Burn outs......Creosote..

[ArsenalDon]

So I have a good idea of burning temps.(550 degrees - 750degees stove top) But should I be burning hot fires with the damper open? I have a fire going hot with the damper open regularly? (daily) I have the damper open with the coil thermometer going at 350 degrees...should I be doing this to burn off creosote??

 

[jeff_t]

If you're burning correctly, and burning dry wood, there should be no creosote to 'burn off'. Burn it hot, burn it clean, check the chimney regularly. Brush it when needed.

 

[DexterDay]

How long has your wood been Cut/Split/Stacked?

Burning a hot fire all the time is key. (Not 1,00*!!) But keeping in the burn zone on the stove top and flue help along with a good fuel supply

 

[ridemgis]

Somebody will tell us if I get this wrong, but from what I've read here in the last few months, we burn hot with each new load to keep the chimney temp up above the point where water vapor condenses providing a "sticky" surface for smoke particles.

 

[ArsenalDon]

How long has your wood been Cut/Split/Stacked?

Burning a hot fire all the time is key. (Not 1,00*!!) But keeping in the burn zone on the stove top and flue help along with a good fuel supply

What do you consider the "burn Zone"?

 

[DexterDay]

What do you consider the "burn Zone"?

Do you have a magnetic thermo on your stove top? Or one on your flue (or a probe in the flue?)?

The temps you listed above, were pretty good. IMO

 

[ArsenalDon]

I have only one thermo right now (ordered an IR thermo and it should be her in a few days) it is a coil thermo and what I was wondering was if the flue temp as it comes a foot or two out of the stove is 350 degrees...is that a good burn temp...when it is at that temp the stove top is about 550-600. am I burning too low? too hot?

 

[pen]

What brand of thermometer is it? Are you using single or double wall pipe?

What kinda exhaust are you looking at from the chimney when cruising after making the final air adjustment for the load (first 20-30 mins after startup doesn't count)? Lotta smoke? Just steam from time to time in certain weather?

pen

 

[ArsenalDon]

I am looking at a pretty clean burn from the exhaust after start up. I see only heat waves emitting.

 

[HotCoals]

I have only one thermo right now (ordered an IR thermo and it should be her in a few days) it is a coil thermo and what I was wondering was if the flue temp as it comes a foot or two out of the stove is 350 degrees...is that a good burn temp...when it is at that temp the stove top is about 550-600. am I burning too low? too hot?

350 means your stack temp is around 700 where you have the thermometer.
Plenty high.. a lot of heat going outside is my thought..but then again i run a cat stove,

 

[ArsenalDon]

350 means your stack temp is around 700 where you have the thermometer.
Plenty high.. a lot of heat going outside is my thought..but then again i run a cat stove,

The terms you have used are all greek to me...I am a novice burner

 

[pen]

The terms you have used are all greek to me...I am a novice burner

If you are measuring 350 on a single wall stove pipe, about 18 inches up from the stove, then you doing well for a good cruising stove pipe temp. Since you didn't mention what type of thermometer you have, I don't know if its accurate or not. You'll know more once your IR arrives.

The low end of a single wall stove pipe temp at that height would be about 250, and the very top end at that height about 500.

350 to 425 is good in my opinion for the most active part of the burn.

pen

 

[corey21]

If your thermometer is in good shape 350 is fine for your single wall.

But some thermometers can be found to be inaccurate

 

[MnDave]

IMO, study what is going on in your chimney as far as creosote buildup and adjust accordingly.

I use the creosote remover (powder) every week or so even though they say "every three fires".

I also figure on running the brush in late January. I can tell by the look of what brushes out what my odds of having a chimney fire are. I have never brushed out anything even 1/16 of an inch thick but mine is a Class A chimney. Your mileage may vary depending on your chimney type.

Personally, I would rather err on the side of getting more BTU's in the house and having to manage creosote, than letting too many BTU's go up the chimney to avoid any creosote "management". I have a new EPA stove this year and I believe that the creosote in my chimney will be significantly reduced.

I respect and appreciate seeing all the warnings about creosote (and new burners need to heed these warnings) but I think that a stove operator needs to get to know how his burning is affecting his chimney and adjust accordingly.

MnDave

 

[bogydave]

Burn dry wood & the creosote issues are 95% gone.
Usually means 2+ year seasoned wood. (3+ for the red oaks)

That said I still check/clean at start up, mid winter & end of burn season.
Since burning better seasoned dry wood (2 or more years CSS) the last 2 years,
I maybe got a total of 1/4 a coffee can in the 2 years. (mostly black dust & some light gray powder)

Dry wood is essential

 

[MnDave]

I maybe got a total of 1/4 a coffee can in the 2 years. (mostly black dust & some light gray powder)

Thanks bogydave for quantifying this. Wow, you burn extremely clean compared to me with my old stove.

With my Kent Tile Fire I got at least a coffee can mid-season and a coffee can end of season. Thing is, most of it was already sitting at the cleanout. Mid season, the creosote that dropped into the bottom of the chimney was piled high enough to affect the draft a little. I opened the cleanout, let it fall into a large plastic container then, the I used the brush to drop maybe another half a coffee can of glossy flakes no more than 1/16 inch thick.

Again, I have since installed an EPA stove and judging by the lack of smoke, I am in a new place as far as creosote.

However I still tend to go for the long burn. I keep the stovepipetemp above 350F while that gases are burning off. When we finally get out of the shoulder season I will burn hotter stovepipe temps 400-425F.

When I have an abundance of wood (3+ years worth) I will be less conservative and run hotter temps.

MnDave

 

[bogydave]

Thanks bogydave for quantifying this. Wow, you burn extremely clean compared to me with my old stove.

With my Kent Tile Fire I got at least a coffee can mid-season and a coffee can end of season. Thing is, most of it was already sitting at the cleanout. Mid season, the creosote that dropped into the bottom of the chimney was piled high enough to affect the draft a little. I opened the cleanout, let it fall into a large plastic container then, the I used the brush to drop maybe another half a coffee can of glossy flakes no more than 1/16 inch thick.

Again, I have since installed an EPA stove and judging by the lack of smoke, I am in a new place as far as creosote.

I remember the days with the old stove, when when I'd burn real hot after a week of low slow burns I'd hear the sheet/chunks of creosote falling.
One chimney fire.
Most of the problem was wet un-seasoned wood.

With the new epa catalytic, the first few months I had creosote in the top 1/3 of the chimney & heavy on the cap.
Combination of wet wood, slow burns & single wall stove pipe.

I've since got 2+ year old seasoned wood & double wall stove pipe. Even when burning low & slow, no creosote issues.
Like I said, dry wood is key. (learned that here) been said over 1,000 times here, in various ways,
dry wood is "key", "essential", "important", "required" .

When you experience burning with 2+ year real dry wood, you're hooked.
You burn less wood, get more heat, burn longer, burn cleaner & eliminate the creosote issue

 

[etiger2007]

I could be wrong but here's how I do it. When lighting the kindling I leave the air wide open to get everything hot ( stove top around 600) let that burn down leaving the air open and add a load of wood. I get the load of wood dialed in and I usually ene up with the air 1/4 open. When the load of wood is reduced to coals and the stove top is around 350 I open the air all the way to keep the chimney heated up for the next load.

 

[Woody Stover]

I use the creosote remover (powder) every week or so even though they say "every three fires"......I have a new EPA stove this year and I believe that the creosote in my chimney will be significantly reduced.

Yep. I don't recall reading here that anyone uses the creo remover...

you used the words "for nerds" in your title post so I had to jump in....

Likewise, when I saw 'burnouts.'