I am officially a burner

Good morning Ray
We live in a ranch, I'm planning on getting two.
I wish it were like MA, here in NC, stores dont open till late morning. I still have another 25 minutes until they open, hah. Thats what happens when youre an early riser.
Quick question while I have your attention. How do you remove the creosote that falls down the flue?

Thanks again

You're welcome Tigg! I haven't had creosote fall down my flue but I would imagine you'd have to remove your flue pipe to get to it.. I work in Boston and start at 6AM so my alarm starts ringing at 3:15AM so 6AM is sleeping in to me lol.. How'd you end up down south?

Ray

Huh, I can hear it fall from the flue. May be because its new and has nothing to really stick to. It concerns me because if it is flamable and there is a pile of it gathering at the base of my flue. What could happen?
Looks like I'll be disassembling my flue today.

Almost alI the work I have done was in the city. I miss is very much. Its not the same down here at all. I hear that. my alarm times range from 2:30 to 4:30 depending on how busy things are. We start early to get out early, especially during the summer months. It gets upwards of 100+ inside the shop.
We moved down for the weather but most of all the cost of living. Winter lasts between 3 and 4 months but inbetween still gets in the 60s. Its crazy, hah.

You probably should sweep your chimney too Tigg.. Yes creosote is very flammable and is caused by burning wet wood and/or smoldering fires. Creosote causes chimney fires which are raging infernos which can be very dangerous.. Not trying to scare you just giving you the facts..

Ray

Thanks Ray, I appreciate the help and info.
I'm on my way out now to go get a sweep, mm and CO. When I get back I'll be sweeping and then taking down the flue pipe and cleaning it out.

Thanks again
Sam

Ok, a little update.
Looks like I'm going to have to order a MM. Any one inparticular better than the other?
I found a sweep and swept the entire chimney. To my surprise, the interior was not as bad as I would've expected it to be.
I also took the flue down and cleaned the inside out completely, including the inside of the stove.
Looks like I'll be starting fresh today.
Another thing I did was split my splits even smaller, hoping that will help. It does not feel wet to the touch and makes the sound of bowling pins hitting each other and splits very easy. I will use this wood for a few days and call my guy to see if he has some seasoned wood. I will try to postpone the use of my wood. I have a small stack that has been sitting for roughly 19 months, I'll start using that.

http://www.amazon.com/DUSIEC-Handhe...B004KWAQAI/ref=pd_cp_hi_1/182-0191958-0589107
Looks pretty good for the money..
Ray

Tigg,

Welcome.

I'm really glad you are getting the CO detectors. A tragedy was narrowly escaped.

I'd add that 3 foot double wall section to my chimney stat, and I'd remove the damper. You surely do not need a damper with a 13 foot chimney. Your chimney isn't really long enough to get a good draft, let alone an excessive one. You want more draft than you can likely get with 13 feet. A better draft will get more oxygen to the fire, which will let it burn hotter, which will mean less creosote in the chimney, which will reduce your risk of chimney fire.

I'd be checking my chimney every two weeks until I was certain the chimney was not getting clogged with creosote. You don't even want a narrowing of the flue by creosote build up, let alone a blockage.
The one can lead to chimney fire, and both too life-threatening CO levels.

Split that wood fairly small, stack some in the stove room loosely and off the floor, so air can get at it from all sides, and turn a fan on it on high, running 24/7. That will significantly dry the wood pretty quickly. You could get a few biobricks or some kiln dried lumber scraps from a lumber yard or builder, and mix a little lumber or a biobrick in with your wood, to lower the moisture content of your firebox for a cleaner burn.

Very glad you have had such good and timely advice from Ray, and that your family is all well.

Thank you, Ray.

Good luck, Tigg.

Best wishes,

RIdeau

[quote="firefighterjake, post: 1233512, member: 5810

Flames: I like the secondary burn -- and typically get it . . . but you don't need a raging fire to produce heat. Typically I'll get the fire going and the secondaries will be going for some time . . . eventually those stop and I have some glowing red coals . . . with some occasional flames . . . and that's OK since coals also produce heat for quite some time.[/quote]

And that is I think the secret to long efficient burns. My stove top temp for a burn like that is >500 but <600. Year two was A LOT easier for me wood wise. Buy some fire starters too, they are a cheap luxury.

So do you currently have the damper installed? When you say there's a half inch gap, do you mean that air is actually able to get into the chimney from the room, or is this a double wall damper installed in a single wall pipe? I'm no expert on these installations, and others haven't expressed concern about it so far, but if you're getting a lot of room air drawn up into your chimney it will be significantly cooled (leading to creosote). I think it could also explain some of your other symptoms (difficult starts, smoke detectors going off). Even worse, if you do get a lot of creosote build-up and there's a gap in the pipe around the damper, smoke/carbon monoxide will end up escaping the chimney.

FYI, I bought that same moister meter from Amazon, I find it is useless. It will say 25%, 1 minute later at same spot it will say 58%, 1 minute later it will say 10%. Really doesn't seem to work at all.

Thanks rideau it was good to hear that!

Ray

You are very welcome.

You'll tend to have more creo at the top of the pipe, where it cools off and condensation can take place. Sounds like the rest of the pipe wasn't as clogged as the top. That's good. How much creo, total, did you get. A quart? Gallon?

Sometimes smaller splits will sound kind of like bowling pins but may not be all that dry. The drier your wood is, the better your stove will be able to reburn the smoke, and the less build-up you'll have in the flue. You can get a meter at Lowe's for about $30. Doubtful that a dealer will have any dry wood at this point in the season. I may have missed it, but what stove do you have?

Ray,
Thanks for the link, I'll read up on it and see hwo the reviews are for it. Looks good though.

RIdeau,
I am thankful to have this site and the members wilingness to help.

I will be adding the 3' section tomorrow. The only problem about removing the damper is, I'm not sure I have enough flue to compensate for it. I am keeping it open from now on until I can figure out the exact amount needed and what I have.

I agree 100%, I'll be checking more often. This has startled me beyond straight and I can asure you this will never happen again. What did surprise me was the flue had very little creosote in it, it was all stuck in the cap.

I'll be making a trip to the lumber yard this weekend. I also have some poplar, would this be ok in the mean time?

I am greatful for Rays advise and info, he's most definately a lifesaver. Thanks again Ray

And Thank you Rideau, you have also been very helpful

Mark,
That is something on my order list, a thermometer for my stove.
Are firestarters the logs wrapped in paper? Or lighter wood?

begreen,
From my understanding I thought 13' was the minimal length. I'm glad I hung onto the extra section. Thanks for the explanation for the extra length. I'm going to be bringing a lot more wood inside from now on.

ailanthus,
Yes, the damper is installed. The best way to describe it is, the flue is 6" and the damper flap/plate is 5" inside the flue. There is roughly a 1/4" gap all around the flap/plate inside the flue pipe. Hopefully I explained it well enough. I can draw it out and take a picture for a better idea.

Machria,
Do you know of any other meters?

raybonz and rideau, you guys are great

woody stover,
Thats was exactly what happened, the interior of the pipe was actually pretty clean.
Total creosote was less than a quart.
Ill check Lowes out, thanks.
Seriously, its hard for me to trust any dealers now.
My stove is a Drolet Savannah.

Thanks again everyone, I apprecite you guys taking the time out to comment.

I have a random question.
The top of my cap is 3' from the peak of my roof. I am going to add the extra 3' length I have. Do I need to brace the extra length? Should I screw the extra length together?
Thanks