Kuuma burning dirty or normal?

[Micdrew]

Hard to believe this is my 5th yr with the vapor fire, how often are you other VF owners cleaning your chimney? I clean mine every year along with the furnace and I notice that I have a lot of soot in the chimney, just powder I haven’t seen any creosote except for in the smoke pipe near the damper. The other guys here say they just have gray fly ash in the chimney but I don’t, I have nothing but fly ash in the heat exchanger area but as you work to the back of the furnace it becomes black. My wood has been seasoned for 3 years and reading around 19MC. I typically don't see smoke from the chimney when it’s up and going. I do notice when it goes to little c the damper is all over the place typically between 3-6 WC. Any insight on this would be helpful.

 

[JRHAWK9]

I run a soot-eater up it every year. I just have soot as well. I used to have gray flyash, but since I started to use cold outside air to supply the BD, it changed to darker soot in the chimney.

 

[brenndatomu]

Sounds normal...the harder you run it, the "cleaner" the HX and chimney will be...but if you run on low most of the time, like most of us, some darker colored soot in the chimney is common...but as long as you don't have creosote buildup, which to me would indicate wet wood, and/or a cold chimney (needs liner w/insulation?) or a combination there of.
I recall someone on another site some years back that posted a pic of his HX and it was totally white...but IIRC he was heating an old farmhouse and running the poo outta it!
But to answer your question, I clean the HX a couple/3 times per year (whenever I see the exhaust temp go up, and the plenum temps lagging, compared to my normal) and the chimney once per year... although I have went two before, and saw no big difference in buildup...but that's not a good habit to start, as I like to inspect my chimney liner every year (I screwed up and bought a 2 ply liner, which turns out those are not "better" than single ply... actually the opposite)
As far as your draft reading bouncing around...I only get that when it's gusty outside, but every house/chimney is different so...

 

[JRHAWK9]

I recall someone on another site some years back that posted a pic of his HX and it was totally white...but IIRC he was heating an old farmhouse and running the poo outta it!

These?
This was mine after my very first year burning, where I had few cold starts. Back then I basically kept it lit 24/7 from start to finish. My how things have changed (for the better)! This was also before Lamppa supplied those two baffles inside the HX.

 

[Micdrew]

As far as your draft reading bouncing around...I only get that when it's gusty outside, but every house/chimney is different so...

I’m assuming it because my chimney is 40ft tall? once it’s burned down to a pile of coals the draft calms down and is steady. wish the door was glass so I could see what was going on inside!

 

[Micdrew]

Back then I basically kept it lit 24/7 from start to finish

Yeah I do a lot of cold starts until mid to late December, I’m sure that’s a quick way to dirty things up.

 

[brenndatomu]

These?
This was mine after my very first year burning, where I had few cold starts. Back then I basically kept it lit 24/7 from start to finish. My how things have changed (for the better)! This was also before Lamppa supplied those two baffles inside the HX.

No, it was a pic inside the HX...I don't remember the name anymore...seems to me he was from Indiana or Illinois