The second hopper load of pellets has almost all been used by the boiler. It's just as well that I therefore had a sudden flash of inspiration to check out the ash drawer at the base of the boiler. Sure enough, after two hoppers of pellets the ash pan was brim fill. Any more and it would've been backing up into the burner chamber - not sure what that would do but I'm sure it wouldn't be a good thing!
So what do you do with a pile of warm ash? After googling the use of ash in the garden on a range of websites I decided the new compost heap was the place to put it. It was easy to get the ash out from the boiler - undoing two thumbturn screws releases the ash pan/drawer which can easily be lifted out by one person when it's full.
Mixed with the usual veg peelings etc from the house, the ash should help to improve the structure of the compost and will introduce potassium and other nutrients into the mix. I'll have to make sure that I don't use too much as potash will increase soil pH, making the soil more alkaline.
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Diary of our environmentally friendly extension and renovation of a 100 year old cottage
4 comments:
Oops! Or nearly so, anyway!!! btw, another use for warm ash is to put on your icy paths to make them less slippery!
Thanks for the tip Brian, although I'm not so sure I want to add ash to our paths. Trying our best to clean the place up, not add to the mess! Plus, judging by the mild weather so far, I think frosts could be way off
Please note that the ash can contain heavy metals e.g. Cadmium so not the best stuff to put on your veggies ok for forestry or flowers though. Its also very basic ph 12
Thanks for the tip Pete - so where do the heavy metals come from?
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