What a mess!
Here's my setup: old smoke dragon BKK installed in the basement, DSP to the wall, thru the wall and up with SS Class A.
I was out in the yard for the first time in a while over the weekend...I've been either gone or getting home after dark every day for a while. As I'm walking around I look up at the chimney cap and am horrified to find creo-sicles all over it and the storm collar, flashing, and part of the roof covered in black and brown goo. I grab the ladder, climb the roof, and try to pull of the cap....it is stuck on with creosote. WTF is going on here? I try again and notice the chimney is moving - a lot - at a below joint.
Since I can't get the CAP off I decide to remove the two 3' sections of class A below the cap (starting where the chimney was now freely moving). I look down the pipe and see a touch of powdery ash and a little creosote had accumulated since I cleaned the chimney 3 weeks ago (pretty good considering the stove). I look up the now removed pipe and it is laden with shiny hard creosote about 1/8" thick at the top.
Definitely had a leak at that joint that was drawing air in and causing the gasses to cool and form creosote. I either disrupted it with that last cleaning or the strong winds we had earlier in the week did.
I ended up taking it all apart with feet firmly on the ground and re-assembled after a good cleaning, which was a job in and of itself. As a secondary precaution I inspected all of the joints and re-tightened all of the locking bands.
I'm glad I found the issue and was able to correct it, but am upset/disappointed that I had it in the first place.
Here's my setup: old smoke dragon BKK installed in the basement, DSP to the wall, thru the wall and up with SS Class A.
I was out in the yard for the first time in a while over the weekend...I've been either gone or getting home after dark every day for a while. As I'm walking around I look up at the chimney cap and am horrified to find creo-sicles all over it and the storm collar, flashing, and part of the roof covered in black and brown goo. I grab the ladder, climb the roof, and try to pull of the cap....it is stuck on with creosote. WTF is going on here? I try again and notice the chimney is moving - a lot - at a below joint.
Since I can't get the CAP off I decide to remove the two 3' sections of class A below the cap (starting where the chimney was now freely moving). I look down the pipe and see a touch of powdery ash and a little creosote had accumulated since I cleaned the chimney 3 weeks ago (pretty good considering the stove). I look up the now removed pipe and it is laden with shiny hard creosote about 1/8" thick at the top.
Definitely had a leak at that joint that was drawing air in and causing the gasses to cool and form creosote. I either disrupted it with that last cleaning or the strong winds we had earlier in the week did.
I ended up taking it all apart with feet firmly on the ground and re-assembled after a good cleaning, which was a job in and of itself. As a secondary precaution I inspected all of the joints and re-tightened all of the locking bands.
I'm glad I found the issue and was able to correct it, but am upset/disappointed that I had it in the first place.
