Help. Creosote buildup on chimney cap, first full-year burn.

[Ricky8443]

I burned two cords of 2 year seasoned mixed hardwoods and 1 cord of compressed wood bricks this winter (thus far). Brand new setup with blazeking princess insert, poured insulation liner, burned 24/7 for last 4.5 months. The chimney cap was brand spanking new and shining, but now it is black and looks like its covered in creosote. I though the catalytic combusters prevented creosote. Also, 99.9% of the time I burn there is only a small wisp of white looking smoke, so why is this happening? I'm afraid to burn more for fear of chimney fire.

 

[DAKSY]

Clean your chimney & cap & verify the moisture content of your "seasoned hardwoods."

 

[Ricky8443]

The moisture content was around 18% for the hardwoods. Burned hot and clean all winter. I will be cleaning cap and liner. Anyone know why this might have happened?

 

[jatoxico]

You'll have to do a check and see what you get before speculating on the cause but it has been an unusually cold winter with a lot of wind. If it turns out your cap is crudded up much more than the flue then you can probably chalk it up to cold and wind stripping heat from the cap causing condensation of gases/creosote. If it's the whole flue then you're not giving enough air or the wood is not as good as you think.

What kind of cap? I see some of these disigns with very tight screen mesh spark arrestors out there that are prone to clogging. If the design allows alot of snow to collect that will contribute too.

 

[blueguy]

Is it covered in creosote, or does it look like it's covered? These stoves create soot which could be mistaken as creosote. I wouldn't worry so much of what the cap looks like, but what the interior of your liner looks like. My cap has black on the underside, but there's no danger of a creosote fire.

 

[DougA]

There have been other posts about similar experiences. I think the extra cold weather plays a big role when the chimney is cold at the top and smoke particles/creosote cling to the cold metal. I got lots on my old set up and I go up and bang the cap with a stick and it comes off very easily.

 

[Ricky8443]

thanks guys, i will follow up.

 

[Highbeam]

I though the catalytic combusters prevented creosote

Oh no, you will get creosote unless you run the BK on higher outputs all the time. In fact, you will get more creosote than a non-cat stove due to the very low flue temperatures. The BK stoves are very efficient so the flue temps are always relatively low. This means that the "stuff" in your smoke will be far more likely to condense and create creosote than a less efficient stove.

My cap always has black chunks of junk hanging from it. They are dry and crunchy. You should be checking your flue for an excessive accumulation of creosote. I am able to sweep annually without an excessive accumulation.

In any case, the cap and the outside top foot or so of a class A system will get smoke junk on it. The chimney will not look shiny and new unless you clean it.

 

[webby3650]

This is very common, especially on cat stoves. The flue is often pretty clean but the cap is clogged. We have seen that a ton this year.

 

[anastasio]

When I moved into my current house I noticed that the screen for my cap was missing. I later found it in the shed, so I re-installed it. It is stainless steel with the diamond shaped holes.

The next winter, in the middle of the burning season, I started to have smoke and poor draw problems.
I went outside and used a pair of binoculars to check the chimney cap. Almost the entire screen had clogged up with just a little hole left for smoke to escape. After shutting down the wood stove, I climbed up and removed the screen which was heavily coated with black soot and creosote.
After that, I was concerned that I would have a large buildup inside the chimney liner (Stainless). But, when I swept it at the end of the season, I was pleasantly surprised how clean it was. As mentioned above, the screen is the coldest part and prone to buildup.

The screen is back in the shed.

 

[NinjaTech]

I have the same thing happen with a princess insert, liner is super clean, but the cap will get crunchies too but they brush right off. The cap will never stay shiny and clean, its just not going to happen with any wood burning stove. Eventually its going to turn dark, but as long as the liner is clean your probably running it right.

 

[bholler]

This is very common, especially on cat stoves. The flue is often pretty clean but the cap is clogged. We have seen that a ton this year.

Yes we have seen it allot this year to with all types of stoves. No matter how good you are burning there is still a little creosote in the exhaust and when it hits that cold cap it will condense.

 

[jb6l6gc]

I dont have screens on my caps, however when I cleaned down my liner to the hotblast in the basement late last month after about 3.5 cords of seasoned wood the chimney wasn't too bad got under a quart of creosote but the cap was in definite need of a cleaning. I think the caps just tend to clog up due to cold surface.

 

[maple1]

Could also be some dirty ice buildup - hard to know without an up close & personal look at it.

 

[Diabel]

This is the dirtiest I have seen in a long time. It has been very cold here for the past 5 wks!!

 

[Smoke Signals]

This is the dirtiest I have seen in a long time. It has been very cold here for the past 5 wks!!

Hey I think that pipe should be up and down not sideways! haha, j/k

 

[Diabel]

Hey I think that pipe should be up and down not sideways! haha, j/k

The cold is getting to me!!