Creosote Question

[BurningWood]

Finally got a thermometer for the top of the stove. My stove is keeping my house rather hot - 70 and up - so I've been trying to keep the amount of wood in it to a minimum. Usually I put a log on when I have a mostly bright red coals going on. However, in doing this I am noting that the thermometer tends to stay right around 300 (sometimes down to about 250), which is the bottom end of the burn zone/top end of the creosote zone. If I get it up to 400 or so the house is up to 80, aisch! Am I creating a creosote problem?

 

[tarzan]

What type of stove are you running? If a secondary burn stove then you really need to get the secondaries firing to clean up the exhaust.

Those temps sound low for any stove too function correctly and clean up the exhaust though. Do you have another way to heat on milder days?

 

[Ctwoodtick]

I will let others chime in about opinions on whether creosote is likely occurring or not. On other note, it seems like it's hard to use the stove without making the house unbearable. I think you're getting above avg temps in virginia. Hopefully as temps go down, you will be able to use the stove a bit hotter. Sounds like your heating needs are not that high right now-you might consider using whatever other heat source you have.

 

[snavematt]

Having the same issue here in VA with the mild weather. My wood is dry,15-18%. Mine is a new stove so I'm still trying to figure out best way to get secondaries going with out making the upstairs 80 something degrees. Hope it cools off here so I can get a good 5-600 burn going


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[BurningWood]

The overheating the house issue is happening even when it's 30-40 degrees outside. The first post I made on this forum (https://www.hearth.com/talk/posts/2127514/) dealt with this to some degree and it was recommended that I let the fire burn out rather than keep feeding it, as well as trying to only put one log on it. However, doing that yields the ~300 condition and given that this is a new install I'd really rather not muck it up, hence my return to see if I am causing an issue.

 

[bcrtops]

Creosote? Maybe, or maybe not.
It is marginal at best, & you should be checking your chimney every month.

More information would help others comment, like what stove? stovepipe double or single wall? Chimney construction, insulated liner or not? Straight pipe or angles? Etc.

When we are running our stove in mild weather or shoulder season, we build a nice hot fire in the morning, then let it die down (or out), then keep the stove going lower/slower. Always, one good hot fire per day -- keeps the pipes clean & creosote free.

 

[BurningWood]

Creosote? Maybe, or maybe not.
It is marginal at best, & you should be checking your chimney every month.

More information would help others comment, like what stove? stovepipe double or single wall? Chimney construction, insulated liner or not? Straight pipe or angles? Etc.

When we are running our stove in mild weather or shoulder season, we build a nice hot fire in the morning, then let it die down (or out), then keep the stove going lower/slower. Always, one good hot fire per day -- keeps the pipes clean & creosote free.

I have this stove:
http://www.usstove.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1938

There is no stovepipe. There's a liner in the chimney, which is directly connected to the stove (straight, no bends).

I do build the fire up to about 400 (and then it's nearly 80 in the house) and then try to keep it going with one log every now and again but that keeps it around 300. According to my outside thermometer it's 38 outside. It's 73 in the house and I've not put any logs on the fire in several hours. It's sitting right around 200 at the moment.

 

[Chimney Smoke]

When it's not really cold out (highs in the 30's-40) I will start the fire and get the stove hot and then let it burn down the coals for hours without adding more wood. That keeps the house comfortable and doesn't keep adding smoke to the fire. Once you've reached coals you're not going to create creosote anyways so the low temp doesn't matter. Every time you add one or two splits to the coals you're producing low temp smoke and adding creosote to the chimney.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

With how uncontrollable and hot your stove runs I don't think you have to worry a whole lot about creo build up.