Is this too much creosote? I think so...

[johnnylabguy]

Nothing like reading a good chimney fire post to make me realize it was time to clean the chimney again. I cleaned it 3 months ago and it looked pretty good. However I've been burning some less than seasoned white oak lately from the back of the woodshed that's been split and stored about a year. I will NEVER stack freshly split wood in my lean-to again. It's only open to the south and the back rows just don't get enough air. Might have to change that this summer.

I was surprised to find the flue was the worst by the damper(which I leave open all the time):

It's probably about a quarter inch thick at the worst spot. Most is just under that. It did clean up nicely. There wasn't any glazing, just the fuzzy stuff:

The chimney liner wasn't nearly as bad and only took one pass to clean up. It was little over an eight of an inch thick:

Clean:

Just thought I'd share some pics and info. Chime in if you have any thoughts or suggestions.

 

[laynes69]

Doesn't look bad to me. Dad had his flue pipe and chimney so plugged there was a 1.5 inch hole that was allowing the smoke to escape. We tracked it down to a leaky cleanout and he wasn't operating the stove correctly.

 

[redprospector]

Wow, that's from 3 months?
I burn Pine, and other softwoods all the time and only clean once a year, and mine's not much worse than that.
It really dosen't look that bad, but now I really have a hard time understanding the old myth about burning Pine.

Andy

 

[mtngun]

Doesn't look bad at all. The fluffy stuff doesn't seem to be as harmful as the syrupy kind.

Thanks for the pics.

 

[johnnylabguy]

Wow, that's from 3 months?
I burn Pine, and other softwoods all the time and only clean once a year, and mine's not much worse than that.
It really dosen't look that bad, but now I really have a hard time understanding the old myth about burning Pine.

Andy

Yep. I usually only clean my chimney once during the heating season but I've been burning large chunks of that white oak and it was not as seasoned as I'd like. Don't think it's that bad but that's the most creosote buildup I've seen in my chimney so I was a little concerned.

Hard woods like that oak take a good two years to be perfect I've read but the piles I had outdoors definately burned much better. It's not hissing just probably running about 25% moisture i'll bet. I burn pine some too, just usually in my shed stove. I don't mind feeding that every hour.

If it ever stops snowing maybe I could actually cut enough to be two years ahead!

 

[Ljute]

Nice and fluffy creosote. Mine looks like that lower down, but up top it's black glass.

 

[stihl sawing]

Doesn't look bad to me either, Mine looks worse than that after it's cleaned.lol Like Lj's is mine is black and glassy. also stinky.

 

[lobsta1]

Well, that is about 4 times as much as what I had after about 8 cords. That included a bunch of oak & locust (locust I call the wood from hell) split & stacked for over 18 months under a high cover. Due to space considerations the stack was about 7' high & 5' deep by 12' long so even though open on all sides there was not enough air flow.

I have an insulated oval liner in an outside masonry chimney. I think the smooth liner with the factory insulation makes a big difference.
Al

 

[johnnylabguy]

Well, that is about 4 times as much as what I had after about 8 cords. That included a bunch of oak & locust (locust I call the wood from hell) split & stacked for over 18 months under a high cover. Due to space considerations the stack was about 7' high & 5' deep by 12' long so even though open on all sides there was not enough air flow.

I have an insulated oval liner in an outside masonry chimney. I think the smooth liner with the factory insulation makes a big difference.
Al

I think your doing it right with you're seasoning method too Al. My stack is similar but enclosed on three sides. The front was seasoned well. The back, not so much. That's where the difference lies. My first year burning I cleaned it after the season and didn't have that much buildup. As long as its no worse I can live with it.

I like a smooth liner better too but my chimney curves past another fireplace so I had to go with the flex. It has done well though. It does help that its in the center of the house and insulated.

 

[Junkrunner]

I think your doing it right with you're seasoning method too Al. My stack is similar but enclosed on three sides. The front was seasoned well. The back, not so much. That's where the difference lies. My first year burning I cleaned it after the season and didn't have that much buildup. As long as its no worse I can live with it.

I like a smooth liner better too but my chimney curves past another fireplace so I had to go with the flex. It has done well though. It does help that its in the center of the house and insulated.

Your right, keepin that sudden temp. change from happening definetely reduces creosote. I also add a couple of beer cans (empty of course) to a good, hot fire. Seems to loosen any thats in there. my stove has burned non-stop since Oct., and I went up the other day and ran the brush down thru it. I only got a half gallon of dried "fluffy" creosote out of the clean-out.. My chimney top to where the stove enters is 18 feet and is a square 6 inch liner, that's in the center of the house.

Plus, I'll add that I do burn some "green" too. That's mostly white ash.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Looks kinda like what I cleaned out of my flue yesterday. Before next season rolls around, I am going to either remove that screen in the cap or come up with a better way of cleaning it. The brush doesn't do the job. I tapped on the cap with the brush from the inside till I shelled off a lot of it and draft has improved substantially.

Ian

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Not too bad at all, I agree. Nice and fluffy that comes right off with a scraping...

 

[Ljute]

Looks kinda like what I cleaned out of my flue yesterday. Before next season rolls around, I am going to either remove that screen in the cap or come up with a better way of cleaning it. The brush doesn't do the job. I tapped on the cap with the brush from the inside till I shelled off a lot of it and draft has improved substantially.

Ian

The screen is what does me in too. It usually clogs up the works long before I need to sweep.

Some grating/grid screen has 3/4" spacing, which is what I have. Others have 5/8" which would be even worse.

This site has some nice caps.

 

[Stihl088stock]

Yep, looks great, and the best part is that you pay attention to it.

People get in trouble by not looking. Viewing results is the best way to learn to operate your stove correctly... Beware the common myths...!

I agree, The cap usually needs cleaning a couple times between sweeping due to the cold wind passing through...

 

[carpenter383]

Your right, keepin that sudden temp. change from happening definetely reduces creosote. I also add a couple of beer cans (empty of course) to a good, hot fire. Seems to loosen any thats in there. my stove has burned non-stop since Oct., and I went up the other day and ran the brush down thru it. I only got a half gallon of dried "fluffy" creosote out of the clean-out.. My chimney top to where the stove enters is 18 feet and is a square 6 inch liner, that's in the center of the house.

Plus, I'll add that I do burn some "green" too. That's mostly white ash.

Beer cans Never heard of that could you explain?

 

[Rookie1]

Id say that looks about like mine. I try to run my stove on the hot side and end up with that much every year.