paper-thin glazing

[goody1006]

2 yr ago, after my hubby died, and I was ready to begin burning for the season, I realized we'd NEVER taken the pipe off and cleaned the neck of the pipe, from where it attaches to the back of the stove......I'm thinking oh crap, 5 yrs worth of creosote!

I was VERY supprised to find only a thin (less than 1/4 inch) coating of powdery black soot, with paper thin black glazing underneath.

The whole stack was similar.

Oh, I have a Hearthstone Phoenix (I totally love this thing).....8yr old this season.

Reading online about 'glaze' and how dangerous it is, I've gone no longer than 2 wks between brushings. Last yr I only used liquid anti-creo soot but this year, I've also applied 1 lite dusting of the powdered (same brand) remover.

Today is the first cleaning since applying the powder.

Some of the glazing was easier to remove--some wouldn't budge. I also currently do NOT have a rain cap on the top of the pipe--(knocked it off with the first cleaning this yr) will be replacing that within the next 2 wks.

I think the lack of cap is contributing to the glaze, but need to know more from you experienced folks.

I try to run at least 1, 30-min of (full-open damper) burning each day, as directed in the manufactorer--the glass stays mostly clean during the day==there's build-up sometimes in the morning...and to conserve wood I probably run at a lower temp than I should--

Should I be able to clean ALL of the glaze off the inside of the chimney? I've only had the 'oomph' to get about 70-90% off at any given time. Each time I clean, it's never the same in terms of how easy it is to remove, etc...but the shiny glaze has NEVER been thinker than about a paper's width, with the sooty coating never thicker than 1/8-1/4 in, the whole length of the stack.

Oh--I do this from INSIDE--too phobic to clime up on the roof, especially living in the country, and by myself!

thanks~

 

[snowtime]

The glaze stuff is bad. I think you should forget about the 30 min full open and run your heater properly. That means do not starve it to save wood. Get a stove thermometer and find out what temp you are really burning. Also be careful to be sure you have properly dried wood!

 

[webby3650]

The paper thin glaze under dusty soot is very common, sounds like you keep a close eye on your flue, every few weeks is a bit extreme but that's great if you have time to do so! The important part is that you are taking the danger out of the flue, you don't have to see shiny metal inside to be safe.

 

[BrotherBart]

I agree with webby. I haven't seen the metal in my chimney liners since the first week I installed them. I brush them, not punish them.

 

[goody1006]

I agree with webby. I haven't seen the metal in my chimney liners since the first week I installed them. I brush them, not punish them.

ok--I've just been a bit worried that ANY of it was really bad---I mean, I've scrubbed with the brush, and a steel brush by hand, and the most I could ever get off was 90-95%...and that was just the one time. More often it's closer to anywhere from 40-70%.

I'm thinking the biggest contributor is the lack of cap--allowing rain/snow to cool the inside, etc...but when there's a cap on, it doesn't want to draft properly--thinking all the tall trees are a factor, I started looking online at a new cap.....man, you could spend your firstborn on most of those caps for 'draft control'....I don't have those kind of funds. I was going to try to keep the old one on for the whole season, but I popped it off the first time I brushed last month.

During most days, I run the stove about mid-way on the draft....then, damper it down at night, or when I'm gone. which is what hearthstone reccomends.

thanks for your input.

 

[webby3650]

So the creosote is building up in your connector pipe, correct? Does it build up in the chimney flue the same way? Do you have a masonry chimney, if so, how big is the flue?

 

[goody1006]

The stove is free-standing away from the wall---not a masonry chimney--it's 9" double-walled pipe, connected with an elbow at the back of the stove, up--thru the roof & out. All according to specifications per hearthstone. (and county codes)

This is a soapstone stove--doesn't have a cat. converter, but the air baffles, and the blanket above them. the blanket has lost a portion of the side closest to the elbow--(got sucked up the shop vac) but the distributor (whom I trust, as a knowledgeable person on these) said that wasn't much of a big deal. I just wouldn't have as much heat contained within the firebox as before, but it wouldn't affect the stove's performance by much. He said the glass wouldn't stay as clean as before, and that's exactly what's happened.

There's no glazing inside the elbow base (connecting the stove to the chimney pipe) that doesn't come off easily...its the chimney pipe itself which has the paper-thin coating of the glaze I can't remove all of. There's never been more than at the very most (when I first started cleaning it myself) a 1/4 in depth of soot--the glazing has never been deeper than say, a manila envelope's thickness. But, as I've said, I can only scrub it down to about paper-thin layers throughout the chimney/stove pipe, with areas clean down to the metal, spread throughout. It varies each time with how much I can remove.

I'm surrounded by extremely tall trees--50-70+ footers--quite a few within 20-50 ft of the house.(I'm out in a forested area) And, can get a bit of a wind blowing--this time of year.

I know I need to get another cap on the top of the pipe to stop rain/snow from coming down inside the pipe--and as I stated, I'm going to be replacing that within the next 2 weeks. I'm just a bit shocked at the prices they want. I was thinking of getting one that's especially designed for areas with tall trees---affecting draft, but man-o-man--are they spendy.

As my hubby always brushed it out, from the roof, and we never took the pipe apart from the inside before I did, last year, I have no idea how much more or less glazing there is, than in the past. I'm going to assume probably not much difference.

I know that last year, when I first began cleaning from the inside....the first couple times I got a lot more glazing flaking off (up to about 1/4" in size) than I do now. I contribute that to the acs I spray on each load of wood. Reading thru other posts in the forum, showing buckets/boxes full of soot/glaze--I can tell you probably the very most I've EVER gotten out of the pipe wouldn't fill a pint jar--with this last time, (mostly very fine powder, with a small amount of very small flakes barely covering the bottom of the 9" square box I stand the pipe in, while brushing.

After I went to bed at night, I know my hubby would get it blazing hot for far longer times that hearthstone recommends....and that's something I normally don't do, as hearthstone cautions against 'over fireing' (keeping the stove running full-bore, [for more than an hour 1-2 times daily], all the time).

I burn well-seasoned, properly-stacked & covered wood: oak, locust, and fruit wood from the nearby orchards (mostly peach & apricot, with some cherry on occasion). I tried tamarack last year, and it was horrible--I noticed changes in draft within a few days, and had more to clean out from the pipe. Once I quit using tamarack, the draft returned to normal. Once in a while, I throw in a bit of ponderosa pine & doug fir, from my acreage.

All I've been able to read or find photos of, on line, is THICK, bubbly glazing that would scare the crap out of me if I took the pipe apart and saw!...nothing seems to exist to show a good 'after' shot from proper cleaning.

If the paper-thin glaze is normal, then I'm good. If it's not, then I guess I'm going to need to talk to a pro about cleaning.

I clean it out about every 2 wks cause I'm just simply paranoid of letting it build up--as I'm by myself--on a very limited budget. I figure too often is a heck of alot better than not often ENOUGH. Doesn't take that long to do, and I don't mind doing it.

I hope this isn't 'babbling' I'm trying to describe in as much detail as possible--to get the most accurate assessment. from you more experienced folk.

thanks in advance for the assistance!

 

[webby3650]

I think you will be fine. As I said before, you are taking the danger out of the flue. This paper thin glaze isn't sticky right, don't worry over it. We rarely see glazed creosote in a class A chimney.

 

[goody1006]

I think you will be fine. As I said before, you are taking the danger out of the flue. This paper thin glaze isn't sticky right, don't worry over it. We rarely see glazed creosote in a class A chimney.

NOPE--not sticky at all---looks kinda like black shiny paint.

interestingly, recieved a reply from another site which told me it's moisture in my wood that's causing it! this blew me away--right now I'm burning peach & apricot that was cut last yr, been stored under a very large covered building since.

I have it stored under a dry area, as well, with some stored on my inclosed porch.

the other guy said I should have NONE left after cleaning---geesh...talk about a complete 180!

I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing.....just concentrate on getting as much of it gone each time as possible.

thanks very much for your help on this....this forum is awesome!

have a great holiday~

 

[webby3650]

I think you will be fine. As I said before, you are taking the danger out of the flue. This paper thin glaze isn't sticky right, don't worry over it. We rarely see glazed creosote in a class A chimney.

NOPE--not sticky at all---looks kinda like black shiny paint.

interestingly, recieved a reply from another site which told me it's moisture in my wood that's causing it! this blew me away--right now I'm burning peach & apricot that was cut last yr, been stored under a very large covered building since.

I have it stored under a dry area, as well, with some stored on my inclosed porch.

the other guy said I should have NONE left after cleaning---geesh...talk about a complete 180!

I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing.....just concentrate on getting as much of it gone each time as possible.

thanks very much for your help on this....this forum is awesome!

have a great holiday~

Another Site? They can't be as good as us or they would be here! :lol: Of course it is the moisture in the wood that is causing the creosote, firewood has moisture in it. The guy who said "you sould have none left after cleaning" has probably only cleaned his own flue and in his case that might be possible, it isn't always. What you are dealing with is completly normal, Happy Burning

 

[BrotherBart]

The guy who said "you sould have none left after cleaning" has probably only cleaned his own flue and in his case that might be possible, it isn't always.

Or he has never burned wood. Kinda like people that have never raised kids. They know exactly how it should be done. :coolsmirk:

 

[greythorn3]

if i dont hear it from this site, then i just consider it jibber jabber!