About icicles on chimneys...

[Poindexter]

I am tagging each of @Ashful , @bholler , @begreen and @BKVP , cause i know they are all rational individuals. If you have an experienced based data point please share.

What I am seeing, same as 2013/14 in the last big polar vortex is a ton of first time users running their stoves harder than ever before - and more threads than i have time to read.

My concern is a lot of chimneys are showing icicles on the outside - meaning they probably have at least liquid water on the inside wall of the pipe if not more icicles, and a very high risk of creosote formation.

My hunch is when the weather breaks folks ought to be going ape to get their chimneys brushed asap so they can keep burning with minimal risk of chimney fires.

What should soemone do, after the weather breaks, they are running on high, and have water dripping into the firebox from the chimney?

@firefighterjake , what say you?

 

[webby3650]

In my experience the ice isn’t really inside the cap, but rather hanging on the outside, they just fall to the roof typically. What does fall inside the flue is a negligible amount that’s vaporized quickly by the hot flue gasses.

After a hard winter like we are seeing, the flues I clean are much cleaner because they ran hotter than normal. Just because folks have been running harder than normal I see no reason to be overly concerned with buildup in the flue. Definitely worth taking a look while the roof is accessible though.
That’s my take on it, even though I wasn’t tagged..

 

[bholler]

I agree with everything webby said above. It is completly in line with my experinces as well.

 

[Squirrel]

There are usually a few icicles hanging off the bottom edge of my chimney cap after a cold night with flue temps never falling below 500f at the stove. As long as they consist of clear or very light yellow ice I consider that normal. Does that not happen in balmy Fairbanks?

When stove shopping locally I spoke with several very knowledgable folk who warned me off cat stoves saying that there could be chimney icing problems with them due to the low flue temps and the fact that there is always moisture in the flue gases. Is that true?

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

I am tagging each of @Ashful , @bholler , @begreen and @BKVP , cause i know they are all rational individuals. If you have an experienced based data point please share.

What I am seeing, same as 2013/14 in the last big polar vortex is a ton of first time users running their stoves harder than ever before - and more threads than i have time to read.

My concern is a lot of chimneys are showing icicles on the outside - meaning they probably have at least liquid water on the inside wall of the pipe if not more icicles, and a very high risk of creosote formation.

My hunch is when the weather breaks folks ought to be going ape to get their chimneys brushed asap so they can keep burning with minimal risk of chimney fires.

What should soemone do, after the weather breaks, they are running on high, and have water dripping into the firebox from the chimney?

@firefighterjake , what say you?

PD- While I'm in complete agreement that the fellas you called out are great resources, I'm sorry you find so many of the rest of us so irrational.

Plus, I guess you haven't really been following along with Ashful's story if you describe him as rational. Smart, hardworking, determined, but definitely not rational! But, that's part of why we like him.

To the rest of the world, anyone who spends as much time on a social media site devoted to all things hearth related as we do, is well over the fringe. Particularly ones who build plastic tents in their yard and keep meticulous data about what's going on inside the tents. ;-)

Personally, few places I'd rather be.

 

[tarzan]

As I have experience with icicles hanging off my cap, nothing will change in the way I burn once they melt. But my advice to new wood burners is as always, if you can safely take a look then do so. It never hurts to know what's going on in your stack under different scenarios.

 

[Poindexter]

I did invite everyone with experience to chime in. No offense intended to anyone.

Today we are a week into january. If fairbanks weather cools off to "normal" today it will be very difficult to finish a third cord this season before the end of the month. I have literally burnt about, or less than, half the wood i ordinarily burn so far.

Since my weather is do mild, i know someone is getting hammered with extremely cold weather, and i dont have to look hard to see there are millions of you.

Cold weather is no joke and extended very cold weather is a real problem. Stuff starts breaking. Things you thought you could count on arent dependable. This usually happens at the worst possible time.

Trying to plant the seed that having a backup plan is prudent. When you are using your backup plan in cold weather, it is time to figger out what the backup backup plan is.

 

[kennyp2339]

I think you bring up a valid point about running a clean system, I am a firm believer that a chimney should be cleaned after burning 2 cords regardless of how you burn, I might be a little over the top, but the peace of mind makes it worth it.

 

[webby3650]

I think you bring up a valid point about running a clean system, I am a firm believer that a chimney should be cleaned after burning 2 cords regardless of how you burn, I might be a little over the top, but the peace of mind makes it worth it.

You are definitely over the top... after 2 cords there’s nothing to sweep in my flue. Many others have the same experience. If you are an experienced burner, it’s really uncommon to need a sweep after 2 cords.
It is good to be observant and proactive about chimney cleaning. I know a lot of people that do need to clean mid season.

 

[firefighterjake]

I've got a few of the "creosicles" myself in this sub zero weather . . .

It seems as though most of the creosicles collect on the outer lip of the cap. While it is possible some moisture may work its way down the chimney I can say with the voice of experience from the fire side that while we can see chimney fires any time of the year I tend to see more of them when the weather is more on the mild side and then turns cold as folks are not so apt to run their stove at the higher temps . . . producing more creosote in the process.

That said . . . I am a huge advocate of frequent inspections/cleanings . . .