First year burning. Liner inspection and cleaning. How does it look? Creosote?

[Brian26]

Drolet 1800 insert in an uninsulated 6 SS liner on a exterior 20ft chimney. Block off plate installed and Roxul packed at the top. Stove was installed in Sept and I have burned about a half cord and a good deal of compressed wood fuel.

Just did my first cleaning and inspection. Used a Sooteater from below. Kind of nervous about the amount of creosote on the top of the stove and after cleaning the liner. I did discover the top stone above my secondary burner tubes was cracked in half. A new one is being sent by SBI. Must have been damaged during shipping.

So how do I look? The creosote was flaky and not glazed. But there was some glaze on the top of the stove.

 

[webbie]

taint nuttin dere......wouldn't worry about it! Based on that, you should probably inspect once a year or every 2-3 cords, IMHO.

 

[PLAYS WITH FIRE]

Not be a smart a55 but are these picture of the liner after cleaning? As for the amount shown in the box seems a but much for a half cord. I cleaned today and got about 2-3 measuring cups full. That's burning since November almost 24/7. I used to get more when I'd burn after work coincidently I'd use more wood too.

But if your new which I'm only 3 years old, , I'd clean often to gage how you burn.

Had to check the measuring cup, more like 1.5 cups. And the pipe just looks dusty is all...

 

[Brian26]

These were before I cleaned .Liner looked spotless after the cleaning. Sooteater does a really good job.

Maybe a bit more than a cord. Hard to guess how much I burned as I am new to burning. Possibly close to a cord plus maybe a few hundred pounds of compressed fuel. Anyways, thanks for the input. Will inspect again next month.

 

[PLAYS WITH FIRE]

That makes more sense then. I am slightly....extremely paranoid about what's in that stack! I will clean rain, hail, sleet or snow. Makes feel safer, as a matter of fact the roof today was icy. I had to crab crawl across it and slide a bit to my chimney. If I would have fallen it would have been about a 10' drop. But....it done!

 

[jatoxico]

These were before I cleaned .Liner looked spotless after the cleaning. Sooteater does a really good job.

Maybe a bit more than a cord. Hard to guess how much I burned as I am new to burning. Possibly close to a cord plus maybe a few hundred pounds of compressed fuel. Anyways, thanks for the input. Will inspect again next month.

Where did the black crusty stuff in the bottom of the box come from? I've gotten similar crunchies due to sub-par wood. Each year gets better. If that pic of the liner is before using the soot-eater I think you are doing pretty ok.

 

[BrotherBart]

Heck. Looks better than mine does after I clean it. The crap in the top of the firebox is normal. Insert blowers cool the area around the flue collar. Maybe let it get a little hotter before you turn on the blower.

 

[Swedishchef]

I find that liner looks damn goood! I think you're doing everything properly.

Congrats!

Andrew