Found this on my deck...should I be concerned?

[PapaDave]

From your description and pic of the wood, it's probably a combo of not so dry wood and possible cool burning (at times), as pen mentioned.
Sounds like this coming winter will see you better prepared as far as the wood is concerned.

 

[Jaugust124]

Thanks for all the replies folks. I took the day off from work tomorrow and one of my errands will be to head to the stove shop that installed the insert and liner. I will be bringing the pictures with me to show them exactly what I found.

To answer a couple questions and comments:

1) It is not an insulated pipe that you see running about 4ft. up from the chimney, it is single wall as far as I know.
2) I know the pipe sticking up looks precarious and I had the same thought as well when it was first installed, however as I mentioned earlier it survived Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, so I am fairly confident that it is not going anywhere. I also looked around online and from what I found, a chimney does not have to be strapped unless it is 5'-6'. That being said I will discuss it further with the stove shop to see about getting some bracing for peace of mind and also replacing the single wall pipe with a insulated pipe.
3) While I am there I will certainly make an appointment to have them check out the chimney and set up my annual cleaning.
4) As I mentioned in one of my posts, I have heard something (creosote?) falling in the chimney. I am hoping that what happened is the creosote (if that's what it was that I heard) burnt and went up and out of the chimney and not the sidewalls of the liner burning. Still not good if that's the case, but better I assume than a full blown chimney fire.
5) Yes, I am a bit scared that this has happened. My first year burning went off without a hitch and now in my second year, this. It certainly has me questioning my burning practices.

Thank you all once again for your comments, questions, and concerns. I will keep you posted.

Jamie

 

[Jaugust124]

Spoke to the stove store today, they will be coming out on Tuesday, May 29th to do the annual cleaning and will be addressing my concerns.

Thanks and I will keep you posted.
Jamie

 

[Jaugust124]

Thought I would resurrect this and give a quick update. Had the installers come and clean the chimney. Yes, there was a chimney fire, but not in the part of the flue extending out of the chimney. They said it was lower than that. They didn't seem to be overly concerned and suggested that it was probably due to warmer conditions this past winter and just not burning hot enough or poor wood.

I addressed several other concerns with them: I asked about getting an insulated pipe for the top piece and they said they would install a 7" piece to fit over the 6" which would do the job. I also asked about a different cap to prevent water coming down the pipe and they were hesitant because they tend to clog easier. They also said the crown on my chimney needs to be fixed due to cracks. They told me they would get back to me in a day or two and I still haven't heard from them and its been about 3 weeks.

Also, I'm not liking some of my wood. I just checked with the Harbor Freight moisture meter and found many pieces reading 30% and higher and some of this stuff is 2 years old. I really think its the location of my wood piles. if you look at my previous picture, my wood is in the shade. I don't think its getting the chance to dry out. I think I will start moving it to a sunnier spot.

Thanks to everyone for chiming in and offering opinions.

 

[Jaugust124]

P.S. I will definitely be cleaning my chimney more than once a year from now on. As a matter of fact, I will post a new thread to get some advice on just exactly how to do this myself. Thanks.

 

[pen]

Sounds like you have the information necessary to make next year safer and more enjoyable. Well done!

pen

 

[BrotherBart]

And top cover that wood. I don't care what anybody says.

 

[joecool85]

And top cover that wood. I don't care what anybody says.

Agreed. And since I hate tarping my wood, I'm building pallet "sheds" that are wide open but have a roof. Should be a good solution.

 

[Slow1]

Agreed. And since I hate tarping my wood, I'm building pallet "sheds" that are wide open but have a roof. Should be a good solution.

I don't really care for tarps either, but I did find an interesting temporary solution here that helps quite a bit if you have to work with tarps for a while. I have taken to stapling them down along the edges. So I get the tarp the right size (cut if necessary) so that it covers the wood and comes about 1/2 a split down the sides, then take a hammer stapler (the type used by insulation installers) and staple the edge of the tarp to the top row of splits all the way down the row. This ends up holding the tarp quite well - wind doesn't get under it to lift and thus it doesn't rattle itself to pieces and tear up. With it attached essentially to every split down the row it doesn't seem that there is enough force on any one staple to pop it out or tear the tarp on those spots yet as a whole there is enough strength to hold it down.

 

[clemsonfor]

Had a fire last night and found this stuff on my deck and in my backyard close to the house today. I didn't even realize what it was at first. As can be seen in the pictures, the ash disintegrates quite easily in my hand. This is about the biggest piece I found, many others but much smaller. It scares me a little to think I have hot ash coming out of my chimney and onto my roof.

Should I be concerned?
Did I not burn clean enough this winter?

Also, a couple times I have heard what sounds like "stuff" falling down the liner.

I need some of the expert opinions here.

Thanks, Jamie

Looks like you had a chinmey fire
!

 

[fire_man]

And top cover that wood. I don't care what anybody says.

+++++++1

Agreed - top cover that wood!!

 

[Angus]

Agreed with the above, wood needs a roof, not a side and the sun and winds should access it.
I store my wood in a purpose built shelter, a roof on top and slatted sides, facing the south west, so it gets sun and prevailing wind,. If the rain can go down into the wood, it doesnt really came back out.
I think the pipe out the top should be insulated, the fire lower down could have been caused by falling creosote and soot.

 

[Jaugust124]

and the sun and winds should access it.

Yeah, the one thing my storage area is lacking is sun. As soon as the leaves appear, there goes any sun. I think that's been hurting my drying time. I started moving my new wood stacks to a sunny area and most of my stacks are top covered. I would like to move the old stuff to a sunny spot, but the thought of moving it is not overly appealing.

 

[Jeffm1]

Had a fire last night and found this stuff on my deck and in my backyard close to the house today. I didn't even realize what it was at first. As can be seen in the pictures, the ash disintegrates quite easily in my hand. This is about the biggest piece I found, many others but much smaller. It scares me a little to think I have hot ash coming out of my chimney and onto my roof.

Should I be concerned?
Did I not burn clean enough this winter?

Also, a couple times I have heard what sounds like "stuff" falling down the liner.

I need some of the expert opinions here.

Thanks, Jamie

Looks like something I dug out of my nose after cutting all day in the forest with my chainsaw

 

[fire_man]

Hard to believe this thread is 3+ yrs old.

It's pretty bad when you can remember a 3 yr old Hearth thread like it was yesterday but you have trouble remembering which kid to pick up from school!

 

[clemsonfor]

Its a zombie thread!!
Appropriate with tomorrow being halloween.