Cap junk or ??

[eclecticcottage]

Quick background then pics. We have a Lopi Republic 1750 with double wall into stainless, probably about 18' from stove top to cap. No screen on the cap. Pipe is straight up, no bends and terminates right near the peak. We do get some weird winds sometimes. Cap has built creo sometimes, but we cleaned our own pipe this past fall after a full season burning and got maybe about a soup can or so of brown stuff. Nothing shiny. This year we're burning low moisture content pine. I'd say 15% or so. We run the stove up to about 700 regularly and cruise about 650/600. Usually reload at about 300, sometimes 400.

This am DH refilled the stove, nothing strange occured. No extra drafting, no whooshing, etc. Let the dog out and went out to get more wood and found what's shown below all over the fresh snow. It is kind of soft, sort of velvety feeling even. It has a little flexibilty, but it will fall apart if you touch it too much. Not crunchy at all.

So...what is this stuff?? Cap buildup that blew off? Some type of creosote? Chimney fire leavings? Hard to believe it's from a chimney fire by how the stove runs, wood, etc but maybe it is? First pic is one side, second is the the other, it's the same piece of stuff.

 

[jatoxico]

If it's not crunchy I'm guessing soot buildup. I think pine ts sootier than hard wood.

 

[eclecticcottage]

So...what would have blown it out like that? There is actually a pretty good amount of it, the snow is melting so it's hard to see it all but it looks like we burned a bunch of paper (which we didnt!!). Looks like more than what would have been on the cap..maybe just the heat/draw from the stove on the reload?

 

[tcassavaugh]

I remember when I was a kid, we had soot all over the snow after a chimney fire......not saying you had one, that's just when I remember seeing it.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

Check your cap, i bet you have a nice buildup on it. Was it windy the day(s) before you noticed it? Im betting you have a build up on the cap and the wind shook some loose and sent it sailing. I get quite the build up on mine that looks similar. You can see the flat part in your picture where it was attached to the cap. I'd go inspect the cap and chimney, with this cold weather you may need to do a mid winter sweep.

 

[HotCoals]

Looks like the same stage 2 creosote that I get on my cap.
I can go one season then I have to clean the whole 9 yards.
I can walk 3 ft from my stove to the deck and see my cap easy so I do check it now and then.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

If it's not crunchy I'm guessing soot buildup. I think pine ts sootier than hard wood.

Not true at all.


eclecticcottage, I'd be checking on that chimney for sure as that is a pretty good sized piece of creosote there. Probably fell from the cap but it does bear checking.

 

[BrotherBart]

Yeah that smooth side screams "off the cap". The angles on the sides are too close together to have been from a six inch pipe.

 

[jatoxico]

Not true at all.


eclecticcottage, I'd be checking on that chimney for sure as that is a pretty good sized piece of creosote there. Probably fell from the cap but it does bear checking.

No? I do feel like I get more ash and dust on my glass from pine. Not blackened just wipes off with your finger or a towel. Any way I didn't think that ashey stuff was creosote, learn something new every day. Reminds me I gotta sweep.