Sleepless about creosote

[Curler]

My first post here guys. Can't say how useful I find this forum! I'm a complete newbie to woodburning, it's 4am and I have recently installed a Stuv 30 and a Stuv 16-Cube which are causing me a bit of sleeplessness.

We've been using both stoves since November, but the Stuv 30 gets used every day, all day. Just recently, a portion of the glass on the 30 has begun to get partially covered with brown soot (creosote?) when I'm starting it, and a fair volume of smoke escapes into the room when I'm getting it going and open it to load more split wood. This is different from before when the glass would remain clean and very little smoke would escape at any time. (Once it's burning, very little smoke escapes when I open to reload.)

A couple of factors that you might ask about:
- I've begun to use pine branches I've collected as kindling. In the past, we've been using split hardwood.
- My wood has moisture content of 16-19%, although this has been checked on wood at room temp that was split maybe 24 hrs ago. (I'll re-check today using fresh splits)
- the Stuv is in our kitchen and the chimney runs straight up about 8 feet up to the ceiling, through the roof and maybe another 6-8 feet outside
- I have a magnetic Taylor temp thermometer on the chimney about 6-inches above the stove. The reading is in the 400-600F range for the first few hours in the morning, then we drop it down to around 300-400F as the house becomes warmer
- I've been using this stove for 90 days but haven't used any creosote buster or anything

A couple of questions:
1. Is the recent discolouring of the glass due to reduced draft up the chimney which could be caused by creosote buildup? Any suggestions about what else it could be?
2. How can I inspect the chimney for creosote buildup?
3. I'm gonna go get myself a sootbuster in the morning. Are there any of the powder or chimney log products you would recommend as a way to regularly keep creosote buildup down?

Any other advice to ease my sleep patterns would be gratefully received. Thanks.

 

[MongoMongoson]

The only thing that will help you sleep better is if you inspect your pipes, at least that would work for me. Please post some pics of your setup and forum members can advise you on how to disassemble/inspect.

You have had it in place long enough that, with a new install, you need to look at it so you know the state of it. Take pictures of the inside of your pipes and share them here.

Do you have a screen on your cap? Could be your cap is plugged.. Go outside and look up at your cap... what does it look like?

Others will likely tell you that your wood might not be as dry as you think, or that you might be turning the primary air down too soon.... and they might be right.. I say before you try running it hotter you should inspect.

Getting the sooteater is fine, but again, you need to see what it looks like inside so you know how your system has been burning. I would want to see that before I ran the sooteater up through the pipes. For instance, you might only get a little creosote and ash out when you are done with your sooteater and think you are good, but if you have glaze that isn't going to come out with the sooteater and you will want to know if it is there.

Long time burner and reader, first time poster.

 

[EbS-P]

I just got done sweeping my flue. I have burned more pine this year than the last two. Couple observation. It burns sootier than hard wood and because of the pitch you can burn it wetter than hard wood. What I saw was a bunch of brown light fluffy soot. No creosote at all. The pine also make a filament like carbon ash that was accumulating on my cap. Take some binoculars or a drone and look up at your caps. this is what my sweepings looked like. Nothing to worry about but it was time to clean it.
Evan

 

[begreen]

The only thing that will help you sleep better is if you inspect your pipes, at least that would work for me. Please post some pics of your setup and forum members can advise you on how to disassemble/inspect.

You have had it in place long enough that, with a new install, you need to look at it so you know the state of it. Take pictures of the inside of your pipes and share them here.

Do you have a screen on your cap? Could be your cap is plugged.. Go outside and look up at your cap... what does it look like?

Others will likely tell you that your wood might not be as dry as you think, or that you might be turning the primary air down too soon.... and they might be right.. I say before you try running it hotter you should inspect.

Getting the sooteater is fine, but again, you need to see what it looks like inside so you know how your system has been burning. I would want to see that before I ran the sooteater up through the pipes. For instance, you might only get a little creosote and ash out when you are done with your sooteater and think you are good, but if you have glaze that isn't going to come out with the sooteater and you will want to know if it is there.

Long time burner and reader, first time poster.

Thanks for the helpful post. I would add that if the roof is too steep, chimney too high, etc. to get up and inspect, call out a professional sweeper that will inspect the liner and ask if they can shoot a picture at least at the top to help educated yourself on the flue status.

 

[Curler]

Thanks very much for that guys. I'll get up on the roof tomorrow and take some pics and post them here. Thanks again.

 

[begreen]

Thanks very much for that guys. I'll get up on the roof tomorrow and take some pics and post them here. Thanks again.

Good plan. Stay safe up there.

 

[jetsam]

You should really inspect the whole run. You can get a wifi boroscope for around $30 on Amazon. This lets you actually put a camera through the whole thing and have a look.

However, just looking at the top is quite valuable because the top is normally the coldest bit, and thus accumulates creosote fastest. This can't tell you what is going on in the middle of the pipe, but if you have a picture of the top and bottom, you can generally have some idea.

Those magic creosote remover powders and sprays and logs remove your money, but not creosote. In my opinion, their primary function is to prey on people who don't know what creosote is but are worried about it anyway.

A brush actually removes creosote and is cheaper, and lasts a long time. Get a brush or a Sooteater. Inspect frequently, use the brush as often as you need to.

 

[mar13]

You should really inspect the whole run. You can get a wifi boroscope for around $30 on Amazon. This lets you actually put a camera through the whole thing and have a look.

However, just looking at the top is quite valuable because the top is normally the coldest bit, and thus accumulates creosote fastest. This can't tell you what is going on in the middle of the pipe, but if you have a picture of the top and bottom, you can generally have some idea.

Those magic creosote remover powders and sprays and logs remove your money, but not creosote. In my opinion, their primary function is to prey on people who don't know what creosote is but are worried about it anyway.

A brush actually removes creosote and is cheaper, and lasts a long time. Get a brush or a Sooteater. Inspect frequently, use the brush as often as you need to.

Can you point out, say on Amazon, an example of a decent looking good value boroscope? I can see it being useful for other tasks. Thanks. (Sorry for a gear question here. Move if inappropriate forum.)

 

[MMH]

Check cap and all pipe, consider a good cleaning if needed. Consider draft (reported 14-16ft) against manufacturers recommendations; bring in wood bring to room temp split and check. Start there; creo products are meant to take glaze and turn it back into crust and powder making it easier to clean (if I recall right). Do they work? Some say yes some no some kinda. As another said the only way I feel better is doing a good sweeping/clean etc. good luck.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

If it were me, and my roof pitch weren't bad. I'd get a soot eatter and run it down the pipe while I was up there inspecting the cap. It only takes me about 30 minutes to set up and do a full cleaning. I started cleaning my pipe last year.. I was burning alot on low so I cleaned early December and then again the end of January. If your worried about it.. just clean it. If your not sure.. get a pro out there and watch how he does it.. then do it yourself.. Skip the bore scope if its dirty it will need to be cleaned.. if its close to needing to be cleaned.. well you cleaned it anyway... so for piece of mind... just run the brush down it.. don't over think it.. when you clean the pipe and if you still have a problem you ruled out the pipe being dirty...
Not one person on this forum has ever complained of having a stove pipe that was to clean...

 

[jetsam]

Can you point out, say on Amazon, an example of a decent looking good value boroscope? I can see it being useful for other tasks. Thanks. (Sorry for a gear question here. Move if inappropriate forum.)

For example this one if you have a smartphone, and a more expensive version with a screen if you don't. Be sure to pick one that is longer than your flue.

As others have said, if you're going to order one thing from Amazon, make it a sooteater or a brush, not a scope! (But I suggest both. The scope is not a necessity, but it feels good to see the inside of the pipe.)

 

[shoot-straight]

A friend had the glaze in his masonry chimney. Used the powder. Worked as advertised.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

discoloring on the glass could be a result of you closing down the air to far. I know if i push my air control rod all the way in i get that buildup on my glass. I got to leave mine open about 1/2 inch to keep enough air flow over night from staining the glass brown

 

[Doublebogey]

I moved into my house in February 2019 and burned for about a month in the open fireplace. It looked a little nasty. A local sweep that my brother swears by recommends ACS spray in the fireplace. He believes in it firmly and says that he can tell when his customers are actually using it. I burned all of the 19-20 burning season in the open fireplace but used ACS spray religiously. When I cleaned my flue out before my insert install in the fall of 2020 I was amazed that there was no glaze to speak of. Just fluffy powder that came right off the tile and the smoke chamber with ease. I have a bottle on its way to my house right now actually. I figure I'll use it for the next month or two and hopefully it will make for an easier cleaning in March or April. At under twenty bucks its worth a shot as far as I'm concerned.

 

[jetsam]

I moved into my house in February 2019 and burned for about a month in the open fireplace. It looked a little nasty. A local sweep that my brother swears by recommends ACS spray in the fireplace. He believes in it firmly and says that he can tell when his customers are actually using it. I burned all of the 19-20 burning season in the open fireplace but used ACS spray religiously. When I cleaned my flue out before my insert install in the fall of 2020 I was amazed that there was no glaze to speak of. Just fluffy powder that came right off the tile and the smoke chamber with ease. I have a bottle on its way to my house right now actually. I figure I'll use it for the next month or two and hopefully it will make for an easier cleaning in March or April. At under twenty bucks its worth a shot as far as I'm concerned.

...a brush is under twenty bucks, lasts for years, and you don't have to wonder if it's cleaning the chimney or not.

Just putting it out there!

 

[Doublebogey]

...a brush is under twenty bucks, lasts for years, and you don't have to wonder if it's cleaning the chimney or not.

Just putting it out there!

Oh, no doubt. I have every intention of buying a brush as well. The one I have now is for my old 12 inch clay tile. The ACS has proven itself to me though and is worth the couple extra sawbucks a year.

 

[begreen]

Oh, no doubt. I have every intention of buying a brush as well. The one I have now is for my old 12 inch clay tile. The ACS has proven itself to me though and is worth the couple extra sawbucks a year.

It really depends on the chimney installation, dry fuel, and stove operation. If the fuel is dry and the flue temps remain well above the condensation point for creosote all the way up, the chimney will stay quite clean without the ACS. But not every chimney setup is ideal and some cat stoves run with flue temps that are closer to condensation levels. Add a cold climate and a flue system that vents into an entirely outdoor chimney then the opportunity for creosote build-up goes up a lot.