*** UNDERSTANDING CREOSOTE ***

[Idahonative]

more than a few leftists crybabys on here also..just like this context,,and they will reply their knowitall answers..and know zero........and I don't believe,,a hot burnoff,,will light off creosote further up the pipes if present..only a chimney fire will,,which is to be avoided..........

Like mentioned above, it's not ALL about "burning" creosote. It is also about what happens in the flue during daily burn offs which is "drying". Even if the creosote at the top of the flue doesn't get burned, daily burn offs create an environment in which the creosote deposits dry and flake off.

 

[Idahonative]

This is my opinion from my experiences

A burn off as you put it can be a good thing it also can keep emission particulates at bay . The smokiest time is usually the first half hour if a reload .

It won't replace periodic chimney cleaning.

I have found over the years that wood burners that have no Ts or angles hardly ever load up with creosote like in a case where the flu is straight up and down vertical all the fluff falls down back into the wood burner again to be reduced into light fine powder .

A cat stove as you mentioned would obviously benefit most by this method . It's how you are supposed to run them

Don't take a ban personal from that site .over the years They have gone communist over there and most of them are liberal crybabies who probably have never even ran a chainsaw or owned a pickup truck in their lives. There are some like that here , but they generally keep to the political section and know there place . They are like the awkward feminine kid in high school who's only friends were girls ..cuz no other guy could stand them

I think what you said is accurate. That is why I described our setup above as having a straight pipe and why I don't recommend bends in the flue. I know what works for our setup but yes, it may not work for every setup. I do know this though, a daily burn off will help no matter what stove or flue setup you have as long as you do them consistently (& start with a clean flue).

I will say this about our cat stove: I've found flue maintenance (with daily burn offs) more difficult than with a traditional, non cat stove. Normal operation of our old stove involved spikes in the flue temp because of poor damper control. Also with that stove, we would just crack the door to do the daily burn off which creates a strong draft taking much of the ash accumulation (in the flue) out. Doing daily burn offs with our cat stove, the door is closed and the cat is engaged (after it's active). The flow is much less than our other stove and it takes longer to raise the flue temp. This doesn't change anything though. It just takes a little longer to get the job done.

 

[Idahonative]

A daily burn off is not a substitute for periodic chimney cleaning. It might help keep your stove and stove pipe clean, but it won't stop your entire chimney from accumulating creosote and won't clean a dirty one. Unless a chimney fire is involved, which is something to be avoided - I think.

Just my opinion but between the two (daily burn off or chimney sweep), daily burn offs are FAR more important. People look down their flue and see ash accumulation and get worried. Ash accumulation in the flue is normal and (with proper stove operation) is constantly flaking off/coming loose and either going out the flue or falls back into the stove.

 

[lindnova]

My PE stove does the burn off thing every time I load it from cold and sometimes when I don't want to. It needs a hot flue to 'get going' and then has a nice burn after it is turned down. If I turn it down too soon, even with dry wood, it does not perform as well.

I think the OP uses good dry wood and that is the most important thing. I know if I throw some in that is wet the glass gets black and that done over time would lead to creosote buildup. I have been cleaning my chimney once a season and all it has is a small amount of black/brown flaky dry stuff. I like to be on the safe side even though I have never had it be very dirty yet after 2 years.

I did sweep it this spring thinking I was ahead of the game, but now I had a bird try to get in there. Some grass and a bird in the stove. It couldn't get out and had to let it out through the house. Now I am thinking I should check the cap to make sure there is not more nest material in there. Still not sure how the bird fit in as the slots are pretty narrow.

 

[quotejso2]

My PE stove does the burn off thing every time I load it from cold and sometimes when I don't want to. It needs a hot flue to 'get going' and then has a nice burn after it is turned down. If I turn it down too soon, even with dry wood, it does not perform as well.

I think the OP uses good dry wood and that is the most important thing. I know if I throw some in that is wet the glass gets black and that done over time would lead to creosote buildup. I have been cleaning my chimney once a season and all it has is a small amount of black/brown flaky dry stuff. I like to be on the safe side even though I have never had it be very dirty yet after 2 years.

I did sweep it this spring thinking I was ahead of the game, but now I had a bird try to get in there. Some grass and a bird in the stove. It couldn't get out and had to let it out through the house. Now I am thinking I should check the cap to make sure there is not more nest material in there. Still not sure how the bird fit in as the slots are pretty narrow.

I had to let a bird out once pretty interesting

 

[stihly dan]

I am willing to bet that 90% of stoves have at least 1 90* elbow in there flue.

 

[Deleted member 135597]

I am willing to bet that 90% of stoves have at least 1 90* elbow in there flue.

make a poll. mine does not

 

[Deleted member 135597]

I had to let a bird out once pretty interesting

twice for me, I just opened the door enough to reach in with a little net

 

[quotejso2]

make a poll. mine does not

I have a elbow and a tee so two 90's
The one going in will have a tee.

 

[Idahonative]

I am willing to bet that 90% of stoves have at least 1 90* elbow in there flue.

Don't know if that is true or not but I sure wouldn't recommend it. The straighter the better.

 

[Deleted member 135597]

how could there be just one 90degree bend. If you have any, wouldn't the minimum be two?

 

[Erik B]

how could there be just one 90degree bend. If you have any, wouldn't the minimum be two?

Minimum would be one. 90* elbow off the back of the stove and then straight up.

 

[cantoo]

Elbows depend on stove/furnace design, chimney location, roof type etc. My Hotblast exits out the rear and I installed my chimney straight up from there so 1 elbow. Lots of stoves exit out the top so they could be installed with no elbows at all. Even OWB's exit different ways.
Height of chimney also needs to be taken into consideration. Even house location has an influence in creosote forming. A well sheltered house with a short chimney could have a high buildup of creosote. A house with a tall chimney in an open, windy area might have no creosote form at all. Draft?? Lots of variables.
Idahonative, If a person who had an tall old clay flue style chimney ( poor condition) maybe less than dry wood, sheltered location, crappy stove with poor door gasket took your advice and opened her up, what do you suppose would happen? Some people only hear what they wanna hear.
My neighbour that used to live across the road from me had regular chimney fires. He used an old airtight stove in the basement, single story house surrounded with tall trees, cut his wood in the fall and put it directly in his basement, loaded the stove up then dampered it down when he went to work. I was glad when he sold the place.

 

[Idahonative]

Elbows depend on stove/furnace design, chimney location, roof type etc. My Hotblast exits out the rear and I installed my chimney straight up from there so 1 elbow. Lots of stoves exit out the top so they could be installed with no elbows at all. Even OWB's exit different ways.
Height of chimney also needs to be taken into consideration. Even house location has an influence in creosote forming. A well sheltered house with a short chimney could have a high buildup of creosote. A house with a tall chimney in an open, windy area might have no creosote form at all. Draft?? Lots of variables.
Idahonative, If a person who had an tall old clay flue style chimney ( poor condition) maybe less than dry wood, sheltered location, crappy stove with poor door gasket took your advice and opened her up, what do you suppose would happen? Some people only hear what they wanna hear.
My neighbour that used to live across the road from me had regular chimney fires. He used an old airtight stove in the basement, single story house surrounded with tall trees, cut his wood in the fall and put it directly in his basement, loaded the stove up then dampered it down when he went to work. I was glad when he sold the place.

I've been very clear where I stand.....and I stand behind every word.

 

[stihly dan]

Don't know if that is true or not but I sure wouldn't recommend it. The straighter the better.

In my situation the best I could do is 2 45's and 1 tee (aka 90)

 

[Dalmatian90]

I am willing to bet that 90% of stoves have at least 1 90* elbow in there flue.

Corollary I am willing to bet on:

There are more 90* elbows installed in flue pipes in the U.S. than there are woodstoves using those flue pipes.

The woodstove that's a top pipe design with a metal chimney going straight up through the roof I am sure is a small minority of installations.

 

[Deleted member 135597]

Corollary I am willing to bet on:

There are more 90* elbows installed in flue pipes in the U.S. than there are woodstoves using those flue pipes.

The woodstove that's a top pipe design with a metal chimney going straight up through the roof I am sure is a small minority of installations.

That's my installation, top design and straight up

 

[Ironworker]

Straight pipe coming off the top but there is a couple of slight bends, the first few feet is flex pipe going into the chimney(insert). I burn pretty hot and sweep twice a season, I think everyone should sweep at least once a season, a hot fire is not gonna do much to the top of the flue.

 

[NSMaple1]

I've been very clear where I stand.....and I stand behind every word.

I don't remember that other thread at that other place you keep referring to, but I can imagine that this one is playing out similar.

Daily burn offs should be a part of every wood burners routine no matter what stove you own.

IMO, this is bad advice (the 'every' & 'no matter what' parts). Most non-secondary combustion appliances will create creosote, during the normal stove operation period. That is, after you finish with the 'burn off', and 'damper down' for the rest of the burn. It will typically build more at the top of the chimney where it is colder, and the buildup will work its way down the pipe over time. A daily burn will not get rid of that stuff. As more time goes on, the buildup will work its way down to meet the upper part of the 'burn off' zone - and most likely a chimney fire will result from the 'burn off'. Especially if a gust of wind should happen across the top of the chimney in the middle of the 'burn off'. I have been there, and done that. Starting from a freshly cleaned appliance, and chimney, and starting each day with a really hot fire. The stuff can still build up up there, and work its way down - even with dry wood & doing everything else right.

Now I recognize that all situations are different and there are tons of other variables at play - like chimney length & layout & too many others to try to list. Some people do & can go for a very long time between chimney cleanings and maybe not have to worry about a chimney fire, also due to all those other variables. But not all wood burners should be doing a burn off, and it could have drastic consequences depending on the type of stove being operated and all those other factors - and generalizing by saying everyone should be doing it I suspect is how the other thing went off the rails.

 

[Idahonative]

Corollary I am willing to bet on:

There are more 90* elbows installed in flue pipes in the U.S. than there are woodstoves using those flue pipes.

The woodstove that's a top pipe design with a metal chimney going straight up through the roof I am sure is a small minority of installations.

Woodstove's with top pipe design (& straight piped to the chimney vent cap) are the norm around here. Not sure what the norm is back east or anywhere else. Even if elbows are the norm in some places, it doesn't make that the most desirable installation. In fact (didn't know this until this morning) when talking about the two different installations, our owners manual says it is "not recommended" to put a 90* in the pipe.

If what you are saying is true, it could (at least in part) help explain why there are so many people that have problems with their wood stoves. Oh, and just because everyone is doing something doesn't make it right.