I cleaned the chimney again...fluffy stuff came out.

[Skier76]

14' (give or take) 8" Metalbests exterior chimney.

It was warm in VT Sunday, so I let the fire die out over night and opened the bottom cleanout Sunday AM. This is the first year with the stove, so I wanted a little 'status update' after burning for a few months. Plus, there were quite a few cool fires with questionable wood as I learned to use the stove.

There's really wasn't much inside the chimney at all. What came out was a light brown in color, very light, very fluffy. It almost looked like really dry potting soil or peatmoss.

I'm going to assume everything is A-OK...but wanted to check in here first.

 

[Pagey]

Yeah, that light brown fluff is what you wanna see. Reminds me of coffee grounds more than anything. All it takes is a little wind to eat a face full of that stuff. I really, really need to get a mask before I sweep again.

 

[Skier76]

Yeah, that light brown fluff is what you wanna see. Reminds me of coffee grounds more than anything. All it takes is a little wind to eat a face full of that stuff. I really, really need to get a mask before I sweep again.

Excellent! I was pretty sure it was a "good" sign...I just wanted verification. Certianly beats the mess the pervious folks left behind. Looked like a dumptruck full of hot asphalt exploded in there.

 

[Pagey]

I pretty much sweep monthly, whether it truly needs it or not, and I've yet to see anything come out that looked like the creosote I was used to seeing as a kid when my grandmother burned her old Fisher. Dad replaced it with a Liberty for her last year, and he went from getting a coal hod/bucket full of black, shiny stuff every 3 weeks to just a cup full of the coffee grounds.

 

[Sisu]

Could be Santa's ashes.....don't tell the kids!!

As long as it isn't the asbestos/ceramic wool insulation coming through from a corroded inner liner, light and brown ash is what you want to see and a sign of efficient burning. How old is the chimney?

 

[thewoodlands]

14' (give or take) 8" Metalbests exterior chimney.

It was warm in VT Sunday, so I let the fire die out over night and opened the bottom cleanout Sunday AM. This is the first year with the stove, so I wanted a little 'status update' after burning for a few months. Plus, there were quite a few cool fires with questionable wood as I learned to use the stove.

There's really wasn't much inside the chimney at all. What came out was a light brown in color, very light, very fluffy. It almost looked like really dry potting soil or peatmoss.

I'm going to assume everything is A-OK...but wanted to check in here first.

Just wondering Skier76 did you get some pictures? I'm doing ours Thanksgiving weekend, good or bad I'll have some pictures.

We had the woodstove installed April 09. By the time I clean it there will have been 2.5 face cord put through it. Good job.

Zap

 

[Skier76]

How old is the chimney?

Good question. A guy from a stove store who came out insisted: "Oh, that's 30 years old!"! However, it's not the original chimney; it was installed at a later date. The house is about 30 years old. Plus, there are still stickers on the chimney sections. You can't read them, but after 30 years, I'm confident those would have been long gone. It's got a few dents...and it's not the nicelst looking setup, but I'm not convinced it's 30 years old.

zap,
I don't have pics. Of all the weekends to leave our digi cam at home.(Saw 3 deer and two wood peckers on a walk in the woods too...I really missed out) I should have taken some pics with my phone of what came out. Dry coffee grounds is a good description as well.

Pagey,
I plan on cleaning more often that not myself. Glad I'm not alone.

 

[firefighterjake]

14' (give or take) 8" Metalbests exterior chimney.

It was warm in VT Sunday, so I let the fire die out over night and opened the bottom cleanout Sunday AM. This is the first year with the stove, so I wanted a little 'status update' after burning for a few months. Plus, there were quite a few cool fires with questionable wood as I learned to use the stove.

There's really wasn't much inside the chimney at all. What came out was a light brown in color, very light, very fluffy. It almost looked like really dry potting soil or peatmoss.
I'm going to assume everything is A-OK...but wanted to check in here first.

Congrats . . . we have a winner. Let's tell Skier76 what he has won . . . the satisfaction that comes in knowing you're burning safely and efficiently! Keep up the good work.

 

[Skier76]

14' (give or take) 8" Metalbests exterior chimney.

It was warm in VT Sunday, so I let the fire die out over night and opened the bottom cleanout Sunday AM. This is the first year with the stove, so I wanted a little 'status update' after burning for a few months. Plus, there were quite a few cool fires with questionable wood as I learned to use the stove.

There's really wasn't much inside the chimney at all. What came out was a light brown in color, very light, very fluffy. It almost looked like really dry potting soil or peatmoss.
I'm going to assume everything is A-OK...but wanted to check in here first.

Congrats . . . we have a winner. Let's tell Skier76 what he has won . . . the satisfaction that comes in knowing you're burning safely and efficiently! Keep up the good work.

Thanks Jake! And a good prize it is! Better safe than sorry. I feel better that I checked and everything is looking good.

 

[firefighterjake]

14' (give or take) 8" Metalbests exterior chimney.

It was warm in VT Sunday, so I let the fire die out over night and opened the bottom cleanout Sunday AM. This is the first year with the stove, so I wanted a little 'status update' after burning for a few months. Plus, there were quite a few cool fires with questionable wood as I learned to use the stove.

There's really wasn't much inside the chimney at all. What came out was a light brown in color, very light, very fluffy. It almost looked like really dry potting soil or peatmoss.
I'm going to assume everything is A-OK...but wanted to check in here first.

Congrats . . . we have a winner. Let's tell Skier76 what he has won . . . the satisfaction that comes in knowing you're burning safely and efficiently! Keep up the good work.

Thanks Jake! And a good prize it is! Better safe than sorry. I feel better that I checked and everything is looking good.

I would always rather check and clean the chimney more frequently and find out that everything is good . . . and perhaps I could have even skipped the cleaning . . . rather than the opposite . . . that being not inspecting and cleaning the chimney often enough and ending up with a chimney fire. Again . . . a job well done on your part.