Burnt newspaper out chimney??

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
W

WellSeasoned

Guest
I got home from work and started a semi cold stove as I usually do, then waited for it to get up to temp. I had to run out to do a couple errands and noticed that there was burnt newspaper pieces on the white subaru. I have 16' chimney and it drafts well. I have cleaned the chimney twice this season. With pretty good results. Is finding some burnt newspaper normal around your house? thx
 
I think it's fairly common. I don't use newspaper though. I have a critter screen on the cap and newspaper could clog it. Could cause a grass fire, maybe.
 
Don't EVER use newspaper to start a fire - PERIOD! It's a great way to start a chimney fire IMHO. Before my pellet stoves, for 30 years I always used what they call down here fatwood or lighter knot. You can find it anywhere that pine trees have died off and are just old stumps at ground level. They are especially numerous in bottom lands. Just drag it out and split it up into small pieces. One stump will last for years. OR you can pay the crazy price they want for a little pack of them.
 
thats not totally uncommon, and the reason it happened is you got some good heat drawing up the flue and when the paper turns to carbon it is very light and floats out with the warm air. I know many people use newspaper to start their fire, and I am not going to tell you that you cannot do that. But I would consider using small slivers of fatwood, sappy pine, or cedar shakes to build a start-up fire. you can also use pine cones dipped in wax, or make firestarters out of wax and sawdust (noodle slivers) from your cutting adventures. You are not the first one that has had that happen to them and you certainly won't be the last. But IMHO, I would get away from using newspaper to start your fires. Just for safety sake, you wouldn't want a hot piece of paper landing on your roof. Be safe, backwoods.......
 
oldspark said:
Been using paper for 32 years with no problems.

Yeah. Same here... well, not 32 years (go lord, you're old! :lol: )

Also, I have never seen any newspaper anywhere on the car, yard, or roof of house, and I am running three stoves. I do not see an issue with newspaper.
 
Ditto ( well 3 years ) and the baffle never allows big pieces of anything to make it up the chim. Of course my chim is 45+ ft.

oldspark said:
Been using paper for 32 years with no problems.
 
backwoods has a relatively short flue (16ft) so I think that may play into his problem with the paper up the flue. And smokey, a 45 ft chimney?? Good granny, do you live in the basement of an apartment building?? ;-P
 
Just sayin'... As long as I have fatwood, I'm not taking any chances or stretching MY luck. Many, many people use paper and have no problems.
 
I think the issue here is owning a white car. Time to move to the dark side. :coolsmirk:
 
My old stove had a 12' chimney, when I would open the bypass and light up some paper I could see tons of it falling off the roof. I never had a problem in the 5 years I burned that stove. Now I use homemade wax and wood shaving fire starters. They work better than the paper so I don't futz with paper anymore.

My old stove made lots of tar in the flue pipe and the paper never did ignite it, I guess I am lucky. My neighbor uses a bottle of charcoal lighter fluid instead of paper. I still don't understand how she is still alive.
 
I use newspaper to start fires with no problem. Been burning wood for 40+ years. You need to have the proper mesh spark arrestor screen in your cap. Here in California it's 1/2" mesh. You need to keep your chimney swept so you don't have enough creosote build up fort a chimney fire, whether it's started from paper or just burning a hot kindling fire. General rule is if it has more than 1/4" buildup it needs to be swept. The spark arrestor screen is a pain because it gets clogged with creosote easily but necessary.
 
Modern newspaper has so much recycled content and clay fillers that it's hard to even get it to burn so it is not likely to ever start a chimney fire directly from the heat at least. It mostly just turns into little black bits that pepper your yard and clog the chimney cap. The bits of paper can form the scaffold for creosote to form on, just like a particle of dust starts the building of a snowflake.

I hate newspaper and quit using it years ago. Super Cedars are the way to go. Leave the newspaper in the recycle bin, the bird cage, or the garden.
 
I use newspaper all the time no problems at all.
 
oldspark said:
Been using paper for 32 years with no problems.
Wood Heat Stoves said:
I use newspaper to start fires with no problem. Been burning wood for 40+ years.
In some places they've been burning camel dung for thousands of years too. It doesn't make me want to burn it. To each their own I guess, but in this age there are options.
 
BeGreen said:
I think the issue here is owning a white car. Time to move to the dark side. :coolsmirk:
Ja, you nailed that one! My white car is parked far enough away so as not to matter.

Any ideas about making the snow not so white?
 
LLigetfa said:
oldspark said:
Been using paper for 32 years with no problems.
Wood Heat Stoves said:
I use newspaper to start fires with no problem. Been burning wood for 40+ years.
In some places they've been burning camel dung for thousands of years too. It doesn't make me want to burn it. To each their own I guess, but in this age there are options.


I'm pretty sure if camel dung was in huge supply in the North America and could be scrounged like firewood, there would be a Camel Dung section to this forum.
 
As long as we just burn the camel dung and not the camel toe. (forgive me please)
 
I too started fires with newspaper for many, many moons. Now I've graduated to Super Cedars (one of the sponsors on hearth.com) and love them. Even my wife can start a decent fire now which she couldn't do before.
 
Backwoods said:
I got home from work and started a semi cold stove as I usually do, then waited for it to get up to temp. I had to run out to do a couple errands and noticed that there was burnt newspaper pieces on the white subaru. I have 16' chimney and it drafts well. I have cleaned the chimney twice this season. With pretty good results. Is finding some burnt newspaper normal around your house? thx


I've never had any problems with paper, we use zigzags. ;-)


zap
 
Ah, different story there zap!
 
Just Super Cedars here. Google news is so hard to light.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.