Faulty duratech class A pipe?

[rossjare]

Hello,
I purchased and installed all duratech 6 inch chimney for a Lopi 1250 about 7 weeks ago. The class A pipe we got was one section of 36 inch and one section of 60 inch which put us right at the 15 foot minimum height as indicated in the Lopi manual. We got all the pipe from northline express and used their chimney wizard to determine how much of everything we needed. As we have basically kept it burning since install, I decided I should get on the roof tonight to check on creosote buildup and noticed a couple small discolorations on the upper section of class A pipe where the two sections connect. Upon closer inspection I noticed that there are actually small cracks that have formed. Everything was connected tight so seems to me to be defective pipe and I plan on contacting customer service tomorrow but curious if anyone has seen this or has insight into why this would occur other than faulty pipe?
Thank you.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

What did the chimney look like inside?

 

[rossjare]

It looked normal to me with a relatively small layer of creosote buildup, id say starting to near the 1/8 inch

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I wonder if there was a chimney fire. Was the creosote glossy or ash like?

 

[rossjare]

I wonder if there was a chimney fire.

after 7 weeks of burning standing dead ash; seems unrealistic to me. rain cap, spark arrestor, and chimney are not warped, creosote inside is flaky and not very thick. what other signs should I look for that would suggest a chimney fire occurred?

 

[bholler]

after 7 weeks of burning standing dead ash; seems unrealistic to me. rain cap, spark arrestor, and chimney are not warped, creosote inside is flaky and not very thick. what other signs should I look for that would suggest a chimney fire occurred?

It certainly is possible but a chimney fire wouldn't cause that.

 

[rossjare]

It certainly is possible but a chimney fire wouldn't cause that.

as I do more research I realize the possibility of a chimney fire is higher than I originally assumed and definitely plan to do more frequent inspections until I am more familiar with how things are going

 

[ABMax24]

It's a defect from manufacturing, either a spot weld was put in the wrong spot or it's a stray arc. Call Duravent and see what they do.