How to Properly Dispose of Hot Ashes

Tis’ the season for wood stoves! It is important to keep safety in mind when handling hot ashes from wood stoves, fireplaces and fire pits. Hot ashes can cause major safety issues for not only you, but for our employees as well.

Hot ashes and coals from fires can remain hot enough to start fires for many hours or even days after a fire is out. The amount of time it takes for hot ashes to cool depends on many factors, some of which include how hot the fire was, what was burning, how much unburned fuel remains if fuel was used, etc. Please keep all of these factors in mind when disposing of hot ashes.

In order to properly dispose of the hot ashes, here are some tips to keep in mind:

• If possible, allow ashes to cool in the area where you had the fire for several days. These areas are designed to contain their heat safely.
• When it is time to dispose of ashes, test to ensure the hot ashes are cool by placing them in a cardboard box or paper bag before disposal. In this situation, never leave these ashes unattended until they are cool enough for disposal. If the ashes are too hot, they will begin to burn through the box or bag.
• Transfer the cool ash to a plastic bag and then tie it shut. This will ensure any dust from the bagged ashes does not get into our employees’ eyes or lungs.
• NEVER  dispose of hot ashes with yard waste material. By placing ashes with yard waste, such as tree trimmings and leaves, the potential for fires increase substantially.

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