logbutcher
Addicted to ArboristSite
It's that time of year for wood burners, the shoulder season ending. For most in colder areas it ends around Halloween.
This time the joke's on us Downeast: a long, warmer Fall in the 40's and up to the high 50's F with only a few below 20 F mornings. Oh yes, the STORM!.
For all the know-it-all experience burning wood on this end, I finally got blind sided with a clogged chimney cap. SWMBO noticed that when loading the non-cat, it smoked unlike ever before. This is close to a cord already up the 2 flues. Turns out that burning cool, low fires for over 2 months WITHOUT A DAILY HOT BURN ( my caps ) along with burning the usual damp but seasoned wood, made the cap with a spark grill completely shut and clog down. Snow still on the roof, this gibone had to climb to clear it. Now, it's not too bright to climb a 9 pitch shingled roof with snow. Forget the crampons on asphalt shingles. The climbing line strung from a roofer's carabiner permanently fixed to the ridge with figure eights for grip set it secure enough to get the job done with some near wet pants.
First time I had to clear and brush both flues before Spring. What a ditz .
Lesson learned, after too many stoves off and on wood heating for the past 25 years, I forgot some rules that I should have known whether or not you use a cat, OWB, non cat, or gasifier furnace. A reminder to myself:
1. Use seasoned firewood, or plenty of kindling if you want/need to use green or semi-seasoned wood.
2. Keep the wood out of rain/snow ( Our shoulder piles ~ a cord, are in open racks ).
3. Burn at least one very hot fire/day.
4. Don't damp down ( shut primary air down) until the fire is coaling.
5. Don't wait for the stove to smoke into the space ( or yelled at by a SWMBO !).
6. Keep an eye ( binocs help ) on your flue top.
Some humble pie to chew.:baffle:
This time the joke's on us Downeast: a long, warmer Fall in the 40's and up to the high 50's F with only a few below 20 F mornings. Oh yes, the STORM!.
For all the know-it-all experience burning wood on this end, I finally got blind sided with a clogged chimney cap. SWMBO noticed that when loading the non-cat, it smoked unlike ever before. This is close to a cord already up the 2 flues. Turns out that burning cool, low fires for over 2 months WITHOUT A DAILY HOT BURN ( my caps ) along with burning the usual damp but seasoned wood, made the cap with a spark grill completely shut and clog down. Snow still on the roof, this gibone had to climb to clear it. Now, it's not too bright to climb a 9 pitch shingled roof with snow. Forget the crampons on asphalt shingles. The climbing line strung from a roofer's carabiner permanently fixed to the ridge with figure eights for grip set it secure enough to get the job done with some near wet pants.
First time I had to clear and brush both flues before Spring. What a ditz .
Lesson learned, after too many stoves off and on wood heating for the past 25 years, I forgot some rules that I should have known whether or not you use a cat, OWB, non cat, or gasifier furnace. A reminder to myself:
1. Use seasoned firewood, or plenty of kindling if you want/need to use green or semi-seasoned wood.
2. Keep the wood out of rain/snow ( Our shoulder piles ~ a cord, are in open racks ).
3. Burn at least one very hot fire/day.
4. Don't damp down ( shut primary air down) until the fire is coaling.
5. Don't wait for the stove to smoke into the space ( or yelled at by a SWMBO !).
6. Keep an eye ( binocs help ) on your flue top.
Some humble pie to chew.:baffle:
