Creosote check this weekend.

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Well, It was my first go around. Ive learned alot and thankfully didnt burn anything down. Ill be making some changes for next season for sure.
 
Hang in there CHeath . . . you're learning . . . and it is a process . . . a slow process sometimes, but steady . . . and safe.
 
I'd line that chimney with a 6 inch stainless liner, then pour insulation around it.

Another item not mentioned is the air flow in a round liner is completely different than a square or rectangular setup.

The idea is to get the chimney hot as fast as possible, create draft, get the particulates out of the system before they cool, condensate and cause creosote on the liner.

The combination of greater flue sq. in. size, square vs. round, wet wood, failure to burn hot enough, caused this condition.

I will tell you this, I insulated a 6 inch liner in an exterior brick chimney that is similar to yours heath, and I need to sweep every other year, no creosote, only some fly ash on the liner walls. I didn't want to line my chimney either, but safety trumped creosote.
 
Hang in there CHeath . . . you're learning . . . and it is a process . . . a slow process sometimes, but steady . . . and safe.

Yes hang in there! Most of us have made our share of mistakes and (hopefully) have learned from them - I can tell you've learned a lot also.

Good idea on going to the 45 pipe. Furnace cement is a cheap effective way of sealing up those cracks. Wood will be drier next year and you'll know more about your stove. I think all these things will make for a much better experience!

And yes you will see more creosote the further up you go in your chimney, due to the lower temperatures. Usually it's worst above the roofline in my experience. Keep us updated as to how you're doing! Good luck!
 
Check it out guys, this will be easier on us all lol.

 
Good video!

You know the fuel is a problem, you know you've been running too cool, each of these could be the entirety of the issue.

However, I mentioned before a problem would be caused by an air leak from a cleanout door. I'm wondering if that hole is somehow letting air into that flue.

Does the stove pipe block that hole to the right? Even if it does, it's still of concern to me. Also, it looks as though there may be another hole down at the bottom where you'll have the clean the creosote you sweep up from. If that's the case, that's not great either.

I wonder if you could use a piece of brick to shove in that hole, then mortar around it to seal it? If there is in fact another hole in the bottom, that would be a SOB. However, if they are causing an air leak it needs to be sealed. Even if a hole (or holes) aren't causing an air leak, they provide a place for creosote to get trapped that cannot be cleaned out; which is not something I'm comfortable with.

I say clean that chimney the best you can, plug the hole, use the drier wood, and burn hotter, perhaps try some of the chemicals on the fire, and see where you are by the end of this season by comparison.

Also, if you plan on raising the stove on cinderblocks, make sure you have the core holes in the blocks going up/down (like they would be in a wall), you wouldn't want the blocks on their side as they don't have as much strength there. Can't imagine much worse than a stove falling over when going at full tilt. Make sure that base is sound.



pen
 
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Yep, that's one way to make sure the chimney is clean before putting a liner in!

I even know one fella (may or may not be a member here, lives south of the Mason Dixon line yet East of West Virginia, might even burn an Englander 30 in a fireplace :p ) crazy enough to self induce a chimney fire before installing his liner!

Takes a pretty high level of swagger to do that though. Definitely not the recommended approach.

pen

If that fool is a member here he should be banned. Oh, wait...
 
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....just watched your video of the base of the chimney. That hole you have is a problem. It's suckin' cold air right into the chimney, assisting in cooling your flue gas even faster/more.

I have a cleanout at the bottom of my chimney, a door I can open up. When I'm burning, I stuff insulation in there, up into the base of my liner, so NO excess air can enter through there. The key is to have all combustion air coming through the stove, NOT from any other outside source.

I know how much I fought lining my chimney. I did not know going into it that the chimney is THE most important part of the wood burning setup. If it ain't right, nothin' else will be right. From what I see your best bet would be to install a cleanout/access door at the base of that chimney/chase, patch that hole shut, run a stainless liner down that chimney, and use a poured insulation around that liner. That's the RIGHT way to do it.
 
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Ya don't happen to have the phone number of the mason who put that chimney up do ya?

If so, it might be worth a call explaining what you found and how you think it relates to the problem you are having.

Guy might be willing to defend his reputation and come back to make his oversight correct.

pen
 
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I think the builder died years ago.
 
I think the builder died years ago.

Doubt the call would do much good then :p

Forgot the chimney was 30 years old. I was focused on the never used part.

pen
 
Man the wife is pissed! She got spoiled to the real heat in here! Now she's "freezing" lol. I swear, I think I may fire it back up being the pipe and lower chimney is ok. Order up some creo remover and roll it for another week or 2. We are almost to the warmup. Thoughts?
 
Man the wife is pissed! She got spoiled to the real heat in here! Now she's "freezing" lol. I swear, I think I may fire it back up being the pipe and lower chimney is ok. Order up some creo remover and roll it for another week or 2. We are almost to the warmup. Thoughts?

Did you run the brush down it? What's the plan for the hole(s)?

pen
 
Neither yet I plan on covering the hole with mortor. I've got a 7x7 brush on my watch list on eBay but have not purchased it yet. Honestly I didn't expect to have to clean a month in, that's why I have no cleaning tools.
 
Neither yet I plan on covering the hole with mortor. I've got a 7x7 brush on my watch list on eBay but have not purchased it yet. Honestly I didn't expect to have to clean a month in, that's why I have no cleaning tools.

When running a masonry chimney, I liked to clean it monthly. Now that I have a SS liner, I go every 2-3 months.
 
When running a masonry chimney, I liked to clean it monthly. Now that I have a SS liner, I go every 2-3 months.
I cleaned my masonry chimney ever year and some times every 2 years, if you are burning correctly why would you have to do it every month?
 
I cleaned my masonry chimney ever year and some times every 2 years, if you are burning correctly why would you have to do it every month?

Nobody said I had to do it, I said I liked to do it on that schedule. A monthly inspection should take place. If it's easy enough, why not run the brush through at the same time?

I've yet to hear of someone wearing out a perfectly good chimney with a brush, but seen plenty of perfectly good homes ruined by a chimney fire.

:rolleyes:

pen
 
I've been running the brush up the chimney on a bi-monthly basis ever since I started burning. And although it doesn't need it, I like the piece of mind I get for 10 minutes of work. Mine is really easy because I can do it from the ground. And the inside pipe comes off twice a season, again, for a cleaning and the piece of mind.....

Preventive maintenance goes hand in hand with safety......nothing wrong with a little 'overkill'.....
 
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I clean the chimney at the beginning of January, April then at the beginning of the burning season, I'll also clean the inside pipe along with the wood stove.

Flame On
 
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Ok so which steel sweep brush do I need? 7x7?

image.jpg
 
Nobody said I had to do it, I said I liked to do it on that schedule. A monthly inspection should take place. If it's easy enough, why not run the brush through at the same time?

I've yet to hear of someone wearing out a perfectly good chimney with a brush, but seen plenty of perfectly good homes ruined by a chimney fire.

:rolleyes:

pen
Ok Pen the point of the post was why do it more often with a masonary chimney then a metal one, sure I could run a brush through mine every few weeks but what would be the point? Burning dry wood and safe flue temps is my piece of mind, then when I clean it once a year and there is hardly any thing in it I know I am doing it right.
So please tell me why you cleaned your masonary chimney more then the steel one. I can roll my eyes too.:rolleyes:
 
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easy!!!! lol. Do I need a 6x6 square or a 7x7 square?
 
easy!!!! lol. Do I need a 6x6 square or a 7x7 square?

Looks like the inside is going to be 6x6 but tough to tell from the wash out in the pic. If you were to get a 7x7, you'd probably have to do some trimming.

Being 6x6 is going to make lining darn hard to impossible if those tiles are not removed :(

pen
 
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