Ignition Temp Of Dry Creosote

[Peter B.]

I've searched the Web, but can't find a direct reference to this.

Anyone know?

--

Maybe an interesting side note... the other night, only a few minutes of steady flame impingement from the stove into black pipe above started a bit of a roar in the chimney that I was able to damp down immediately (thank goodness). Up to the moment of the roar, the flue temp was in a normal range... and it never got out of hand. All told, only about a two minute scare.

Checked and brushed the chimney the next morning... less creosote than usual, or 'expected', but (evidently) not so clean that it couldn't still ignite...

Admittedly, I was burning things I maybe ought not... not good cordwood in any event... but I was surprised.

Point being that the OA temp was not (in this case) the factor, but the flame itself.

I found it curious.

Peter B.

-----

 

[Peter B.]

And while I'm on this Don Quixote ride, I'll bump this thread again... because it might be of practical use for those that monitor their flue pipe temps...

Anyone know the ignition or flash point of typical 'black crackle' creosote?

Thanks.

Peter B.

-----

 

[Corey]

I have seen it quoted at ~680F for generic 'creosote' (notice that this same source talks about a yellow oily liquid)
http://cameochemicals.noaa.gov/chemical/3011

But as you point out, there are all different types...liquid, tar, dry, powder, etc. The 'creosote' in a typical flue is mixed with all sorts of impurities. I'm sure the 'liquidity' of the creosote probably has some relation to the amount/volatility of hydrocarbons present - ie liquid or tar creosote is probably more easily lit than dry flaky creosote. So I would suspect 680F as the 'middle of the road' with dryer stuff being a little higher temp and wetter/liquid stuff being a little lower.

 

[eernest4]

I've searched the Web, but can't find a direct reference to this.

Anyone know?

--

Maybe an interesting side note... the other night, only a few minutes of steady flame impingement from the stove into black pipe above started a bit of a roar in the chimney that I was able to damp down immediately (thank goodness). Up to the moment of the roar, the flue temp was in a normal range... and it never got out of hand. All told, only about a two minute scare.

Checked and brushed the chimney the next morning... less creosote than usual, or 'expected', but (evidently) not so clean that it couldn't still ignite...

Admittedly, I was burning things I maybe ought not... not good cordwood in any event... but I was surprised.

Point being that the OA temp was not (in this case) the factor, but the flame itself.

I found it curious.

Peter B.

-----

A couple of weeks ago, I got the same roar in the chimney, sounds like a frieght train comming down a tunnel & so I shut down the primary and secondary air to the stove and the roar faded away in about 90 seconds or so. Bit of a scare but every thing turned out ok.

Has not happened since, I always watch my fires for the first 45 minutes until the wood is well
chared off & mostly starting to turn to coals so that I dont have to worry when i go to bed.

I don't think embers have the juice to cause problems but I always keep the eagle eye out, just in case.

I believe that a stove is the most dangerious while it still has fresh uncharred live wood in it.

Once it is red hot coals, it is not so dangerious but still to be respected.

 

[pen]

I've searched the Web, but can't find a direct reference to this.

Anyone know?

--

Maybe an interesting side note... the other night, only a few minutes of steady flame impingement from the stove into black pipe above started a bit of a roar in the chimney that I was able to damp down immediately (thank goodness). Up to the moment of the roar, the flue temp was in a normal range... and it never got out of hand. All told, only about a two minute scare.

Checked and brushed the chimney the next morning... less creosote than usual, or 'expected', but (evidently) not so clean that it couldn't still ignite...

Admittedly, I was burning things I maybe ought not... not good cordwood in any event... but I was surprised.

Point being that the OA temp was not (in this case) the factor, but the flame itself.

I found it curious.

Peter B.

-----

A couple of weeks ago, I got the same roar in the chimney, sounds like a frieght train comming down a tunnel & so I shut down the primary and secondary air to the stove and the roar faded away in about 90 seconds or so. Bit of a scare but every thing turned out ok.

Has not happened since, I always watch my fires for the first 45 minutes until the wood is well
chared off & mostly starting to turn to coals so that I dont have to worry when i go to bed.

I don't think embers have the juice to cause problems but I always keep the eagle eye out, just in case.

I believe that a stove is the most dangerious while it still has fresh uncharred live wood in it.

Once it is red hot coals, it is not so dangerious but still to be respected.

You had a chimney fire. Did you clean the chimney and inspect after?

If you have not, you need to.

pen

 

[eernest4]

I've searched the Web, but can't find a direct reference to this.

Anyone know?

--

Maybe an interesting side note... the other night, only a few minutes of steady flame impingement from the stove into black pipe above started a bit of a roar in the chimney that I was able to damp down immediately (thank goodness). Up to the moment of the roar, the flue temp was in a normal range... and it never got out of hand. All told, only about a two minute scare.

Checked and brushed the chimney the next morning... less creosote than usual, or 'expected', but (evidently) not so clean that it couldn't still ignite...

Admittedly, I was burning things I maybe ought not... not good cordwood in any event... but I was surprised.

Point being that the OA temp was not (in this case) the factor, but the flame itself.

I found it curious.

Peter B.

-----

A couple of weeks ago, I got the same roar in the chimney, sounds like a frieght train comming down a tunnel & so I shut down the primary and secondary air to the stove and the roar faded away in about 90 seconds or so. Bit of a scare but every thing turned out ok.

Has not happened since, I always watch my fires for the first 45 minutes until the wood is well
chared off & mostly starting to turn to coals so that I dont have to worry when i go to bed.

I don't think embers have the juice to cause problems but I always keep the eagle eye out, just in case.

I believe that a stove is the most dangerious while it still has fresh uncharred live wood in it.

Once it is red hot coals, it is not so dangerious but still to be respected.

You had a chimney fire. Did you clean the chimney and inspect after?

If you have not, you need to.

pen

Pen, thanks for the heads up. As soon as the ice melts off the roof , I'll go up there & ream the chimney out with the top of a pine tree, two ropes and a wieght.
& I'll open up the bottom of the chimney and clean that out too.

Then I will lower an electric light bulb down the chimney on a long extension cord to see what I can see.

 

[LLigetfa]

...liquid or tar creosote is probably more easily lit than dry flaky creosote. So I would suspect 680F as the 'middle of the road' with dryer stuff being a little higher temp and wetter/liquid stuff being a little lower.

I think the liquid in liquid creosote is water and thus would reduce the flammability rather than increase it. The dryer it is the more apt it is to burn.

 

[Jags]

Admittedly, I was burning things I maybe ought not... not good cordwood in any event...

Keep the road kill opossum and tires out of there and you will minimize this.... ;-)

Just another good advertisement for using properly seasoned cord wood as stove chow kiddies.

 

[Peter B.]

Admittedly, I was burning things I maybe ought not... not good cordwood in any event...

Keep the road kill opossum and tires out of there and you will minimize this....

That was my mistake, I guess... and boy, picking the bones and the steel belts out of the firebox the next morning was quite the chore, I'll tell you.

--

Actually, it was only a pair of cotton jeans and a few paperback books that even Goodwill wouldn't take off my hands. Got some heat out of them, though... and kept them out of the landfill.

I burn only 'select' trash.

Peter B.

-----

 

[pen]

I've searched the Web, but can't find a direct reference to this.

Anyone know?

--

Maybe an interesting side note... the other night, only a few minutes of steady flame impingement from the stove into black pipe above started a bit of a roar in the chimney that I was able to damp down immediately (thank goodness). Up to the moment of the roar, the flue temp was in a normal range... and it never got out of hand. All told, only about a two minute scare.

Checked and brushed the chimney the next morning... less creosote than usual, or 'expected', but (evidently) not so clean that it couldn't still ignite...

Admittedly, I was burning things I maybe ought not... not good cordwood in any event... but I was surprised.

Point being that the OA temp was not (in this case) the factor, but the flame itself.

I found it curious.

Peter B.

-----

A couple of weeks ago, I got the same roar in the chimney, sounds like a frieght train comming down a tunnel & so I shut down the primary and secondary air to the stove and the roar faded away in about 90 seconds or so. Bit of a scare but every thing turned out ok.

Has not happened since, I always watch my fires for the first 45 minutes until the wood is well
chared off & mostly starting to turn to coals so that I dont have to worry when i go to bed.

I don't think embers have the juice to cause problems but I always keep the eagle eye out, just in case.

I believe that a stove is the most dangerious while it still has fresh uncharred live wood in it.

Once it is red hot coals, it is not so dangerious but still to be respected.

You had a chimney fire. Did you clean the chimney and inspect after?

If you have not, you need to.

pen

Pen, thanks for the heads up. As soon as the ice melts off the roof , I'll go up there & ream the chimney out with the top of a pine tree, two ropes and a wieght.
& I'll open up the bottom of the chimney and clean that out too.

Then I will lower an electric light bulb down the chimney on a long extension cord to see what I can see.

It sounds like you are still burning? I hope not because you could have another fire any instant! The first one started for virtually without warning, and you didn't burn enough creosote out with that fire you had to clean the chimney out. The next time you might not be there to put it out, can do damage to the chimney, damage the the house, or else of course the obvious worse case scenario.

Buy some salt that is safe for the roof, don't damage your pine tree and buy a good poly brush if you have a stainless chimney, take your rope and go clean that bad boy out before you put another stick in it! Then inspect and repeat every month or more frequently until you figure out what caused this near disaster and learn how to prevent rather than react to this situation.

I realize this stuff costs money but I guarantee it is less than the deductible on your homeowners or replacing the things you lose in a fire.

let us know if you need help with the chimney cleaning.

pen

 

[Techstuf]

I'm no creosote chemist but I took some of the crumblings of dry creosote from my last cleaning and tried to get a pile of them to burn with a propane torch, they glowed red hot under the torch but went out within seconds of the torch being removed. I'd worry more about the sticky stuff.

TS