Heat & fire · Closing
Shutting Down the Woodstove for the Season
When the cabin closes for the winter, the woodstove needs a little prep so it doesn't rust. Plan ahead: the stove holds heat for a long time.
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You'll need
- Shovel and ash bucket
- WD-40 or vegetable oil and a brush
- A plastic tarp or garbage bag
Step by step
6 steps
No fires the day before you leave
Stop having fires the day before you close up. The stove stays warm for a long time.
Open the doors and let it cool completely
Open the stove doors and let it cool all the way down.
Shovel out the old ash
Use the shovel and ash bucket to empty all the ash out of the stove.
Dump the ashes in the lake only
Take the ash bucket to the lake and dump it there, where the ashes sink to the bottom. It's the safest place for them.
Coat the top to prevent rust
The chimney guy's advice: spray WD-40 on top of the stove, or brush vegetable oil over it.
Wrap it in a tarp or garbage bag
The bricks soak up water, and in spring the condensation drips onto the stove. Wrapping the stove in plastic stops it from rusting, which has been a problem the last several years.
Be careful
- Ashes can stay hot long after the fire is out. Lake only, never the woods.
