Cleaned liner today...what do you seasoned burners think?

[olskool53]

I have been burning for 3 months on and off approx 1.5 cords. With 65 deg temps today i decided to go up and sweep the chimney. The cap had a bunch of glazed buildup on it and the chimney liner had a good amount of buildup in it. My 6" corrugated liner is about 24' after a good sweeping i had about a gallon of what looked like black rice. Question is is this too much after only 3 months and is the consistency due the the corrugated liner? The only shiny stuff was on the cap. I know my wood could be dryer but is this normal for a cat insert? I try to burn between 400-600 deg on the front glass, the cat is clean and the stove only smokes when the temp drops under 300. This cat insert is new to me, not sure what temp to burn at without over firing the cat..............I just don't want problems. What do you guys think?

 

[RonB]

Can't help you with proper operation of your CAT type stove, but I believe you have an excessive amount of creosote for the time frame. The purpose of the CAT is to ignite and eliminate the majority of the gasses that cause the creosote. Likely, the less than ideal wood moisture is the culprit. Properly seasoned/stored wood (burned correctly), in a modern stove wouldn't yield more than a cup or so of creosote. Someone who knows proper CAT procedure needs to jump in and help you the rest of the way.

 

[precaud]

I'm not seasoned enough... I need a few more weeks in the sun before I can comment

 

[pistonslap]

2 yrs. of burning with a non-cat and I had about a gallon of dry powdery creosote.

 

[karl]

Hopefully some pros can chime in here.

24 feet is alot of liner. I only have 16 feet. Also, I think the corrugated flex stuff collects more creosote than a smooth liner.

I have a non cat and I don't get a gallon out of the liner ever. I clean twice a year and get probably a gallon total. Your cat sends alot more smoke up the chimney when you reload it than my non cat does. Also, the chimney is cooler when you reload so the stuff can collect on it easier.

If it's dry and flakey, then theres little chance of it ever starting a fire. I wouldn't worry about it.

I'd like to see pics when everybody cleans their chimney. Maybe it could be a sticky. I kind of think the non cats dirty up a chimney more.

 

[Cearbhaill]

I'd like to see pics when everybody cleans their chimney.

Here is a pic of the results from my mid season cleaning last year- my first year burning with less than perfect wood.
It is in the bottom of a plain paper bag- less than a cup of dry gray stuff.

 

[olskool53]

Wow, I wish i took a pic. It wasn't sticky but it wasn't ashy either, bigger pieces sort of the consistency of rice. This is my first year with the corrugated liner when i used to sweep my chimney i would get fine black powder.........is this a liner thing?