Idahonative
Addicted to ArboristSite
Idahonative: "Stove pipe and chimney are the same thing. In fact, words like chimney, stack, connector, pipe, flue...all mean the same thing. They are the means for the gasses to exit the home. Every one of those words has the meaning "pipe"...NOT "firebox".
NSMaple1, I want to make sure you didn't take my reply to your post as me disagreeing with you. I agree 100% when you say you take it as addressing the chimney connector, but not the chimney. The point I was trying to make was this: I realize different sections of pipe are called different things. From the stove top to the ceiling of the room is called the "chimney connector" but it's still a PIPE. From the attic to the vent cap is called the "chimney" but it's still a PIPE. I could call the entire pipe, from the stove top to the vent cap, the "flue" but it's still a PIPE.
I also understand a person could have a pipe (chimney connector) up to the ceiling and have something other than a pipe as the chimney (maybe masonry). We can talk about definitions all day long but it doesn't change the point when talking about creosote in the flue. Blaze King was very specific in their manual when addressing creosote. They broke it out into: Glass, firebox, cat, and flue (chimney connector). I'm still puzzled how anyone could read this and not agree that BK is addressing creosote in the flue with words like "stack", "chimney connector", and "chimney brush"...NOWHERE does it mention "firebox":
*Pg. 26, Creosote: "At stack temperature below 120*C (250* F), the creosote will condense out of the gasses (smoke). Once a chimney connector becomes heavily coated with creosote, the only safe way to remove it is mechanically with a proper chimney cleaner or brush. A combination of wet fuel and poor operating procedure may necessitate weekly cleaning to remove creosote buildup. Remember - the hotter the fire the less creosote...We recommend that each day a small intense fire be built, preferably in the morning. This daily practice should burn out the small deposits of creosote before they build to a dangerous level. The combustion air inlet should be opened at least 30 minutes by turning the thermostat up in the morning and evening. NEVER "burn out" large deposits of more than one days accumulation."
I guess my advise to others would be to follow the BK manual...it works!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDIT: BTW - If a person is addressing creosote (with daily burn offs) in the chimney connector (stove pipe), they are addressing creosote all the way up the flue. The hot gasses know no boundaries.
The same could be said for the other areas of creosote that BK addresses in the manual. If a person is getting the stove hot enough to burn creosote off the glass, the firebox, and the cat, they are getting it hot enough to keep the flue free of creosote. I can tell you first hand, it takes getting the cat probe into the upper range for approx 30 minutes (like the manual states) to clean the glass. At those temps, for that long, the flue WILL be free of creosote (with daily burn offs).
