Running the stove in the fall and creosote

[Farenheit 451]

Hi all, beginning my first season burning with a Progress Hybrid from Woodstock. We renovated an old cabin that’s 1600 sq ft and it’s a very open plan so it has really heated the house well down into the 40s so far in the northeast. My question is about running the stove for a prolonged period of time with the damper fully shut or near shut and creosote buildup. The owners manual says doing so can cause creosote to build up quickly and when I call Woodstock they suggest letting the fire burn down during the day and only running it in the evening, basically starting s new fire each day. The only thing is that we can shut the damper completely with a full firebox and get plenty of heat so it’s still running shut most of the time.

We have exclusively woodheat and no other means of heat except space heaters if we chose to use them. What do folks suggest from your experience burning with wood heat basically October to end of March in the shoulder seasons to reduce concern of creosote but still be able to enjoy the wood heat.

P.S. I cut all my own wood this last year, variety of elm, birch, cherry, maple and pine, all of it is below 20% on a moisture meter.

 

[begreen]

If this is your sole source of heat, then you may need to compromise. This is going to depend on how quickly it turns cold enough to burn 24/7. You may need to clean the chimney more frequently until you settle into a 24/7 pattern.

Is this with an interior or exterior chimney? Do you have a stovepipe thermometer to monitor flue temps? If this is an interior chimney and the flue temps stay above 250º the accumulation may not be too rapid. You will have to see what develops. If you can do a hot burn first thing in the morning for an hour or so that will help reduce accumulation.

 

[Farenheit 451]

If this is your sole source of heat, then you may need to compromise. This is going to depend on how quickly it turns cold enough to burn 24/7. You may need to clean the chimney more frequently until you settle into a 24/7 pattern.

Is this with an interior or exterior chimney? Do you have a stovepipe thermometer to monitor flue temps? If this is an interior chimney and the flue temps stay above 250º the accumulation may not be too rapid. You will have to see what develops. If you can do a hot burn first thing in the morning for an hour or so that will help reduce accumulation.

Chimney is interior for about 12’ of stovepipe before it goes through the roof outside.

We use the thermometer that cane with the stove to monitor it and far as I can tell it’s accurate. During the past week we have kept the flu temps around 300-350 without issue but during some of the warmer days in the 60s it gets a little warmer than we like so we close the damper and try to save the coals for evening.

 

[begreen]

If the stovepipe is double-wall you could be fine. Cold weather is coming.

 

[Farenheit 451]

If the stovepipe is double-wall you could be fine. Cold weather is coming.

Stovepipe inside the house is single wall, chimney pipe that exists the roof is double wall and it’s brand new just installed this year from Woodstock and assume they use premium materials.

 

[begreen]

Well, single-wall will lose heat a lot faster and that will cool down the flue gases. But if you are reading 350º surface temps on the stove pipe approx. 18-24" above the stove then it's plenty hot. Surface temps on single-wall aren't exact, but you can figure on the flue gas temps being 75-100% higher inside the pipe or approx 525ºto 600º. At that temp there shouldn't be any accumulation to speak of. You could even run it a little cooler on the stack if need be.

 

[maple1]

Getting wood cut just this year to below 20% now would be a tall task. You must have very good drying conditions?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

You need to burn what you've got. Check the chimney regularly.

 

[Farenheit 451]

Getting wood cut just this year to below 20% now would be a tall task. You must have very good drying conditions?

I’ll admit I was surprised when I checked the meter as I assumed the wood I’d cut was for next year and isn’t have to buy for this season but it consistently gives me readings around or below 18-20%. The pine dried super quick that was standing wood, the cherry and most of the others were downed on the property when I bought it and cut it up in January and February.

For drying I’ve got a shelter built with metal roofing the keeps the rain off of it pretty well. I stack Norwegian round piles and I don’t have anything to compare it to but seems to work quite well for drying and stability.

 

[begreen]

Are you testing moisture after a re-split on the freshly exposed face of the wood?

 

[Farenheit 451]

Are you testing moisture after a re-split on the freshly exposed face of the wood?

Yes. I had been fanatical about every piece of wood I threw in but after a while I figured it all came from the same batch of trees and cut at the same time so I spot check here and there now.

 

[begreen]

Sounds like you are living right. I wouldn't worry too much about running it a bit slower and lower as long as the surface stovepipe thermometer reads over 200-250º.

 

[Farenheit 451]

Sounds like you are living right. I wouldn't worry too much about running it a bit slower and lower as long as the surface stovepipe thermometer reads over 200-250º.

Awesome really glad to hear that because I love heating with this thing but had been uneasy about possible chimney fires having never really done this before. Thanks so much for your input!

 

[begreen]

Check your chimney after the first cord burned. That will give you a better sense of how it is burning.

 

[maple1]

I would likely check the pipe & chimney after the first 2 weeks of burning. Then you can widen that out based on what you find. Better safe than sorry, especially in a new setup.

 

[log cabin living]

Sounds like you are living right. I wouldn't worry too much about running it a bit slower and lower as long as the surface stovepipe thermometer reads over 200-250º.

Is there a rough temperature for the stove to be above? I have an insert with two thermometers, one on the front and one on the top but none in the liner. The top thermometer is lower once blower kicks on so I’ve been going off of the front. Now mind you I’ve only had two fires as I’m a new burner but I starting closing the air around 400-500 to try to keep the stove running close to 450-550 cruising temps.

 

[Farenheit 451]

Check your chimney after the first cord burned. That will give you a better sense of how it is burning.

Would I be correct in saying the only way to check the chimney is to climb up there myself? There is really no way to check the pipe from inside as the stove pipe is top mount and otherwise inaccessible. Also, assuming I develop a good way to get up and down my metal roof to check the chimney can you or anyone share pics of what I should be looking out for? Thanks!

 

[begreen]

Will you be cleaning the chimney yourself or hiring a qualified sweep? If the intent is to clean by yourself then yes, you will need to develop a safe method to accomplish this.

 

[Farenheit 451]

Will you be cleaning the chimney yourself or hiring a qualified sweep? If the intent is to clean by yourself then yes, you will need to develop a safe method to accomplish this.

Honestly if I trusted myself to do it thoroughly I’d prefer to do it myself but figured I’d be using a chimney sweep. What do those who clean their own chimneys need to do it well enough to ensure no creosote build ups? Things like specific tools or how to assess maintenance would be helpful. I’ll probably need a decent ladder to get up there for starters lol

 

[begreen]

A lot of folks have switched to a rotary cleaner like a SootEater and do it from the bottom up. That is what I have done for the past 4 yrs.. This option may not be a choice with your setup because of the 90º turn right at the stove pipe. If the stove was switched to rear-vent with a cleanout tee then it would be easier. Maybe start a new thread on flue cleaning with the Progress to learn what others are doing?

 

[Farenheit 451]

A lot of folks have switched to a rotary cleaner like a SootEater and do it from the bottom up. That is what I have done for the past 4 yrs.. This option may not be a choice with your setup because of the 90º turn right at the stove pipe. If the stove was switched to rear-vent with a cleanout tee then it would be easier. Maybe start a new thread on flue cleaning with the Progress to learn what others are doing?

I’m not sure doing from the bottom up is possible based on the setup. I attached a few pics but I’ll also start a new thread. Any chance there is an option for me to use a tool like that if I get onto the roof and remove the chimney cap and go top down?

 

[begreen]

Did the stove come from Woodstock set up for top vent? Normally they are set up for rear venting. This should be pretty straight forward to change back if you choose to. The instructions are on page 11/12 of the installation manual. And the stove would need to move forward on the hearth to keep the stovepipe in alignment which might mean needing to extend the hearth.

 

[Farenheit 451]

Did the stove come from Woodstock setup for top vent? Normally they are setup for rear vent. This should be pretty straight forward to change back if you choose to. The instructions are on page 11/12 of the installation manual. And the stove would need to move forward on the hearth to keep the stove pipe in alignment.

In theory it would be a simple but the piping would have to snake all around like a goose neck to fit it where the stove currently sits and I imagine that would defeat the purpose of trying to clean it from bottom up. We already moved the stove forward farther than we had planned. I suppose if we built the hearth out farther into the room it would be possible but that would not be ideal.

 

[blacktail]

Nobody has asked if your chimney is smoking? Does your exhaust stay clear when it's turned down? With the right wood, stove, and habits, some stoves will run clean at the lowest air setting.

Getting wood cut just this year to below 20% now would be a tall task. You must have very good drying conditions?

Most of the species they listed can be dried in under a year.

 

[begreen]

In theory it would be a simple but the piping would have to snake all around like a goose neck to fit it where the stove currently sits and I imagine that would defeat the purpose of trying to clean it from bottom up

It wouldn't affect cleaning that much. We have an offset like this on our stove. I had to put it in when I switched from the Castine to the T6. The sooteater easily goes right through it without issue.