ashes....which raises so much dust in the living room and spills on the carpet making such a mess. :( Does anybody else successfully use an ash vac? Maybe it's just the make of this vac is not very good? (But it was expensive, so should be good). The shop where it was bought is a looooong way away, because it was a gift.... What to do? Does anyone have a magical way of getting this chore done without all the mess & hassle? TIA.