Dry wood = amazing results.

[Robbie]

Super dry wood used last fall resulted in about two quarts of very fine "dust" all winter in my whole pipe system of about 25 ft..........actually it was probably half that.

It is about 90 degrees outside today (to reach 95) so I decided to do the complete pipe/stove cleanup I was supposed to do in early spring.

I see no way you could have chimney fire with this type of fine dust I have found all winter with only 2 cleanings including this one.

To make things even better, I only had to empty my stove ashes 4 times all winter..........and the ash found was fine as flour...........not one black chunk..............all powder white.

I tried to clean my cap screen and it looked new with no glaze at all.........after 3 months of burning since last cleaning.

To sum it all up............try to get one season ahead...........let it dry for a whole year or more and you will be amazed at the results.

To be honest, I did not even need to clean my pipe or screen and it had been 3 months since the last cleaning.

One last comment, I did also use a new method of burning all last season I have talked about a lot on this forum and it involves hardly ever dampering your stove and using only one larger split at a time to keep from having to do so.

It works like a charm for me.........I truly believe this also helped because I never slow that smoke down by dampering.

Robbie

 

[fossil]

So all those pesky rumors and superstitions about seasoned wood appear to actually be true? Who'd have thought it? :lol: Good job keepin' her clean and safe, Robbie! Rick

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Leaving the damper open will improve the efficiency of burning... but I think to the detriment of overall heat transfer to the house- correct?

 

[fossil]

Don't think so. Damper wide open = highest attainable rate of combustion = max heat production = warm room, hot stack (minimum creosote)...and maximum fuel consumption. I damp down my stoves (after establishing a vigorous fire & nice bed of coals) to maintain temps (room & stovepipe), and to conserve fuel. I'm talking about intake air control here...I don't have stovepipe dampers installed. Rick

 

[burntime]

Its a tightrope, you will find out that it depends on the outside temp, the wood moisture, and how hot the fire is roaring.

 

[fossil]

Yup, many variables involved...and manually controlled by the operator. The wood you burn today (and how you burn it) might burn differently than the wood you burned yesterday. That's what makes it fun. Rick

 

[savageactor7]

Well is sounds like Robbie is a hot burner like I am. I throw 1 or 2 logs in and burn hot like 550*.

Let me ask the experts here can you still get creosote buildup if you burn well seasoned wood with a smoldering type fire?

I would think you can that's why holding a long burning fire is not in my game plan unless I go to my brother in laws to watch the super bowl...or something along those lines. My objective in burning wood is to stay warm enough to wear shorts in the house...also I couldn't afford to burn enough LP to keep my wife happy. she wears a sweater in the summertime.

 

[fossil]

...can you still get creosote buildup if you burn well seasoned wood with a smoldering type fire?...

I believe you can, but the better seasoned the wood, the less severe the problem. Depends on wood moisture content, stovepipe interior temperature, chimney thermal characteristics, outside air temperature, etc. Creosote condenses out of the flue gas onto relatively cool interior surfaces of the stovepipe/chimney. The drier the fuel, the lower the moisture content of the flue gas. The more efficient the combustion in the stove is, the lower the moisture content of the flue gas. The warmer the flue gas, the warmer the whole stovepipe/chimney structure. The conditions that are most favorable for creosote formation are wet wood, low flue gas temperature, cold outside temperature, and low temperature of the interior surface of the stovepipe/chimney. At least that's the way this rookie understands it. Rick

 

[BrotherBart]

Flue walls above the 212 degree boiling point of water = no creosote

Flue walls below the 212 degree boiling point of water = creosote

Also over the years on hearth.com I have learned that:

- If you are getting smoke, your wood isn't dry enough

- If you are getting creosote accumulation, your wood isn't dry enough

- If your stove won't heat your 4,000 sq. ft. house, your wood isn't dry enough

- If your kid is failing algebra class, your wood isn't dry enough

Any other problems in your life including the heartbreak of Psoriasis are caused by you not having a block-off plate.

 

[Carl]

A fun thread. In my opinion wet wood is the number one cause of creosote but you may get as many different answers as people on here.

Back years ago when the stoves weren't as efficient in controling the fire and combustion air we were taught to only dry the wood one summer and burn in the fall. This kept a little moisture in the wood to help slow down the burn rate so you got a more stable burn. This process seemed to add to the creosote buildup, especially with long slow burns. Today with all the knowledge of the past we know moisture and low stack temps cause creosote.

Dry your wood well and cut it a year ahead. No more wood being too dry to burn in todays stoves. If you still have an older stove then do what it takes to keep it burning clean and keep checking the chimney for creosote.

 

[savageactor7]

Thanks fossil, brotherbart and Carl that's what I figured...even seasoned wood will produce creosote with an inadequate fire. And the problem is even worse with unseasoned wood which we all know to be a fundamental law of nature.

 

[fossil]

Flue walls above the 212 degree boiling point of water = no creosote

Well, closer to ~205* here at ~3600 ft. ASL, so that's probably not my problem.

...- If your kid is failing algebra class, your wood isn't dry enough

Daughter's half way through her studies for her Master's Degree in Math, so I guess that's not my problem.

...Any other problems in your life including the heartbreak of Psoriasis are caused by you not having a block-off plate.

Damn! That must be it...here I am with two freestanding woodstoves and not one block-off plate. Where should I put them?

:cheese: Rick

 

[savageactor7]

^I've been burning wood since '77 and I wouldn't know what a block off plate was if you hit me over the head with one.

 

[begreen]

Smack!@ :coolsmile:

 

[Robbie]

I learned this method by accident..........my stove burped a couple times in the night because I had dampered too much too soon.

I decided to try opening the damper all the time, let that thing breath.

Since then, I have white fluffy ash.........light as flour and no smelly wood chunks left in my stove because of dry wood.

I compress the ashes in the morning and start again...I empty half as much ash since using dry wood and not dampering.....the temps never get below 70 or so in my house and thats at the end of a nights burn.

The dry wood is a must for this method.......just get a few hot oak coals and add one nice split of oak every few hours.......no dampering and no worries of overfire.......once you get the heat coming out via blower........you just wait until the split is 99% gone and add another.

The key here is one larger split........very dry. Add to coals and it will be flaming before you get the door shut.

You will be surprised how well a steady 300 to 400 degrees and higher will heat your house with a good blower.

1850 sq ft and the average temp inside all winter is about 76 easily, upstairs and down..........if the temps outside are 20s to 30s.

Sit back and watch the temps rise but not to worry because one split never gets my temps up too high.........it tops out plenty hot and then stays steady as it gets into the hard wood.

Dry wood is the answer here........stove operation is secondary....but I will never damper again unless I goof and load too much dry wood.

Robbie

 

[Bill]

When I have a hot fire going and damper it down, my stove temperature goes up. With the damper or maybe I should call it air controller wide open a lot of heat is going up the chimney. Burning one log at a time is fine during the day but not for overnight long burns.

I damper way down at night, but first thing in the morning I let her rip. Just pulled my chimney out and did an inspection, didn't need cleaning. I suspect it never will, as long as I continue to burn hot occasionally and use very dry wood.