Cleaning your woodburners - with a hoover or special attachment gizmo?

[noyouhavehadawee]

Does anyone use their normal hoover to hoover out all the ash from their Woodburners? If I do this will my hoover die or do you have a dedicated hoover or one of those pots you attahto your hoover that I saw in aldi yesterday - are they any good or do you lose too much suck?

I do occasionally. But you will find that your fire burns much better on a bed of ash, so resist the temptation to clean out the woodburner too often!

I use an elderly vacuum for the bits of ash that end up everywhere and it is fine. No need for special gizmos.

I used my dyson - it did a grand job - filters are washable mind - dh is currently watching a few old cylinders on ebay.

We just shovel the ash out of the bit you put the wood into as you don't need to remove it all and it doesn't really need cleaning as such.

Every couple of months we do use the vac (its a Sebo so fairly robust) to clean out bits from the secondary burning chamber to keep the air circulation working to burn efficiently. We just use the standard crevice tool and wash it afterwards.

I didn't even know there were special tools! Lakeland do seem to have a special tool for every job whether you need it or not

Just griddle and then take out the tray, put the ash in a carrier bag, dispose and job done.

Wood likes to burn on ash! And a wood burner is never going to be spotless so why bother hoovering it out.

I do use vacuum for the ash that finds it way onto the hearth though.

Normal hoover. I've not killed it yet.

Riddle every morning and stick hot ash in metal bucket outside to cool. Stick more fuel on. Sweep up any ash on hearth.

Every so often when fire stops burning as well (every 3 weeks ish probably) let it go out and cool. Give a good riddle, properly scrape out and hoover underneath the grate, hoover round the air flow holes and stuff. Light again.

Fires need a bit of a bed of ash, they burn better, it helps them to retain heat and rather importantly it protects your grate bars.

we took the riddle bit out because we only burning wood and were told we only need that part in if burning coal - it would be easier mind but then we wouldn't get as much wood in it as it would be more raised iyswim. Yes today I held the hoover attachment up high so it only took the top layer and left some big lumps.

Just riddle, then empty the ashtray if that starts looking quite full... Maybe every 5 or so fires.

You will risk warping the metal if you don't burn on bed of ash.

Hoover seems like a lazy way to do it, imho. I shovel it out, quick enough.

I am lazy .