chimney cap mesh getting clogged

[LakeLouiseLocal]

I have an Alderlea T4, and burn mostly birch, and much of our winter is quite cold. My chimney cap has a very fine mesh (about 2/3 inch squares), and during the cold weather, a fine growth of soot starts to grow on the mesh. In as little as two weeks, the mesh can get grown over with soot, and needs to be cleaned, as it starts to affect the draw.

The material clogging up the mesh is very flakey and black, and comes off easily, so I'm pretty sure it's not creosote (it's not gooey), but I'd rather not climb on my roof every few weeks to clean it.

In my five plex, all my neighbours have wood stoves, but they have much more open cap designs (wide mesh or no mesh). They don't get this buildup.

I have two questions:

1. Should I be doing anything different in the burn cycles to try to fix the problem that way? I try to get my fires going quickly, and then get them nice and hot before turning down the damper to its lowest level for a slow burn.

2. Should I bite the bullet and just a buy a new cap? Is any cap suitable for the top of my stove pipe, and if so, what is a good brand / design to buy? (I live in Alberta and it's a 6" pipe)

-Joel

 

[maple1]

I would definitely get another cap, of some sort. I don't have mesh on mine - mesh does attract creosote. But I did get a couple of bats in the house one year. Wifey would tell you all about that episode if paths crossed - I just so happened to not be home when it occurred.

Also - if it's black, it's creosote. Just not the gooey kind.

 

[Highbeam]

Take your cap off, remove the mesh, and put it back on. Almost all cap designs do not depend on the mesh for structural support. Cap cloggage is not an indicator of bad burning habits but bad burning habits can make it happen faster.

You can save the mesh for a year and if you ever have a problem with animals flying down your chimney you can put it back on every year for the summer. That's better than going up there every few weeks in the winter.

 

[begreen]

It is a form of creosote. Could just be that a lot of heat is being lost in the exterior chimney run or that the wood is not fully seasoned, or both. Check with firemarshall or local authority on removing the screen. It may not be ok considering this is in a townhouse.