Cleaned my pipe and stove, pictures

[U&A]

So therefore it is indeed flammable?

Well if we’re going to get into this technically everything is flammable at some point.

Lets be realistic here.

Anyway, after cleaning my pipe I would more or less call the color of the pipe ID to be more of a stained brown. Definitely no noticeable buildup of brown black glossy creosote.

I assume this in normal. I can not imagine the pipe staying the color of stainless.

Also. I used the sooteater and im very pleased with it.



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[NSMaple1]

Well, yes, anything is flammable at some point. But this seemed quite so, and I wouldn't trust it to not ignite in my chimney. I do think it would likely flame out pretty quick, compared to the other stuff.

 

[VirginiaIron]

I am going to compliment you on making an assessment two months into the burning season with your new stove. This practice affords you timely feedback about your wood quality and your wood burning habits.
Many burners go full throttle and do not realize their system may require cleaning several times each season.

 

[U&A]

I am going to compliment you on making an assessment two months into the burning season with your new stove. This practice affords you timely feedback about your wood quality and your wood burning habits.
Many burners go full throttle and do not realize their system may require cleaning several times each season.

Thank you sir. Iv been getting nothing but confusion and have been questioned by everyone (outside of this forum) as to why im doing it so soon or even at all. My boss burns we wood religiously and has not cleaned in 2 years.

My inlaws have live in their house for 10 years now and have done it 3 times.



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[Ronaldo]

So therefore it is indeed flammable?

I stand corrected. The powder likely is flammable, I was stating that the amount of powder(very little) and lack of greasy, wet appearing creosote means no real fuel there to promote a chimney fire situation.

 

[Deleted member 150358]

Been burning 16 hours a day steady here since the end of Sept. Cleaned the other day got about 2/3 an icecream pail out of the 24' chimney liner. The 9' or so between stove and chimney needed it more though.

Needed or not I get peice of mind cleaning and inspecting regularly. Its the difference between knowing everything's right and assuming.

 

[Streblerm]

Sounds like you’re getting it figured out. Every stove and install has its own personality. Smoke on startup is normal but most newer stoves can be choked down pretty good without making much if any smoke as long as they get up to a good temperature.

I don’t run a flue thermometer, just a cheap magnetic one on the stove. It isn’t accurate at all but it is consistent which is all you really need. I know if I close down the draft before it is pointing at 12 o’clock then it smokes like crazy and soots up the glass. That’s around 400 degrees stove temp by a non contact thermometer. If it is pointing at 3 o’clock then it’s time to shut the draft all the way because it’s reaching for 700. That’ll clean the glass though.

After several years of getting less than a cup full of gunk out of my chimney I don’t even clean mine every year. I do check it though.

 

[gunny100]

This is my first winter with an EPA stove. Pacific Energy Summit. I just wanted to share pictures of my stove pipe and the cap to show the accumulation of creosote and get your thoughts.

Burning 3-6 year old hardwoods.
Started out loading the stove east to west and I was getting an accumulation of black and brown on my glass. I would have to clean the glass every other day. Granted this was the first time im new to this type of stove so I may have been running it cooler than I should have. The past four weeks I’ve been loading the stove north to south and I have not had to clean the glass since. Stove ran exceptionally well Like this. I also have started to get the hang of how to operate it efficiently so that helps, LOL.

Anyway, here are the pics. Looking inside the pipe Picture was taken from top down. One picture shows 2 1/2 gallon shop vac that I put inside the stove tight to the bottom of the stove pipe to catch everything. There is about 3/4 inch accumulation of stuff in the bottom of the bucket as well as the sock filter from the vacuum that I threw inside.

This is about 2 months of burning

 

[gunny100]

burning unseasoned wood
buring pine
wet wood

and not burning the fire hot a knofe

and you should only burn real dry seasoned hard woods

 

[U&A]

burning unseasoned wood
buring pine
wet wood

and not burning the fire hot a knofe

and you should only burn real dry seasoned hard woods

It is what it is for now.

Im keeping it clean. I have cleaned it 2 times this season. Im just trying to get caught up on split wood. Iv got 5 cord of black locust mixed with a little cottonwood and maple ready for next winter.

Now working on winter of 2020


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[trains]

Before and after on a rayburn 355, it has a water jacket that surrounds the fire on the side and back, and a bit at the top, and a boiler flue way that is entirely surrounded by the water jacket.

This takes out heat from the flue gasses as they pass thru, and you get hot water, works quite well, but the down side, is that you have lower flue temps, thus you get deposits in the chimney.
we are burning 2+ years split and seasoned gum that is 5% or lower. Fire is kept bright, and coals last well supplying steady good heat.
Thermostat is set high, so we keep the boiler temp high too.

I sweep every 4-6 weeks, or if we have a wet piece of wood sneak in that was wet from rain, it requires a clean right away.
There the bits they gloss over in the brocure
















Each stove has its own separate requirements, and its wise to get to know them right from the start.

 

[U&A]

Before and after on a rayburn 355, it has a water jacket that surrounds the fire on the side and back, and a bit at the top, and a boiler flue way that is entirely surrounded by the water jacket.

This takes out heat from the flue gasses as they pass thru, and you get hot water, works quite well, but the down side, is that you have lower flue temps, thus you get deposits in the chimney.
we are burning 2+ years split and seasoned gum that is 5% or lower. Fire is kept bright, and coals last well supplying steady good heat.
Thermostat is set high, so we keep the boiler temp high too.

I sweep every 4-6 weeks, or if we have a wet piece of wood sneak in that was wet from rain, it requires a clean right away.
There the bits they gloss over in the brocure

View attachment 714296



View attachment 714297



View attachment 714298



View attachment 714299


Each stove has its own separate requirements, and its wise to get to know them right from the start.

Thank you for your insight sir

You get a little sick of cleaning?

As long as you have the process nailed down it shouldn’t be bad.

The first time i did it i was extremely thorough and took the stove completely apart, baffle, side plates that hold the baffle up, the insulation blankets, gasket, all the bricks. Just for learning sakes. Took 2 hours start to finish.

This time i only took out the baffle. Cleaned/scraped the top inside of stove, swept the pipe and done. Took about 30 min.

How long does yours take sir?








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[Haywire Haywood]

burning pine

If burning pine (and other conifers) were a problem, all of Canada, and Washington and Oregon would be on fire. You just can't choke it down to make it last like oak.

Then i use the damper

As in a damper in the flue? Modern airtight stoves are not designed for flue dampers. Flue dampers are for old style leaky stoves that require a restriction on intake and exhaust to control the burn. If your stove is airtight, you should be able to control the burn only with the intake air control.

 

[U&A]

If burning pine (and other conifers) were a problem, all of Canada, and Washington and Oregon would be on fire. You just can't choke it down to make it last like oak.



As in a damper in the flue? Modern airtight stoves are not designed for flue dampers. Flue dampers are for old style leaky stoves that require a restriction on intake and exhaust to control the burn. If your stove is airtight, you should be able to control the burn only with the intake air control.

I know,

I keep using the wrong terminology.

I meant “air control. Though my EPA stove has a flue damper installed and its always full open. Only there for emergency shutdowns.




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[U&A]

If burning pine (and other conifers) were a problem, all of Canada, and Washington and Oregon would be on fire. You just can't choke it down to make it last like oak.



Very well said sir.




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[trains]

Thank you for your insight sir

You get a little sick of cleaning?

As long as you have the process nailed down it shouldn’t be bad.

The first time i did it i was extremely thorough and took the stove completely apart, baffle, side plates that hold the baffle up, the insulation blankets, gasket, all the bricks. Just for learning sakes. Took 2 hours start to finish.

This time i only took out the baffle. Cleaned/scraped the top inside of stove, swept the pipe and done. Took about 30 min.

How long does yours take sir?

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If I have to do a thorough job due to wet wood, the process is as follows, and takes about 3hrs depending on how bad the deposits are inside the firebox.
If its not that bad, its only an hr or so depending on how choked up and how gooey it is.

Let stove burn out night before, cant work on a hot stove.

Take off rear boiler tube cover behind left stove top hob cover, with firebox door open, remove the plate at the rear of the firebox where the flue for the boiler tubes are.
From the top down, scrape away the deposits on the 1" sq boiler tubes, then using a cake lifting spatula, I scrape the deposits off the top part of the boiler, and next to the heat/cook damper and brush it all down the tubes at the back.
From the bottom of the boiler tubes I clean that area and up behind where you cant see clean, and then inside the firebox as required, the firebricks retain enough heat to burn away any deposits, but the top back of the firebox where there are none, needs cleaning.

Get on roof, remove cowl, and sweep top down, only takes 15min or so, then on the ground clean the cowl, and refit.
Back to the stove inside, remove the air flap that controls excessive draft, and vacuum up that which was swept, then remove the top damper plate 2x 5/16 bolts, and remove damper plate, and clean both it and where it slides so its free to move again.
Top of oven to the boiler damper, and the oven damper is brushed with a wire brush to help remove the fine dust that is normal, and brush the boiler/oven dampers free of deposits and sweep into the firebox, or vacuum up, or both.

If really bad, lift off the hotplate, and go to town scraping from the top down, but for the most part, you dont need to do that.

then its just a matter of putting the damper plate back in, refitting its holding legs, put the air flap back on the flue box, place the grate back at the rear base of the fire box where the entry point for the boiler tubes are and refit the wood burning grate pieces if you moved them. Take out ash pan, as now its really full and empty, whilst thats out, a careful check of where the boiler thermostat air flap is to ensure clean, and your good to go.

attached some pics if that helps.

 

[trains]

And






but its worth it.
one lot of chopped wood for cooking, hot water, and a warm house.

 

[chipper1]

This is my first winter with an EPA stove. Pacific Energy Summit. I just wanted to share pictures of my stove pipe and the cap to show the accumulation of creosote and get your thoughts.

Burning 3-6 year old hardwoods.
Started out loading the stove east to west and I was getting an accumulation of black and brown on my glass. I would have to clean the glass every other day. Granted this was the first time im new to this type of stove so I may have been running it cooler than I should have. The past four weeks I’ve been loading the stove north to south and I have not had to clean the glass since. Stove ran exceptionally well Like this. I also have started to get the hang of how to operate it efficiently so that helps, LOL.

Anyway, here are the pics. Looking inside the pipe Picture was taken from top down. One picture shows 2 1/2 gallon shop vac that I put inside the stove tight to the bottom of the stove pipe to catch everything. There is about 3/4 inch accumulation of stuff in the bottom of the bucket as well as the sock filter from the vacuum that I threw inside.

This is about 2 months of burning

You're doing fine neighbor.
I've got the pacific energy too. The cap I have is more restrictive and that's where I see the most buildup. I like the cap I have as I can remove the whole thing with one large Phillips screw on a large clamp, then I take it to the edge of the roof and tap it off with the large screwdriver handle I use to remove it.
I clean the cap about every other month, if I see any back puffing(smoke leaking into the room) at all when the stove is at temp I need to clean it, it hasn't gotten to that point in quite a while. I like to make sure the cap is as clean as possible in the shoulder season as it can make a big difference when the draw is less. I haven't cleaned it in a while, maybe I will this week if I shovel of the eves, if I do I'll get a few pictures and post them here and the scrounge thread.
As far as when to shut the stove down I watch the inside of the stove at the secondaries, when they start to turn white she's burning lean and almost ready to be shut down. As Casey was saying there are factors that change how much it can be set down and when you can shut it down. In the shoulder I like to get a large bed of coals built up to carry me thru the warmer parts of the day. When it's real cold and you get overcoaling pull the coals to the front then place a short split east west on top and live the air control wide open, the stove top where the exhaust goes around the baffle(not the pipe, I have double walled also) with stay at a consistent 450 but it puts out a lot of heat off the unit and burns the coals down so you can get a full load in then stove.
You've heard all I have to say on this in the scrounge thread, repeating for others who haven't.

 

[chipper1]

Got the eves all shoveled off before the rain tonight .
I cleaned this at the beginning of the season. We heat nearly 100% with wood, we've burned three bags of pellets this yr. The pipe just had fly ash in it, I wouldn't clean it even for cleanings sake. Taped the cap out and reinstalled, good to go til the burning season is over, then I'll clean it so it's ready for next yr.

 

[U&A]

Got the eves all shoveled off before the rain tonight .
I cleaned this at the beginning of the season. We heat nearly 100% with wood, we've burned three bags of pellets this yr. The pipe just had fly ash in it, I wouldn't clean it even for cleanings sake. Taped the cap out and reinstalled, good to go til the burning season is over, then I'll clean it so it's ready for next yr.

Thank you for your perspective and insight sir.

Good to hear from a fellow PE owner.

Your cap is WAY more restrictive than mine. Why do you like that? Slightly longer burns?


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