No cleaning needed after 2 years?

[Mercury220]

My wood stove and install have been through 2 years of use. After the first year, I had my chimney inspected to see if it needed to be cleaned. I was told a cleaning was not needed as there was barely any creosote build up at all. I had it inspected again this season and was told the SAME thing. Have I been burning super efficiently? This doesn't sound right.

 

[begreen]

It's possible. If you are burning good dry wood, run the stove correctly and maintain a decent flue temp then the flue can stay pretty clean. I went 5 yrs on the old flue without needing a clean. Finally did it just for the heck of it. Went 4 years on the new flue staying quite clean, then burned some less than ideally seasoned wood and had to clean early-season last winter.

 

[Mercury220]

The top of my stove is normally around 500-650 degrees and I burn mostly dry wood

 

[begreen]

An annual check up is still a good idea especially if some of the wood is iffy. If a lot is not well seasoned I would bump that up to checking after every cord burned.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Is it a 6" stainless steel pipe? Is it corrugated or non corrugated?

 

[JayD]

Yep always good to check I just finished mine this morning, I went 2 years, last year it looked great so I passed. I ended up with a little over a 1.5 cups, Been burning all ash the last 3 yrs. This year will start a hardwood mix. Jay

 

[SteveKG]

I haven't cleaned the chimney for one of my stoves in over ten years. The stove is burned every day during the winter, from mid Oct. to some time in May, usually. The other two chimneys [two other stoves which also burn regularly] I clean once a year in the fall. Dry pine and spruce. Non-cat, non-EPA, just stoves. So I can believe yours does not need cleaning, too.

 

[Log farmer]

I sweep mine usually 2 times a yr just out of habit! Might get a coffee can full per season! My last stove was a VC Vigilant wood stove and it was a creosote monster! But now I have a WS keystone and love the gentle heat and the half amount of wood I go through a yr!

 

[firefighterjake]

Definitely possible . . . but as mentioned . . . inspecting the chimney is pretty cheap insurance to prevent a chimney fire. Me . . . I inspect and sweep my chimney monthly, which is admittedly overkill . . . but doing what I do for a living (fire prevention officer), I would never hear the end of it if I ever had a chimney fire.

 

[Log farmer]

When I had the vigilant, I cleaned the chimney after about a month of use and I took a little mirror from my wife and looked up through the thimble and there was about a 1" hole left for smoke to travel through the creosote and i think my heart stopped beating! Very close to having a chimney fire and that spring, I bought me a new stove!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

The top of my stove is normally around 500-650 degrees and I burn mostly dry wood

Mercury, if it isn't broken, don't try to fix it! It sounds like you are doing right with one little exception. That is the "mostly dry wood" that you mentioned. Why not all dry wood? it pays great dividends. We've gone 4 years since our last cleaning.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Log farmer, welcome to the forum.

 

[Log farmer]

Thank you for the welcoming Backwoods Savage! I've enjoyed reading all these forums over the past couple of yrs just never joined the club. I enjoy burning wood and talking about it too! You will also noticed I've commented on old forums and I do apologize just trying to learn here lol!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Thank you for the welcoming Backwoods Savage! I've enjoyed reading all these forums over the past couple of yrs just never joined the club. I enjoy burning wood and talking about it too! You will also noticed I've commented on old forums and I do apologize just trying to learn here lol!

So are we Mr farmer. So are we!

 

[Log farmer]

Mr farmer it is indeed!

 

[bob95065]

The wood stove in our last house was our primary heat source for 10 years. I swept it at the end of every summer mostly because my wife was paranoid that we would have a chimney fire. I got about a cup of ash when I would sweep it.

We moved last August and I installed the same stove as our last house, a Avalon Rainier. I imagine I'll be forced to sweep every year and I know I'll get the same amount of ash. If she didn't get me to do it I would sweep every five years if I had seasoned wood every year. I cut and plug my own firewood so I know what I am burning.