Chimney clogged?

[MikeM1968]

ok so I ran out of firewood and the stove got cold- wasn’t planning on getting more since it’s end of April here in Northwestern NJ and it “should “ be warm by now.

I finally gave in and bought another chord of seasoned wood because it hasn’t warmed up and our unreliable boiler also decided to stop working a few weeks ago.

What I noticed since trying to get the stove going again:

PLENTY of smoke- not just coming out the door while open but also pouring out of the wall inlet where my pipe goes in and up. This wasn’t happening a week ago or so when I was still burning up the last of my previous chord.

The smoke from the wall inlet only occurs while the stove door is open- as soon as I close the stove door the smoke from the wall inlet also stops - BUT so does my fire, even with the stoves air damper open. This inlet was sealed up with chimney cement when I installed the stove and piping but that stuff expands out and have noticed a gap. Like I said though, it wasn’t a problem until now.

The problem is, the fire only blazes up hot when the door is open- I can’t get the stove warm enough to actually provide heat or get it into a decent range on the stove thermometer because I have to close the door because of the really terrible smoke. So the chimney pipe also doesn’t really warm up and nothing gets into the “sweet” range on the thermometer.

CHIMNEY TOP / stove pipe top, outside is smoking as it should be. I can’t help but think the fire isn’t getting enough air “flow through” or a vacuum past the fire from the air inlet on the stove- through the chimney thanks to a blockage in the chimney.

The chimney piping itself comes off the stove up about a foot then back and toward the right through two elbows- then about 2 feet into the chimney pipe and another elbow upwards ( which used to be a clean out, but the actual clean out capability is in an inaccessible spot).

I wonder if stuff settled down the chimney piping into the bottom when the pipes got cold about a week ago. That kinda makes sense, but I’m no expert. But if it’s blocked- why would smoke be coming out the top?

I’ve been burning every day since October and cleared the chimney only once prior to the season. During the season I’ve burned creosote logs about once a month.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

My guess is your seasoned wood isn't seasoned. It's very rare for firewood to be seasoned from a dealer. It's even rarer to find it at the end of the year.

Things you can do to help the situation:
Pallet wood-free, you just need to break it down.
Compressed sawdust logs
Split the wet wood down into smaller bits
Find another wood burner who has extra and is willing to share
Fix the boiler
Cuddle with the wife, dog, etc.

And check the chimney. Never guess about the condition of such things. Mistakes with fire can be catastrophic.

 

[maple1]

You really need to check & clean the chimney & all related piping, before using the stove any more.

 

[edyit]

The problem is, the fire only blazes up hot when the door is open

that is a sure sign of unseasoned wood

During the season I’ve burned creosote logs about once a month.

these don't remove creosote, they turn hard to remove creosote into an easier to remove version of creosote,

it sounds like you need to get your chimney cleaned, either buy a brush and some rods from a place like tractor supply or menards if you have them in your area or if you're not comfortable doing it yourself, hire a sweep to come clean it.

 

[jetsam]

bought another chord of seasoned wood

PLENTY of smoke- not just coming out the door while open but also pouring out of the wall inlet where my pipe goes in and up.

This inlet was sealed up with chimney cement when I installed the stove and piping but that stuff expands out and have noticed a gap

The chimney piping itself comes off the stove up about a foot then back and toward the right through two elbows- then about 2 feet into the chimney pipe and another elbow upwards ( which used to be a clean out, but the actual clean out capability is in an inaccessible spot).

Poor draft and wet wood.

Poor draft is probably being caused by the install having so many elbows and horizontal runs, creosote buildup, and warm weather.

It's also not normal to have huge gaps in your flue that need to be spackled in with furnace cement.

To get you going right now, take that whole flue system apart and brush out every inch of pipe with a chimney brush. You have to take it apart because of all the elbows. Clean the cap on the roof, especially if it has mesh on it. You can't go the easy way and use a soot eater without disassembly because you have elbows with no cleanouts.

Get some dry wood for your first fire with the clean flue, so you can see how things are actually working. Maybe go down to home depot and ask for a deal on all their warped/damaged 2x3s. Don't burn a whole load of dimensional lumber unless your stove has excellent air control- just mix some in with your new "seasoned" wood.

Long term, you need to reevaluate and fix the install, and get ahead on your wood supply. Post pictures of the install here and the pros will help you.

 

[xman23]

A new week draft after it was good for some time, can be a few things. If you have a cap with a screen, it would be my first guess. You will see smoke getting through it, but it can be mostly plugged up. Burning with warmer outside temps will reduce the draft. The wood not being seasoned will make getting and keeping a fire going much harder. But if's its burning it should't have smoke not going up the chimney.

 

[MikeM1968]

It was EXTREMELY gunked - up

I learned ( the hard way) that, unless im burning “perfect “ wood all season, I’d better clean my chimney at least every other month during the season.

Perfect seasoned wood would cost quite a bit more than just using my boiler all season- so, while that’d be ideal- it’s not a realistic option. The stuff I usually get is pretty good at $185 a chord delivered. Certainly not perfect though and it varies every delivery. I’m pretty sure they’re a side business of a construction company or something.

It’s a miracle I didn’t have a chimney fire- not kidding either. I can only guess the white fire barrier tiles on top of the inside of my englander stove did their job.

The gap in the pipe wasn’t really the issue- it was the quantity of creosote build up that must have fallen down into the bottom elbow. Barely anything was getting through so it just backed up into the house. It could have settled after everything cooled and I tried firing it up again. 6 months since it was cleaned though- burned every day.

I did a full clean up top to bottom and re- sealed the wall inlet pipe using 3M fireblock sealant this time versus the furnace cement I’d used previously. The furnace cement just keeps cracking and falling apart. Not using that stuff anymore.

Inlet temperature never gets above 250 - 300° as I’ve observed with my little handheld laser thermometer.

I honestly wish I’d have taken pictures of the nastiness I found- it could serve as a warning to others and why I’m posting this reply.

The chimney cap looked like it was dunked in tar. I actually managed to get it off and burned off the creosote with a propane torch. An interesting exercise to watch what creosote actually does when it burns- absolutely crazy how it expands like a marshmallow- gets all sticky and keeps on burning leaving a tarry black film behind. It’s scary to think how it would go inside a chimney pipe completely lined with the crap.

I filled up my shop vac twice vacuuming out the debris, then going back up to the roof to try to get the chimney brush all the way down. Rinse and repeat until I finally broke through with the brush.

Real smelly stuff too - house smelled like some really intense concentrated wood smoked sausage smell for about a week afterwards.

Some stuff that was all red and muddy as well, just got everywhere. Totally gross.

So yeah- lesson learned.

Unless it’s some perfect wood, I’d better plan on cleaning up like every other month during the 5-6 months I’m usually heating the house with the stove.

 

[jetsam]

It was EXTREMELY gunked - up

I learned ( the hard way) that, unless im burning “perfect “ wood all season, I’d better clean my chimney at least every other month during the season.

Perfect seasoned wood would cost quite a bit more than just using my boiler all season- so, while that’d be ideal- it’s not a realistic option. The stuff I usually get is pretty good at $185 a chord delivered. Certainly not perfect though and it varies every delivery. I’m pretty sure they’re a side business of a construction company or something.

It’s a miracle I didn’t have a chimney fire- not kidding either. I can only guess the white fire barrier tiles on top of the inside of my englander stove did their job.

The gap in the pipe wasn’t really the issue- it was the quantity of creosote build up that must have fallen down into the bottom elbow. Barely anything was getting through so it just backed up into the house. It could have settled after everything cooled and I tried firing it up again. 6 months since it was cleaned though- burned every day.

I did a full clean up top to bottom and re- sealed the wall inlet pipe using 3M fireblock sealant this time versus the furnace cement I’d used previously. The furnace cement just keeps cracking and falling apart. Not using that stuff anymore.

Inlet temperature never gets above 250 - 300° as I’ve observed with my little handheld laser thermometer.

I honestly wish I’d have taken pictures of the nastiness I found- it could serve as a warning to others and why I’m posting this reply.

The chimney cap looked like it was dunked in tar. I actually managed to get it off and burned off the creosote with a propane torch. An interesting exercise to watch what creosote actually does when it burns- absolutely crazy how it expands like a marshmallow- gets all sticky and keeps on burning leaving a tarry black film behind. It’s scary to think how it would go inside a chimney pipe completely lined with the crap.

I filled up my shop vac twice vacuuming out the debris, then going back up to the roof to try to get the chimney brush all the way down. Rinse and repeat until I finally broke through with the brush.

Real smelly stuff too - house smelled like some really intense concentrated wood smoked sausage smell for about a week afterwards.

Some stuff that was all red and muddy as well, just got everywhere. Totally gross.

So yeah- lesson learned.

Unless it’s some perfect wood, I’d better plan on cleaning up like every other month during the 5-6 months I’m usually heating the house with the stove.

3M fireblock is not for high temperature applications. It is only rated for 240°F. I'd get it out of there personally.

If you must buy wood, buy several years' worth now and let it dry. Then just buy 1 year's worth every year going forward, so everything gets 2-3 years of covered dry time.

You should really post some pictures too so the guys can look at your flue and give you advice on that.

 

[MikeM1968]

3M fireblock is not for high temperature applications. It is only rated for 240°F. I'd get it out of there personally.

If you must buy wood, buy several years' worth now and let it dry. Then just buy 1 year's worth every year going forward, so everything gets 2-3 years of covered dry time.

You should really post some pictures too so the guys can look at your flue and give you advice on that.

Again, that’d be ideal if I had acres of land to store it.

The 3M stuff is holding up fine- rated for 1382° F - so that’s well above my needs.

 

[jetsam]

This stuff?

 

[bholler]

Again, that’d be ideal if I had acres of land to store it.

The 3M stuff is holding up fine- rated for 1382° F - so that’s well above my needs.

What 3m prodict is rated that high? It still is not high enough for a wood stove but could be useful to us in other applications. I understsnd space limitations but you really need to be buying ahead if you want to heat with wood. If split small and stacked right in the right location you can get it dry in a year but you cant count on being able to buy dry wood. It simply doesnt happen. And you cant keep doing it the way you are. It is to d dangerous.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

You might also look for wood species that dry quicker like soft maple, pine, etc. if split on smaller size, these woods can be under 20 percent moisture content in 6-12 months if drying in good area (not completely covered by a tarp, decent ventilation).
I live on a half acre plot and my wood storage area can hold about 10 cords. It’s in the back corner of my yard (backyard). It doesn’t look like overkill in my opinion. Not sure what your space situation is like but try to expand you wood supply, you won’t be sorry.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

You can cheat with space a bit by stacking higher. Stack 6 or 7 foot high and the cords take a surprisingly little amount of space.

 

[begreen]

You can cheat with space a bit by stacking higher. Stack 6 or 7 foot high and the cords take a surprisingly little amount of space.

Just be careful with your stacking. When stacking to 7-8 feet you want a very stable stack.

 

[maple1]

Double stacking helps stabilty. Keep some air spaces in between to help with drying.

 

[Happy Stacker]

Again, that’d be ideal if I had acres of land to store it.

You don't need a lot of space if you stack it high...

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Just be careful with your stacking. When stacking to 7-8 feet you want a very stable stack.

Yeah, I don't think I'd hit 8 feet. I can reach 7 easy enough that I can stack uglies at that height.

 

[begreen]

The front of our shed can stack to 8 ft though I only take it to about 7ft. A row back is about 6.5 ft. Our ground is sloped slightly toward the open side. One time several years back I had the front row topple down right on the cart as I was loading it. It happened very quickly and missed me by a nanosecond. Now I make sure the rows are very level or lean back slightly against the row behind them so that there is no chance of that happening again.

 

[fbelec]

the other thing about a tarry chimney is if you try to brush the tarry stuff the brush doesn't take that off until it is truly dry which takes weeks