Bluish creosote mineral looking deposit

[funnyfingers]

I currently have a Vermont DownDrafter that I will be replacing with a Napoleon 1600C.

The initial reason to replace it was that the inside firebrick slab and the heavy sheet metal wall melted/burned away leaving a lot more space to down draft at the bottom. It left a blue chunk of mineral ore looking stuff that smelled like plastic. Well since the new stove doesn't arrive until tomorrow I have continued to use it and found some more of the deposits which if I scrap off the grate and move onto the coals seems like it could burn, but doesn't quite. Also this time there are not parts that seem to be melted in the stove. It is almost coming from nowhere. I have been using a lot of hickory and think that the heat from it and the age of the stove is what burned the firewall initially. But where is the rest of this bluish stuff coming from? Could it possibly be wood creosote, more specifically from hickory? Also I can't even be certain it is hickory, but it is super dense almost like black locust.

 

['bert]

If you could post some pics, I am sure someone here could help you out.

 

[funnyfingers]

Here ya go. It is very hard and was under the coals stuck to the grate. Also it was not in one spot, it was distributed over the grate, which is a fairly large surface as it is a 3 cubic foot firebox.

 

[funnyfingers]

Regarding the smell, the chunks don't actually smell like plastic. The initial time I saw this a week or so ago is when the air smelled a little of plastic and we noticed the damage inside to the firewall. This was all cleaned out and appeared again with no other damage inside that was noticed.

 

[laynes69]

I've had ash fuse that looked like that. I don't think its creasote.

 

[Todd]

Some people call those clinkers. They form under the coals over time and I don't know why. I've seen them in every stove I've burned in.

 

[funnyfingers]

That would make sense. Actually my wife mentioned how little ash there was. We burn 24/7 there has been very little ash to clean out for almost a week now...

 

[funnyfingers]

The stove was fully cleaned out just last week. SO didn't take too long too form. I am guessing that new wood that I am using is just burning so much hotter than the normal oak that I get. I will see what kind of wood it is.

 

[funnyfingers]

Hmm I think it is Black Locust that is running so hot. I have some in my back yard and very much has the same look to it. Extremely hard to start without using oak first. Good to know as I have a few of them in my yard that I want to cut down and use for firewood.

 

[raybonz]

I get that too.. Not sure what it is but it may be minerals that create those things in the high temps.. Seems like the locust created more than usual and they had green flecks..

Ray

 

[mbutts]

I had some blue clinkers once last year similar to what you have. I wish I had taken a pic of them. it was the only time I saw something like that. I thought maybe it was some sort of a sap that burned to create it. Mine was a bright medium blue. Very pretty color actually. I don't think I'd be to concerned about it. Over time the color disappeared and I got rid of the clinker.

 

[funnyfingers]

I actually replaced the wood stove with the Napoleon 1600C now and burning the same black locust and I get no clinkers. I may start another thread to describe the install and such.