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February 17, 2010
For the simplest and easiest way of removing ashes, buy an ash vacuum. Designed to pick up both warm and cool ashes, the Cheetah II ash vacuum will save you the bother and danger of scooping, transporting and dumping ashes. No more buckets, shovels and hand brooms – an ash vacuum helps you clean up ashes safely and fast.
Cheetah II ash vacuums have multiple filters – one as a flame retardant and the second to trap fine particles of ash. The 5 foot hose is plenty long enough and also heat and flame resistant. Don’t try to pick up your ashes with a regular vacuum. Buy a quality ash vacuum today and leave the dirty work behind.
For proper fire safety always use ash containers with lids. Not only will a lid keep curious (and clumsy) fingers from reaching into hot ash, but it will also stop spillage.
You don’t want the mess and danger of hot ash spilling onto your flooring or upholstery. After you have emptied the ash from your fireplace, fill your ash bucket, secure the lid and remove it to an area outside. Some recommend filling your ash container with water to moisten and cool the ash even further. Whether adding water or not, be sure to use ash containers with lids for optimum fire safety.
February 1, 2010
If your new home has a fireplace, finding the right fireplace tool set will ensure countless winter evenings spent comfortably and safely in front of a roaring fire. Buying fireplace tools may seem like a simple task until you realize the wide variation in styles, finishes and quality offered by various manufacturers.
A standard fireplace tool set includes a shovel, a poker, large tongs and a stiff bristled broom. You can purchase the tools separately but in sets your also receive a stand that stores the tools when not in use. Most stands allow the tools to hang which keeps them out of the way and provides a neater appearance than loose tools leaning against the hearth.
The poker is the most used tool for wood burning fireplaces. It has a small reverse hook a few inches from the bottom end to allow burning logs to be push or pulled into better position in the fire. Large tongs can be unwieldy but are designed to firmly lift a burning log and move it to another location in the fire. Better tongs have three points of contact rather than two and provide better balance and grip when moving burning logs in the fireplace.
The most helpful fireplace tool is the shovel. Wood fireplaces need frequent cleaning unless designed with an ash pit where ash can be removed from outside the home. Although vacuuming may seem to be an easy way to remove ash it doesn’t work except on vacuums designed to be used in such a way. The fine ash escapes the filters of traditional vacuums and can be blown as a dust throughout the room rather than being trapped in the vacuum bag. Ash vacuums are now available that work well with warm and cool ash.
The shovel is used to remove the largest portions of the ash along with charred pieces of wood left in the fire pit. Once the majority of the ash has been shoveled into a bag or bucket, the broom is used to gather the ashes left by sweeping it onto the shovel for disposal.
For frequent fireplace use, a large shovel is a wise choice when finding the right fireplace tool set. You might also consider adding an ash bucket with a lid to hold ash until disposal. Metal ash buckets with lids are the safest choice.
Fireplace tool sets can be found for as little as $19.95 and run well over $100 for high quality sets. The quality is in the size (length) of the tools, the weight (strength) of the metal tools are made of, the comfort and strength of the handles attached to the tools and the metal finish applied.
Most fireplace sets sold today are machine made but you can also find handmade wrought iron tools that are highly decorative. Most tools are constructed of steel yet finishes applied may include leaf and scroll designs and have hand grips and tool stands that feature brass or copper accents. Finding the best fireplace tool set is a fun challenge because the variety of style, size and pricing offers something for every taste and budget.
January 15, 2010
Wood stoves are the most popular and generally efficient way to heat a home using wood. A wood stove can be located anywhere in the home where there is access to a chimney, but should be located centrally in an area that gets a lot of use. There are many great accessories that increase the ease of use, and update the look of wood stoves.
The most effective accessory is the self-powered stove fan which uses heat from your stove to turn itself on, and circulate warm air around the room. As the stove gets hotter, stove fans increases speed, circulating the most air possible. Because the fan uses no electricity it is truly the most efficient way to heat a home, and will also ensure that in the event of a power outage, the home will still be heated. There are also electric options which come with an option to manually control the speed of the fan, and therefore the heat in the room.
Other wood stove accessories that provide ease of use include firewood carriers, which allow ease of transportation between the outdoors and inside to the firewood rack or wood holder. Firewood carriers come in an array of material, including canvas and leather. Many firewood racks come with fireplace tool holders attached. For tight spaces these racks provide a compact way to store firewood, tools and even newspapers.
Cleaning out a woodstove can be a messy job, but with a warm ash vacuum, cleanup is a breeze. Many models have two filters, insuring that no ash or dust escapes into the air. Unlike regular vacuums, warm ash vacuums use a metal container to collect the ash, as opposed to a vacuum bag, which ensures no chance of flare up. This also cuts down on having to purchase replacement vacuum bags.
If small children or animals are present, it is best to surround your wood stove with a protective screen. These screens come with optional wall mounts for a more permanent option. Wood stove screens are also a great way to update the look of a wood stove, as many come with decorative designs on the top or front of the screen. Many screens come with front opening doors, allowing for access to the stove without having to dismantle the whole screen.
Fireplace Village is proud to offer an array of wood stoves and wood stove accessories. Purchase wood stove accessories online or come into any one of our great New Hampshire wood stove shop locations to see more.
January 13, 2010
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just VACUUM out your fireplace or wood stove and not have to worry about the fine ash all over the house?
Fireplace Village hears from fireplace and stove owners every year who are tired of dealing with the dirty mess of maintaining or cleaning their stove or fireplace. We have found the perfect product to make the job of cleaning your stove or fireplace easy. These American-made Warm Ash Vacuums make the job of cleaning ashes faster, safer, and neater. Clean your fireplace or wood stove in seconds. Forget about dirty hands, dirty ashes flying around the room and shoveling ashes. The Ash Vac is designed to remove warm to cold ashes from everything from wood stoves to barbecues.
Fireplace Village carries the world’s best Ash Vacuums, the Cheetah II MU305W Fireplace Woodstove Ash Vacuum (shown in Winter Scene style).
The Cheetah II Ash Vac is made specifically for fireplaces, wood burning stoves and inserts and pellet stoves. This ash cleaner can suck up warm and cold ashes! Using a fire-resistant hose and a specially designed filtering system for ash, the Ash Vac solves the problem of removing ash from wood burning stoves, pellet stoves and fireplaces safely.
This Ash Cleaner uses a two filter system. The first filter is flame retardant for precautionary reasons. The second filter traps ash and has a special snap spring assembly allowing for easy cleaning. The Ash-Vac features a 5’ flame-resistant hose, 3-gallon capacity ash container, and a powerful 6-amp motor. Comes with a one year warranty and includes one set of filters. This unit is 20″ high, has a 1-1/4″ diameter hose opening, and holds up to 3 gallons of ash.
Visit one of our New Hampshire locations to purchase the Ash Vac or buy the Cheetah II Ash Vac online. When you purchase the Ash Vac online the shipping is free.
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