3 Easy Ways to Clean Ash from Your Solo Stove

If you have a Solo Stove fire pit, then you know that it can produce a lot of ash. This ash can be difficult to clean up if you don’t do it right. Today we’ll discuss three different ways to clean ash from your Solo Stove fire pit quickly and easily.

Why it’s important to clean the ash from your Solo Stove

We all know that Solo Stoves are designed to be smokeless, but not everyone knows quite how that works. So here’s a quick explanation of how most smokeless fire pits work. It all comes down to the double-wall design.

The Solo Stove has two walls with a small gap in between them. As the fire burns, air is pulled from the bottom of the fire put up through the gap between the walls. As the air passes through the gap, it get heated before getting forced our over the top of the fire.

As that hot air passes over the flames, it actually burns off most of the smoke before the smoke can escape into the air. The process is called a secondary burn or secondary combustion.

So what does this have to do with cleaning ashes? In order for the air to get hot, the fire has to burn hot. And for the fire to burn hot it needs oxygen, which comes from holes in the bottom of the fire pit. And you can probably figure out the rest. If those air holes are covered with ashes, the fire won’t burn hot enough to heat the air and burn off the smoke. With too much ash, your smokeless fire pit can get quite smokey.

UPDATE: The Solo Stove 2.0 models come with a removable ash tray. If you have one of those models, just remove the tray and dump the ashes (once everything is completely cooled down). If your Solo Stove doesn’t have the tray, follow the steps below to remove ash. If you’re not sure which you have, check our guide on how to tell which Solo Stove you own or read more on the difference between the Solo Stove 1.0 and 2.0 models.

How to clean the ash from your Solo Stove

There are three common ways to clean the ash from your Solo Stove.

Dump it out

The first option may seem obvious. Just pick up the Solo Stove and turn it upside down. You’ll definitely want to make sure the fire pit and ashes are cooled down completely before doing this. Ideally you’ll have a metal trash bin to dump the ashes into, but if not, any garbage can will do.

This is the method recommended by the manufacturer. For each of the three models (Yukon, Bonfire, and Ranger), Solo gives these simple cleaning instructions:

“To clean and store your Bonfire once your fire has gone out and your fire pit is cool, turn it upside down to empty any remaining ashes left in your stove.”

This is the quickest method, but it’s not always easy, especially if you have the big Yukon. It can be awkward to pick up and flip over for one person.

TIP: Cover the Solo Stove with a large garbage bag, then turn the fire pit over to dump the ash in the bag.

If not done right, the ashes could end up all over the place. Give this method a few tries. If it’s not as easy as it sounds, try one of the next two cleaning tools.

Use an ash shovel

If you want an alternate way to clean out your Solo Stove, get yourself an ash shovel. Ash shovels are cheap work well to get the majority of ash out of your pit. The bottom of your Solo Stove is not flat, so you might not get all the ash that settles along the sides, but that’s OK as long as you get out the bulk of the ashes.

Again, make sure the ash is cool or that you’re putting it in a metal container.

We recommend the a short handle ash shovel. It’ll give you plenty of room to maneuver it inside of your Solo.

Vacuum it out

The third way is to use a vacuum specifically designed for removing ashes. This is a quick and easy way to get all of the ash out of your fire pit. Ash vacuums have been around for awhile, as they are commonly used to clean the ashes from indoor fireplaces.

Ash vacuums look similar to a shop-vac, but they differ in a few key ways. An ash vacuum typically has a metal lined hose and a metal canister, making it ideal for removing as that hasn’t completely cooled down.

If you’re taking your Solo Stove camping or tailgating, you probably won’t want to bring a vacuum along. But if you have the Yukon and typically keep it in your yard, then an ash vacuum is worth the investment.

We recommend the Porter-Cable 4 Gallon Ash Vacuum. Porter Cable makes great tools and this vacuum is not exception. Plus is priced better than most other ash vacuums.

How often do you need to clean a Solo Stove?

Ideally, you should clean your Solo Stove every 2 or three fires. Use your judgement. If you can’t see the holes in the bottom of your fire pit, it’s not going to burn as hot as intended. So clean it out.

What to do with that leftover ash?

There are actually many ways to use the ash from your Solo Stove. From cleaning to insect repellent, ash is a natural alternative to chemical products. Check out our article on the Top 5 Surprising Uses of Wood Fire Pit Ash.

Wrapping up

We know, cleaning the ash isn’t the fun part of owning a Solo Stove. But it is important to keep it functioning properly and reducing smoke.

If you clean your Solo Stove ash, but you’re still getting a lot of smoke, check out the other reasons you’re Solo Stove is smokey.

We hope this guide was helpful. As always, feel free to contact us with any questions. Thanks for reading!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a garden hose to clean ash from a Solo?

We wouldn’t recommend using a hose to clean the ash out of your Solo Stove. The wet ash doesn’t have anywhere to drain, and it can end up clogging the air intake holes.
Use one of the other methods to get the majority of ash out. If you want to use a hose to get the last of the dust out, that shouldn’t hurt anything.

Can I use a regular shop-vac style vacuum to clean ash?

A regular shop-vac can be used to clean ash from a Solo Stove, but we recommend using an ash vacuum for best results. Ash vacuums have filters that prevent ash from getting inside the vacuum and blowing back into the air. They also have metal-lined hoses and metal canisters designed for hot ashes.

The Fire Pit Bros are reader-supported. If you buy via the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you.

Related Posts