wet chimney

[sahadeoesh13]

hello guys im new to the forum..i have a chiney question and was hoping someone can give some input...
recently my big e pellet stove 6" chimney that goes to my roof is dripping with a slurry of creosote...i am aware of creosote accumalating in chimneys but i dont understand where the water is coming from...the chimney is capped and protected from any rain..i have disconnected the stove from chimney and left it for a few day open to see if its just condesation but it seem to be still dripping....if its condensation ..could i connect stove and run to see if it evaporates? even though the stove is not hooked up to it its still condensing im assuming,....

thank you

 

[mralias]

Welcome sahadeoesh13. First off, post the type of pellet stove you have in your signature so we all know what you have for a burner. It may not apply in this situation but will be helpful in future posts. Second, has this always been an issue or is this something new? Type of pellets you are burning would help as well. When was the last time the venting was cleaned from top to stove? Snow on the roof around a pipe joint? We need more info to help.

 

[sahadeoesh13]

I have a breckwell big e pellet stove. owned it for a year now and i have never had a issue like this...i clean my 3" pipe and 6" chimney every season and i burn about 1 1/2 ton of pellet....there is no snow or rain lately ....for this season i burn 1 ton green supreme from lowes and 1/2 ton of stove chow..here is some info that i think could have contributed but not sure...before the issue, i had lower the heat setting on the stove due to good temp outside...so the stove was on #1 setting..also lately my stove always have a lazy fire ...not much difference when i change damper setting..flame seems very big and lazy even on #1 setting...currently the stove is disconnected from chimney ....there is wet creosote inside and its dripping...stove has been disconnected for almost 3 day now...chimney still seems to be wet...

thank you

 

[mralias]

Lazy flame is most likely an airflow issue. Green supreme is high in ash and will clog up your stove pretty good. First thing I woul do is a comlpete cleaning. That means everything for pulling blowers, block off plates if you have them, venting, any place that can get clogged. Your manual should give you a guide to follow on that. Describe your venting set up. How many 90's, T's, length of vertical and horizontal runs if you would.

 

[mralias]

From your manual



Creosote Formation

– When any wood is burned slowly, it produces tar and other organic vapors, which combine with expelled
moisture to form creosote. The creosote vapors condense in the relatively cool chimney flue or a newly started fire or from a slowburning
fire. As a result, creosote residue accumulates on the flue lining. When ignited, this creosote makes an extremely hot fire,
which may damage the chimney or even destroy the house. Despite their high efficiency, pellet stoves can accumulate creosote under
certain conditions.

 

[sahadeoesh13]

i clean the stove thoroughly in december pull all motor, plates, new vent pipe and replace all gasket etc..weekly i do a thorough clean except pull motors....i have attacted a pic i created to better explain the setup... i have two 45 degree and one t with clean out....from tee to first elbow i have a 3 ft pipe, from first elbow to second elbow i have 1ft pipe, from second elbow to chimney i have another 1ft pipe...

 

[mralias]

You said it is 6" pipe so based on that EVL should not be an issue. I know you said you clean everything real well but one place I would check again is that cap. Make sure it is not blocked. So if the venting is all clean with no obstructions, check your OAK and make sure that is not blocked. Check your Air swtich and make sure the tube is clear. If you have a door adjustment for the door gasket make sure it is set correctly (dollar bill test) and check the other gasket locations to make sure they are all seated as they should be. If no luck with any of those, I would set everything back to factory specs and try adjustment from there. Also look at page 23 of your manual which talks about lazy flame issues. It still sounds to me like an air flow issue.

 

[sahadeoesh13]

i will look over everything and clean again....what can you make of the water issue in the 6"pipe [chimney]...could it be major condensation cause by the stove.?
can i hook the stove back up and run it?

 

[mralias]

If this started when the flame was lazy it could be related to improper low burn causing the Creosote Formation which means a good cleaning and proper adjustment of the damper and feed rate control could solve the problem. Also check the pipe joints and make sure they are sealed per the specs (rvt and foil tape). Please do these steps one at a time to help isolate what the true issue is. This way we all can learn what caused the problem for future reference.

 

[sahadeoesh13]

If this started when the flame was lazy it could be related to improper low burn causing the Creosote Formation which means a good cleaning and proper adjustment of the damper and feed rate control could solve the problem. Also check the pipe joints and make sure they are sealed per the specs (rvt and foil tape). Please do these steps one at a time to help isolate what the true issue is. This way we all can learn what caused the problem for future reference.

thank you for your time and effort...i will start from square one and see how effective it will be....

 

[brack86svo]

Do you have an outside air kit hooked up? My Big E creates a lot of creosote when the OAK is not hooked up.
Do you pull the small ash doors located at the bottom inside of the stove near the burn pot when you clean?

 

[sahadeoesh13]

i dont have one hooked up...should i install one.? and how do i go about doing this ? i also pull the ash doors evry time i clean the stove.....i brush behind the doors and vacuum them out....

thank you

 

[mralias]

Which model Big E do you have SP1002? Page 12 of that manual states:

"OuTSiDE Air SuPPLy (optional, unless installing in a mobile home)
Depending on your location and home construction, outside air may be necessary for optimal performance.
Metal pipe (solid or flexible) must be used for the outside air installation. PVC pipe is NOT approved and should NEVER
be used.
A wind shield over the termination of the outside air pipe or a 90-degree elbow or bend away from the prevailing winds
MUST be used when an outside air pipe is installed through the side of a building. The outside air termination MUST
be at least 1ft (0.305m) away from the exhaust system termination.
The outside air pipe on your heater is 2” (50.8mm) OD. The outside air connecting pipe must be at least 2” (50.8mm) ID.
The outside air connection used MUST NOT restrict the amount of air available to your heater. The outside air connecting
pipe must be as short and free of bends as possible, and it must fit over, not inside, the outside air connection to the heater."


Is it a good idea? Yes! will it help the stove burn better? Yes! Is this the problem with your stove? Most likely not if the lazy burn and other issues just started after a year of burning.

 

[brack86svo]

I would recommend installing one, it helped my Big E burn better. If your stove has run fine up until this point without it, it may not solve your issue completely. A lazy flame is usually a result of a dirty stove or an air issue. The Big E's have an issue with the face of the stove, where the door seals, of being warped. I found the other day that mine was warped. I was not having any burn issues, so I had never checked it before. I was able to tweak mine back into shape with a crow bar. You need to check for anywhere air could be entering the stove that isn't through the intake on the back, and clean the stove thoroughly.

 

[sahadeoesh13]

thank you guys for the replies..my big e model is the p1000 ...so far i think the wet chimney issue was just condensation from a bad running stove..i left the chimney open for a few day and the water dried up...also it rain here lastnight and its still dry so i know its just condensation....now about the stove.....the oak kit might make a difference but the stove ran like a champ before this.. so it might not solve the issue..air switch check out fine ...voltage and test from manual....my combustion blower works fine...it is well maintained and oiled...clean also..replacing all 3'' pipe with new..only thing i can think of is maybe door or ash pan gasket ....or a warp...i will check for those and let you know what i find..also what is the air wash and what issue can it cause if something is wrong with it.? and is there any maintainace to it ?

 

[mralias]

what is the air wash and what issue can it cause if something is wrong with it.? and is there any maintainace to it ?​

It is a gap in the door glass area that allows air to flow over the glass to keep it as clean as possible. Stoves have it in different places. Mine is on the bottom. Not sure where yours is located but would not worry about it as long as the glass stays relatively clean. BTW, you did blow in the air switch tube to make sure it was clear, correct?

 

[sahadeoesh13]

yea i did...also the test directed by the manual..

 

[brack86svo]

Condensation is a result of low flue temperatures. Do you run the stove on/off, constantly on, or high/low? What heat level settings do you run? Is your 6 inch pipe double walled?
I would lean towards it possibly being a warped face. You can check for air leaks with a candle lighter by running it around the sealed areas of the door, or removeable ash pan if yours has one, and watch for the flame to get sucked into the gap. It's best to try it with the damper pushed all the way in, to create the most amount of vacuum. You can also block the air wash, bottom edge of the door, with a piece of electrical tape to help increase vacuum. You can bypass the proof of fire switch, located just past the combustion blower, to get the combustion blower to turn on, without lighting the stove to check for leaks. I have a small jumper wire with male spade connectors on either end just for that reason.

 

[sahadeoesh13]

the stove is on 24/7 ....mostly on #2 and #1...when the condensation happen the stove was running on #1 with a lazy looking fire for two days...the pipe is not double wall...i will try the leak test......

 

[brack86svo]

The Big E is not a great stove to run on setting 1. It mainly wastes pellets and produces little heat output due to the combustion blower running full tilt in every setting. I installed a control board from a Kozy stove in my Big E. The Kozy board has varaible combustion, and helps the stove run hotter at lower settings. The Kozy board is made by the same manufacturer as the Breckwell board, only difference is variable combustion. On setting 1, my combustion blower is at 100 volts, on setting 4 it's at 115 volts.
The condensation could have been from running the stove on setting 1 for extended periods. The flue might not be getting hot enough to keep moisture away. That still doesn't explain your lazy flame however. Find the source of the lazy flame, and run the stove as needed and see if the condensation issue goes away.

I still stand behind saying you should have an OAK. There far more benefits to the way the stove burns with one, then without. Some will say that the stove will run cooler pulling in cold air but, mine burns cleaner and with no temperature difference. The stove has to get the air from somewhere, so it might as well get it from outside, rather then pulling it in through the house at drafty areas. My 2 cents only, I'm not trying to start another OAK debate thread.

 

[sahadeoesh13]

i do realize that on #1 setting the stove produces alot of ash and buildup...it also do produces little heat....so from now on #2 setting will be best i think...the kozy board sound like a great mod ...starting this season i had to put a new board and cnt afford another one...but maybe down the road i will invest in one ...i think the condensation was cause from the way the stove was running...and the flue stayiing cool...when i hook everything up and start the stove i will diagnose the lazy flame...i read a post with the same lazy flame and the individual replaced the airswitch although the switch test out ok ..there is a another test to determined a crack diaphragm..which was the issue ....i will try it ...

 

[brack86svo]

My Kozy control board ran me $300. I run mine on high/low off a thermostat, so that's the main reason I installed the other controller.
The airswitch should not cause a burn issue. The airswitch simply senses vacuum in the stove while it is running. When it doesn't sense vacuum, it will shut the stove down. If you light the stove, then open the door, eventually the stove will shut down. If you had an issue where the stove would not run, then I would start testing switches.
It doesn't hurt to test everything you can though, so keep us posted and let us know if you have any more questions.

 

[sahadeoesh13]

i guess i left out the part that the stove started shuting down and #2 light was blinking...this happen the day when i discover tthe water drip and right before i disconnect the stove from vent system....before it started shutting down, the flame was lazy..like i mentioned..i didnt have time to diagnose the shutting down issue cause i was trying to figure out the vent water issue...when i put the stove back together, i know it will start shutting down with #2 light blinking. i plan on fixing that issue then ....i need the vent system to be hooked up before i can do anything thing else ..