things i learned so far, still a newbee.

[oneway]

wet wood sucks, smoke in house sucks (2x), code says i dont need screen on chimney but me and the bird disagree (see pic.)

it is easier to move a cardboard mockup than the real thing, the code man / fire marshal agree. floor protection cant be too big, embers seem to cling to door gasket, it must cover the full swing of the door.these guys in this forum have a bunch of useful advice and information it pays to check in at least every few days. now a question. i have a bit of 8" ash, cut 2 years, how big a log before it needs to be split? i took a look down my chimney, just looks a bit sooty, no flakes except at the very top last 1 ft. im thinking that is a good thing. how clean does this need to be? the three problems have been taken care of and i still love my quadrafire 3100 burn hot and burn safe. thanks, oneway.

 

[Jags]

I split everything so that I can grab it one handed from the end. I also try to split a variety of sizes to aid in full (re: Packed) firebox loads.

Sounds like your stack is in good shape. As a newby I would still suggest a sweep and a good look at the whole system. Review everything to confirm a good solid system.

I agree with screen on caps. I had the same issue you are dealing with. 1/4" hardware cloth (metal screen) has worked well for me.

 

[Woody Stover]

I picked up a dolly from Harbor Fright...shoulda done it years ago. Now I just lever up each side and put 2x4s or whatever under the legs, repeating until I have the stove high enough to slip the dolly underneath, then lower the stove onto the dolly. Easy as pie.
I buck wood down to 4", and split everything for faster drying. Nice to have some little splits mixed into the stack, especially if you don't have a big separate stock of kindling. Little unsplit Oak branches will still be sizzling several years later.
It's harder to tell about your flue if you don't have a liner; Could be glazed underneath the soot. But if you had the chimney inspected and cleaned before you started burning, you're probably OK unless you burned a lot of wet wood. I second the advice to have a sweep look at it if you are unsure about the condition of the chimney...

 

[pglotov]

Did the bird come down the chimney?

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Better a bird than a squirrel, then you would really be in trouble...... Get a cap, ASAP......

 

[webby3650]

Some chimneys attract birds, some don't. I have 3 flues on my house and non of them have mesh, I've never had a single bird in any of em.

 

[Ashful]

Some chimneys attract birds, some don't. I have 3 flues on my house and non of them have mesh, I've never had a single bird in any of em.

Previous owner of this house lived here 19 years, and told me the same thing. Then I got a squirrel down the chimney and in my stove in my first year here. The stove had only gone "cold" a few hours.

That squirrel cost me about $600, being roughly $300 in direct damage + $300 in stuff I decided to do while I had the stove apart for repair. Cheap by comparison would be a 3/4" stainless mesh cap.

 

[BrotherBart]

(broken image removed)

 

[webby3650]

Some chimneys attract birds, some don't. I have 3 flues on my house and non of them have mesh, I've never had a single bird in any of em.

Well, I just had a pair of blue birds in my stove. First time in 8 years. How timely!

 

[kennyp2339]

Brother Bart, I have a house cat, what are you raising? Bob cats or mountain lions?

 

[BrotherBart]

Brother Bart, I have a house cat, what are you raising? Bob cats or mountain lions?

Not mine. Mine is a panther.