Stage 3 Creosote After 1 Fire

[doublejz]

So I finally got everything hooked up and finished with my setup. Had my first fire last night with the insert in it's new home (recently had it in the garage). I started it like normal, started it small, wide open, sounded like a freight train. Hit like 600 degrees and choked it down so it burnt around 475-525. I burnt probably about 8-10 pieces of wood (oak, seasoned for about 5 years) and let it go out.

Threw a couple logs in this morning on top of the coals and noticed what looks like stage 3 creosote... is that even possible to happen that quick... and why?!?!

 

[begreen]

Nothing serious there. This is in the firebox. It most likely is because of cooler air coming in from the intake vents with no preheating. Did the grate come with the stove? I think I would pull that out.

 

[doublejz]

Nothing serious there. This is in the firebox. It most likely is because of cooler air coming in from the intake vents with no preheating. Did the grate come with the stove? I think I would pull that out.

Ok. The grate was from an old stove I'm trying out in there. I planned on pulling it as I couldn't stack much in there due to clearance issues .

 

[begreen]

Good, that type of grate is for a fireplace. You can create a burnable grate to make it easier to start a fire by laying a pair of 1" splits N/S about 4-6" apart and then loading the wood E/W on top of them.

 

[bholler]

Ok. The grate was from an old stove I'm trying out in there. I planned on pulling it as I couldn't stack much in there due to clearance issues .

Is there a liner hooked to the insert and running out the top?

 

[doublejz]

Is there a liner hooked to the insert and running out the top?

There is. It was an old Squire insert that had the ~14" rectangle vent out the top. I made a boot to go from the rectangle slot to a 6" flex liner. I have ~30' of 6", insulated, double wall flex liner out the top.

 

[bholler]

6" is way to to small. Your height is probably the only reason it works.

 

[doublejz]

6" is way to to small. Your height is probably the only reason it works.

Anything bigger wouldn't fit up the chimney/flue. I already had to completely remove the damper, bust out masonry and use an adjustable elbow to get through the smoke shelf area.

I'm not sure if you're concern about the size is for draft reasons but it seems to have decent draft. As soon as there is the slightest amount of smoke, it gets sucked up liner. Maybe the smooth liner is helping with draft too, not sure.

 

[jatoxico]

I usually turn the air up a little bit if I'm not going to be around to tend the fire as it burns down. That will help keep it cleaner. Check your cap often (with binoculars if you have some) while you're getting the hang of it. A dirty firebox (from pics yours wasn't that bad) is one thing, a clooged cap is another.

 

[HomeinPA]

So I finally got everything hooked up and finished with my setup. Had my first fire last night with the insert in it's new home (recently had it in the garage). I started it like normal, started it small, wide open, sounded like a freight train. Hit like 600 degrees and choked it down so it burnt around 475-525. I burnt probably about 8-10 pieces of wood (oak, seasoned for about 5 years) and let it go out.

Threw a couple logs in this morning on top of the coals and noticed what looks like stage 3 creosote... is that even possible to happen that quick... and why?!?!

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What am I missing? 3rd degree is hard tacky glaze, I see nothing wrong except the grate.

 

[HomeinPA]

Anything bigger wouldn't fit up the chimney/flue. I already had to completely remove the damper, bust out masonry and use an adjustable elbow to get through the smoke shelf area.

I'm not sure if you're concern about the size is for draft reasons but it seems to have decent draft. As soon as there is the slightest amount of smoke, it gets sucked up liner. Maybe the smooth liner is helping with draft too, not sure.

It's not necessarily about what fits in the existing chimney. The area of the liner is determined by the square inches of the opening that you made the adapter from. 14x2 would just about work on 6", anything bigger should have been 7 or 8 depending on area. The existing flue should have been big enough to drop either. You may have had to remove tiles though.

Everything you had to do is normal for an insert installation. You should have used stainless parts to connect the stove to the liner. If you didn't that's going to be a problem later. Did you seal around the liner and throat of the damper so you're not sending heat up the inside of the chimney?

 

[doublejz]

It's not necessarily about what fits in the existing chimney. The area of the liner is determined by the square inches of the opening that you made the adapter from. 14x2 would just about work on 6", anything bigger should have been 7 or 8 depending on area. The existing flue should have been big enough to drop either. You may have had to remove tiles though.

Everything you had to do is normal for an insert installation. You should have used stainless parts to connect the stove to the liner. If you didn't that's going to be a problem later. Did you seal around the liner and throat of the damper so you're not sending heat up the inside of the chimney?

Yes. I bent a piece of 16 gauge stainless plate to fit the opening. Cut a hole just big enough to fit the female end of the adjustable elbow through the block off plate. I have 2" of roxul on top of the plate. Of course sealing any voids with high temp silicone.

Don't mind the 2x4s they were there to hold the plate in place until everything was fastened to the masonary.