Is this a creosote leak in a brand new stove pipe??

[Velitas]

Hey all,
Allow my to preface this by saying, I am absolutely brand new to the world of wood stoves.
I did look through the FAQ threads and still was not yet sure if I had found my answers.

So, about a week ago, we had a friend of ours help us install our stove unit with all-new parts, brand-new stove, and new flue liner.
Since I had no idea what to do, I sortof let him lead the project.
The only thing NOT new is the house and chimney it was going in. The previous tenant of this house had a wood stove in here before a while back, but had since closed it off as she had become elderly and largely immobile, opting for a different heat source.

So, once everything was hooked up, we still have yet to close up the wall or put insulation/thimble parts on it.
We wanted to test it a few times before finishing the job.

So far, we have had three test fires in it. The first time went well enough, but was smoking a lot from the door.
The second and most recent time, after our fire was completely burnt out, we discovered a very consistent gradual drip of this material from the 90-degree connector to the pipe. The location of the drip is occurring right where there is a heavily-layered wad of black furnace cement.
I wiped a little up on a rag and brought it outside, and tried to burn it. It didn't seem terribly flammable.

My questions areas follows:
- Is this a creosote leak?
- Or, is it a weird condensation of furnace cement?
- Or, is this condensation from using this stove, in a slightly less than 90-degree angled pipe fitting, in connection to using an aluminum flue liner?
I have my questions about the integrity of the installation, but that's just me.
Thanks!

 

[bholler]

Hey all,
Allow my to preface this by saying, I am absolutely brand new to the world of wood stoves.
I did look through the FAQ threads and still was not yet sure if I had found my answers.

So, about a week ago, we had a friend of ours help us install our stove unit with all-new parts, brand-new stove, and new flue liner.
Since I had no idea what to do, I sortof let him lead the project.
The only thing NOT new is the house and chimney it was going in. The previous tenant of this house had a wood stove in here before a while back, but had since closed it off as she had become elderly and largely immobile, opting for a different heat source.

So, once everything was hooked up, we still have yet to close up the wall or put insulation/thimble parts on it.
We wanted to test it a few times before finishing the job.

So far, we have had three test fires in it. The first time went well enough, but was smoking a lot from the door.
The second and most recent time, after our fire was completely burnt out, we discovered a very consistent gradual drip of this material from the 90-degree connector to the pipe. The location of the drip is occurring right where there is a heavily-layered wad of black furnace cement.
I wiped a little up on a rag and brought it outside, and tried to burn it. It didn't seem terribly flammable.

My questions areas follows:
- Is this a creosote leak?
- Or, is it a weird condensation of furnace cement?
- Or, is this condensation from using this stove, in a slightly less than 90-degree angled pipe fitting, in connection to using an aluminum flue liner?
I have my questions about the integrity of the installation, but that's just me.
Thanks!


View attachment 253660

Yes it certainly looks like creosote. Is that a vogelzang boxwood stove? What moisture content is your wood at?

 

[begreen]

Can you show a couple more pictures of the both the whole stove pipe and the 90º elbow?

 

[MagdalenaP]

Your pipes might be installed upside down. They should be all connected in a way that if anything drips down, it will go into the stove. Hard to explain, but say you have two pipes. The top pipe should go INTO the bottom pipe.

 

[Velitas]

Here is a photo of the elbow/pipe - don't worry, that wall paneling hasn't been up during our tests.

Our friend set the pipe up to have a little bit of a downward angle, but overall it was hard to get this thing fit into the chimney opening.

 

[bholler]

Ok what is the material on the wall behind the stove? And what clearance do you have from the pipe as it passes through the wall?

 

[begreen]

Your pipes might be installed upside down. They should be all connected in a way that if anything drips down, it will go into the stove. Hard to explain, but say you have two pipes. The top pipe should go INTO the bottom pipe.

That was my thought and why the picture request. Crimped ends go toward the stove. Unfortunately, the joints are goobered up with black cement so I can't tell. Also wondering now about the pitch of the horizontal section. It shouldn't be level. It should pitch upward toward the chimney at least 1/4" per ft..

 

[Velitas]

Ok what is the material on the wall behind the stove? And what clearance do you have from the pipe as it passes through the wall?

Thus far - and it is yet unfinished - there is drywall, and I'll be putting wood paneling up.
The brick chimney flue behind those wall panels houses an aluminum flue liner.
Regarding clearance, are you talking about clearance from the stove unit to the wall?
I'm still new to a lot of this.

Edit: I do have a fiberglass wall protector panel I will also be putting up.

 

[Velitas]

Your pipes might be installed upside down. They should be all connected in a way that if anything drips down, it will go into the stove. Hard to explain, but say you have two pipes. The top pipe should go INTO the bottom pipe.

I'll double-check when I get home, but I do believe the crimped ends are indeed going downward. However, I am beginning to doubt the angle that the pipe travels downward - it is very, very slight of an angle, at best. Do you think that might be the problem?

 

[bholler]

Thus far - and it is yet unfinished - there is drywall, and I'll be putting wood paneling up.
The brick chimney flue behind those wall panels houses an aluminum flue liner.
Regarding clearance, are you talking about clearance from the stove unit to the wall?
I'm still new to a lot of this.

Edit: I do have a fiberglass wall protector panel I will also be putting up.

Aluminum?

 

[Velitas]

Aluminum?

The flue duct, yes.
My other thought with all this was that the duct might be cold, causing some condensation.

 

[bholler]

The flue duct, yes.
My other thought with all this was that the duct might be cold, causing some condensation.

If it is aluminum do not use the stove again. Aluminum will melt and collapse in your chimney causing a back up of smoke and carbon monoxide.

 

[Velitas]

If it is aluminum do not use the stove again. Aluminum will melt and collapse in your chimney causing a back up of smoke and carbon monoxide.

Okay, you scared me there - double-checked and it was actually stainless steel.
Phew.

 

[bholler]

Okay, you scared me there - double-checked and it was actually stainless steel.
Phew.

Ok. Well for starters the stove you got is pretty poor and most people have trouble controlling them. I don't know if it is still the case but those stoves at one point came labeled not for use in a habited space. That gives you an idea of the quality of them.

But my guess is that the creosote running is caused by wet wood.

 

[webby3650]

How hot have you got the stove top? In the pic there’s still a paper sticker on the pipe, I'm assuming that was before the stove had been fired up?

 

[weatherguy]

I blew up the picture, looks upside down.

 

[BigJ273]

Are those char marks on the drywall???

 

[maple1]

I would say yes, it is a creosote leak.

With multiple factors.

The creosote gets made when gasses hit cold before they get out the top of the chimney. Which can happen when there is too much dirty going out the stove, and/or the chimney/pipe is so cold it will never get hot enough to stop condensing the creosote.

We don't know much about your chimney system. Is the liner insulated? How tall is it? Is there sufficient draft?

How wet or dry is your wood?

How was the stove burned/fed/operated?

Also suspect the stove pipe is connected to the stove with the male/female thing done backwards. Hard to tell from the pics but looks like the bottom most pipe could have 2 male ends on it. The stove connection should have stove pipe fitting inside the stove outlet. But having that correct won't stop the creosote condensation problem. It will just keep the mess inside the stove & stove pipe. Which may in time lead to a flue fire, given the stove that is being used.

 

[nola mike]

I don't think I've seen an install with the flex elbow...are those common? Seems like it would be tough to clean properly.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Thats a lot of liquid creosote for only 3 fires in the stove, wood must be green. Expect frequent chimney fires with the current setup. Plus that particular stove is the most unsafe, uncontrollable stove on the planet. Along with horrible burn times. I think a barrel stove is safer.

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

Thats a lot of liquid creosote for only 3 fires in the stove, wood must be green. Expect frequent chimney fires with the current setup. Plus that particular stove is the most unsafe, uncontrollable stove on the planet. I think a barrel stove is safer. Along with horrible burn times.

I started with one of those a long time ago. Couldn't get rid of it fast enough.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I started with one of those a long time ago. Couldn't get rid of it fast enough.

Same here, and i knew nothing about wood stoves at the time ,but i knew that was not a real wood stove. Didnt even attempt to put a fire in it. Right back it went !

 

[weatherguy]

Not sure the cost but and englander and similar cant be too much more and you get an epa stove.

 

[bholler]

I don't think I've seen an install with the flex elbow...are those common? Seems like it would be tough to clean properly.

They are rigid not flex but yes they are a pain to clean

 

[Grizzerbear]

Yea those stoves are what ya put in a deer camp tent. Not something i would consider for the house.