Ash build up in chimney?

[Craig800]

Hello everyone. Been reading these forums alot for the last year or two finally decided to join. I have a question....we have been running our 30nc Englander for a few months now burning tamarack and spruce as that's all that's readily available here. Common flue temperatures are 600to 700 degrees, stovetop temps usually around 650°. I recently went and looked inside of our T at the outside of our house took a picture through the bottom cleanout cap and this is what it looked like........ It's very loose if I even blow in there with my lungs all that stuff comes free and moves around what is it? And do I need to worry about it?

 

[stoveliker]

Ash, and a bit of soot.
Nothing to worry about imo. Run a brush thru it and burn again.

Not knowing your stove, but is a consistent 700 f in the flue not a bit hhot? How tall is the chimney? (Would a key damper allow for less heat going up the flue?)

 

[EatenByLimestone]

The 30 is a workhorse. You’re burning clean and won’t hurt the equipment. You could get more heat out of the stove by closing the damper more. This will lower the flue temp.

 

[begreen]

This is a normal place to see accumulation as the flue gases hit the cooler T wall and have to make a 90º turn. How much wood has gone through this area since the last cleaning?

FWIW, it's not uncommon for the flue and the stovetop temps to be roughly equal.

 

[Craig800]

We have 18 feet of 6" super vent. The stove is in our basement.....it leaves the stove and goes up hits two 45 degree sections of double wall Selkirk pipe then a 16" horizontal section of 6" supervent through the wall and up. Burned probably half a cord so far since the new install. I usually damper it back and the normal running temp depends where I measure on the stove top...the hottest part on this stove seems to be around the middle where it steps down and it's normally around 650f this is where the stove seems the happiest. Flue temps typically even out but are generally lower than the stove once I close the air off a bit. I should mention the flue almost always levels off around 600f. I can make her last 9 hours and it heats our 2000 square foot house to sweating temperatures when it's been -10c (14f) outside. Thanks guys. I was pretty sure it wasn't creosote or anything to worry about since the spruce burns so dang hot.

 

[stoveliker]

While it's the good stuff, I do think it's a bit much for half a cord? But if the quantity tapers off farther up the pipe, it's okay.

 

[weee123]

I have a similar chimney setup to that. Although not in a basement it is half underground, 2 45s to a 90 tee outside. That does seem like a lot of buildup to me as I didn't even get close to that much burning a full cord of seasoned and semi seasoned stuff last year before I cleaned around thanksgiving. But it is the light fluffy stuff so I wouldn't really worry about it. Like Begreen said, just run a brush through or sooteater and it'll be squeaky clean after.

 

[Craig800]

Any idea why I would be getting so much ash? From the spruce wood maybe ??

 

[weee123]

I'm not familiar with tamarack but, I just did some reading on it and it does appear to produce lots of smoke so that could be the cause.

 

[Craig800]

It's weird. The Spruce and Tamarack when burning basically makes no visible smoke out the roof but it does have alot of sap. It's like watching a fireworks show sometimes. Hmmm.

 

[weee123]

Could be that the smoke dead heads at that 90 and causes that build up, not entirely sure. It seems like it's all around the tee and not much further up so that's probably it

 

[Craig800]

Probably is what's happening. Looks like I'll be purchasing a sooteater for cleaning. Thanks everyone.

 

[ABMax24]

That's more buildup than I'd like to see for 1/2 a cord. I'd probably be 1-1/2 cords in before mine looked like that.

I've found spruce, pine, and tamarack produce more soot than most wood and cause buildup, the sap also seems to boil off and adhere to the inside of the chimney allowing soot and ash to stick to it. Burning softwood under 18% moisture seems to help limit this a bit. Exterior chimney's make it worse too, the pipe is cooler and allows more buildup to accumulate.

It's kind of the nature of the beast. In my case I run a brush up my chimney when it looks like that, I sweep 3-4 times per year. Is it overkill, probably, but for the 20 minutes it takes me I sleep better at night knowing that buildup isn't in the chimney.

 

[stoveliker]

Is it overkill, probably, but for the 20 minutes it takes me I sleep better at night knowing that buildup isn't in the chimney.

That ^^

 

[Craig800]

Did a quick clean with the soot eater....wow easy. Glad I got one