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Winter arrived with a vengeance in the last week of June, with torrential rain across the greater Auckland area. Hopefully readers took heed of my advice a few weeks earlier and cleared out gutters and drains of debris to allow the clear escape of water.
It is around this time that we start cleaning out the excess ash from fireplaces and fireboxes. However, this can be a riskier business than you might think. Most of us will stoke the fire heavily the last thing at night, immediately prior to hitting the sack. We get up in the morning and the fire is out. Or is it? To clear out the ashes at this time could be dangerous. Embers concealed within the ash could remain hot and smoulder for a couple of days given the right circumstances. To then put the ash into a combustible container, such as cardboard box, plastic bag, or bucket, could invite disaster. Also, do not use vacuums to clear around the fireplace. Past events have occurred when this has been done and the vacuum put away in the cupboard only to ignite some hours later.
As an example, I had a mate who once shovelled the ash straight out of his fire box into his newly acquired council wheelie bin. Nice, clean and no mess. Or so he thought. He wheeled it straight outside and parked it by the back steps hard up against the rear wall of the house. Job over. He went about his daily business until darkness fell. During the course of the evening, he glanced at the opaque glass back door. He could see an orange flickering colour. He thought it was his pesky neighbour having his usual backyard burn. He went outside to complain, only to find his wheelie bin on fire with flames lapping up the exterior weatherboards of his house. The local brigade attended and the house was saved, but not without suffering significant damage. But the question remains – what if he had been out, or worse still, in bed asleep. The story caused some mirth when told over a beer at a pub, however worst case scenario, it could have been over a cup of tea at a funeral.
So what do you do with your ashes? Here are some suggestions.
• Allow the ashes to cool. Maybe for a couple of days, say after a weekend away etc.
• Cool the ashes with a bit of water.
• Place ashes into a sound container such as a metal bucket.
• Store in a safe area, away from buildings or structures. Allow to sit for a couple more days.
• Dispose of in a safe manner.
Well, the footy’s about to start so I’m off to light the fire and put my feet up!
