Products for cleaning woodstove glass and eliminating cresoy?

[Nat321]

Hey everyone!

I’m new to burning in my wood stove and I wanted to see if there is any products on the market that I can use to clean the glass and if there was anything specific that I could burn that will lower creosote build up with in my system.

Our chimney was swept one month ago in a house that we purchased. I live in an area which winter comes 6 weeks early, we’ve had Temperatures in the minus for a couple weeks now. Unfortunately our wood isn’t perfectly seasoned but the trees we fell were dead standing. I am finding some build up inside.

I have read somewhere that burning a specific thing once a week helps lower creosote and helps break down that build up. We have a long winter winter ahead of us. We will be more dialed with wood supply next year but we just need to get through this winter with what we have!

Thanks for any advice!

 

[stoveliker]

A cloth or paper towel, wetted, and dipped in wood ash gets the stuff off your window easily.

I don't know about products to burn. But I do know not to burn them if you have a cat stove. (Hence I do not know...)

Keep the fire hotter for now, don't turn it down so much (overnight). Safer to not deposit creosote in your chimney...

 

[MongoMongoson]

There aren't any products that I know of that will actually eliminate or prevent creosote...
Well, on the prevention side if you are burning good dry wood good and hot that will prevent it. But, you already mentioned your wood isn't the best.

People often recommend collecting pallets or scrap lumber, if you can get it. You can mix that in with your questionable wood to keep the fire up to temperature and that will help reduce creosote. Keep the fire hot.

The only product I have ever used that actually removes creosote is a brush.

I think I might have recommended this to you already, but if you get a Soot Eater, you'll be able to sweep from the bottom up and after you do it a couple of times you'll find it goes pretty quickly.

Do two things this year:
1.) Inspect it regularly. Get a look up or down the chimney one way or the other. If you had it cleaned a month ago and have been burning for a month, now is a great time to inspect the build up in the chimney so you know what it looks like. Take pictures if you can. You can post them here and people can tell you (if they are good pictures) if you are OK or need to be concerned. I know it is hard to know what is bad accumulation when you are just getting started. Inspect again a month or two later.

2.) Clean it. You'll need to clean more often this year if you are struggling with questionable wood.

 

[armanidog]

Englander Stoveworks recommends spray on oven cleaner for any buildup on the glass you cannot get off with a damp paper towel and ash.
There are products you can add to the fire periodically to change the creosote from a shiny gloss to a more brittle state so when you sweep the creosote is easier to remove.

Rutland Creosote Powder

• "Creosote remover penetrates the sticky, tar-like creosote and turns it into a loose, powdery, non-adhering ash that can easily be brushed away.
• Safe for use in all types of chimneys, fireplace inserts, wood stoves, airtight stoves, free-burning fireplaces and will not harm catalytic converters."

Rutland Creosote Powder

 

[stoveliker]

Note that that is what Rutland says. The manual of my cat stove explicitly says not to use such things.

For a cat stove that is.

 

[PaulOinMA]

Rutland has a couple of glass cleaners, too. A spray and a liquid.

 

[ABMax24]

Wet paper towel is all I use to clear the glass, if I get creosote on the glass it's because the wood is wet or I'm not burning the stove hot enough or a combination of the 2.

Your less than ideal wood really isn't helping the problem, but I believe the issue is the low burn rate in the stove, I don't think it's being burnt hard enough to properly burn the wood. Are you getting a lot of smoke out the chimney while operating?

 

[BigJ273]

I use Rutland paste cleaner on the glass. I’ve used the Rutland creosote powder for years. A few scoops a week on hot coals. Does it work? Who knows. But I sleep a little better. It’s like $8 for the entire season.

 

[MongoMongoson]

Englander Stoveworks recommends spray on oven cleaner for any buildup on the glass you cannot get off with a damp paper towel and ash.
There are products you can add to the fire periodically to change the creosote from a shiny gloss to a more brittle state so when you sweep the creosote is easier to remove.

Rutland Creosote Powder

• "Creosote remover penetrates the sticky, tar-like creosote and turns it into a loose, powdery, non-adhering ash that can easily be brushed away.
• Safe for use in all types of chimneys, fireplace inserts, wood stoves, airtight stoves, free-burning fireplaces and will not harm catalytic converters."

Rutland Creosote Powder

I have used the CSL (Chimney sweeping log) before. It does the same thing as the Rutland powder you mention.. I inspected before using it, then 6 days later. It did, in fact, fluff up the creosote. The reason I didn't recommend it is that I am concerned about people thinking it can act as a substitute for sweeping. From what I saw, it did not remove creosote... it just fluffed it up which made it easier to remove. The CSL box label claims the creosote dust will be carried up and out of the Chimney. I think that is BS.

 

[bholler]

I have used the CSL (Chimney sweeping log) before. It does the same thing as the Rutland powder you mention.. I inspected before using it, then 6 days later. It did, in fact, fluff up the creosote. The reason I didn't recommend it is that I am concerned about people thinking it can act as a substitute for sweeping. From what I saw, it did not remove creosote... it just fluffed it up which made it easier to remove. The CSL box label claims the creosote dust will be carried up and out of the Chimney. I think that is BS.

It does help convert glaze to something that is easier to clean. So it can be benificial. But absolutely not a substitute for cleaning

 

[firefighterjake]

It does help convert glaze to something that is easier to clean. So it can be benificial. But absolutely not a substitute for cleaning

But the videos on the TV advertisements always show the dangerous creosote gently falling down into the stove or base of the chimney leaving the chimney sparkly clean . . .

On the serious side . . . as others have said . . . 1. If you burn seasoned wood, run at proper temps and regularly inspect and manually sweep the chimney when needed there is no need for miracle chemical.

2. Sooted up "glass" can be fixed with a damp bit of cloth, papertowel, newspaper, etc. . . . and if needed dip it into the fine ash to act as a polish to remove heavier deposits . . . or just wait and the next high heat fire should burn most of the gunk off.

 

[kborndale]

Try and get some pallets or old construction lumber (not pressure treated) to help get you up to temp on startup. They burn hot and fast and will help dry out your not so dry wood.

 

[kennyp2339]

Be vigilant, check your chimney every few weeks this winter, call for a mid-season cleaning or invest in your own brush or soot eater, start gathering next years wood now.
Note on the chimney brush - if you have a Class A metal chimney or a metal chimney liner buy a brush that has rigid nylon bristles, do not use a metal brush, metal brushes can damage the inner liner.

 

[clancey]

This posting has been very helpful..Now I have a question here --What about kiln dried wood nobody ever mentions that for dry wood firing...clancey

 

[stoveliker]

Kiln-dried wood *should* be good - but, as with any wood sale, I'd believe it when I see it (with a moisture meter).
The problem is I can "kiln dry" wood. For 2 hrs, when it may need 12 hrs to get where it needs to be...

 

[bholler]

This posting has been very helpful..Now I have a question here --What about kiln dried wood nobody ever mentions that for dry wood firing...clancey

The fact is most "kiln dried" wood is actually just heat treated in a kiln to kill any bugs and make it legal to transport distances. Most of it isn't dry at all

 

[clancey]

That bit of information is sure nice to know and it did not kill all the bugs because I found a big big spider in the middle of my kitchen floor...and I will make sure I test it on the 28th (stove installer will test it)..(Osburn dealer and very nice--Chris)..Thought it would be dry, dry and more dry..ugh..clancey

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Your looking for ACS anti creosote spray. You soak a pice of kindling in it and put it on a hot fire. Do not close the by pass so watch how much wood it in the stove. The minerals in it will help break up any glaze in the stove pipe and will make sweeping much easier. THIS IS NOT A SUBSTITUTION FOR SWEEPING. This will help with poor burning habits and subpar wood. I wouldn't rely on it and Id sweep at least 2 times over the winter. Better to sweep .. than lose your place to a chimney fire.

 

[theonlyzarathu]

Ash has worked great for the past 10 years.

 

[velvetfoot]

Ash has worked great for the past 10 years.

Ditto.

 

[Osuna]

Hey everyone!

I’m new to burning in my wood stove and I wanted to see if there is any products on the market that I can use to clean the glass and if there was anything specific that I could burn that will lower creosote build up with in my system.

Our chimney was swept one month ago in a house that we purchased. I live in an area which winter comes 6 weeks early, we’ve had Temperatures in the minus for a couple weeks now. Unfortunately our wood isn’t perfectly seasoned but the trees we fell were dead standing. I am finding some build up inside.

I have read somewhere that burning a specific thing once a week helps lower creosote and helps break down that build up. We have a long winter winter ahead of us. We will be more dialed with wood supply next year but we just need to get through this winter with what we have!

Thanks for any advice!

This does the trick: https://weiman.com/glass-cooktop-cleaner-polish