My first flue cleaning - made things worse!

[CarpenterAnt]

Three problems I didn't have prior to cleaning my flue, one, smoke pouring out of the stove when ever the door was opened, two, stove pipe caked with crusty creosote, three (and worst), thick, liquid tar in the flue. What did I do wrong? My first guess and it is only a guess, I didn't t replace the thimble cap tightly enough on the unused thimble on the second floor. Cold air got in and cooled the smoke in the flue from the wood stove below. The cooled smoke remained in the flue condensing as tar. Now I have a creosote problem. How do I remove this dripping sticky black liquid from what was a nearly clean stainless steel double insulated chimney liner?

 

[begreen]

Yes, cool air will get sucked in and cool down the flue gases rapidly if the upper cap was off. This is one of the reasons why the rest of the country no longer allows more than one appliance on a flue. It may take a pro with a special tool to remove the tarry mess.
http://blackgoose.com/creosote-part-2/

 

[BrotherBart]

Don't know of a tool that will remove the stuff from a flex liner without wrecking it. Gonna be a chemical solution. You could try a couple of the chimney sweeping logs to try to dry the stuff out so it could be swept out. But for sure get that other thimble sealed up tight right now.

 

[CarpenterAnt]

Yes, cool air will get sucked in and cool down the flue gases rapidly if the upper cap was off. This is one of the reasons why the rest of the country no longer allows more than one appliance on a flue. It may take a pro with a special tool to remove the tarry mess.
http://blackgoose.com/creosote-part-2/

The flue cap was on, just not properly. Kind of crooked and not pounded in tightly. After a month of daily burning, I was upstairs and noticed drips of tar on the floor from under the cap.

Now I understand why one appliance flues are recommended. I suppose even if I had an appliance connected upstairs and wasn't burning anything in it, the same condition would result. Cold air would be sucked into the stove, up the stove pipe and into the flue cooling the gases rising from below, and creating tar.

Lesson learned: a stove off the second thimble has to be burning, heating the flue gases or the stove pipe disconnected and the port tightly closed.

 

[CarpenterAnt]

Don't know of a tool that will remove the stuff from a flex liner without wrecking it. Gonna be a chemical solution. You could try a couple of the chimney sweeping logs to try to dry the stuff out so it could be swept out. But for sure get that other thimble sealed up tight right now.

Before it dawned on me what the problem was, ie. the flue cap was not seated properly, I mixed up some baking soda, borax and calcium carbonate (lawn lime) and sprinkled a few spoon's full onto a hot fire. I immediately saw improvement, the damper in the stove pipe spun more freely, I could hear little flakes falling down inside the stove pipe... But I worry that the salts, etc, in the powder will corrode the stainless steel liner. Any thoughts?

 

[bholler]

Lesson learned: a stove off the second thimble has to be burning, heating the flue gases or the stove pipe disconnected and the port tightly closed.

The lesson should be not to have a second thimble at all

 

[bholler]

But I worry that the salts, etc, in the powder will corrode the stainless steel liner. Any thoughts?

It is definitely possible I would use a commercial product that says it is ss safe. Most are tsp based and they are fine for ss

 

[CarpenterAnt]

I was able to throw the removable pieces of my stove into a burn pile and melt the shiny black tar off, the chimney cap, the thimble cover, the stove pipe, but the flue is still coated. I tried to clean it with the gardus soot-eater but it didn't work for me because I have thimbles (maybe I'll do a consumer review of the soot-eater as a new post). Even if I had been able to get the soot-eater into my flue, the spinning plastic whips wouldn't have had any effect on the black shiny tar.

It was incredible to watch the tar turn to liquid and pour off the chimney cap leaving the stainless steel spotless. The only thing I can compare it to was cheese rising on a grilled cheese sandwich and then melting completely and dripping away.

I've tightly closed the thimble covers, hammering them down with a rubber mallet. I'm guessing my clean-out thimble cover wasn't sealed properly either. I've reassembled the stove after cleaning it and started a fire. The result is, one, now I have good draw, no smoke coming into the room when I open the stove, the fire is burning hot, I bought commercial creosote remover (it doesn't say on the label SS Safe). It's a black crystaline powder, label doesn't identify ingredients. But, the guys at the hardware store say everyone who uses it raves about it, so I'll take their word for it. One of the guys told me he sets fire to his stove pipe every year and burns it clean. He said he crumples up some news paper and stuffs it inside and takes it outside and lights it up. It was from this that I got the idea to throw the pipe into my burn pile. Wow, did that work. Another of the guys suggested I pour some ammonia into a can and set it in the bottom of my clean-out. He said it would help. I peeled the labels off of two empty cans and half filled them with ammonia. I put one in the bottom of the clean out and another on the ledge of the upstairs thimble before sealing it shut. I don't know if it will help, maybe it's witch craft. I showed them the thimble cover when it was dripping with tar and they were appalled. Now it's spotless. I was gonna throw it away.

Today I've learned everything I never wanted to know about creosote. Pray God, I don't have to have a chimney fire to finish the lesson. Thanks for being here on hearth.com.

I

 

[bholler]

don't listen to anything they say there are lots of wives tales and most do nothing. Burning it out will work but it is very dangerous and can damage your liner and could possibly burn your house down. And by the way if you do set your house on fire that way and it could be proven it is considered arson and you wont get insurance money and could potentially be charged

 

[CarpenterAnt]

don't listen to anything they say there are lots of wives tales and most do nothing. Burning it out will work but it is very dangerous and can damage your liner and could possibly burn your house down. And by the way if you do set your house on fire that way and it could be proven it is considered arson and you wont get insurance money and could potentially be charged

No one suggested burning it out of my chimney liner. Are you mad? Brother, what would you have me do, stop heating my house until I can have my chimney liner removed and replaced. Is that your solution? And might you happen to be a chimney liner installer? Your comment is offensive. If burning down my house were my intention, I wouldn't be posting about it. I love my house. You on the other hand I can do without.

 

[bholler]

No one suggested burning it out of my chimney liner. Are you mad?

uhhh sorry the one guy at the hardware store did and there are lots that do it. I was not saying you were going to just saying what could happen if one did this. And yes there have been guys here that thought that was a good idea.

Brother, what would you have me do, stop heating my house until I can have my chimney liner removed and replaced.

I never said that there is no reason to replace the liner at all just change the way you are burning and make sure everything is sealed up. Use some of the creosote conditioner and clean when it get to a point you can.

And might you happen to be a chimney liner installer?

Yes but what does that have to do with anything?

Your comment is offensive. If burning down my house were my intention, I wouldn't be posting about it. I love my house. You on the other hand I can do without.

didnt mean to be offensive just wanted to make sure you were not going to follow the advise of the guys from the hardware store some do

 

[CarpenterAnt]

didnt mean to be offensive just wanted to make sure you were not going to follow the advise of the guys from the hardware store some do

Apology accepted.

I mustn't have been clear. The guy at the hardware store said he takes his stove pipe outside and stuffs it with news paper and lights it. His stove pipe, not his flue.

A chimney flue installer might be inclined to scare potential customers into replacing their flue rather than learn safe burning skills and creosote removal techniques, like, keeping their thimbles sealed, regular use of creosote remover and burning seasoned hard wood, hot. That's what it might have to do with it. I know there are people who do bad things. I'm not one of them and I doubt they come here.

 

[bholler]

I mustn't have been clear. The guy at the hardware store said he takes his stove pipe outside and stuffs it with news paper and lights it. His stove pipe, not his flue.

ahhh ok well that is totally different

 

[bholler]

A chimney flue installer might be inclined to scare potential customers into replacing their flue and discourage them from learning safe burning skills and creosote removal techniques, like regular use of creosote remover and burning seasoned hard wood, hot. That's what it might have to do with it. I know there are people who do bad things. I'm not one of them.

fair enough but that is not me i never use scare tactics but i will not sugar coat things either

 

[BrotherBart]

Hey Ant. bholler does this stuff for a living. And worries about people's safety. Quit reading the wrong thing into his advice. Hell, my advice scares the hell out of him sometimes.

For the record I am the only one on the forum that I know of that intentionally set off a chimney fire to clean his flue before installing a liner.

 

[CarpenterAnt]

Quit reading the wrong thing into his advice.

bholler touched a nerve, I don't have insurance and my greatest fear is a house fire. The only thing I'd be is burnt alive or at best, homeless.

For the record I am the only one on the forum that I know of that intentionally set off a chimney fire to clean his flue before installing a liner.

Did it clean your chimney or were you charged with arson or both?

 

[BrotherBart]

bholler touched a nerve, I don't have insurance and my greatest fear is a house fire. The only thing I'd be is burnt alive or at best, homeless.

Did it clean your chimney or were you charged with arson or both?

Got it clean. Just something I did that I never advise anybody else to try. There had been enough chimney fires in that flue over the years that I was willing, as nobody else should be, to take a chance on one more.

 

[bholler]

Did it clean your chimney or were you charged with arson or both?

ok i am sorry for the misunderstanding and sorry it bothered you as much as it did. But i thought i saw a potential serious safety risk and had to say something. And i don't appreciate the attitude from you when i have only tried to help you.

 

[BrotherBart]

Stick a fork in this one. It is done.