Is a chimney fire bad for insulated section chimney's??

[bassman]

last night I started a fire with birch bark and it was crazy !!

It being so dry and the door was cracked open so the air mix was high the fire was going around my baffle plate and a few feet up the chimney.
At first I was going to slow it down but I thought it would be a good time to clean out the stack as I had just removed my heat reclaimer (bad Idea) and there was some buildup .

after about 2 minutes the fire died down and all was good.

today I took apart the 6 foot uninsulated section that connects to the insulated roof section and it shows no sign of any buildup.

I am also burning very dry birch this year and no more reclaimer as it was crap and a bad idea to begin with .

do any of you do a controlled burn like this or should I have used a brush??

my stack from the top of the stove to the top of the cap is 16ft and straight up with no bends .

 

[Wood Doctor]

You should use a brush. Chimney fires can damage the insulated chimney.

:agree2: Chimney fires can also burn right through a ceramic or clay tile chimney and set fire to the house. All that masonry chimney needs is a few holes or loose mortar for the flames or a few sparks to creep through.

 

[olyman]

what can happen when you have toooo hot a fire inside the insul chimney is that the inside will buckle--as its sooo hot, that the inner liner cant expand against the inside insulation, hence the buckle-----

 

[wdchuck]

Sweep first,
burn afterwards.

Have a regular sweeping schedule, even if its seasonal.


Chimney fires are bad news, one of those gets away from you......:jawdrop:

 

[pdqdl]

I have known people that just let it burn out on a regular basis, just to clean out the flue.

For the most part, it is dangerous, because a really good chimney fire doesn't need to damage the flue, it will eject burning material onto the roof. That's usually not a good thing to have happen.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I have known people that just let it burn out on a regular basis, just to clean out the flue.

For the most part, it is dangerous, because a really good chimney fire doesn't need to damage the flue, it will eject burning material onto the roof. That's usually not a good thing to have happen.

:agree2: And, especially if your roof is covered with western red cedar. Thousands of houses are roofed with cedar shingles. Doesn't cedar ignite a little easier than asphalt shingles???

 

[wdchuck]

:agree2: And, especially if your roof is covered with western red cedar. Thousands of houses are roofed with cedar shingles. Doesn't cedar ignite a little easier than asphalt shingles???

The cedar may well be treated with anti-flammable chemical. However, for those that aren't, , might just be a matter of when not if.

 

[bore_pig]

By the description, it wasn't a chimney fire. Just a real hot, crazy fire to burn out any buildup.

 

[b1rdman]

By the description, it wasn't a chimney fire. Just a real hot, crazy fire to burn out any buildup.

I agree. They'll scare the **** out of you the first few times.

Sounds like a freight train coming through the room...Seriously.

 

[aandabooks]

I clean my chimney twice per year. Once before the start of season and once about half way through. Every morning I crack open the ash pan and get the temp up to around 600 F. Then I get it set for the day. That good hot fire burns out the pipe and I get real flakey dry creosote when I clean the chimney out. Not the wet looking tarry type of creasote that means your running a cool fire.

BTW, my chimney is 7x7 clay lined and 33 ft. I only mention that for reference as different types of chimney will react differently.