eko 40 creosote build up

[Northwoodsman]

I have my EKO40 with 1,000 gal storage up and running and am experiencing creosote in the upper chamber (it gathers on the lower front lip of the upper chamber and causes the door gasket to stick to it and thus be pulled away fron the door).

I am running the fire very hot (EKO set at 195 F) and wide open in an attempt to get all 1,000 gallons to 180 F.

Does anybody have any possible solutions/experience with this problem (my wood has an approx. 20-25% moisture content and burns good with the gasification process)

Thanks in advance for your help !

BLC

 

[Tony H]

I also have some buildup, but so far not enough to pull off the gasket. It covers the whole firebox and I assume the chimney. With no storage I thought there would be some but not sure how much I should expect. If it were in the house I would start to worry about a fire but in my case it's in the shed with a SS double wall insulated chimney so all it can burn is the creosote.

 

[Duetech]

My EKO manual recommends using graphite spray on the gasket to prevent sticking. If none is available they also say to use about any oil. I use white lithium grease in an aerosol can with a directional spray tube and that works pretty good.
As far as the creosote it is par for the course. Perhaps you are getting too much air in the upper chamber causing the wood smoke to circulate excessively and that would cause it to collect against the cooler surface of the boiler. I have found pine is worse at producing creosote than hardwood especially when it is loaded with sappy knots. I don't have storage yet so I get a lot of idle time and as a result I get a lot of creosote so I keep a putty knife up close for that reason. The very front edge of the opening that the seal comes in contact with is probably the worst culprit as far as a good airtight seal is concerned. Creosote build up there can saturate the door seal if it is not lubed well and frequently. I have not replaced the door seal yet though I have taken it out and cleaned it with my propane torch and re-used it. That was about a year ago and is near time to re-do or replace the seal now. Locally it is hard to find the 1 1/4" rope gasket but I have found a link: http://www.Patriot-supply.com where I can get it...Cave2k

 

[markpee]

I have lots of creosote too. I guess this is life - it burns off once in a while, sometimes in my chimney, had a good chimney fire today!

 

[Eric Johnson]

You guys shouldn't be getting any creosote in your chimney. You should have a good coating in your primary burn chamber, but it should all get burned up during gasification. Even systems like mine that idle more than they should, don't get creosote in the chimney. And a chimney fire in a gasifier is something I've never heard of or experienced. Seems to me that in order to get that much creosote in the chimney, you'd have to run the boiler with the bypass damper open. And there's not enough heat coming out of the hx tubes to torch off a chimney fire, either.

Anybody else ever have a chimney fire with a gasifier?