Chimney cap question

[Maple man]

I have a spark arrester on my chimney cap and it gets cloged with creasote and I can't get to the cap easily I was woundering if I got a cap without a spark arrester would it meat. Coads
Thanks maple man

 

[ScotO]

I highly doubt it would meet your code, or your insurance requirements. If you are getting a clogged cap, you are burning wet wood. May want to change your wood seasoning habits.....

 

[Maple man]

My wood was seasond about 10 months in a sunny windy area but the mm sed it was 29 pesent so not so good thanks

 

[ScotO]

My wood was seasond about 10 months in a sunny windy area but the mm sed it was 29 pesent so not so good thanks

Yeah for most of the harder woods you need longer than 10 months, esp. for stuff like oak and hard maple. Ok is best left for 2 to 3 years, it is good stuff but takes a long long time to season (if green). You want your wood at 12 to 18 percent ideally. Live and learn, trust me we've all been there before. Keep your arrestor on your cap, and get that wood dry and you'll be fine.

 

[begreen]

Another big benefit of drying the wood out better will be hotter fires and less wood consumed. The cap is telling you something. Start getting a year or two ahead on the wood pile. If it's oak, leave the current stash for another year and right away get some ash split up for next season.

 

[xman23]

For the same reason, I removed my 1/4 inch cap screen half way thru the first season (12 years ago). I was going to replace it with larger size screen but never got around to it. The problem is the cap is cold and it gums up very easy. The only issue with no screen is a few blue birds end up in the stove.

Tom

 

[begreen]

I can see how that could be a pita with a long exterior chimney. The flue gases are pretty cool at the top. Could you take a pair of diagonal cutters and snip out every other segment to turn it into 1/2" mesh?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

For sure start putting up wood 2-3 years before you plan on burning it. It can be a lot of work getting to that point but you will never be sorry you did it and you'll wonder why others don't do it too. It really makes a big difference.

 

[xman23]

Yes what Dennis said. My first year burning we burned 6 month old oak (all I had). The first 1/2 year the cap was a big gooey pluged up mess. The chimney was not. Every year as the wood became more seasoned the cap got better. Now we burn 3 to 5 year old wood. A larger screen might work but I wouldn't want to deal with it pluging when I couldn't get on the roof. My cap is about 8 inches in diamemter. Not a lot of screen surface area. When I had the issue I was checking other peoples larger caps. They appeared to be cleaner.

 

[begreen]

I've been burning with a 1/4" screen for 7 years now and never have had it plug. The blessings of an interior chimney and dry wood I guess.

 

[tfdchief]

Yep, cap screens can be a pain, but mostly because you aren't doing something right. I have one on my old smoke dragon and when I burn right and seasoned wood it gunks up some by the end of the season but not a problem. The new little Hampton.....no problem at all.