Burning fire hotter to prevent creosote build up

[WonderingWoman]

I've heard if you burn the fire full blast then it prevents buildup. Can anyone here fill me in on details, such as how long to burn it at full blast, does that mean the stove is packed at the time?

 

[CowboyAndy]

If your wood is seasoned then you shouldnt have to worry about creosote.

 

[dswineford]

That would do it, but I wouldn't, you are going to "over fire" and could have bigger problems than creosote. I just make sure I don't have smoke comming out of the chimney. Also I don't let the fire smolder. I burn wood good and hot with the secondary burn always going until coal stage.

 

[WonderingWoman]

I haven't seen much smoke coming out of my chimney. My neighbor has much more. I don't think her wood is that well seasoned, she's always scrambling to get wood. Mine is very well seasoned. She says she cleans her chimney very frequently.

So, that is not a good idea? I've been told that by several people.

 

[WonderingWoman]

I haven't seen much smoke coming out of my chimney. My neighbor has much more. I don't think her wood is that well seasoned, she's always scrambling to get wood. Mine is very well seasoned. She says she cleans her chimney very frequently.

So, that is not a good idea? I've been told that by several people.

 

[Cearbhaill]

I've heard if you burn the fire full blast then it prevents buildup. Can anyone here fill me in on details, such as how long to burn it at full blast, does that mean the stove is packed at the time?

My chimney guy told me to burn hot at least once a day.
Now- I do that anyway, otherwise what's the point of burning at all if not to heat the house?

That said, I do not fill it chock full of splits and let it burn wide open for any length of time, as that would waste heat and wood. I do use a thermometer and try and keep things on the hot end of safe, but that doesn't mean uncontrolled burning- it means learning how to manage a fire. Personally I think the "burn hot" phrase is just to help you keep in mind to not let things coast along on a slow smolder as a lot of people tend to.

As long as I can go out and not see smoke I think I'm good. My last cleaning resulted in less that one cup of fine gray dust, and my sweep said to me"Wow- you must burn hot!" I think they probably service many, many homes who haven't the knowledge to know how to burn efficiently and safely.

So get yourself a thermometer, learn about burn cycles, get to know your equipment, and try and let it get to the high end once a day or so and I think you'll do well.

 

[pyro68]

I take a 15 - 20 min time frame morning and eve if possible, (right after the fire has been banked down all night, and right before) and burn my stove wide open. simply a preventative measure. Before doing this you need to make sure you don't have a heavy creosote build up already. Nothing like a good chimney fire to clean a chimney, but I don't recommend that method!! :cheese: I also use a creosote destroyer at least once a month, this is not a alternative to cleaning your chimney, just helps keep the heavy creosote from building up. I check my chimney every year, but only have a very light powder residue inside. Nothing beats dry seasoned wood.

 

[coreystaf]

There is no single thing to do that will prevent creosote in your chimney, but WW, it sounds like you have a very good handle on how to use your stove. I've seen someone burn nothing but seasoned wood all year, and still get creosote, because the stove was an old smoker. A good stove, good wood, and proper use is the ticket, I think you'll be ok Wondering Woman, but if you had a chimney fire, Supering Man would be along shortly.

 

[Corey]

If your wood is seasoned then you shouldnt have to worry about creosote.

I don't know that I would agree with a blanket statement like that. IMHO, anytime there is smoke coming out of the chimney, there is a possibility smoke is condensing in the flue to create creosote. Of course dry wood certainly helps, but if the air is choked down or you're burning too cool for secondary or catalytic combustion, then creosote can still build up.

The short answer is: yes, burning hotter does help prevent creosote build-up. How long should you burn hot? ...well "as much as possible" is a good start to make sure you get max efficiency out of the wood and minimize creosote build-up. Burn small hot fires when you need a little amount of heat, burn large hot fires when you need more heat. The flip side is: burning hot does not 'reverse' creosote build up or 'clean the flue' to any notable extent. Once creosote is there, mechanical cleaning is really the only way to get it out. (I suppose a raging flue fire would work as well, and some people actually claim this as a cleaning method!)

 

[gerry100]

I used to exhaust an old style stove into a 12"X8" exterior masonry chimney and I think much of the creosote was a result of start up when the masonry was cold.

That being said, since I burned dry seasoned wood, I'd get a pail of creosote in the middle of the season and never had a chimney fire.

With the new engineered set ups used now ( I have 6", double wall insulated pipe) and the secondary burn in the new stove I expect little if any build up.

As stated above, dry wood and good stove operation is the key. A little burn on the hot side won't hurt, but overfiring is not worth it.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Wondering Woman, I don't know what kind of stove you have (you should put that in your signature line), but I've always shuddered when someone just says burn hot once per day. Burning hot is not being too specific for sure and that is a poor way to fight creosote to begin with. You burn hot every time you add wood and that should be enough of that.

We burn nothing less than 3 year old wood and do not have any problem with creosote. You say you don't have a smokey chimney like your neighbor does and she has to clean her chimney a lot. That tells a big story there. You are probably fine, but to be sure, just look up (or down) that chimney once in a while.

Sounds like you may be having a winter storm there too. So enjoy that warmth from your stove!

 

[LLigetfa]

There is no single thing to do that will prevent creosote in your chimney...

You make a very good point. There are several factors, not just one. I like to make fun of my "self cleaning" chimney, but people need to realize that sins cannot simply be erased with a hot burn once a day. If you have a stove that exits out the top and your chimney has no Tees or elbows, creosote that forms and then knocked down by a hot fire goes back into the stove. A chimney with Tees or elbows can collect fallen creosote that later may ignite.

 

[LLigetfa]

A little burn on the hot side won't hurt, but overfiring is not worth it.

If you already have dangerous levels of creosote buildup, a hot burn could actually start a chimney fire.

 

[begreen]

I haven't seen much smoke coming out of my chimney. My neighbor has much more. I don't think her wood is that well seasoned, she's always scrambling to get wood. Mine is very well seasoned. She says she cleans her chimney very frequently.

So, that is not a good idea? I've been told that by several people.

Does the neighbor also burn an older, pre-EPA stove?

With your new stove, a great straight up flue and good wood, a brisk fire once a day will be fine. Do you have a thermometer? That will help. You don't need to do it for long, say 30 minutes or so. And it shouldn't be so hot as to be anywhere near overfiring the stove. Remind me of your flue setup - single or double wall?


PS: How much snow did you end up getting? How is the stove working at keeping you warm?

 

[WonderingWoman]

The stove is an Alderlea T-5. It does have one 45 degree crook in the pipe inside the house, before it goes through the ceiling. I'm burning quite dry apple wood, for the most part. The only time I see smoke is if I damper down the stove totally.

Yes, the arctic freeze has been quite prolonged here in the Cascades. The warmest it's been in days is 16 degrees, and there's no end in sight. We got about 2 feet of snow. The stove is working great, my girls and I love it! We sit around it reading and making herb tea on it, it's really enhanced our lives. The snow plow crashed into a power pole day before yesterday and put out the power here for most of the day, and it was about 5 degrees out. The stove worked great and I cooked a nice meal on it.

 

[begreen]

Well, we can handle an bit of an offset, basically it's a nice interior flue setup. That is helping the stove draft better and keeping the flue temps higher. This helps keep creosote condensation to a minimum as long as the wood is seasoned dry. If your neighbor is running an old stove via an exterior chimney or burning green wood, she's has very good reason to marry a chimneysweep or at least have a relative that's one.

Good to hear that the Alderlea is keeping you cozy. Ours is doing the same for us. Stay warm and have a great holiday season.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

The stove is an Alderlea T-5. It does have one 45 degree crook in the pipe inside the house, before it goes through the ceiling. I'm burning quite dry apple wood, for the most part. The only time I see smoke is if I damper down the stove totally.

Yes, the arctic freeze has been quite prolonged here in the Cascades. The warmest it's been in days is 16 degrees, and there's no end in sight. We got about 2 feet of snow. The stove is working great, my girls and I love it! We sit around it reading and making herb tea on it, it's really enhanced our lives. The snow plow crashed into a power pole day before yesterday and put out the power here for most of the day, and it was about 5 degrees out. The stove worked great and I cooked a nice meal on it.

It's time to break out the skis then and have some fun!

Power or no power, you can still cook and eat. All that time you are also staying warm. Isn't wood heat great?! Sounds like you have things under control so long as you don't burn that thing full blast for a long time. Good luck.