Is this normal?

[edwardkelly]

I had a lopi revere installed in January, so far everything has been going great. I noticed last night when I was shutting the air bypass on top that it felt like it was running into something, like a buildup of something on top of the stove. I heard 'stuff' (creosote?) falling down the chimney last time it was really windy and figured it was that. Today I let it cool down so I could empty it out and take a peek.

It's an insert, so it's kind of hard to see much, but I did what I could with a flashlight and a CD as a mirror. Peeking through the bypass hole it looked lunch a bunch of corrosion and what I guess is creosote. I'm not sure exactly how the top of the stove is constructed, but I think the what I am looking at in the pic below is still inside the stove, just below where the flue liner etc would connect to the stove. That rusty looking stuff is inside the stove, the black buildup is above the air bypass but I think still part of the stove. Anyway... I know it's kind of hard to tell what exactly this is a picture of, but I just thought it looked a bit not quite right...

Should things look like that after 6 weeks of use? Is that all corroded or does it just look that way...?

Another shot, up through the bypass hole again

Here's where I took the shot to give it a bit more meaning - up through the air bypass hole.

Fairly new to having a stove, just wanted to check it that was normal.

 

[northwinds]

I see a bunch of views on this thread but no replies. I'll start it off so that your post doesn't
get lost.

That doesn't look normal to me for two months of burning. That shiny black stuff isn't good,
and there's quite a bit of fluffy build-up in the photo. How dry is your wood ? What temps are
you running? Please describe your chimney set-up.

 

[Hogwildz]

You either burning wet wood, or not hot enough or both.
Is this fully lined to the top, or just a direct connect?

 

[SteveT]

I agree.... this does not look good. Creosote formation is generally greater far away from the stove where the temperatures are lower. That is why the top of the flue is the typical problem area. This much build up right at the firebox is a problem, IMO.

Hotter fires are definitely in order.

I'd like to see some of the more knowledgeable folks here comment as to whether an immediate flue cleaning is needed or can a few hot fires bring things back to normal.

 

[edwardkelly]

A lot of the wood I've been burning is far from as dry as it could be. There's been times when it sounds like I'm cooking bacon inside the stove it's hissing so much.. Unfortunately it was all I had. It definitely meant there's been times when the stove has burned for quite a while before getting up to temperature. I got the wood from a 'tree service' guy, I'm pretty sure it was all his scraps and they'd all just been lying on the ground soaking up moisture the whole time. Supposedly it was "seasoned at least a year, a lot of it two". I'm pretty sure it doesn't count if it's seasoned by lying in mud.

The stove has a stainless steel liner running all the way to the top, I'm not sure how exactly it connects to the top of the stove. The chimney was installed with a ZC fireplace that was here, now the liner runs straight up through that. Stove temps have been varying greatly - there's been times when it takes me forever to get up to temp (also for the blower to kick on). Other times the stove top temp sits between 400-600. Once it got a bit carried away and I could see a bit of a glow in the secondary burn tubes, but that hasn't happened again.

I was going to have a local chimney sweep come and give it a clean out in the next couple of weeks, so I could have a pro show me how to do it right. When I saw this I thought it looked bad, but figured I'd check here first. If it is that bad I'll get someone over that knows what they're looking at sooner rather than later. If it can be cleaned out with a few hot fires then I wont rush the sweep.

I assumed the cause would be wet wood, I guess what I need to know is whether it's something to worry about/immediately rectify, or it's ok for now given that I probably wont need to burn for much longer this season.

 

[Hogwildz]

Wet wood will def cause that, and to add insult to injury, the wet wood will also cause the stove to run cooler as its using alot of the energy to dry the wood as it burns.
I am not familiar with your insert, but that rectangular damper looking opening looks like it is venting into the old ZC firebox damper opening. Other wise I would think it should be the round flex liner all the way to the stove outlet. Something just don't look right in those photos.

 

[johnn]

The two pictures are telling different stories. The first appears to be wet and sticky, while the second seems to show that while the bypass is open firing the stove it is burning the deposit off. However it may just appear that way due to not being in focus and lighting. At any rate the set-up seems to have a holding area that the smoke is swirling prior to exiting. Perhaps due to the heavy gases from moist wood in combination to shutting the stove down too early. No expert here,,I wonder if you are getting good draft, and that there is a block off plate. I`m leaning towards wet wood.

 

[madrone]

Yup, creosote. And yup, wet wood. The tarry stuff is above the bypass on the inside of the upper part of the stove, and the "corroded" part is creosote that has been partly burned once the bypass is closed. You're not getting up to high enough temps because of the moisture content in the wood. You probably ought to hold off on burning this wood until next year.

 

[madrone]

I am not familiar with your insert, but that rectangular damper looking opening looks like it is venting into the old ZC firebox damper opening. Other wise I would think it should be the round flex liner all the way to the stove outlet. Something just don't look right in those photos.

Nah, it's just a shot of the inside of the top of the stove. From below the bypass, as in the drawing.

 

[n6crv]

The stove has a stainless steel liner running all the way to the top, I'm not sure how exactly it connects to the top of the stove. The chimney was installed with a ZC fireplace that was here, now the liner runs straight up through that. Stove temps have been varying greatly - there's been times when it takes me forever to get up to temp (also for the blower to kick on). Other times the stove top temp sits between 400-600. Once it got a bit carried away and I could see a bit of a glow in the secondary burn tubes, but that hasn't happened again.

The secondary burn tubes should glow when you are burning hot. There is nothing wrong to see the tubes glowing!
You need to remove that gunk then burn hotter and get the tubes glowing.
Don

 

[edwardkelly]

The secondary burn tubes should glow when you are burning hot. There is nothing wrong to see the tubes glowing!
You need to remove that gunk then burn hotter and get the tubes glowing.
Don

Oh, the guy that installed it told me that if they started glowing it was getting a bit hot. That if they got that hot they can start losing their shape...

 

[n6crv]

The secondary burn tubes should glow when you are burning hot. There is nothing wrong to see the tubes glowing!
You need to remove that gunk then burn hotter and get the tubes glowing.
Don

Oh, the guy that installed it told me that if they started glowing it was getting a bit hot. That if they got that hot they can start losing their shape...

They are there to burn off the gases/smoke that cause creosote. They are going to get HOT! That's another reason they are stainless steel. I did about the same as you until I found that burning hot is the way they are made to be ran.
Don

 

[begreen]

edward, get a decent thermometer on the stove so that you can burn hotter, safely. It will tell you a lot about how the stove is burning. These heaters are meant to get warm (~600F). Once you have a thermometer on the stove you'll be able to know when it is running well, too cool or too hot.

 

[myzamboni]

get some pallet wood to mix with your unseasoned stuff. This will help get the temperature up.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

But even with a decent thermometer, that will not correct unseasoned wood!

Cure is to first get that chimney and stove cleaned. Second plan is to wait to burn when you get some dry wood.

Do not wait until next fall to get your wood! Get that wood on hand as soon as possible so you aren't faced with the same problem next fall.

Good luck.

 

[MovingOffGrid]

you've got some good responses so far. It's good you're on top of this.
here's my 2 cents

As I can't see how thick or how far up the creosote goes, here's what I'd do:

1) play it safe and get it cleaned asap
2) get a thermometer on the stack, and/or the stove. Run it at clean operating temps.
3) get some pallete wood or mill ends to mix with your moist wood if you have to burn it to keep warm
4) keep an eye on the pipe for further creosote buildup until you find out how it likes to run clean.
5) start now to stack and season your next Fall's wood, off the ground, in the sun and wind, with something on top to protect from most rain, at least over a full summer, then get it fully under cover before Fall rains come

cheers

 

[edwardkelly]

Got a certified chimney sweep chap over to clean it all out and take a look. He said there was a bit of glazed creosote buildup, quite a lot considering the short amount of time I'd been running the stove. He said the same thing a few have said here, that it's not burning hot enough and insufficiently seasoned wood will definitely lead to it.

Already started on the wood for next year, the cord I have so far is night and day compared to the garbage the last clown I dealt with gave me. Still need to get a thermometer... Such a minor thing but every time I'm somewhere that would have one of course I forget.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Highbeam]

Thanks for the pics. We love pics.

All of that black, brown, fluffy, and glossy stuff will come off with brushing and hot burning to reveal a like new stove system. No premanent damage was done. There should be an accumulation of light ash after a long time of burning but the glossy black stuff shouldn't be there.

I don't like the looks of how your liner is attached to the stove. It isn't square and looks to be nearly pulled out. Any leaks at this connection will allow cold room air to be sucked into the flue and spoil your draft to some extent. Also, the cold air being sucked in will cool and condense the creosote. See how there are black flares coming from a couple of leaks? I wonder if after you close that damper a strong suction pulls in bunches of cold air and makes a bad situation worse.

It seems odd to see such a good lightly colored firebox and then such a nasty secondary burn chamber. Almost like the fire is burning good but the chimney is causing you issues.

You should be able to take off the top third of the trim kit around your insert and inspect the connection of the flue to your insert. Make sure it is in there good. On my old Lopi freedom bay I could simply lift the top section straight up and off of the side pieces.

 

[edwardkelly]

It's tighter than Ebeneezer scrooge in there, but I'll see if I can figure out how to take the top of the trim off to take a peek.