Kyle Kubs Posted February 19, 2008 Report Posted February 19, 2008 Thats not so bad - Mine gets worse with just a few months use. Of course I do use it 24/7 during the winter, as my primary heating. I am assuming this is a wood burning stove? You get that kind of build up from them when it's very oversized or just not really cold out and you need to throttle the burn down and smolder the fire. Also that is right where the smoke meets the cold air and the unburned combustion gases & moisture will condense. Best to build smaller, hotter fires to avoid that.
John Dirks Jr Posted February 20, 2008 Author Report Posted February 20, 2008 Yup it's a wood burning stove. Is there anything else that would create that kind of build up? I'm not trying to be a smartass either. I'm asking seriously.
Kyle Kubs Posted February 20, 2008 Report Posted February 20, 2008 Originally posted by AHI Yup it's a wood burning stove. Is there anything else that would create that kind of build up? I'm not trying to be a smartass either. I'm asking seriously. It's just straight forward creosote buildup. Normal byproduct of burning wood. Could be a lot of use, or like I said throttling down an oversized fire by having the combustion air inlet mostly closed (it smokes more than it burns). Open the door to the stove, if it looks glossy like someone painted it with wet tar then that is what is happening. Just means it will need to be cleaned more often. Also, if the user is burning wood that is not well seasoned, the excess moisture in the wood condenses in the flu. Burning soft, resinous woods like pine and such. Fine for starting a fire but not what you want to use for fuel as it doesn't burn as hot as hardwoods. Was the flu pipe a listed and insulated flu pipe (double wall with and insulating ceramic like material between)? - Cold flu pipe = condensing flu gases & creosote buildup.
John Dirks Jr Posted February 20, 2008 Author Report Posted February 20, 2008 I didn't go too far in diagnosing this wood stove. It was just so dirty in all aspects that I recommended that it not be used until it was cleaned and the entire system inspected by a qualified person who is familiar with the model. I took a picture of the tag and put it in the report. Thanks for your explanations Kyle. Image Insert: 407.26 KB
Eric B Posted February 20, 2008 Report Posted February 20, 2008 A damper that is not fully opened will accelerate creosote accumulation - a practice I use to be guilty of.
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