Found this on my deck...should I be concerned?

[Jaugust124]

Had a fire last night and found this stuff on my deck and in my backyard close to the house today. I didn't even realize what it was at first. As can be seen in the pictures, the ash disintegrates quite easily in my hand. This is about the biggest piece I found, many others but much smaller. It scares me a little to think I have hot ash coming out of my chimney and onto my roof.

Should I be concerned?
Did I not burn clean enough this winter?

Also, a couple times I have heard what sounds like "stuff" falling down the liner.

I need some of the expert opinions here.

Thanks, Jamie

 

[jackatc1]

You more than likely had a chimney fire.
On the bright side your chimney is now creosote free ,
and easy to clean.

 

[Bub381]

Well that's the creosote that hung off my chimney cap and when i went out 1 night it was all glowing afire and falling onto the roof and dropping on the lawn.Thank god it was misting that night.It's also why we got rid of our other stove.It was too big and couldn't be run hot enough without running us out of the house.The proof is right there in your hand.Your burning dirty for some reason.Whether you're burning too cool or your woods still not dry enough.Your chimney can be clean but your caps the coolest and that's where it'll collect.I'm assuming if it's real light and dry that it burnt off and fell.SCARY Better look up that chimney,it's falling down inside and needs to be taken out.Don't take it lightly.

 

[nate379]

I would have guessed it was some kind of bird poop!

 

[DexterDay]

Well that's the creosote that hung off my chimney cap and when i went out 1 night it was all glowing afire and falling onto the roof and dropping on the lawn.Thank god it was misting that night.It's also why we got rid of our other stove.It was too big and couldn't be run hot enough without running us out of the house.The proof is right there in your hand.Your burning dirty for some reason.Whether you're burning too cool or your woods still not dry enough.Your chimney can be clean but your caps the coolest and that's where it'll collect.I'm assuming if it's real light and dry that it burnt off and fell.SCARY Better look up that chimney,it's falling down inside and needs to be taken out.Don't take it lightly.

Yep... Im with Bub.. I doubt that was light enough to be carried by wind.

Probably dropped off your cap and rolled to the final destination. But its a sign of a for sure problem.

How long has your wood seasoned? How often do you clean your chimney? How hot do you run your stove-top (average)??

 

[Jaugust124]

Okay, so no more fires this season, not until I get this thing checked out. The wood is a mix of hardwoods that going on at least 2 years old. I don't think its the wood. Burned the same wood last year and no problems. When I had the liner cleaned over the summer the workers said everything looked good with very little coming out of the chimney. That was my first year burning. Maybe with the unusually warm winter i didn't burn hot enough? I routinely get stove top temps above 600.

Nate, I thought the same thing at first. I used a stick to touch it before I used my hand not realizing what it was.

 

[Jaugust124]

Chimney gets cleaned once per year in the summer.
The stuff is very light, feathery light. Kinda puffy like a cheese puff only much lighter in weight and density. The wind could definitely carry it and it was windy last night.

 

[Bub381]

Even if the wind took it off it burned at some point.I'm leaving this up to the wise 1's.You're burning plenty hot and as long as your wood is seasoned i don't know.

 

[Jaugust124]

Here are some pictures of my cap that I posted earlier this week in another thread. They were taken just a few days ago. Maybe they will help.

 

[ScotO]

that's definately creosote, but I don't think it was burning. If it was burning it would look more like 'popcorn' with alot of white ash mixed in with the black. you are definately getting too much creosote if you have stuff like that falling from your cap, I would suspect that you have an awful lot of what appears to be single wall pipe above your chimney, and I would say that the smoke is so cool when it reaches that point that it is really condensing near the flue cap. Do you have an insulated liner in your flue? If not, I would say you should think about getting one, as well as putting an insulated pipe up there above your masonry flue. Just my two cents. And I would also suggest maybe cleaning your flue more than once a season if you continue having creosote clumps falling out of the cap. Make sure your wood is seasoned REALLY good (try to get two to three years ahead if you can, you'll be amazed at the difference in the burn), dry wood produces very little creosote.

 

[Bub381]

That look as if it has been scraped clean is what my cap looks like looking up my pipe from the stove.Cleaned right off after the burn.

 

[ScotO]

one other question, what size is the flue pipe above your masonry flue?

 

[BrotherBart]

If it is light and fluffy it is creosote that has burned. Period Stuff stuck to a cap will be flaky but the puffy popcorn stuff has burned. Used to have a pile of it behind my insert after a chimney fire in the days before a liner.

 

[Jaugust124]

Scott, That's a 4 ft. section of pipe coming out of the tile, plus a little bit that was sticking up out of the tile maybe 4"-5". Had to be done due to code. Chimney has to be 2 ft. above anything within a 10 ft. radius. Can't see it in the picture, but the peak of my house is about 5-6 ft. away from the chimney. When I first saw what the installers had done, I thought it looked like a big pinball plunger on the roof, but I got used to it. I thought about having the 4ft. section removed and putting on a 2ft. section, but I thought it might hurt my draft. As it is, I have only about 15ft. (maybe less) from the top of the chimney to the stove.

I do not have an insulated liner. My chimney runs down through the inside of my garage, no one seemed to think it was necessary. As I recall, the only insulation I have is right up at the top of the chimney.

 

[BrotherBart]

I can't believe that wind hasn't knocked that piece of pipe smooth off that tile and into the yard.

 

[ScotO]

I can't believe that wind hasn't knocked that piece of pipe smooth off that tile and into the yard.

That's what I was thinking too, BB. Jaugust, you should definately consider getting an insulated liner, you would benefit from it tremendously...The diameter of the pipe sticking out of the flue looks REALLY small. It should be at least a 6" pipe if you are burning wood.

 

[Jaugust124]

Perhaps the pictures are deceiving, it is 6" pipe and it survived Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee back to back. However, I was a bit surprised to see the pipe still up there afterwards.

 

[pen]

I agree that what you are seeing is the result of a chimney fire. All the more reason to have the chimney cleaned and inspected again. If you aren't home when they are doing the cleaning in the past, I'd be there next time to be sure they are getting the job done top to bottom appropriately.

A few questions:

Is there a screen in that cap? I'm guessing there can't be by the size of that globule.

What kind of pipe is that sticking above the liner? Single wall? Insulated? (I agree with others that by the looks of the pic, it needs bracing).

As far as your guess at the problem being burning the stove too cools this winter; I'd say that would be my best guess as well. If that wood has been cut, split and stacked in an airy place for going on 2 years, it shouldn't be the problem.

Getting the stove top up to 600 is great, but if when the stove reaches that temp you close the air down too far and cause the stove to suffocate later in the burn (usually would be indicated by dirty glass in the morning), then therein lies your problem.

Keep us posted

pen

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Okay, so no more fires this season, not until I get this thing checked out. The wood is a mix of hardwoods that going on at least 2 years old. I don't think its the wood. Burned the same wood last year and no problems. When I had the liner cleaned over the summer the workers said everything looked good with very little coming out of the chimney. That was my first year burning. Maybe with the unusually warm winter i didn't burn hot enough? I routinely get stove top temps above 600.

Nate, I thought the same thing at first. I used a stick to touch it before I used my hand not realizing what it was.

Jaugust124, please do not take this wrong, but if you have creosote like that, it is your wood. We see this all the time and people just do not want to believe it is the wood. Sorry, but it is the wood. Poor wood and super low fires will cause the creosote. However, if it were the weather this winter, then just about everyone would have the same problem. I know we did not have that problem and we burned a lot of low fires. We have not cleaned our chimney in 3 years either. Only once in 5 years. Chimney and cap are clean.

 

[Jaugust124]

Jaugust124, please do not take this wrong, but if you have creosote like that, it is your wood. We see this all the time and people just do not want to believe it is the wood. Sorry, but it is the wood. Poor wood and super low fires will cause the creosote. However, if it were the weather this winter, then just about everyone would have the same problem. I know we did not have that problem and we burned a lot of low fires. We have not cleaned our chimney in 3 years either. Only once in 5 years. Chimney and cap are clean.

You could very well be right. Let me describe my setup and see what you think. The wood I burned this year was c/s/s spring-fall of 2010. It was stacked on pallets in a somewhat shady area. I did not cover accept in winter and we did have a very rainy year last year. Perhaps the center of the pile was wet and did not dry out or just never was able to season properly in the first place.
Of the pile in the picture, I have just about 1/2 a pallet left and that been re-stacked. All my other wood is in single rows and yes, I am ahead by what I figure is a good 3 years. The wood I will be using this year will have been stacked in single rows for 1 year to 18 months. It consists of elm, ash, maple, etc, Oak has been sitting stacked in single rows for just over 2 years now. I plan to start on that this coming fall. Thanks,

 

[robertmcw]

Have checked the wood with a Moisture Meter? I understand from here, you wood need to be at less than 20% moisture in the wood. More moisture in the wood means more creosote. Harbor Freight has them for $12.99.

Robert

 

[gzecc]

In my experience, oak stacked in that manner would need at least 3 yrs to season to 20% MC. Oak needs to be stacked in single rows in the sun.

 

[Jags]

I am doing a double ditto to all those that have pointed out that you have had a chimney fire. It needs to be inspected and cleaned and then ya need to figure out "Why". Seeing the crud that was in your hand would scare the hair right off my head. Something is wrong. Air infiltration, fuel, burn methods, cool stack, something.

 

[firefighterjake]

Not liking the creosote . . . or the chimney set up . . . maybe it's up there and nice and secured . . . but it really does look like it could come down easily enough. I like a nice, braced chimney myself.

 

[joecool85]

It doesn't look like insulated chimney at the top either to me, but who knows, maybe it is. If it's not, then that's your problem.