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Creosote in a stovepipe
I have a outside wood furnace the kind that sets in the yard away from the house. It has not been working properly. It would not get hot and when I opened the door the smoke would pour out in my face. I knew what was wrong so yesterday I took the stovepipe off the top and wow. It was almost completely pluged with creosote.
The wood was dried for two years in a shed it was a good hardwood. The problem was I used it when it was too warm and the burning was too incomplete because of the air shut down too much. This stovepipe was new in October. Anyway I thought I would put it on here so firefighters who may have never seen creosote can see it. It is sticky like tar and even looks like it. If you get it on your hands it will not wash off, Your hands will stay stained. (Alot worse that paint) This is the unburnt stuff not ash that you sometimes see.
I hope this helps someone gain some knowledge . Oh this is 6 inch stovepipe by the way and its a full two feet in the pipe. It weights around 20 or 30 pounds.
If you know of anyway to preserve this I would like to keep it as a training prop for new firefighters. Ideas would be welcome by me.
Will it dry out?
Do you think i could cut it down into slices with a sawzall without destroying it?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Richard Armstrong on
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Wow is right!!!! thats crazy with 2 year old dry wood.Hardwood to boot.Hard to say if it will cut up into slices or not with out shattering.You might get lucky and cut in half but I don't think you'll get slices especially with a sawzall.If you have access to a bandsaw i think you'll get better results.
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Permalink Reply by Brian Dumser on
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That's incredible! I've never seen creosote THAT BAD before. Perhaps you need another firewood vendor?
I agree with Richard. A bandsaw would probably do a better job.
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Permalink Reply by Timothy Crowell on
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Impressive! I sweep chimney's on the side here in Ohio in the winter, and have seen some bad ones, but that takes the cake! Good luck on getting it cut without disturbing the creosote too much, that will make a great training prop.
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Permalink Reply by John Dobson on
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I cut my own wood so I don't have a vendor. It is a airtight woodstove I had too much wood in it and too little air in the farther back in the fall. It was my own fault for using it when it warm out in the day time.
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Well there goes my theory.
Greenman is also a Chimney Sweep. Maybe he'll weigh in on this one.
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Timothy just the mind i need pick.
Will it dry out?
Should I just take it apart in the middle it is 2, two foot sections and just leave it whole to preserve it?
If it will dry out should I cover the ends with plexiglass to stop it from drying out?
Your input would be most helpful.
Thanks John
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That would be great they are the experts in this field.
Funny thing is I just got home from a fire in a old style mobile home where there woodstove destroyed there living room. They had ran the pipe though a piece of paneling in the window. They had an outside wood furnace why they fired that thing up after two years of not using it we will never know.
If it would have not been the home next to the station they would have lost everything. A firefighter seen it called it in. Then pulled the engine out, Packed up, Pulled a line, Forced the front door open. Then from outside on the porch used the line to pushed the fire out the large hole burnt in the wall straight across from the door.
A great piece of work for a single firefighter. They would have lost everything in just a few more minutes.
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Permalink Reply by phillip hice on
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They make a T that goes in with a damper that gives outside air to the pipe to help prevent this. It has a weight on a screw you can adjust , it will open in low use to let air flow to help prevent this. Good thing it was a outside heater.
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Well John, it all depends. Let me first state that I am not an expert on this, I can only tell you what I have seen on the job. There are three stages of creosote. They go from dry and flakey to a kind of tar like substance. I was always told the third stage (tar like) is the most unstable and ready to burn. I have only come across one chimney like that, and it took a long time to get it cleaned properly. If I where you, I would take it apart in the midle and leave it whole. I think it would give you the best chance of preserving it. Just handle it with care so as not to jar it too much. I have found that masonary flues seem to hold the creosote better than the metal ones. I will look up some more info, and ask around and get back to you soon.
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Permalink Reply by Buddy Chandler on
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We have a lot of amish in our area and we see this to often. They will have 3 or 4 stoves on one chinmey and don't clean them often enough. We had a two story with basement burn last week. A couple with 6 children barely made it out. Was going through the roof when we were paged out.
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I never seen one Phillip but it sounds like what I need. I have never had this happen before. Most or the time I can just slap the pipe once a day and if there is anything in it, It just falls back in the stove.
As a firefighter I have seen to many house catch fire to have a inside woodstove and feel safe.
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How do the Amish react to a modern fire Department with 21st century technology responding to a fire in their town?
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