The easiest way to clean up the ashes that appear around any fireplace or wood-burning stove is to vacuum them up. However, sometimes a live coal is inadvertently sucked up too. This can cause a major fire if not discovered.
A tiny smoke detector located near the air intake of the vacuum cleaner would sense smoking debris, and sound the alarm in time for the appliance to be placed outdoors or sprayed with a fire extinguisher. (This also works with coal- and pellet-burning stoves.)
-- TeaTotal, Oct 01 2002

Some of the wood ashes can be saved to be spread on the lawn in late winter to give calcium and other goodies.

The vacuum could be given a cough function. One woodstove-baked bun with your tea.
-- FarmerJohn, Oct 01 2002


a little internal sprinkler system.
-- po, Oct 01 2002


Someone I know vaccumed the house after a party.. forgetting to put a bag in the machine, result being a short in the motor via ringpulls, and a 'meltdown' of the cleaner.
-- pfperry, Oct 02 2002


you're in the wrong idea [UB] the irrelevant comments idea is over there...
-- po, Oct 02 2002


I think Kirby vacuum cleaners run the 'dirt' through water. I understand they're nowhere near as nice and convenient as the salesdroids would have one believe, but I would expect that putting ashes through water would extinguish any fires.

Of course, what one does with all the lye one gets as a result is another question.
-- supercat, Oct 02 2002


/What person would use a household vacuum to pick up ashes?/
Me. I'm very careful, however, to be sure the woodstove door is closed tightly and hasn't been opened for a while. So any smoldering ash should be dead by the time I get to it. BTW, my husband has another woodstove in the garage/workshop, which has embossed on it the warning: "Hot When in Use." Duh!
-- TeaTotal, Oct 02 2002


[8th alert] [8th alert]
-- po, Oct 02 2002



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