Two things I just can't figure out

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Fman872

New Member
Nov 24, 2011
13
Northern New Jersey
This site is great and Im on at least once a day reading up on things but I'm stuck on two things.

1. I want to order chimney cleaning gear.
I can easily do a top down cleaning. I have two 45 elbows stacked in my stove pipe and I'm not sure what kind of rods/brushes to get that will make it all the way to the bottom. I haven't found any stores around me that stocks any cleaning gear so I'm going to order it all online. Any suggestions on a good online retailer?

2. Stove top and pipe surface temps
What surface temps are people with an englander 13 running at?

My normal process is load up stove with scrap cuts of lumber, mixed hardwood (not the best seasoned around 20-30% on my MM but I'm working on that for the next few years) and a super cedar (awesome product). Light it off and leave the door cracked about a 1/4 inch. When the stove top reads 500 F and the pipe reads 400 F 18" up on the IR gun I shut the door (this can take up to 30 minutes) then slowly close down the air over the next 30-60 minutes. It cruises around 250-400 stove top and pipe is a little over 200. I reload when stove top temps are under 150 and pipe is a little over 100 and repeat the process. The one problem is sometimes the room just gets to hot when reloading. I can't burn 24-7 its just to hot in the house (85+) so I cold start everyday late afternoon and reload as late at night as I can and let it go out overnight.

So am I going this right? Am I over complicating things? Feel free to yell at me if this has been answered before but I just could find it.
 
Here lowes, home depot, Tractor Supply and nearly every hardware carries, brushes and rods. Don't even know what brand I have they were in the garage 25 yrs ago when I bought the house, did have to get new brush last year got at lowes.
 
If if you shut the door sooner and close off some air sooner you'll get higher temps. Of course the wood moisture might slow that down. Optimal temps for my 13 were to get up to about 650 and then cruise it at 500-550.
 
All the big box stores don't carry anything for wood burning around here.
 
Your stove top temps seem low - they are definitely lower than I think mine are (although I have no confidence in my thermometer). My stove is similar to yours but made by Lopi, not Englander. My stove top is in the 500-600 range when I have a fire burning strongly. Sometimes it gets to 700 or 800 according to my thermometer. I reload when the wood is all coals and no flame, or only a little bit of blue flame, is visible from the wood.
 
~*~Kathleen~*~ said:
If if you shut the door sooner and close off some air sooner you'll get higher temps. Of course the wood moisture might slow that down. Optimal temps for my 13 were to get up to about 650 and then cruise it at 500-550.
Click to expand...

I have been burning the way I have and it's almost to hot in the house. If I ran it like that I would have to open windows and heat the outside. I guess I got use to keeping the heat set low all these years. I'm sitting in the stove room right now in shorts and a t shirt and the stove could use a reload but it's hot enough in the house.
 
You'll build up more creosote at those temps, especially with 2 45's and that wood. smaller loads? Short shorts? I don't know.
 
Ive been worrying about creosote build up and that's why I want to order cleaning gear. I'm going to try smaller loads but short shorts....that's never going to happen :)
 
Fman872 said:
Ive been worrying about creosote build up and that's why I want to order cleaning gear. I'm going to try smaller loads but short shorts....that's never going to happen :)
Click to expand...

You have been keeping an eye on it for build up? How does it look so far?
 
Do a search for the "Soot-Eater". Would easily handle the 2-45°'s.

Works great.. Was recommended to me by members here. Some use a Steel brush, others use a Poly Brush, and some the Soot-Eater. As far as flexibility. The Soot-Eater takes the cake. IMO
 
KodiakII said:
Fman872 said:
Ive been worrying about creosote build up and that's why I want to order cleaning gear. I'm going to try smaller loads but short shorts....that's never going to happen :)
Click to expand...

You have been keeping an eye on it for build up? How does it look so far?
Click to expand...

Its been only three weeks since it was installed. I haven't had a chance to look down the chimney yet. Could it be dangerous this fast the way I've been burning?
 
Fman872 said:
KodiakII said:
Fman872 said:
Ive been worrying about creosote build up and that's why I want to order cleaning gear. I'm going to try smaller loads but short shorts....that's never going to happen :)
Click to expand...

You have been keeping an eye on it for build up? How does it look so far?
Click to expand...

Its been only three weeks since it was installed. I haven't had a chance to look down the chimney yet. Could it be dangerous this fast the way I've been burning?
Click to expand...





3 weeks I wouldn't think you would have anything to worry about
 
That's what I was thinking.

I decided to go the soot-eater route. I have always been skeptical of "gadget" type tools that claim to work better than standard tools. With all the recommendations I have followed from this site I haven't been steered wrong yet. I'll find out in a few days how much crap is in there.

Thanks guys
 
I'd not worry about creosote deposition, so long as you keep the secondaries healthy and see NO smoke leaving the flue. Once the volatiles are burnt, there is no source available for creosote deposition.
Keeping stove-top and pipe temps down generally corresponds to higher efficiency, so long as you don't mess up combustion efficiency. Depending on specifics of your stove that I can't see from here, I'd suggest targeting 500-550 on the hottest part of the stove-top as a good compromise, again given happy secondaries & no smoke. The most important thing here, that you probably cannot see, is keeping the temps up over 1100 F in the area where the secondary air is discharged.

I'd bring in wood, first thing, to have it dry down into the teens near the stove. Then your biggest obstacle is toast.
 
Fman872 said:
That's what I was thinking.

I decided to go the soot-eater route. I have always been skeptical of "gadget" type tools that claim to work better than standard tools. With all the recommendations I have followed from this site I haven't been steered wrong yet. I'll find out in a few days how much crap is in there.

Thanks guys
Click to expand...




Its not rocket science some folks tie bricks and rags on rope and drop down 3 weeks u are fine burn on till spring.
 
You should be fine, my NC30 on double wall pipe 2ft or so above stove reads around 250-350 with IR gun with the top of the stove reading around the 500-600 area
 
Just a word about stainless steel, if your liner or Class A is made of that: Use a poly brush, not a steel one, or anything else that will scratch it.
 
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