Creosote Question

[MO22]

I had an Osburn 2000 Insert installed this past fall and have been burning pretty heavily since mid October. The stove is great and has been able to heat my whole house but I have some concerns about creosote buildup. This past week I noticed some 2-3” chunks of what I think is creosote buried in the ash at the front of the fire box. This is the first time I have noticed anything like this during clean out. I’m not sure how it would have gotten there since if it fell from the liner wouldn’t it sit on the baffle?

I am also hoping someone can tell me if the attached picture looks to be a normal amount of creosote at the top of the liner for about 3 months of heavy burning and if it should be cleaned. I’ve burned about 3 cords of wood.

Lastly, I have a bluestone cover at the top of the chimney that is covered with shiny black creosote, mainly above the liner opening. I’m assuming this is normal due to the cooling that occurs there but it seems like it will not be easy to clean. Is a steel chimney cap a better way to go?

I burned mostly well seasoned oak until a couple weeks ago when I ran out of what I had stored (wasn’t sure how much I would be burning the first year). Since then I’ve been burning ash but I don’t think it’s fully seasoned.

 

[BigJ273]

It’s a little more than I would like to see. But maybe not too bad after 3 cords. I would clean after every cord. See how dirty it is then. Three cords seems like a lot in between cleaning. Is your liner insulated? Wet wood is also a likely cause

 

[begreen]

Time for a clean. It wouldn't surprise me if most of the accumulation occurred in the past month. Poorly seasoned and wet wood can coat up a flue quickly.

 

[MMH]

Agreed with others; clean it out. Sweep more frequently when you get into subpar wood. I start burning in September-October ish, 24/7 by late November-December and will burn until May. As such I’ll sweep usually in December, then right about now, and again at the end. Typically I’ll see 1-2 cups fine powder/velvet like. Do not underestimate truly seasoned wood.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

This past week I noticed some 2-3” chunks of what I think is creosote buried in the ash at the front of the fire box. This is the first time I have noticed anything like this during clean out. I’m not sure how it would have gotten there since if it fell from the liner wouldn’t it sit on the baffle?

thats not creosote, more like petrified ash chunks or something. I get that too on occasion and theres no way it could come from the chimney or be creosote.

 

[Caw]

thats not creosote, more like petrified ash chunks or something. I get that too on occasion and theres no way it could come from the chimney or be creosote.

I don't think that's creosote but I defer to the experts here. If you just smash it with your poker/shovel it'll turn into ash? My guess is it occurs with less than ideal wood. I've had it happen sometimes where the ash bed has some of that on top of it after a fire with mediocre wood.