Woodburner/solid fuel stove owners

[IAmAPaleontologist]

Do you have one of those vacuum cleaners for the ash? If so which one?

I fear my trusty miele may be on the way to the great vacuum graveyard in the sky. Wondering if I should get a separate one for ash.

Nope. I use a dustpan and brush, then use the dyson on the bits I can't brush up. I have wooden floors apart from the staircase though so the dyson doesn't get used a great deal.

I don't vacuum ash - the chimney sweep does that once a year - the rest of the time we just empty the tray underneath and sweep up what we spill.

Never heard of vacuuming ash before, do you clean the whole thing out then?

Ours stays alight for at least three months in the winter.

Neighbour uses her hoover instead of a chimney sweep, she said her DH shoves the nozzle up the chimney. I'm waiting for a chimney fire.

Ours does all the hot water/heating etc so is on most of the time. Just for cleaning out build up from the ash tray etc. It seems to build up a lot around the air vent from the thermostat so every few weeks I let it cool down and hoover up that bit as trying to scrape it out just shoves it towards the thermostat flap and I'm paranoid about that going wrong as the stove before this one tried to kill us on a regular basis.

I'm not about to try vacuuming instead of sweeping though. Yearly sweep for that!

I wouldn't do it. Sounds rather dumb to me.

I think that home insurers expect that a chimney is swept annually - so my sweep tells me.

I use Henry the Hoover.

We don't burn ours during the day and in the evenings only for a few months per year. I empty the tray into a bin bag and then Hoover up the rest.

Oh definitely regarding sweeps and insurance. Ours gives us a certificate.

I scrape out/empty tray etc for most of it but there is often a load of ash left at the back which is impossible to clear without hoovering.

I was just pondering if the ash etc from cleaning out the stove had hastened the demise of my vacuum and therefore should I get something else. I've seen small handheld types before for the ash (cold ash not hot) though I can't seem to find them now online.

Maybe I just need to get something unkillable like a Henry.

Fairynuff. I won't light mine until it's been swept (not using the dyson, I use the dyson for the mess that I can't sweep up though). A sweep is on my list of things to do. We only use it when it starts to get cold, so Nov, Dec and Jan. It's a lot cheaper then using gas central heating to heat the whole house, which is a bit daft if you're only really using one room, I think.

Yes, with ours doing all the water etc it will be back in use mid Sept ish s it is due to be serviced and swept before then. Just the Miele keeps losing suction and today decided to blow a nice little ash cloud around my bedroom so I'm thinking ahead

Large amounts of ash will block up the filter in your Miele. We empty the ash with a small shovel and just use the vacuum for what has fallen out. Ash stays warm for ages, many a vacuum that has died/caught fire from hoovering out the ashes from a stove.

Oh I only do it when stone cold. I always try to empty all I can and only hoover up leftovers but the bit around the air inlet can't be emptied by hand and ash falls through the holes and builds up so the only way to clear it out is to hold the nozzle against the holes. Still a build up there though, shall see if man doing the service can open it up and clear it.

Anyway I have taken the plunge and ordered one of those ones that you stick onto your normal hoover.