Controlled chimney fire maintnance (anyone also do this)?

  • 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.

castlegates

New Member
Sep 12, 2011
26
S. CENTRAL PA
Don't cringe but this has served me well through the years...I've found if I burn lighter fluid or gas into the chimney pipe every couple months while burning rids the creosote before it builds up too much spontaneously and becomes dangerous.

Call me crazy, but that method has served me well leaving little or no residual to clean out yearly. I've been doing that for decades without any issues (and little to no yearly cleanout issues when I had to burn tons of pine.). I typically do one burn, run to the next floor and into the attic to check for heat transfer and burn a couple more times until I hear it catch, roar and draw. If it's been too long, I do a cleanout the traditional, messy way to start with a clean slate. I started doing this due to having a spontaneous fire wayyy back. I'd rather have a chimney fire when I choose rather than it happening when I'm not ready. The past three houses had an endless supply of pine so I was always concerned with creosote and did very well managing it this way. This year I have to buy or find free supplies of hardwoods, since I have few trees on my 1/2 acre, so creosote won't be as big of a deal (although I still plan to burn it out every couple months).
 
I think starting chimney fires is nuts!

There is no need EVER to have conditions for or a chimney fire in the first place. A clean burning EPA stove, seasoned firewood (including pine), a ready chimney brush and good burning technique ought to eliminate the potential for chimney fires.

Bill
 
I had never had an EPA stove before and was burning and endless supply of pine. I admit the nuttiness of it but my end of year cleanouts revealed it was working. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone with more functioning neurons, though! (no, I'm not a troll, I just thought I'd ask to see if anyone else was doing this).
 
its not the pine causing the creosote in your chimney its the lack of seasoning. pine is no different than anyother wood. let it dry out and your good. either your buring technique is bad or the wood is not dry enough. all it takes is that one time for an out of control fire in your chimney and oops. i agree that starting a fire in your chimney is nuts.
 
This outdated practice ranks up there with smoking full flavor cigarettes to help break up chest congestion.

Hmm, a camel non-filter would taste premium right now tho.

Point is, knowledge has increased to the point where there are better methods. At one point in history, this was the way to do it. Today, we know better.

pen
 
I usually just have my chimney cleaned regularly and I hope to never have a chimney fire.

Please be careful with gas around fire- I've heard you can lose your face that way
 
If you think about it, X amount builds up in X amount of time and if one burns periodically, lower temperatures result (my comfort level was to have 30 second fires; one's lasting a minute or more got too hot accumulating more heat than I felt was OK). Each place was different requiring different burn intervals. I never liked the idea of an unknown amount of creosote in my chimney and I'm not too keen on running out in the snow on a roof to clean when I was burning so much. These places had air controlled (creosote machine) stoves (one had an insert that also burned poorly with a fan).

I also used aluminum cans regularly (many swear by).

My favorite (and likely safest) way was to stuff newspaper/Christmas paper and cardboard until it got roaring like a freight train, fill a paper cup 1/5th full, pinch and roll the top shut, toss that in during max burn, shut the door until it catches, open the door quickly and follow it with a few soaked paper towels fast as i could toss so they'd flame while being sucked up with the draft. Basically whatever would work until it caught.

I'd do it on intervals that would result in about a 30-second fire. The only scary part of a chimney fire for me was an unplanned one where I wasn't prepared. The summer cleanouts revealed very little residue.

I noticed some products they sell that also create fires (they also demand you use regularly after a cleanout). Nothing more content-wise than what I was doing with aluminum cans and periodic burnouts. I'd rather do mine for free and have a little fun while I'm at it.
 
Never gonna happen, that's a "hold my beer" moment that I'm not interested in. I think I'll continue to burn seasoned wood in an EPA stove, sweep my chimney on a regular basis and not have chimney fires. I like my way better! :)
 
I burn pine. I have a Pre-EPA stove. I don't have chimney fires. I don't do 'planned' chimney fires. In fact, I get very little creosote from my stove and I sweep the chimney every year.

Use dry wood.
 
castlegates said:
Don't cringe but this has served me well through the years...I've found if I burn lighter fluid or gas into the chimney pipe every couple months while burning rids the creosote before it builds up too much spontaneously and becomes dangerous.

Call me crazy, but that method has served me well leaving little or no residual to clean out yearly. I've been doing that for decades without any issues (and little to no yearly cleanout issues when I had to burn tons of pine.). I typically do one burn, run to the next floor and into the attic to check for heat transfer and burn a couple more times until I hear it catch, roar and draw. If it's been too long, I do a cleanout the traditional, messy way to start with a clean slate. I started doing this due to having a spontaneous fire wayyy back. I'd rather have a chimney fire when I choose rather than it happening when I'm not ready. The past three houses had an endless supply of pine so I was always concerned with creosote and did very well managing it this way. This year I have to buy or find free supplies of hardwoods, since I have few trees on my 1/2 acre, so creosote won't be as big of a deal (although I still plan to burn it out every couple months).

There is a lot wrong with the area in bold.

Pine does not create more creosote.
 
I once knew someone who ritually cleaned his chimney by shoving his cut-up Christmas tree into the stove each January. Worked like a charm until the year he managed to burn down his entire house.
 
Point has been made about 5x already here.

There is no discussion to be had as this practice should not considered in the year 2011.

closed

pen
 
Status
Not open for further replies.