cresote treatment

[caseyl89]

Hi all. So I just bought a home where the chimney was somewhat neglected. Ive already done a sweeping and had masonry repairs and a cap installed and need to tackle the creosote now. Are there any creosote treatment products that can be applied directly to the chimney and creosote and not applied to a fire or the wood when burning a fire as it is spring time and fire season is over.

thanks for your help.

 

[dave_376]

if the chimney was already swept then you shouldn't have any creosote, anything in the chimney should have been brushed out leaving it clean. You should get a professional chimney sweep to inspect it if you are concerned about it.

In the future burn dry, well seasoned wood and you will reduce creosote issues.

 

[Johnsdeere]

I have the same problem. And I think casey189 is maybe talking about the black, tar like layer. Other than starting a small chimney fire, like the old timers did, is there any other way to get rid of it?

 

[Jags]

There is a handful of treatment products on the market to convert the tar like stuff into a brittle version of it to make sweeping easier. I don't know of any of them that can be applied directly. Usually the instruction state to apply this stuff to a lazy, smoldering fire (to intentionally get it to stick to the sides).

For the OP - if you have swept and you still have the tar like creo, you may want to call in a pro before you light a fire.

 

[Grisu]

With kudos to Tom Oyen: ((broken link removed to http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/hoglaze.htm))

Q: So how do you remove this glaze? A: Prior to removal, the glaze must be broken down chemically. There are two ways to accomplish this:


The slow way: do it yourself.
There are products available to the general public that contain a chemical catalyst that breaks down glaze creosote gradually, over time. Some, like TSR (Third Stage Remover) and ACS (Anti Creo Soot) brands, are in liquid form and are sprayed on each load of wood as it is added to the fire. Liquid catalysts burn up in the fire, and emit exhaust chemicals which deposit on the glaze as they travel up the flue. Some, like Cre-Away, are in powder form, and are puffed into the firebox above the flames to be carried aloft by the chimney updraft. Activated by the heat from hot, dry-wood fires, these catalysts gradually "etch" the creosote, turning it into a dry, powdery form that can be swept out with a standard brush. Depending upon the thickness of the glaze, this technique can sometimes drag out over several months.


The fast way: hire a professional Chimney Sweep.
This process involves spraying a super-concentrated chemical directly onto the glaze via a special pressure applicator that is lowered down from the chimney top. This chemical is not available to the general public, so you're going to have to call in a professional Chimney Sweep. Most professional glaze removal treatments require three visits over the course of two weeks. On the first visit, we score the surface of the glaze with a chimney brush, then saturate it with the chemical catalyst. The chemical needs to be above 50 degrees to work, so glaze removal is best accomplished during the Spring and Summer. In colder weather you must have at least 4 hot fires during the following week, opening the draft control and damper or baffle-bypass on your stove enough to allow as much heat as possible up the chimney (we recommend you monitor these fires in case the glaze ignites). One week later, on the second visit, we sweep out the broken-down glaze and re-apply the chemical to any remaining glaze. On the third visit, we remove the last of the residue and spray the flue with a chemical that neutralizes the catalyst. Occasionally, when deposits are extra dense or extra thick, additional treatments may be needed to break down and remove all the layers.

 

[Jags]

That "Tom" guy is a pretty sharp fellow.

 

[Johnsdeere]

I've had a few chimney fires, one my wife started when I was out plowing snow, Thank god for good neighbors who banged on the door to alert her. Having an old Vermont castings resolute wood stove, the fire smolders too much and I get the black tar lining in the chimney. This year I plan on putting in a liner. It is a mason chimney, with a clay tile liner but I just want to be extra safe. Also Im replacing the stove with a Joutl f400 that I picked up for free and hasn't been used more than three fires. The glass is broken and I got prices to replace it. Hoping the new stove will be better. But I'll miss the old resolute!

 

[Jags]

Whoa on the chimney fires. It sounds like a more frequent cleaning schedule should have been put in place. I won't even dive into the burning methods, cuz, well, it was an old Resolute.
The new stove should treat you right. Lining the tile will require that the clay be as clean as reasonably possible.
Keep in mind - that F400 is considered a medium size stove.

 

[Grisu]

I've had a few chimney fires, one my wife started when I was out plowing snow, Thank god for good neighbors who banged on the door to alert her. Having an old Vermont castings resolute wood stove, the fire smolders too much and I get the black tar lining in the chimney. This year I plan on putting in a liner. It is a mason chimney, with a clay tile liner but I just want to be extra safe. Also Im replacing the stove with a Joutl f400 that I picked up for free and hasn't been used more than three fires. The glass is broken and I got prices to replace it. Hoping the new stove will be better. But I'll miss the old resolute!

Please have the chimney professionally swept and inspected before putting in the liner. You may also benefit from in insulated liner. Also, are you using seasoned wood? Even in an old stove seasoned wood will avoid creosote problems.

 

[Jags]

Also, are you using seasoned wood?

If he ain't - he will be.

 

[Johnsdeere]

I did run out of wood and got a cord from "young adults" that said it was seasoned, trouble was it was wet. But in the past I always burned oak and maple and it was seasoned in a shed for a year. Trouble is my house is small (1000 sq ft.) and the stove goes into "idle" mode. I was going to switch over to a pellet stove, but I had a person say that the Jotul F 400 was a far better stove and had "clean burn" technology. He had one and never got any creosote build up. And it's like night and day compared to the old Vermont castings. This year was very cold and I used up 4 cord of wood. I normally use 2- 21/2 cord.

 

[Jags]

The F400 is a nice stove, but is only a 1.75 cuft firebox. Probably plenty of heat for 1000 sqft when fed regularly, but is not gonna be an overnight heating brute. Being an EPA stove, if this stove is run properly, with quality (re: Dry) wood, it will be a nice clean burner.
My personal opinion is that you won't get much for overnight burns with a 1.75 cuft stove. A hazy rule of thumb is 2+ for that. I don't know if that figures into your plans, just want you to be aware of it.

Apologies to the OP - it was not my intent to hijack this thread.

Johnsdeere - if you have questions on the F400...strike up a new thread in the stove room. There are a good handful of folks that run them on this site.

 

[Grisu]

But in the past I always burned oak and maple and it was seasoned in a shed for a year.

Wood needs sun and especially wind to dry out. Unless you have some form of air movement in the shed, that wood is not going to dry much. Plus, oak needs a minimum of 2 years better 3 for drying and maple 1 to 2 years depending on the exact species. I would recommend a moisture meter.

 

[bholler]

Please have the chimney professionally swept and inspected before putting in the liner. You may also benefit from in insulated liner. Also, are you using seasoned wood? Even in an old stove seasoned wood will avoid creosote problems.

I agree totally if there is glaze in there it needs to come out before you put a liner in it. We usually just break out the old liners if they are glazed bad but they could be cleaned also.