BK: Removing creostote build up in firebox and flu?

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steve19

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Hi guys,

Need some assistance. Tried looking for the answer using the search function but have been coming up short. I know this question has been raised many times, but I need some clarification.

I've cleaned my main chimney stack and everything looks good. In the BK box however I have quite of bit of "caked" on shiny creosote (2nd degree build up). I've managed to scrap the majority of chunks off, but there are several areas in the corners that are impossible to get at. Also, in the double walled flue, there area several sections that have a thin shiny film of creosote. No matter how many times I use the metal brush/bristles to remove it, nothing will come off. It's not thick by any means, but it definitely has a shiny coating. Is there any products that would help removing any of the excess creosote?

Thanks!
-Steve
 
Would burning a hot fire in fall clean it up?
 
Are you worried about having a stove fire?
 
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Burn and hot fire and the stove will clean up. If the stuff in the pipe isn't thick I doubt it's anything to worry about. My stove is the same way, I did the best I could cleaning it and called it good.
 
Thanks everyone.

Beetle-Kill, I'm burning pine, which could very well account for the creosote build up. Even though it's seasoned wood, I have noted sap on multiple logs last year while burning.

I think a good burn should help clear everything. I just wanted to double check to see if there was anything else I should be doing to help remove it in the mean time (for safety reasons).

Thanks!
 
How long was the wood allowed to dry after being split? It's easy to burn less than seasoned pine or fir due to the high oil content. The downside is that can lead to creosote build up, especially when combined with a long slow burn. Pine or fir are fine to burn as long as the wood is completely seasoned and the flue temps are warm enough to prevent condensation in the chimney (aka creosote).
 
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I would have expected the cat to clean up the funk and not make a mess of your flue. I suppose during start ups you bypass the cat and the funk could accumulate. So all that flue accumulation must be from bypass time.

I would fully expect the firebox to turn into a slobbery black mess if you never need to run the BK hard. Not a problem.
 
If you cleaned the majority of your flue and you just have some stage 2 in the stove and the double wall directly above, burn a hot fire...
 
Hate to tell you, but even a good hot burn won't clean it up. I burn Lodgepole and Aspen almost exclusively and I get buildup in the stove too. My pipe stays pretty clean, but I scrub it every 3 months or so. To clean the stove I use a piece of 16g. strap to get behind the internal shields, knock out the chunks and shop-vac the rest. It's messy but you're done in an hour or so. From Sept. to May, I might have to do this 3 times. This is in a BKK.
 
Hate to tell you, but even a good hot burn won't clean it up. I burn Lodgepole and Aspen almost exclusively and I get buildup in the stove too. My pipe stays pretty clean, but I scrub it every 3 months or so. To clean the stove I use a piece of 16g. strap to get behind the internal shields, knock out the chunks and shop-vac the rest. It's messy but you're done in an hour or so. From Sept. to May, I might have to do this 3 times. This is in a BKK.

Yep. That's the way it is.

I raised this question earlier in the spring, and was ridiculed for worrying about creosote buildup in the stove. Just do the best you can. Nobody seems to realize that's the way these stoves are. When you burn it like we do in the shoulder seasons, that's what happens. Got a bunch of junk in the stove, and nothing in the pipe. I was burning 3+ years seasoned oak all winter.
 
Hi guys,

Need some assistance. Tried looking for the answer using the search function but have been coming up short. I know this question has been raised many times, but I need some clarification.

I've cleaned my main chimney stack and everything looks good. In the BK box however I have quite of bit of "caked" on shiny creosote (2nd degree build up). I've managed to scrap the majority of chunks off, but there are several areas in the corners that are impossible to get at. Also, in the double walled flue, there area several sections that have a thin shiny film of creosote. No matter how many times I use the metal brush/bristles to remove it, nothing will come off. It's not thick by any means, but it definitely has a shiny coating. Is there any products that would help removing any of the excess creosote?

Thanks!
-Steve
http://www.homesafetyproducts.biz/product_p/acs.htm?1=1&CartID=0
The stuff in the above link works great in the Lopi Liberty, changes shiny creosote to ash if you get it. We use it in our stove each heating season, works great in your double wall pipe too.

zap
 
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Thanks everyone.

Beetle-Kill, I'm burning pine, which could very well account for the creosote build up. Even though it's seasoned wood, I have noted sap on multiple logs last year while burning.

I think a good burn should help clear everything. I just wanted to double check to see if there was anything else I should be doing to help remove it in the mean time (for safety reasons).

Thanks!

Steve, your post makes me think you've heard the stories about pine causing creosote. As you have learned or will learn really fast on this forum, plenty of people burn pine and have no problem. The old wives tale about pine causing creosote is just plain wrapped baloney. Just make sure any wood you burn has been dried. For best results, dry your wood for a year....after it has been split and stacked out in the wind to dry. Do this and you won't have to clean that chimney every 3 months. Still doesn't hurt to check that often but you should not have to clean that often if you burn the wood right. A couple more pluses about burning dry wood is that you will get more heat from the wood and it will take less wood to keep you warm. Good luck.
 
I don't have your model of stove [OP], but I burn pine and some spruce. Right now, almost all beetle-killed. Which means, or can mean, a bit more sap. I have three stoves, clean the stovepipes once a year. Except...almost nothing to clean. One of my stoves has been in use since 1985, and though I occasionally check the stovepipe, I have NEVER had to clean the pipe. Ever. Burning pine almost exclusively [not much choice up here in the mountains, it's burn pine and spruce or freeze.]

I rarely ever see any creosote in my stoves, and if I do, it's a small spot somewhere and only til the next fire. So, whatever it is in your case, relax about the firewood if it's seasoned. It isn't the wood. [IF it is seasoned.]
 
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