Thank you for the video! Having a controlled chimney fire can make the cleaning of the chimney much easier, but there’s a big chance that you will destroy the flue and also burn the house down. Second degree creosote, when it gets hot enough it expands like a firework snake. It ends up expanding so much that it restricts the flue. The temperature rises and a creosote chimney fire begins. If there was more creosote in this chimney it could’ve burned for an hour or so and then it could’ve been catastrophic.
If your chimney was built right and your flue tiles are good no damage should occur as long as you restrict the air flow in allowing it to burn more slowly and don't do anything stupid like pour water down the flue. If you have a masonry chimney chimney fires are going to happen. I now have a metal liner in this one which are able to self clean as long as your start your fire hot. I do regular inspections on both my chimneys. One is a new metal chimney with no masonry. It never builds up creosote.
@@honeybeehomesteading you do know there’s no such thing as a chimney that self cleans? Whoever told you that just wanted your money and ran fast, never believe that! When you inspect, do you use a camera so you can either see the connection joints, crimps, welds, depending on the particular metal chimney? It’s great to inspect from above and below and it might look fine, but when you put a camera in there you can see more than just above and below. Metal chimneys are great, but they can also get damaged by high heat and buckle. They also expand and contract with heat and cold. Even the best stainless steel can deteriorate. Creosote build up in a stainless flue can also happen, but it depends on how dry your wood is. Also the type of brush you use to clean in your metal chimney can creat grooves/scratches in the stainless and creosote and acids build up in those groves. Stainless isn’t going to last forever, but it’s definitely a better alternative if you do take care of it properly. I’ve seen hundreds of chimney fires in stainless liners, deteriorating stainless liners, even though they’ve been maintained properly, it just happens.
@@akaredcrossbow actually if you build your fire correctly in a smooth side stainless stack it will clean itself. You do this by starting a hot fire in a cold stack. The metal expansed quicker than the creasote can get sticky. The result is that it sounds like it is raining inside the pipe as it falls down. I use only a nylon brush to clean a metal stack as you are correct that scratches will cause all kinds of problems. I also used doubled walled chimneys even the telescoping pipe is double walled. You sacrifice some heat in doing so but it makes the pipe heat up faster and is much safer. Stainless while good will not last forever. I used 316 not 308 in my chimney liner. It has more corrosion resistance than 308. Hope I never have a chimney fire in any of my metal flues. I burn only hardwood that has been aged for 10 months to a year. Fully split and moisture checked before burning. I am always amazed how many people burn green wood.
@@honeybeehomesteading just be careful heating a real cold stainless flue too fast, as it can still become brittle and get micro fractures that can turn into wider cracks with the expansion and contraction. Is your liner 316 TI or 316 L? What type of liner is it. Class A, stainless sections, flex corrugated, flex double wall smooth wall?
@@akaredcrossbow so I have 2 systems. One is a stand alone wood stove through the ceiling with smooth section double wall. The liner which went in the chimney is flexible one piece. I believe it was 316 L. While I try to get the fire up and running quickly it is not a crazy 🔥. It does not take much heat to get the creasote to fall off. Probably only a couple of hundred. It is more about the temperature difference between the pipe and the creasote. It won't work at all if the flue has had a fire in 18 hours or less. With 2 stoves and a long house I am able to rotate which one I burn. One side I start in the morning and the other side at lunch. As both are hearthstone soapstone and cast iron they have. CRAZY life.
We have run fires all our lives but at very high temperatures and seasoned wood mostly. The slow burn smoldering fires seem to cause more buildup over time. The local chimney sweep advised me to keep running it hot, and have him over a lot less. We run very hot, then let the coals calm, then go hot again, then coals, etc.
Your sweep is right. My firebox on my old stove was huge and hard to run hot without overheating. My new stove is way more manageable. Thanks for watching
Sweep knows his stuff. Creosot is a condensate from wood gas. If you lower the burn temperature you also bring the condensation point closer to the stove. When the condensation point comes inside of the flue, you will get a lot of buildup. You can never eliminate condensation inside the flue since every burn must start and end cold, but ideally your operating temperature should be hot enough not to cause buildup. Just in case anyone was wondering.
Seems to me your fires are not running hot enough. You are restricting your draft too much. A good hot fire now and again will burn that junk off. I brush mine out once a year and have no issues.
You are correct in that assessment, my old woodstove had too large of a firebox and was made of steel. Running a hot far was pretty tricky without overheating the stove. My new woodstove is much easier to run hot but I am still dialing in the best way to run it. Thanks for watching.
A friend of mine, was in a rural fire brigade in country Australia. They were called to an old farm house, with a large chimney that was on fire. He said when they got there, the chimney was really burning and the howling, sucking it sound it made inside the house was like a jet engine.
I can believe it, a unrestricted chimney fire is a very scary thing. Had I not restricted the airflow on this one it would have probably melted the cap. thanks for watching
I had a wood fired pottery kiln. When you got it up to temp and let it go It too sounded like a jet engine. And would hit over 2000 Deg. F. But I wanted it so it was fun.
Well done and helpful! I too replaced my ceramic liner with a flex stainless tube. Had the chimney cleaned regularly - but did not have the chimney cleaned before. Should have. Saw some ash chips falling at first but not too bad. As for the chimney fire - wicked hot!
I reckon every situation is a little different but deposits will accumulate fast in a cool stack. The exhaust gas must be enough volume and heat to keep the chimney above the condensation point of the exhaust smoke. Remember that wood when burned is an oxidative process that produces water and co 2 so even dry wood is going to be introducing water vapor into the stack. Low draft, low heat fires can cause deposits quickly, especially in masonry chimneys. Insulate where possible to keep the chimney warm. I have a double walled stainless system for our wood stove, been in use for 42 years, I sweep it with a manual brush on telescopic pole once a year, I burn hot fire every start up and make sure the draft is enough that good heat is traveling up the pipes. Throwing cardboard or any rapidly burning material into a stove with a dirty chimney is almost a sure disaster.
I agree with everything you said. I now have a new stove with a stainless liner. I never burn cardboard or anything other than seasoned cord wood. I used the small piece of cardboard for the video as I wanted to get as much of the creasote out as possible before installing a new stove. I gambled that the cardboard would start a chimney fire and I was right.With this stack it being so large made it impossible to keep the stack warm and prevent buildup. The new liner comes clean with brushing unlike the tile.
The first chimney fire I had was crazy, the second fire was self enduce and flames were 6 to 8 feet above the cap. I've had several chimney fires and the clay is still intact. The clay liner you have looks good in the video. If parts of liner fall into the clean out at the bottom of the chimney then replace it.
if you have a chimney fire try to slow the burn so you don't over fire the stack, clay tiles are pretty durable as long as they don't get cooled or heated too quickly. thanks for watching
If you can get your hands on a inspection camera that you can put in the flue from top to bottom, I would be interested knowing how the tile joints look and if you can spot any hairline cracks in the tiles. Hairline cracks will expand pretty significantly when they are heated and contract when cooled, so it’s hard to tell without an inspection camera. These hairline cracks can let creosote build up in between the air space of the tiles and brick. This also happens when the mortar that seals the tile sections come apart.
a inspection camera is always a good idea, I have installed a 316stainless liner in this chimney now. i am able to removed unburned creasote in the new liner. i hope to never have another chimney fire.@@akaredcrossbow
*they get thermal shock fairly easily. Only way to see cracks most of the time, if creosote hasn’t covered them, is a camera and a good one. But when you have a normal fire the next time that crack opens up to about 1/4” and it begins to allow that glazing to build up behind the protective liner in the air insulation gap. That’s when risk goes way up for house fires.
What kind of wood are you burning to produce that much soot? It takes me 3 years of burning wood to get that much soot built up. I have a triple wall pipe system would that make a difference in build up?
yes the type of pipe makes allot of difference. i also have a double wall stainless pipe on a different stove. it is pretty much self cleaning when you start a fire the creosote falls off and into the stove. it sounds kind of like rain. clay tile are a whole different story. the stack takes forever to heat up and the creosote sticks solid and will not come off. I was burning white oak that had been seasoned for over a year. further complicating things was a oversized inefficient wood stove that had to be run in a choked down state. i have since replaced the stove with a new efficient one with a stainless liner. thanks for commenting
Burning dry wood slows creosote build up significantly. I burned dry wood last winter and had basically zero build up on our clay flue. Only black soot on the walls. No large chunks or thick coating.
All wood I burn has been seasoned for one year. I cut and spit wood for the next year during the winter as it is much more comfortable and i am very allergic to poison ivy. I burn oak/ white oak poplar and hickory. I don't use pine not even to start a fire. i think the age of the stove and efficiency has allot to with it. the less efficient stoves also produce more pollution which can take the form of creosote. this chimney fire was from a 1980s era wood stove insert.
You’re quite right. Dry wood burns hotter which means that more of the gasses are ignited so that they don’t condense in the chimney leaving combustible deposits
@@honeybeehomesteading, out West all they have is pine, spruce, and cedar, but there is no greater incidence of chimney fires out there that I know of. Softwoods can burn very hot if they're stoked properly. Secondly, dry wood and wet wood both oxidize to produce CO2 and H20 in the exhaust vapor and there is lots of both. The main advantage in burning dry wood is that it burns hotter, more likely keeping the exhaust gases above their condensation point, but there is plenty of water vapor in both wet and dry wood exhaust to condense if the exhaust stack cools enough.
@@beltramsyou are limited when it comes to firewood. You must have to feed the fire constantly. You are absolutely right about moisture. Wet wood should never be burned as it is a waste of firewood and causes more buildup. Soft woods burn faster than hardwoods so it is much easier to burn a hotter fire in some ways. I think there is a real art to running a wood stove. Stoves vary how they can be run. Which wood you use influences how you run the stove. All of us wood burners out there are very lucky. The new stoves work so much better than the ones built in the eighties.
The creosote was already on the mesh. It just got hot enough to melt before it caught on fire. The mesh catches fire before the fire reaches to top of the stack. It was all very quick.
Maybe you could post a follow up video of how you install the liner. Did you remove the old clay liner? Did you remove the third stage creosote that was still in the clay liner? Thank You
@@blackvelvetchimney I had originally intended to make a how to on the new install but the job was very difficult due to my smoke shelf on the chimney. It took about a dozen attempts to finally get the liner to couple. My firebox is just over a inch taller than the stove itself so yea it was hard. Had it been 4 inches it would have been a breeze. As far as the install goes. I left the chimney liner as it was fully intact. I also left the thin layer of creasote that remained after brushing since my liner was intact and the space should not get enough oxygen to support combustion. I sealed the top with silicon sealant and used unfaced batt insulation inside between the liner and the insert. Hope I answered all of your questions. Have a great day
Not running a "Maintenace fire" once a day and running a low temp fire causes that type of build up along with sappy or wet wood, Low temp fire creates condensation on the walls and the ash and buildup of the creosote. I found that cap also restricts the "draft " your stove needs to pull the smoke out. They need to be sized correctly and kept clean. I had too many issues with build up with them caps. I start my fires with pieces of pallet wood, and paper. Once going I leave the damper wide open and the air thru the doors full open also, I monitor the stove with a thermometer keeping the temp higher than normal to shed off any build up in the liner from previous fires. After about 15-20 min and the wood leaving a good bed of coals, I add the dry wood needed and close doors for about 5 mins unit well lit. Once its going well I shut the damper about a 1/4 and reduce the air intake on the ft doors 1/4 . In 20 years I've been burning and 3 stoves on the premises, I never have needed to run a brush down my chimney yet. A yearly inspection from the top to the bottom of liner with hi powered flash light and the clean out open at the bottom shows NO build up whatsoever! A monthly sweep of the clean out is necessary to monitor my burning.
That seems like a very sound plan you use. In this case the stove that I had was oversized and was steel and prone to overheating. The stove ate enormous amounts of wood even choked down. I have since replaced the stove and installed a liner. I am still dialing in the new stove on running it. I have another stove with a double insulated chimney. I start it with a hot fire on a cold stack. You can hear the creasote fall. I have never needed to sweep that chimney in 7 years. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Words of wisdom right there. And I would tell the same story. Just double the years and then some. I take a chain up when I look and rattle it around anyway but never much there.
That is an extremely large flue, it acts as a cold trap reducing the temperature of the byproducts of combustion as evidenced by the build up, even with seasoned wood. As stated already a much smaller insulated liner will improve this. No less than 200F at the cap will virtually eliminate any issues. Most FD‘s around here say the chimney fires they respond to are one‘s without liners.
I completely agree, the large flue combined with fact that it is masonry is a problem. The fire 🔥 burned for less than 3 minutes and that was a restricted burn. Some people have commented that I never cleaned the chimney. I have watched videos where the fire department shows up and spends 30 minutes on the fire. This was over and done because I do clean my chimneys but with masonry I find it impossible to removes glazed creasote over tile. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@honeybeehomesteading 👍I‘ve been on the volunteer FD many years and have seen a lot of questionable chimneys. Some that were as crooked as an old snake in older homes! I remember melting the chain on our chimney ball once and then worked for over an hour to retrieve it. As evidenced here when that creosote burns and melts it drops down and clogs the chimney and continues to burn at kiln temperatures. We used to make sure the chimney was clean before leaving. But then realized we were responding to the same addresses year after year...
@@kbittorf335 I can relate as I was on call for honeybees but had several calls for yellow jackets. Some people believe that all services are free. Instead of handling it themselves I spent my time and money and I didn't get so much as a thank you. Back to the fire, yes it sure burns hot but as this chimney had been cleaned previously it did not have much fuel to burn for long. the fire only lasted less than 3 minutes and that was under air restriction to slow the burn. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Road was farther away until the state took it to devide the hwy. It is louder on the roof than in the yard due to the bank reflecting the sound up. Thanks for watching
It was cleaned out already twice that season. the problem lies with clay tiles which when unburned will not come off and 2 the way i was burning. a old steel stove with too large of a firebox meant i chocked down the fire too much to prevent overheating of the stove. Thanks for watching and commenting
That why i keep water spray around my fire place. I also keep a water hose ready out side by the chimney. I can put it out FAST! IF I NEED TO.. Its still scary to burn out the chimney on a rainy day. cause the fire will go down into the fire box. But by burning it out does help keep it clean. That why i keep at less 1 gallon of water by the fire box, and a hose near out side by the chimney. I do have to connect the hose. and the hose is always drain. So it can't form ice
When dealing with a clay tiles fire place,If you want to put out the fire you should restrict it's air. Using water from a hose can crack and destroy your clay liners. The fire in the video was restricted but it still burned in less than 3 minutes. Clay tiles are a pain as they don't clean well.
@@426superbee4 liners are the way to go I already installed one on this stack and they come clean with a nylon brush. I shot a video of it's first cleaning. th-cam.com/video/9oTGDSavi5Q/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared. Thank you for watching and commenting. I really appreciate it.
I had inspected 2 weeks prior and saw it was ready to burn. I had cleaned the chimney 2 months prior. How you run a fire has everything to do with buildup. Mild winters lead to heavier build up for me as I have to choke down the fire. Thanks for watching and commenting
If the fire becomes hot enough it can pop those mortar joints. It is good practice to burn a hot fire every day to reduce the risk of creosote buildup. Wet wood, condensation and soft woods can build up more creosote faster. Even with the addition of stainless, most manufacturers will recommend two month inspections during the burn season. I personally have known people that have neglected their chimneys and came very close to losing their home. There is no heat like the radiant heat from a wood stove but it comes at a price. I have a system and I wouldn’t trade it for any other type of heat. I do supplement with a pellet stove, but the heat from that is not the same. You wood burners know what I mean.
yes you got that right, I am having much better luck with creasote control now that i have installed a stainless liner. I have cleaned it twice this season and plan on one more cleaning in one month to finish out the season. I did burn a hot fire every day but the creasote just loved to stick on the tile. No amount of scrubbing would get it off either. the fire you saw was choked down. had it not been that cap would have been glowing red. it is those kind of temps that do all kinds of damage. smooth double wall chimneys are the best imho. my other freestanding wood stove has that and every time i build a fire i get it going as fast as possible. it sounds like it is raining from the creasote falling. in 7 years and multiple inspections it has never needed cleaning.thanks for commenting.
Yes I agree. The wood stove that I removed had too large of a firebox. It was very hard to run without overheating the house. The clay tiles makes things so much worse as creasote loves to stick to them. Thank you for watching.
A properly built chimney with clay liners was designed to withstand a chimney fire. There are some factors though that determine the survivability of a chimney. Thermal expansion is the biggest one. Clay tiles do not expand much when heated and are dimensionally stable when heated. Too much heat too fast or cooling to fast is a problem. The downside to clay liners is that creasote can be impossible to remove. That fire lasted less than three minutes and I restricted the airflow to slow down the burn. Allot of masonry goes into a older style chimney to help protect the house in case of a chimney fire. No one wants a chimney fire but I can't stress how important it is to do regular inspections and cleanings with any chimney.
My grandmother had the same flu for 58 years. Heated with wood exclusively. She never once had a flu fire. We had the flu inspected and rented the house out and on the second winter the renters had a flu fire and nearly burned the house down. We had if cleaned amd kicked them out. Anyways she had a rule never choke a fire. Run it hot or don't run it. She would often have the front door open and stove rolling. She burned a lot of wood but never had a flu fire. Guess she was the smart one.
@@tireballastserviceofflorid7771 I burn oak, white oak, hickory. Poplar and maple. The fire came from 2 months of burning white oak in a choked down fire. White oak has more fuel in the form of wax than regular oak. If not burned in a really hot fire it tend to build up allot of creasote.
There are allot of factors there. Mild weather tends to mean less hot fires and more creasote buildup if you are using on a daily basis. If you start all of your fires with lots of kindling and get everything hot as quick as possible that will greatly reduce your creasote. Liners heat up much faster and therefore don't build up creasote as fast. As a general rule though once a month inspection and or cleaning may be needed. Every stove runs different. Try to control the things you can. Mainly what would you are using. Use only dry and never use pine even as a firestarter. From there you can determine how often you need cleaning. My other woodstove with a smooth double wall has never needed cleaning in 7 years. The creasote flakes off on startup. This clay tile on the other hand could only go 2 months max between cleanings. Thanks for watching.
You say you cleaned It but It Still had an eighth inch of Kreasol and it was prime for a fire, if a fire will start 2 weeks after a cleaning then why should anyone ever hire a chimney swap? Are you a liner sales man? Even at the end of the video it is far from clean.
It had about a 16th of residue and it is not as flammable as regulator creasote but to answer your question why should anyone hire a chimney sweep. That foamy ash restricts the flue. If you don't remove it then you will not have a good draw. There are allot of factors that determine the amount of buildup in a flue. I always burn seasoned hardwood. The determining factor here was the efficiency of the insert and the size of the firebox. My old woodstove had a huge firebox. As it was steel it also had very little heat life. So I was feeding that box around a dozen pieces a day with the stove choked down almost fully. That combo kept the house warm but leads to lots of buildup. New stoves are way more efficient and cleaner burning so buildup is not as big of a problem. You will not get a chimney really clean with a brush. If you have ever cleaned glass you know creasote is very hard to remove. If you want something very clean you might try the chemical packs you burn but some of those can be bad for the stove I have heard. Hiring a chimney sweep is not a bad idea as long as they charge a reasonable price and do a inspection of the tiles after. No I am not a liner salesman. Liners do have a big advantage of heating up real quick which leads to less buildup. Thank you for watching and commenting.
@@boldibbb and a chimney swap? I think it is auto correct that is the issue. You tube will auto correct words that are spelled correctly with words it thinks you want to use. If you don't proof read 😆 ensues.
That was about 10 weeks of buildup. Note the fire only lasted for less than three minutes with its airflow restricted. Wide open it would have all burned in half the time with allot more heat, a very bad thing. Creasote really likes to bond with clay tile, in ten years of brushing with a steel brush I have never gotten unburnt creasote to come off. Thank you for watching.
I usually do one of these a year. I have insulated selkirk pipe and wanted to burn off creosote. I took pictures and pasted them on facebook and had family and friends telling me im stupid. One friend had a chimney fire and their entire house burned to the ground. I had it ripping with the stove wide open and it started to sound like a jet engine. I stepped outside to see flames on the chimney. The cap was cherry red hot so I monitored and drank another beer. I happened to check to see if the pipe between the metal roof and adapter was getting hot and it wasn't. I kept monitoring it until the woodstove started to get hot where the chimney collar started. I didn't want my stove to crack so I shut it down and the fire practically went out. I didn't have to clean it afterwards but had to sweep molten hot creosote embers off the roof. They were all sitting around the high temp silicon boot that I had spend a lot of money on. It pays to spend the extra time and money on making sure you have all high temp rated chimney materials just in case you leave your stove wide open and pass out drunk.
The stainless ones are much easier to clean. This fire was restricted when it burned. If you have a fire in a steel chimney it can go bad and burn the house down quickly.. the melting point of stainless is 2500 f. It takes allot of heat to reach that but a full open unrestricted chimney fire can do it, most fires in steel chimneys burn down houses from a improper install. There should be three layers at the roof and the ceiling with a air gap of a few inches from and combustible surface. My other steel chimney has a special steel boot with vent holes. All that said I would not use chimney fires as a way to clean steel chimneys. Those chimneys respond well to a nylon brush unlike the clay tiles in the video here. Thank you for commenting.
My uncle jack used to clean my grandads chimney by stuffing newspaper up the flue and setting fire to it. They used coal so it made a lot of soot. I guess he didn’t care about ruining the chimney, it was rented.
I had a friend that did the same thing. Obviously having a chimney fire is the less ideal way to clean a chimney. I dont think coal produces a coating that expands into a ash like in the video so at least it didn't clog up the chimney. That's for watching and commenting.
@@honeybeehomesteading, agreed. Coal fires do not produce gases capable of creating flammable chimney coatings like creosote. Fly ash is the main problem with coal stoves. Ash can build up, particularly in elbows, choking off the draft that way. Coal also produces more carbon monoxide and with a fly ash-plugged flue, that's a problem, but outright chimney fires with coal can't happen, except, I suppose, if a lot of wood is used to get coal fires going.
So cleaning a clay tile chimney doesn't really remove creasote. It removes ash. Creasote just bonds too much to the clay tile. Liners on the other hand clean well.
The 6 minute mark makes no sense to me. You said you cleaned it. How could a brief chimney fire produce THAT MUCH creosote? If you cleaned it, how could the chimney fire even occur from a small fire below? Maybe I misheard... no way you cleaned it before......
So I said I swept it two weeks prior and noticed it had a heavy buildup of creasote. Sweeping a chimney will remove ash or creasote on top of ash. It will not remove creasote on top of clay tile. So no the chimney was not clean prior. It build up even more in two short weeks. As far as starting the chimney fire the size of the fire is not so much of a issue as a burst of heat. I added one good size piece of cardboard to a small fire. That extra heat all at once was enough to get the chimney going. Once started it is very important to control the burn by shutting the air ports of the stove. The fire really did not look that big because it was burning like a upside down candle wick. Thanks for commenting. Sorry if I caused any confusion.
Are you burning wet wood or trash or why is it producing that much smoke?? When we are burning our fireplace you can hardly see any smoke. Bad material burning or not enough draft ….
Wood was dry and only hardwood. Problem was a oversized insert made of steel. Would overheat easily and had no heat life. If you burned a hot fire which you should it would bring the house up to 90 in no time but would be out completely in 2 hours. I fed that stove allot. Like 15 good sized pieces a day. I replaced it with a modern wood stove that uses a third the amount of wood. Thanks for watching 😊
I think I have chimney fires inside my metal stack several times a season. Only way I know about it is the off smell on the inside of the house and I can hear the stack ticking (single wall portions) as it expands. I dont get overworked over it, just go get a big fan and turn it on the chimney on the inside and cool it down while things are burning. Once I went up on the roof to see what was going on, took the cap off and looked down inside - looked like burning lava lining the inside of my stack. Said "huh" to myself, put the cap back on and went down , set up the fan and put more wood in the stove. I keep an ammo box up on the roof by the chimney - if I ever saw flames like in this video, the cap would come off (I keep gloves in the box along with baking soda) and down the baking soda bomb would go. Never have gotten to that point though. I recommend (and do) frequent fires with lots of kindling and small wood - let the flames go up the flue to get anything up there burning before it can build up. I only burn 2 or 3 year seasoned wood and lumber in my stove. Works for me.
I also have a double wall metal stack in the other half of my home. After seven years I have never had a fire in that stack. The stove I have is on that stack is much easier to get hot and release the creasote buildup. Tile chimneys are a whole different animal as there is so much mass it is hard to get the stacks warm enough to not buildup heavy amount of creasote. Thanks for watching and sharing your comments.
There was a lot of time between fire and sweeping. The fire was completely out as I could not have looked down the chimney if there was any fire left. I also noted in the video that everything was wet from the rain the day before as the chimney fire poses a threat from ash . You are correct though as you should never sweep a chimney right after a fire before letting the fire die out completely. Thanks for watching
We have had the fire going for a few weeks now, how long do you recommend to make sure the flue has cooled down enough to clean? Please and thank you 😊👍🇮🇪
@@SmilerORockerif your firebox is cold you should be good. I would recommend letting your fire go out overnight and then cleaning the next morning. Don't forget open your damper all the way and close off all your stoves air intakes and doors to prevent soot from getting in the house. Thanks for watching.
@@honeybeehomesteading got it done no problem. The house was built 1670,... So very large chimney although tiny fireplace, it's an open for, no damper, I let it cool 24 hours and it was fine
I like to get a real hot roaring fire going at least once a day, I think it helps to burn out the nasty stuff a little at a time vs. letting it build up. But I do have a stainless liner that's insulated so I think that helps. You do have a thick coat of the creosote, especially after just cleaning it. Maybe your stove setup needs reexamined or maybe your procedures for restricting w/damper, etc?
I agree with everything you said. A couple of things I would add. The efficiency of the stove was a real factor here. Also tile lined stoves do not clean well as compared to a liner or the best in my opinion a smooth wall double layer stack. I have now changed stoves and installed a liner. If you like you can see me cleaning the stainless lined stove after 3 months of use. The creasote comes off so easy compared to the tile which will only come off after a fire unless you use a chemical agent to help. Here is the link to the new liner.th-cam.com/video/9oTGDSavi5Q/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared
I never burn pine and I never burn wood that is less than one year drying time. So that is not the case here. Cedar is also a bad wood to burn. I burn poplar, oak, hickory, and maple.
@@honeybeehomesteading a year doesnt mean its seasoned or dry enough...pine is fine..lived in alaska for 41 years and burned spruce...went 2 years without cleaning flue..so get off the pine trip
@@danthedewman1 spruce is very different than the pine we have here. I have mostly pitch pine and Virginia pine. They are very dense with rosin and are slow grown. The pitch pine makes excellent lumber as it's tight grain is very stable. I would have no problem burning spruce.
@@danthedewman1 I use a moisture meter and all of my wood is put up split. Water content varies from 8 to 10 percent. I have seen as high as 12 but that is very rare.
I heard burning an aluminum can will remove the creasote but I can't find anyone testing this or verifying it works. Do you know? I'm medically unable to check my roof and can't afford any cleaning. Our HVAC broke, can't afford fixing, so we're running our little fireplace which heats half the house but I can't sleep at night out of anxiety. I keep checking it, panic, check it, panic... Ugh... I love the fire and winter is my favorite season, but I'm kinda wishing for spring so I can rest easier. Thank you for your video. God bless. ❤😊❤
burning aluminum can requires a very hot fire. A hot fire on a stack that has creasote buildup may ignite causing a chimney fire. The aluminum oxide from the cans will not have any real affect on buildup. you are better off using a product that is designed for it. www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/rutland-dry-creosote-remover-1-lb-tub-3198195?store=523&cid a single $8 tub may last you all season. i am hoping you have a insert. if you do have a chimney fire don't panic, reduce the air flow by closing the dampers almost completely off. Have a safety plan in place if you do. you will want someone outside watching the stack and if possible. have a garden hose ready to go. remember chimney fire ignite from bursts of heat Never burn cardboard or large amounts of paper on a fire that is already going. if your fire is dying down there is little chance you would ignite one from coals overnight. Make sure you are only burning seasoned wood. Have a Merry and safe Christmas.
@@shadowprovesunshine a wet towel will make things worse. The water in wood is what causes creasote to stick to liners in the first place. Adding more water will not clean it.
Really hot fires keeps your chimneys clean, if your stove is the right size this is the best way to go. This stove was oversized and run chocked down. I had the inside at 77 or above. Stove was just too large, I have since replaced.
that is the most buildup i like to have. i just cleaned my new stove with a liner, same situation 3 months and i got about 2 cups. what i have learned is the start of winter is the worst for buildup as i don't need to run super hot fires which creates allot more buildup
A bad run away chimney fire. Can be put out by discharge a fully charged 5 pound fire extinguisher. Discharge the whole 5 pounds without stopping. This drives the fire out as the chemical dust is pulled up the chimney.
Absolutely, you can also shut down all of the air intakes on a wood stove. Depending upon the model of stove most modern stoves do not allow you to completely shut the intake. If that is the case the fire does not have enough air for a quick burn but will burn slowly up through the stack. My old stove you could starve the fire enough to extinguish it entirely. Any CO2 based extinguisher should work great. Thanks for watching and commenting
Use a chimney sweep! A manual brush will not clean the chimney properly. You need to use a rotary powered brush. Absolutely crazy to allow the chimney to get in that state and potentially burn your house down. 🤷♂️
The chimney is rectangular tile lined. I don't know how a rotary brush would do any good in the corners. If you have a tile chimney you will have a chimney fire 🔥. The cold tiles allow the creasote to build up much faster than metal chimneys. That was one month of build up. Proper inspection of the chimney tiles is the most important thing. No chimney should be used that has broken or missing tiles. If you have a fire then it can potentially burn down your house. A masonry chimney in good working order was designed to handle a fire and keep it contained.
Actually I can extinguish the fire by closing all of the air intakes of my wood stove. For a fireplace though those chimney fire extinguishers are great to have.
I couldn't agree more. Here is with the new liner.brush will actually remove the creasote as compared to the clay liner.th-cam.com/video/9oTGDSavi5Q/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared
Liners are the best 👍👍 That seems like when they like to start a chimney fires 👉👉 When it windy! and it blow hot pieces of fire all over the roof and ground. If you got leaves on the roof and ground? 👀 ITS A FIRE HAZARD 🔥🔥
Agreed liners are the best and you can actually clean the creasote before it burns. I switched this one over. th-cam.com/video/9oTGDSavi5Q/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared
@@honeybeehomesteading The clay flue IS a liner. And much more durable than these thin wall corrugated flex liners that you will be putting in. How many brush cycles do you think you will get out of your new steel liner before it develops holes or pulls apart inside the chimney where you cant see it? Ive pulled those things out before and have cuts and tears from initial instal and/or sweeps. They are not durable.
That flue is to big for a wood stove. That is an open fireplace size liner. I suspect you run the stove dampered way down most of the time and burn un seasoned wood if that is 2 weeks worth of creosote.
you are absolutely correct. To make matters worse the old stove had a huge steel firebox which would overheat if you ran it wide open. I tried to always keep the flue warm but it did not help much. i always burned seasoned wood, that was 2 months of build up not 2 weeks. i did the inspection 2 weeks prior and noticed enough buildup for a chimney fire. i have since replaced the stove and installed a stainless liner. thanks for watching
No I never burn wood that is less than a year old seasoned maybe 2. The wood stove that I previously had had a huge firebox that was very hungry. That means that I burned medium heat fires all the time. The efficiency of the stove was no where near a modern stove of today which means it produced allot of creasote in a short amount of time. I was using about 12 pieces of wood a day.
@@honeybeehomesteadingsie haben ihr Holz mit zu wenig Luft verbrannt oder es hat nur vor sich hingeglimmt. Sie müssen es mit der richtigen Menge Luft verbrennen und keine zu großen Holzstücke. Das ist der Trick.
@@andik859 I agree, the old woodstove did not lend itself to burning in that manner as it was a steel stove and would overheat. I have since replaced this wood stove and will be using less BTU wood such as poplar for our warmer winter months and saving the hickory for cold days. Are you in Germany?Thank you for watching. Prost!
I don't find that surprising if it was a fireplace without a wood stove insert. I also have another woodstove with a smooth metal stack. When run right it is self cleaning. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the video brother. Great visual. However, lots of bad info just fyi. No disrespect but for the safety of folks watching I want to correct a few things. I’m a professional, certified master chimney sweep. I’ve been doing this 9 years. You never ever want to try to clean your flue by starting a chimney fire. As you can see from the result of your after fire cleaning the flue is still covered in creosote. And this is no ordinary creosote. This is a third degree creosote glazing for more primed and ready to burn even then before. As for cracks, in every laboratory test of chimney fires, the thermal shock cracks the tiles. You may not be able to see them without a camera or if the glazing is too thick, but you have a seriously dangerous chimney on your hands. A stainless liner is great, but it will conduct the heat straight through to that glazing and you will have another fire. The odds of it catching your house go way up once the tiles are cracked and the creosote gets behind the protective liner. Word to the wise, remove that clay liner system completely and all that glazing and then install and insulated stainless liner. Again no disrespect but due to the safety of your home and people watching I just wanted to clarify. But thanks for taking the time to post the video. It’s a really good visual and reminder of the seriousness.
Thank you for the commentary as you sound like you do know what you are talking about. I have installed a chimney linear. I disagree that the clay tiles should be removed as all fires new oxygen to burn. After installing the liner I packed insulation around the liner in the clay tile. This will protect the remaining creasote from getting hot as well as prevent any kind of draft that could feed a fire. I also have a stainless plate and I insulation above the insert. Removing the tiles if you did have a insane chimney fire that burned through the liner would give you less protection in keeping the fire contained in the chimney. Thank you for the respectful comments. I hope people see this video and spend more time maintaining their chimneys. Unfortunately I think about half of the wood burners out there don't ever clean it inspect their chimneys.
You’re welcome brother! You make a good point on the insulation. Most, if not all, liner manufacturers actually require a minimum of an inch of proper insulation per the UL Listing (testing lab) of the liner. Technically with the insulation, if it’s correct type and 1”, it it supposed to make it zero clearance. So in that case if you can fit the liner and insulation without downsizing the liner than according to the book you should be good. We did have a situation a couple of years ago where it still caught the glazing on fire even with the insulation, but there could have potentially been some other reason. You’re also right about if you remove the tile your in theory creating more risk, especially without the insulation. We typically remove due to sizing, but if we have the space we remove as much creosote as possible (rokleen or chemically). So it sounds like you’re in a better situation than I gathered which is great! Is that an 8x13 tile or a 12x12? I can’t tell.
I have been 10 feet from a real chimney fire with a 28 ft hight … that was no where near what a serious one looks like… it’s like a freaking jet in your living room and roof..
You are correct, that was a controlled burn with the air restricted. It is much safer and does not change the temperature of the liner as fast. a fully uncontrolled burn has enough heat to melt the cap and anything else in its way. thanks for watching
@@michaelcrawley2359 damper only got shut to 1/4 after I had coals only. It was not my first but I hope it was my last as I have never found anything that will remove creasote from tile liners. I have replaced the wood stove and installed a stainless liner which cleans well with a nylon brush.
@@honeybeehomesteading we're staring down the barrel of some solid negative wind chill temps here in the inland northwest the next few days. Makes me miss my wood stove, just forced air now.. so blah lol
@@rarted I do not envy you. My last house had central heat with gas. It was still cold as the radiant heat of a wood stoves warms the bones of the house. You may want to put in a high efficiency wood stove. There is a government program that will cover one third of the cost. I just replaced my old stove under that program.
Every stove and chimney is different. My old stove was made in the the 80s and did a poor job with secondary combustion. To make problems worse the stove was too large and made of steel. Burning it hot would lead to over fire. So running the stove in a choked down state lead to heavy buildup. As far as cleaning goes clay tiles love to hold on to creasote. You will not get clay tiles anywhere near as clean as a stainless liner. I have since replaced the stove with a high effeciency and put in a liner to hopefully eliminate any future fires. Thanks for watching the video.
with 2 inches thick of creosote you should not try to try to get that to burn. my buildup was only 1/4 of a inch and the fire lasted less than three minutes with restricted air flow. That much creosote takes years to build. be glad it did not start as it would be burn for a very long time if it did. i don't recommend anyone try to start a chimney fire. A controlled burn in the daytime under wet conditions which is what shown here is much safer than one in the middle of the night. have you tried sweeping the chimney? stay safe and thanks for watching.
First use seasoned firewood, this eliminates creosote build up. A chimney liner is never as durable as Clay Tile. Just switch to coal and call it a day.
I only burn wood seasoned for a year min. My firebox on my old stove was too large forcing me to run it in a chocked down restricted state. That produces more creasote. I will pass on the coal. I smell enough sulfur forging, don't want that in the house.. thank you for watching and commenting.
The fire burned in 2 minutes and that was with air restriction. It might have had more buildup as there was about 2 weeks between the time of inspection and the fire. it might have had 1/4 inch of buildup but no more as the fire just burned off too fast. At the beginning of the video you can see the creasote buildup on the cap. It starts to drip with the heat before it catches fire I noted it in the video. But it was also a small amount. Thanks for watching.
That thing hasn't been cleaned in a LONG time, and you don't burn Gum or Fruit wood in a fireplace. You also don't burn green wood. You butn seasoned wood. Not everyone should have a fireplace obviously. Plus the 1960's? Man I can show you chimneys over 100 years old and they still work great and don't have chimney fires.
That chimney is cleaned regularly. There are allot more factors that apparently you are unaware of. You are correct about what to burn. I only burn hardwood that has been seasoned for one year min, usually it is oak mixed with some other hardwoods. In this particular case I was using a ember hearth woodstove which is a steel stove with a very large firebox. Having a large firebox with a steel stove meant I needed to have the fire choked down which leads to more buildup. Every chimney is a little different but masonry chimneys are the worst for buildup period. I had a chimney with a fireplace that was 110 years old in my previous house. It never had a fire but I was not using it everyday either and it was a fireplace not a woodstove insert. My current other wood stove has a metal stack and has never had a chimney fire. Thanks for watching the video.
@@honeybeehomesteading Well masonary chimneys are not made for wood stoves. A pipe should have been put in from the start. Most of the time if a chimney is not burning clean it is primarily because the firebox was not built-in properly, or the wrong wood was burned. If a fireplace is not built properly it will not have proper air flow. Like I tell people all the time, just because the person is a mason doesn't mean they know how to build a chimney.
@@abcertweldWood stoves have been used in masonry chimneys for a few hundred years. My previous house I mentioned earlier had three chimneys all with 2 stacks. 2 of the chimneys were built with only one fireplace and the second flue had a connection for a wood stove as was common in the era. They had a pipe connection about 5 ft off the floor and masonry the rest of the way. Having a liner is absolutely the best way to go but that way not always done when this stove was installed 40 years ago.
@@honeybeehomesteading exactly yes I am aware of this, but like you said. A separate flue is installed for a stove. Those chimneys are built different from a conventional fireplace.
Yes and no. As you can see from the video the ash can really clog up a chimney. If you were to leave it that way there is a chance it could break off and stop up the chimney. Routine inspection and cleaning are always best. The worst thing you can have is a uncontrolled chimney fire. I restricted the air flow on this one to prevent it from getting too hot. Even then there was some serious heat produced. Thank you for watching and commenting.
What on earth are you burning? And how do you start the fire? That buildup is NOT something that is normal of you burn dry good wood in the correct way.
I am burning only dry seasoned hardwood. The problem comes from having a oversized wood stove made of steel. It used double what my new stove does and if you ran a hot fire it would overheat easily. 2 months of use and it was prime for a fire. My new stove also uses a liner which the creasote is removable with a nylon brush.
@@t.dig.2040 I don't know why you would burn any green firewood much less pine. Not only will it leave heavy buildup but you are loosing most of your heat in the form of steam. If all you have is pine maybe you can cut your wood a year in advance so it will be well seasoned.
@honeybeehomesteading the green pine was one season's fluke. I didn't have wood and the snow was about to fly, so I bought a semi load. I can't wrap my head around my 6 months of non stop burning of green wood looks like 2 weeks of seasoned hardwood... I have the same clay lined masonry chimney with a 1980s seal tight, steel stove with a massive firebox.
@@t.dig.2040 hey t it wasn't 2 weeks of burning. it was 2 weeks since my last inspection, it has 2 months prior to that for a total of 10 weeks of buildup. how much area were you heating. i live in a brick rancher and was heating 1200 sqr ft. i kept the stove really choked down but it still ate firewood like candy and put off tons of heat. i was burning white oak at the time which makes a difference as it has allot of wax in the wood. it would have been better if i was burning something like red oak. i needed dry wood that would burn as slow as possible. it also did not help that the chimney rectangular flue was next to the shelf so all the smoke had to go around it but also made it easy to catch fire. if you don't know it you could upgrade your old stove with a new one and government will give you a tax credit up to 2000. we did it and it cut our firewood usage in half. thanks for commenting i really appreciate it.
I don t care about getting rock whatever any more ...TH-cam sure is sick in forcing ads on me and when i comment they dont want me to talk about the sick ad theyt present me.
I am sorry they are forcing more ads. Whether or not a video is monetized youtube puts ads in it. It is still better than network tv which seems to devolved to more ads than content. I cant even try to watch a movie on regular tv.
Thanks for the feedback George, unfortunately the number of adds is not something i can control as youtube pics the adds and duration. i try t make my videos content oriented as possible and never stretch them out as some do.
Thank you for the video!
Having a controlled chimney fire can make the cleaning of the chimney much easier, but there’s a big chance that you will destroy the flue and also burn the house down.
Second degree creosote, when it gets hot enough it expands like a firework snake. It ends up expanding so much that it restricts the flue. The temperature rises and a creosote chimney fire begins. If there was more creosote in this chimney it could’ve burned for an hour or so and then it could’ve been catastrophic.
If your chimney was built right and your flue tiles are good no damage should occur as long as you restrict the air flow in allowing it to burn more slowly and don't do anything stupid like pour water down the flue. If you have a masonry chimney chimney fires are going to happen. I now have a metal liner in this one which are able to self clean as long as your start your fire hot. I do regular inspections on both my chimneys. One is a new metal chimney with no masonry. It never builds up creosote.
@@honeybeehomesteading you do know there’s no such thing as a chimney that self cleans? Whoever told you that just wanted your money and ran fast, never believe that! When you inspect, do you use a camera so you can either see the connection joints, crimps, welds, depending on the particular metal chimney? It’s great to inspect from above and below and it might look fine, but when you put a camera in there you can see more than just above and below.
Metal chimneys are great, but they can also get damaged by high heat and buckle. They also expand and contract with heat and cold. Even the best stainless steel can deteriorate. Creosote build up in a stainless flue can also happen, but it depends on how dry your wood is. Also the type of brush you use to clean in your metal chimney can creat grooves/scratches in the stainless and creosote and acids build up in those groves. Stainless isn’t going to last forever, but it’s definitely a better alternative if you do take care of it properly. I’ve seen hundreds of chimney fires in stainless liners, deteriorating stainless liners, even though they’ve been maintained properly, it just happens.
@@akaredcrossbow actually if you build your fire correctly in a smooth side stainless stack it will clean itself. You do this by starting a hot fire in a cold stack. The metal expansed quicker than the creasote can get sticky. The result is that it sounds like it is raining inside the pipe as it falls down. I use only a nylon brush to clean a metal stack as you are correct that scratches will cause all kinds of problems. I also used doubled walled chimneys even the telescoping pipe is double walled. You sacrifice some heat in doing so but it makes the pipe heat up faster and is much safer. Stainless while good will not last forever. I used 316 not 308 in my chimney liner. It has more corrosion resistance than 308. Hope I never have a chimney fire in any of my metal flues. I burn only hardwood that has been aged for 10 months to a year. Fully split and moisture checked before burning. I am always amazed how many people burn green wood.
@@honeybeehomesteading just be careful heating a real cold stainless flue too fast, as it can still become brittle and get micro fractures that can turn into wider cracks with the expansion and contraction.
Is your liner 316 TI or 316 L? What type of liner is it. Class A, stainless sections, flex corrugated, flex double wall smooth wall?
@@akaredcrossbow so I have 2 systems. One is a stand alone wood stove through the ceiling with smooth section double wall. The liner which went in the chimney is flexible one piece. I believe it was 316 L. While I try to get the fire up and running quickly it is not a crazy 🔥. It does not take much heat to get the creasote to fall off. Probably only a couple of hundred. It is more about the temperature difference between the pipe and the creasote. It won't work at all if the flue has had a fire in 18 hours or less. With 2 stoves and a long house I am able to rotate which one I burn. One side I start in the morning and the other side at lunch. As both are hearthstone soapstone and cast iron they have. CRAZY life.
We have run fires all our lives but at very high temperatures and seasoned wood mostly. The slow burn smoldering fires seem to cause more buildup over time. The local chimney sweep advised me to keep running it hot, and have him over a lot less. We run very hot, then let the coals calm, then go hot again, then coals, etc.
Your sweep is right. My firebox on my old stove was huge and hard to run hot without overheating. My new stove is way more manageable. Thanks for watching
Sweep knows his stuff. Creosot is a condensate from wood gas. If you lower the burn temperature you also bring the condensation point closer to the stove. When the condensation point comes inside of the flue, you will get a lot of buildup. You can never eliminate condensation inside the flue since every burn must start and end cold, but ideally your operating temperature should be hot enough not to cause buildup. Just in case anyone was wondering.
Seems to me your fires are not running hot enough. You are restricting your draft too much. A good hot fire now and again will burn that junk off. I brush mine out once a year and have no issues.
You are correct in that assessment, my old woodstove had too large of a firebox and was made of steel. Running a hot far was pretty tricky without overheating the stove. My new woodstove is much easier to run hot but I am still dialing in the best way to run it. Thanks for watching.
A friend of mine, was in a rural fire brigade in country Australia. They were called to an old farm house, with a large chimney that was on fire. He said when they got there, the chimney was really burning and the howling, sucking it sound it made inside the house was like a jet engine.
I can believe it, a unrestricted chimney fire is a very scary thing. Had I not restricted the airflow on this one it would have probably melted the cap. thanks for watching
I had a wood fired pottery kiln. When you got it up to temp and let it go It too sounded like a jet engine. And would hit over 2000 Deg. F. But I wanted it so it was fun.
Well done and helpful! I too replaced my ceramic liner with a flex stainless tube. Had the chimney cleaned regularly - but did not have the chimney cleaned before. Should have. Saw some ash chips falling at first but not too bad. As for the chimney fire - wicked hot!
Thanks. The liners are the way to go with a stove imo. Without a restricted air I bet a chimney fire would melt the cap. Thanks for commenting.
I reckon every situation is a little different but deposits will accumulate fast in a cool stack. The exhaust gas must be enough volume and heat to keep the chimney above the condensation point of the exhaust smoke. Remember that wood when burned is an oxidative process that produces water and co 2 so even dry wood is going to be introducing water vapor into the stack. Low draft, low heat fires can cause deposits quickly, especially in masonry chimneys. Insulate where possible to keep the chimney warm. I have a double walled stainless system for our wood stove, been in use for 42 years, I sweep it with a manual brush on telescopic pole once a year, I burn hot fire every start up and make sure the draft is enough that good heat is traveling up the pipes. Throwing cardboard or any rapidly burning material into a stove with a dirty chimney is almost a sure disaster.
I agree with everything you said. I now have a new stove with a stainless liner. I never burn cardboard or anything other than seasoned cord wood. I used the small piece of cardboard for the video as I wanted to get as much of the creasote out as possible before installing a new stove. I gambled that the cardboard would start a chimney fire and I was right.With this stack it being so large made it impossible to keep the stack warm and prevent buildup. The new liner comes clean with brushing unlike the tile.
The first chimney fire I had was crazy, the second fire was self enduce and flames were 6 to 8 feet above the cap. I've had several chimney fires and the clay is still intact.
The clay liner you have looks good in the video. If parts of liner fall into the clean out at the bottom of the chimney then replace it.
if you have a chimney fire try to slow the burn so you don't over fire the stack, clay tiles are pretty durable as long as they don't get cooled or heated too quickly. thanks for watching
If you can get your hands on a inspection camera that you can put in the flue from top to bottom, I would be interested knowing how the tile joints look and if you can spot any hairline cracks in the tiles. Hairline cracks will expand pretty significantly when they are heated and contract when cooled, so it’s hard to tell without an inspection camera.
These hairline cracks can let creosote build up in between the air space of the tiles and brick. This also happens when the mortar that seals the tile sections come apart.
a inspection camera is always a good idea, I have installed a 316stainless liner in this chimney now. i am able to removed unburned creasote in the new liner. i hope to never have another chimney fire.@@akaredcrossbow
*they get thermal shock fairly easily. Only way to see cracks most of the time, if creosote hasn’t covered them, is a camera and a good one. But when you have a normal fire the next time that crack opens up to about 1/4” and it begins to allow that glazing to build up behind the protective liner in the air insulation gap. That’s when risk goes way up for house fires.
What kind of wood are you burning to produce that much soot? It takes me 3 years of burning wood to get that much soot built up. I have a triple wall pipe system would that make a difference in build up?
yes the type of pipe makes allot of difference. i also have a double wall stainless pipe on a different stove. it is pretty much self cleaning when you start a fire the creosote falls off and into the stove. it sounds kind of like rain. clay tile are a whole different story. the stack takes forever to heat up and the creosote sticks solid and will not come off. I was burning white oak that had been seasoned for over a year. further complicating things was a oversized inefficient wood stove that had to be run in a choked down state. i have since replaced the stove with a new efficient one with a stainless liner. thanks for commenting
Burning dry wood slows creosote build up significantly. I burned dry wood last winter and had basically zero build up on our clay flue. Only black soot on the walls. No large chunks or thick coating.
All wood I burn has been seasoned for one year. I cut and spit wood for the next year during the winter as it is much more comfortable and i am very allergic to poison ivy. I burn oak/ white oak poplar and hickory. I don't use pine not even to start a fire. i think the age of the stove and efficiency has allot to with it. the less efficient stoves also produce more pollution which can take the form of creosote. this chimney fire was from a 1980s era wood stove insert.
You’re quite right.
Dry wood burns hotter which means that more of the gasses are ignited so that they don’t condense in the chimney leaving combustible deposits
@@honeybeehomesteading dont blame pine...old tale, ts all about dry seasoned wood
@@honeybeehomesteading, out West all they have is pine, spruce, and cedar, but there is no greater incidence of chimney fires out there that I know of. Softwoods can burn very hot if they're stoked properly. Secondly, dry wood and wet wood both oxidize to produce CO2 and H20 in the exhaust vapor and there is lots of both. The main advantage in burning dry wood is that it burns hotter, more likely keeping the exhaust gases above their condensation point, but there is plenty of water vapor in both wet and dry wood exhaust to condense if the exhaust stack cools enough.
@@beltramsyou are limited when it comes to firewood. You must have to feed the fire constantly. You are absolutely right about moisture. Wet wood should never be burned as it is a waste of firewood and causes more buildup. Soft woods burn faster than hardwoods so it is much easier to burn a hotter fire in some ways. I think there is a real art to running a wood stove. Stoves vary how they can be run. Which wood you use influences how you run the stove. All of us wood burners out there are very lucky. The new stoves work so much better than the ones built in the eighties.
That, was a great capture of the chimney fire.
It's scary, that creosote formed on the mesh - in mere seconds!
I thought, creosote formed more slowly.
The creosote was already on the mesh. It just got hot enough to melt before it caught on fire. The mesh catches fire before the fire reaches to top of the stack. It was all very quick.
Maybe you could post a follow up video of how you install the liner. Did you remove the old clay liner? Did you remove the third stage creosote that was still in the clay liner?
Thank You
@@blackvelvetchimney I had originally intended to make a how to on the new install but the job was very difficult due to my smoke shelf on the chimney. It took about a dozen attempts to finally get the liner to couple. My firebox is just over a inch taller than the stove itself so yea it was hard. Had it been 4 inches it would have been a breeze. As far as the install goes. I left the chimney liner as it was fully intact. I also left the thin layer of creasote that remained after brushing since my liner was intact and the space should not get enough oxygen to support combustion. I sealed the top with silicon sealant and used unfaced batt insulation inside between the liner and the insert. Hope I answered all of your questions. Have a great day
Not running a "Maintenace fire" once a day and running a low temp fire causes that type of build up along with sappy or wet wood, Low temp fire creates condensation on the walls and the ash and buildup of the creosote. I found that cap also restricts the "draft " your stove needs to pull the smoke out. They need to be sized correctly and kept clean. I had too many issues with build up with them caps. I start my fires with pieces of pallet wood, and paper. Once going I leave the damper wide open and the air thru the doors full open also, I monitor the stove with a thermometer keeping the temp higher than normal to shed off any build up in the liner from previous fires. After about 15-20 min and the wood leaving a good bed of coals, I add the dry wood needed and close doors for about 5 mins unit well lit. Once its going well I shut the damper about a 1/4 and reduce the air intake on the ft doors 1/4 . In 20 years I've been burning and 3 stoves on the premises, I never have needed to run a brush down my chimney yet. A yearly inspection from the top to the bottom of liner with hi powered flash light and the clean out open at the bottom shows NO build up whatsoever! A monthly sweep of the clean out is necessary to monitor my burning.
That seems like a very sound plan you use. In this case the stove that I had was oversized and was steel and prone to overheating. The stove ate enormous amounts of wood even choked down. I have since replaced the stove and installed a liner. I am still dialing in the new stove on running it. I have another stove with a double insulated chimney. I start it with a hot fire on a cold stack. You can hear the creasote fall. I have never needed to sweep that chimney in 7 years. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Words of wisdom right there. And I would tell the same story. Just double the years and then some. I take a chain up when I look and rattle it around anyway but never much there.
That is an extremely large flue, it acts as a cold trap reducing the temperature of the byproducts of combustion as evidenced by the build up, even with seasoned wood. As stated already a much smaller insulated liner will improve this. No less than 200F at the cap will virtually eliminate any issues. Most FD‘s around here say the chimney fires they respond to are one‘s without liners.
I completely agree, the large flue combined with fact that it is masonry is a problem. The fire 🔥 burned for less than 3 minutes and that was a restricted burn. Some people have commented that I never cleaned the chimney. I have watched videos where the fire department shows up and spends 30 minutes on the fire. This was over and done because I do clean my chimneys but with masonry I find it impossible to removes glazed creasote over tile. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@honeybeehomesteading 👍I‘ve been on the volunteer FD many years and have seen a lot of questionable chimneys. Some that were as crooked as an old snake in older homes! I remember melting the chain on our chimney ball once and then worked for over an hour to retrieve it. As evidenced here when that creosote burns and melts it drops down and clogs the chimney and continues to burn at kiln temperatures. We used to make sure the chimney was clean before leaving. But then realized we were responding to the same addresses year after year...
@@kbittorf335 I can relate as I was on call for honeybees but had several calls for yellow jackets. Some people believe that all services are free. Instead of handling it themselves I spent my time and money and I didn't get so much as a thank you. Back to the fire, yes it sure burns hot but as this chimney had been cleaned previously it did not have much fuel to burn for long. the fire only lasted less than 3 minutes and that was under air restriction to slow the burn. Thank you for watching and commenting.
I would want to get payed to live like that next to a road with heavy traffic.
Road was farther away until the state took it to devide the hwy. It is louder on the roof than in the yard due to the bank reflecting the sound up. Thanks for watching
How can this happen??I know, but why the chimney was not cleaned out frequently? We here in Austria have to clean it 4 times per year!
It was cleaned out already twice that season. the problem lies with clay tiles which when unburned will not come off and 2 the way i was burning. a old steel stove with too large of a firebox meant i chocked down the fire too much to prevent overheating of the stove. Thanks for watching and commenting
Here in America cleaning the chimney is left up to the discretion of the occupant
That why i keep water spray around my fire place. I also keep a water hose ready out side by the chimney. I can put it out FAST! IF I NEED TO.. Its still scary to burn out the chimney on a rainy day. cause the fire will go down into the fire box. But by burning it out does help keep it clean. That why i keep at less 1 gallon of water by the fire box, and a hose near out side by the chimney. I do have to connect the hose. and the hose is always drain. So it can't form ice
When dealing with a clay tiles fire place,If you want to put out the fire you should restrict it's air. Using water from a hose can crack and destroy your clay liners. The fire in the video was restricted but it still burned in less than 3 minutes. Clay tiles are a pain as they don't clean well.
@@honeybeehomesteading You don't spray down the chimney. Just the fire box and round the roof Yes clay title will crack! Why i have a liner in mine
@@426superbee4 liners are the way to go I already installed one on this stack and they come clean with a nylon brush. I shot a video of it's first cleaning. th-cam.com/video/9oTGDSavi5Q/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared. Thank you for watching and commenting. I really appreciate it.
How long were you in between cleanings? That creosote was layered
I had inspected 2 weeks prior and saw it was ready to burn. I had cleaned the chimney 2 months prior. How you run a fire has everything to do with buildup. Mild winters lead to heavier build up for me as I have to choke down the fire. Thanks for watching and commenting
If the fire becomes hot enough it can pop those mortar joints. It is good practice to burn a hot fire every day to reduce the risk of creosote buildup. Wet wood, condensation and soft woods can build up more creosote faster. Even with the addition of stainless, most manufacturers will recommend two month inspections during the burn season. I personally have known people that have neglected their chimneys and came very close to losing their home. There is no heat like the radiant heat from a wood stove but it comes at a price. I have a system and I wouldn’t trade it for any other type of heat. I do supplement with a pellet stove, but the heat from that is not the same. You wood burners know what I mean.
yes you got that right, I am having much better luck with creasote control now that i have installed a stainless liner. I have cleaned it twice this season and plan on one more cleaning in one month to finish out the season. I did burn a hot fire every day but the creasote just loved to stick on the tile. No amount of scrubbing would get it off either. the fire you saw was choked down. had it not been that cap would have been glowing red. it is those kind of temps that do all kinds of damage. smooth double wall chimneys are the best imho. my other freestanding wood stove has that and every time i build a fire i get it going as fast as possible. it sounds like it is raining from the creasote falling. in 7 years and multiple inspections it has never needed cleaning.thanks for commenting.
Looks like you are choking your fire down too much if you are getting that much creosote in two weeks with well seasoned wood.
Yes I agree. The wood stove that I removed had too large of a firebox. It was very hard to run without overheating the house. The clay tiles makes things so much worse as creasote loves to stick to them. Thank you for watching.
So the good old chimney where made for having these fires???
A properly built chimney with clay liners was designed to withstand a chimney fire. There are some factors though that determine the survivability of a chimney. Thermal expansion is the biggest one. Clay tiles do not expand much when heated and are dimensionally stable when heated. Too much heat too fast or cooling to fast is a problem. The downside to clay liners is that creasote can be impossible to remove. That fire lasted less than three minutes and I restricted the airflow to slow down the burn. Allot of masonry goes into a older style chimney to help protect the house in case of a chimney fire. No one wants a chimney fire but I can't stress how important it is to do regular inspections and cleanings with any chimney.
@@honeybeehomesteading The good old days where crazy
When was it last cleaned previously?
it had been cleaned about 2 months prior and inspected a couple of weeks before the fire. Thanks for watching
My grandmother had the same flu for 58 years. Heated with wood exclusively. She never once had a flu fire. We had the flu inspected and rented the house out and on the second winter the renters had a flu fire and nearly burned the house down. We had if cleaned amd kicked them out. Anyways she had a rule never choke a fire. Run it hot or don't run it. She would often have the front door open and stove rolling. She burned a lot of wood but never had a flu fire. Guess she was the smart one.
well that is definitely one way to do it, really hot fires like that will keep a chimney clean. thanks for watching.
@@honeybeehomesteading My family cut 2 cords of oak a year. She always burned it.
@@tireballastserviceofflorid7771 I burn oak, white oak, hickory. Poplar and maple. The fire came from 2 months of burning white oak in a choked down fire. White oak has more fuel in the form of wax than regular oak. If not burned in a really hot fire it tend to build up allot of creasote.
@@honeybeehomesteading Burned tons of white oak. Black oak is my favorite to burn.
WOW, I have NEVER seen such a plugged chimney.. Crazy.
It is amazing what 1/4 inch of creasote turns into after burning. Thanks for watching and for commenting
How often should it be cleaned liner or not?
There are allot of factors there. Mild weather tends to mean less hot fires and more creasote buildup if you are using on a daily basis. If you start all of your fires with lots of kindling and get everything hot as quick as possible that will greatly reduce your creasote. Liners heat up much faster and therefore don't build up creasote as fast. As a general rule though once a month inspection and or cleaning may be needed. Every stove runs different. Try to control the things you can. Mainly what would you are using. Use only dry and never use pine even as a firestarter. From there you can determine how often you need cleaning. My other woodstove with a smooth double wall has never needed cleaning in 7 years. The creasote flakes off on startup. This clay tile on the other hand could only go 2 months max between cleanings. Thanks for watching.
You say you cleaned It but It Still had an eighth inch of Kreasol and it was prime for a fire, if a fire will start 2 weeks after a cleaning then why should anyone ever hire a chimney swap? Are you a liner sales man? Even at the end of the video it is far from clean.
It had about a 16th of residue and it is not as flammable as regulator creasote but to answer your question why should anyone hire a chimney sweep. That foamy ash restricts the flue. If you don't remove it then you will not have a good draw. There are allot of factors that determine the amount of buildup in a flue. I always burn seasoned hardwood. The determining factor here was the efficiency of the insert and the size of the firebox. My old woodstove had a huge firebox. As it was steel it also had very little heat life. So I was feeding that box around a dozen pieces a day with the stove choked down almost fully. That combo kept the house warm but leads to lots of buildup. New stoves are way more efficient and cleaner burning so buildup is not as big of a problem. You will not get a chimney really clean with a brush. If you have ever cleaned glass you know creasote is very hard to remove. If you want something very clean you might try the chemical packs you burn but some of those can be bad for the stove I have heard. Hiring a chimney sweep is not a bad idea as long as they charge a reasonable price and do a inspection of the tiles after. No I am not a liner salesman. Liners do have a big advantage of heating up real quick which leads to less buildup. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Wtf is kreasol. People cant even spell
@@boldibbb and a chimney swap? I think it is auto correct that is the issue. You tube will auto correct words that are spelled correctly with words it thinks you want to use. If you don't proof read 😆 ensues.
How long has it been since you had that chimney cleaned?
That was about 10 weeks of buildup. Note the fire only lasted for less than three minutes with its airflow restricted. Wide open it would have all burned in half the time with allot more heat, a very bad thing. Creasote really likes to bond with clay tile, in ten years of brushing with a steel brush I have never gotten unburnt creasote to come off. Thank you for watching.
Thanks for the response, I did not realize creasote could build up so fast. @@honeybeehomesteading
I usually do one of these a year. I have insulated selkirk pipe and wanted to burn off creosote. I took pictures and pasted them on facebook and had family and friends telling me im stupid. One friend had a chimney fire and their entire house burned to the ground. I had it ripping with the stove wide open and it started to sound like a jet engine. I stepped outside to see flames on the chimney. The cap was cherry red hot so I monitored and drank another beer. I happened to check to see if the pipe between the metal roof and adapter was getting hot and it wasn't. I kept monitoring it until the woodstove started to get hot where the chimney collar started. I didn't want my stove to crack so I shut it down and the fire practically went out. I didn't have to clean it afterwards but had to sweep molten hot creosote embers off the roof. They were all sitting around the high temp silicon boot that I had spend a lot of money on. It pays to spend the extra time and money on making sure you have all high temp rated chimney materials just in case you leave your stove wide open and pass out drunk.
The stainless ones are much easier to clean. This fire was restricted when it burned. If you have a fire in a steel chimney it can go bad and burn the house down quickly.. the melting point of stainless is 2500 f. It takes allot of heat to reach that but a full open unrestricted chimney fire can do it, most fires in steel chimneys burn down houses from a improper install. There should be three layers at the roof and the ceiling with a air gap of a few inches from and combustible surface. My other steel chimney has a special steel boot with vent holes. All that said I would not use chimney fires as a way to clean steel chimneys. Those chimneys respond well to a nylon brush unlike the clay tiles in the video here. Thank you for commenting.
That includes having a drunk guest when you are sleeping.
My uncle jack used to clean my grandads chimney by stuffing newspaper up the flue and setting fire to it. They used coal so it made a lot of soot. I guess he didn’t care about ruining the chimney, it was rented.
I had a friend that did the same thing. Obviously having a chimney fire is the less ideal way to clean a chimney. I dont think coal produces a coating that expands into a ash like in the video so at least it didn't clog up the chimney. That's for watching and commenting.
@@honeybeehomesteading, agreed. Coal fires do not produce gases capable of creating flammable chimney coatings like creosote. Fly ash is the main problem with coal stoves. Ash can build up, particularly in elbows, choking off the draft that way. Coal also produces more carbon monoxide and with a fly ash-plugged flue, that's a problem, but outright chimney fires with coal can't happen, except, I suppose, if a lot of wood is used to get coal fires going.
Several times you said the chimney was clean before the fire. How did you have a fire then?
So cleaning a clay tile chimney doesn't really remove creasote. It removes ash. Creasote just bonds too much to the clay tile. Liners on the other hand clean well.
When you burn wood go outside. If you see smoke go inside and see what's up. Light the smoke or give it more air.
The 6 minute mark makes no sense to me. You said you cleaned it. How could a brief chimney fire produce THAT MUCH creosote? If you cleaned it, how could the chimney fire even occur from a small fire below? Maybe I misheard... no way you cleaned it before......
So I said I swept it two weeks prior and noticed it had a heavy buildup of creasote. Sweeping a chimney will remove ash or creasote on top of ash. It will not remove creasote on top of clay tile. So no the chimney was not clean prior. It build up even more in two short weeks. As far as starting the chimney fire the size of the fire is not so much of a issue as a burst of heat. I added one good size piece of cardboard to a small fire. That extra heat all at once was enough to get the chimney going. Once started it is very important to control the burn by shutting the air ports of the stove. The fire really did not look that big because it was burning like a upside down candle wick. Thanks for commenting. Sorry if I caused any confusion.
I have stainless steel insulated, double wall stove pipe, very expensive, and it easily withstands a stack fire.
Are you burning wet wood or trash or why is it producing that much smoke?? When we are burning our fireplace you can hardly see any smoke. Bad material burning or not enough draft ….
Wood was dry and only hardwood. Problem was a oversized insert made of steel. Would overheat easily and had no heat life. If you burned a hot fire which you should it would bring the house up to 90 in no time but would be out completely in 2 hours. I fed that stove allot. Like 15 good sized pieces a day. I replaced it with a modern wood stove that uses a third the amount of wood. Thanks for watching 😊
I think I have chimney fires inside my metal stack several times a season. Only way I know about it is the off smell on the inside of the house and I can hear the stack ticking (single wall portions) as it expands. I dont get overworked over it, just go get a big fan and turn it on the chimney on the inside and cool it down while things are burning.
Once I went up on the roof to see what was going on, took the cap off and looked down inside - looked like burning lava lining the inside of my stack. Said "huh" to myself, put the cap back on and went down , set up the fan and put more wood in the stove.
I keep an ammo box up on the roof by the chimney - if I ever saw flames like in this video, the cap would come off (I keep gloves in the box along with baking soda) and down the baking soda bomb would go. Never have gotten to that point though.
I recommend (and do) frequent fires with lots of kindling and small wood - let the flames go up the flue to get anything up there burning before it can build up. I only burn 2 or 3 year seasoned wood and lumber in my stove.
Works for me.
I also have a double wall metal stack in the other half of my home. After seven years I have never had a fire in that stack. The stove I have is on that stack is much easier to get hot and release the creasote buildup. Tile chimneys are a whole different animal as there is so much mass it is hard to get the stacks warm enough to not buildup heavy amount of creasote. Thanks for watching and sharing your comments.
There was a lot of time between fire and sweeping. The fire was completely out as I could not have looked down the chimney if there was any fire left. I also noted in the video that everything was wet from the rain the day before as the chimney fire poses a threat from ash . You are correct though as you should never sweep a chimney right after a fire before letting the fire die out completely. Thanks for watching
We have had the fire going for a few weeks now, how long do you recommend to make sure the flue has cooled down enough to clean? Please and thank you 😊👍🇮🇪
@@SmilerORockerif your firebox is cold you should be good. I would recommend letting your fire go out overnight and then cleaning the next morning. Don't forget open your damper all the way and close off all your stoves air intakes and doors to prevent soot from getting in the house. Thanks for watching.
@@honeybeehomesteading got it done no problem. The house was built 1670,... So very large chimney although tiny fireplace, it's an open for, no damper, I let it cool 24 hours and it was fine
Always had a few
@@SmilerORocker Smiler, your house is 354 years old? That blows my mind.
I like to get a real hot roaring fire going at least once a day, I think it helps to burn out the nasty stuff a little at a time vs. letting it build up. But I do have a stainless liner that's insulated so I think that helps. You do have a thick coat of the creosote, especially after just cleaning it. Maybe your stove setup needs reexamined or maybe your procedures for restricting w/damper, etc?
I agree with everything you said. A couple of things I would add. The efficiency of the stove was a real factor here. Also tile lined stoves do not clean well as compared to a liner or the best in my opinion a smooth wall double layer stack. I have now changed stoves and installed a liner. If you like you can see me cleaning the stainless lined stove after 3 months of use. The creasote comes off so easy compared to the tile which will only come off after a fire unless you use a chemical agent to help. Here is the link to the new liner.th-cam.com/video/9oTGDSavi5Q/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared
U must b burning alot of non seasoned pine… U feel what I’m sayin?
I never burn pine and I never burn wood that is less than one year drying time. So that is not the case here. Cedar is also a bad wood to burn. I burn poplar, oak, hickory, and maple.
@@honeybeehomesteading rgr that ! 👍
@@honeybeehomesteading a year doesnt mean its seasoned or dry enough...pine is fine..lived in alaska for 41 years and burned spruce...went 2 years without cleaning flue..so get off the pine trip
@@danthedewman1 spruce is very different than the pine we have here. I have mostly pitch pine and Virginia pine. They are very dense with rosin and are slow grown. The pitch pine makes excellent lumber as it's tight grain is very stable. I would have no problem burning spruce.
@@danthedewman1 I use a moisture meter and all of my wood is put up split. Water content varies from 8 to 10 percent. I have seen as high as 12 but that is very rare.
I heard burning an aluminum can will remove the creasote but I can't find anyone testing this or verifying it works. Do you know? I'm medically unable to check my roof and can't afford any cleaning. Our HVAC broke, can't afford fixing, so we're running our little fireplace which heats half the house but I can't sleep at night out of anxiety. I keep checking it, panic, check it, panic... Ugh... I love the fire and winter is my favorite season, but I'm kinda wishing for spring so I can rest easier. Thank you for your video. God bless. ❤😊❤
burning aluminum can requires a very hot fire. A hot fire on a stack that has creasote buildup may ignite causing a chimney fire. The aluminum oxide from the cans will not have any real affect on buildup. you are better off using a product that is designed for it. www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/rutland-dry-creosote-remover-1-lb-tub-3198195?store=523&cid
a single $8 tub may last you all season. i am hoping you have a insert. if you do have a chimney fire don't panic, reduce the air flow by closing the dampers almost completely off. Have a safety plan in place if you do. you will want someone outside watching the stack and if possible. have a garden hose ready to go. remember chimney fire ignite from bursts of heat Never burn cardboard or large amounts of paper on a fire that is already going. if your fire is dying down there is little chance you would ignite one from coals overnight. Make sure you are only burning seasoned wood. Have a Merry and safe Christmas.
Aluminum can is plastic on the inside. Clear plastic. Releases cancerous dioxins when burnt
Never burn anything that isn't just paper or wood
Someone else was saying to use a sopping wet towel to create steam?
@@shadowprovesunshine a wet towel will make things worse. The water in wood is what causes creasote to stick to liners in the first place. Adding more water will not clean it.
I have never had a chimney fire and even when I clean, there's nothing in the stack. I do run my fires hot.
Really hot fires keeps your chimneys clean, if your stove is the right size this is the best way to go. This stove was oversized and run chocked down. I had the inside at 77 or above. Stove was just too large, I have since replaced.
Well I guess I have something in common with your grandfather. Thanks for watching
just cleaned my wood stove flue and its been running 3 months straight...ended up with maybe 2 to 3 cups of soot out of it...13 foot of flue
that is the most buildup i like to have. i just cleaned my new stove with a liner, same situation 3 months and i got about 2 cups. what i have learned is the start of winter is the worst for buildup as i don't need to run super hot fires which creates allot more buildup
A bad run away chimney fire. Can be put out by discharge a fully charged 5 pound fire extinguisher. Discharge the whole 5 pounds without stopping. This drives the fire out as the chemical dust is pulled up the chimney.
Absolutely, you can also shut down all of the air intakes on a wood stove. Depending upon the model of stove most modern stoves do not allow you to completely shut the intake. If that is the case the fire does not have enough air for a quick burn but will burn slowly up through the stack. My old stove you could starve the fire enough to extinguish it entirely. Any CO2 based extinguisher should work great. Thanks for watching and commenting
Use a chimney sweep! A manual brush will not clean the chimney properly. You need to use a rotary powered brush.
Absolutely crazy to allow the chimney to get in that state and potentially burn your house down. 🤷♂️
The chimney is rectangular tile lined. I don't know how a rotary brush would do any good in the corners. If you have a tile chimney you will have a chimney fire 🔥. The cold tiles allow the creasote to build up much faster than metal chimneys. That was one month of build up. Proper inspection of the chimney tiles is the most important thing. No chimney should be used that has broken or missing tiles. If you have a fire then it can potentially burn down your house. A masonry chimney in good working order was designed to handle a fire and keep it contained.
Always have one of those chimney fire extinguishers handy.
Actually I can extinguish the fire by closing all of the air intakes of my wood stove. For a fireplace though those chimney fire extinguishers are great to have.
Stainless liner is the way to go, IMO.
I couldn't agree more. Here is with the new liner.brush will actually remove the creasote as compared to the clay liner.th-cam.com/video/9oTGDSavi5Q/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared
Liners are the best 👍👍 That seems like when they like to start a chimney fires 👉👉 When it windy! and it blow hot pieces of fire all over the roof and ground. If you got leaves on the roof and ground? 👀 ITS A FIRE HAZARD 🔥🔥
Agreed liners are the best and you can actually clean the creasote before it burns. I switched this one over. th-cam.com/video/9oTGDSavi5Q/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared
@@honeybeehomesteading The clay flue IS a liner. And much more durable than these thin wall corrugated flex liners that you will be putting in. How many brush cycles do you think you will get out of your new steel liner before it develops holes or pulls apart inside the chimney where you cant see it? Ive pulled those things out before and have cuts and tears from initial instal and/or sweeps. They are not durable.
U just had a chimmey fire and now your sweeping it out? Your not worried about a hot ash catching something on fire?
Lol crazy yeah
fire was done under wet conditions with restricted air flow. the sweeping part occurred hours after the fire
That flue is to big for a wood stove. That is an open fireplace size liner. I suspect you run the stove dampered way down most of the time and burn un seasoned wood if that is 2 weeks worth of creosote.
you are absolutely correct. To make matters worse the old stove had a huge steel firebox which would overheat if you ran it wide open. I tried to always keep the flue warm but it did not help much. i always burned seasoned wood, that was 2 months of build up not 2 weeks. i did the inspection 2 weeks prior and noticed enough buildup for a chimney fire. i have since replaced the stove and installed a stainless liner. thanks for watching
You must be burning very wet wood to get that buildup in two weeks.
No I never burn wood that is less than a year old seasoned maybe 2. The wood stove that I previously had had a huge firebox that was very hungry. That means that I burned medium heat fires all the time. The efficiency of the stove was no where near a modern stove of today which means it produced allot of creasote in a short amount of time. I was using about 12 pieces of wood a day.
@@honeybeehomesteadingsie haben ihr Holz mit zu wenig Luft verbrannt oder es hat nur vor sich hingeglimmt. Sie müssen es mit der richtigen Menge Luft verbrennen und keine zu großen Holzstücke. Das ist der Trick.
@@andik859 I agree, the old woodstove did not lend itself to burning in that manner as it was a steel stove and would overheat. I have since replaced this wood stove and will be using less BTU wood such as poplar for our warmer winter months and saving the hickory for cold days. Are you in Germany?Thank you for watching. Prost!
@@honeybeehomesteading yes i am from germany. Prost.
i know some one who dident clean the chimi for 50 years and no chiminy fire
I don't find that surprising if it was a fireplace without a wood stove insert. I also have another woodstove with a smooth metal stack. When run right it is self cleaning. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the video brother. Great visual. However, lots of bad info just fyi. No disrespect but for the safety of folks watching I want to correct a few things. I’m a professional, certified master chimney sweep. I’ve been doing this 9 years. You never ever want to try to clean your flue by starting a chimney fire. As you can see from the result of your after fire cleaning the flue is still covered in creosote. And this is no ordinary creosote. This is a third degree creosote glazing for more primed and ready to burn even then before. As for cracks, in every laboratory test of chimney fires, the thermal shock cracks the tiles. You may not be able to see them without a camera or if the glazing is too thick, but you have a seriously dangerous chimney on your hands. A stainless liner is great, but it will conduct the heat straight through to that glazing and you will have another fire. The odds of it catching your house go way up once the tiles are cracked and the creosote gets behind the protective liner. Word to the wise, remove that clay liner system completely and all that glazing and then install and insulated stainless liner. Again no disrespect but due to the safety of your home and people watching I just wanted to clarify. But thanks for taking the time to post the video. It’s a really good visual and reminder of the seriousness.
Thank you for the commentary as you sound like you do know what you are talking about. I have installed a chimney linear. I disagree that the clay tiles should be removed as all fires new oxygen to burn. After installing the liner I packed insulation around the liner in the clay tile. This will protect the remaining creasote from getting hot as well as prevent any kind of draft that could feed a fire. I also have a stainless plate and I insulation above the insert. Removing the tiles if you did have a insane chimney fire that burned through the liner would give you less protection in keeping the fire contained in the chimney. Thank you for the respectful comments. I hope people see this video and spend more time maintaining their chimneys. Unfortunately I think about half of the wood burners out there don't ever clean it inspect their chimneys.
You’re welcome brother! You make a good point on the insulation. Most, if not all, liner manufacturers actually require a minimum of an inch of proper insulation per the UL Listing (testing lab) of the liner. Technically with the insulation, if it’s correct type and 1”, it it supposed to make it zero clearance. So in that case if you can fit the liner and insulation without downsizing the liner than according to the book you should be good. We did have a situation a couple of years ago where it still caught the glazing on fire even with the insulation, but there could have potentially been some other reason. You’re also right about if you remove the tile your in theory creating more risk, especially without the insulation. We typically remove due to sizing, but if we have the space we remove as much creosote as possible (rokleen or chemically). So it sounds like you’re in a better situation than I gathered which is great! Is that an 8x13 tile or a 12x12? I can’t tell.
I have been 10 feet from a real chimney fire with a 28 ft hight … that was no where near what a serious one looks like… it’s like a freaking jet in your living room and roof..
You are correct, that was a controlled burn with the air restricted. It is much safer and does not change the temperature of the liner as fast. a fully uncontrolled burn has enough heat to melt the cap and anything else in its way. thanks for watching
Looks like it's not your first chimney fire. The damper should never be closed more than half way.
@@michaelcrawley2359 damper only got shut to 1/4 after I had coals only. It was not my first but I hope it was my last as I have never found anything that will remove creasote from tile liners. I have replaced the wood stove and installed a stainless liner which cleans well with a nylon brush.
I'll never forget that initial wompwompwomp the first time lol. Still prefer a wood stove over anything.
Agreed wood heat is the best heat and has a zero carbon footprint. It is affordable and when done the right way it is not very laborious
@@honeybeehomesteading we're staring down the barrel of some solid negative wind chill temps here in the inland northwest the next few days. Makes me miss my wood stove, just forced air now.. so blah lol
@@rarted I do not envy you. My last house had central heat with gas. It was still cold as the radiant heat of a wood stoves warms the bones of the house. You may want to put in a high efficiency wood stove. There is a government program that will cover one third of the cost. I just replaced my old stove under that program.
That chimney is not even close to being clean. He should quit burning wood if it burns so dirty to build up creosote like that!! WTF?
Every stove and chimney is different. My old stove was made in the the 80s and did a poor job with secondary combustion. To make problems worse the stove was too large and made of steel. Burning it hot would lead to over fire. So running the stove in a choked down state lead to heavy buildup. As far as cleaning goes clay tiles love to hold on to creasote. You will not get clay tiles anywhere near as clean as a stainless liner. I have since replaced the stove with a high effeciency and put in a liner to hopefully eliminate any future fires. Thanks for watching the video.
even with 2" thick creosote i wasn't able to make it burn, even the greasy part.
with 2 inches thick of creosote you should not try to try to get that to burn. my buildup was only 1/4 of a inch and the fire lasted less than three minutes with restricted air flow. That much creosote takes years to build. be glad it did not start as it would be burn for a very long time if it did. i don't recommend anyone try to start a chimney fire. A controlled burn in the daytime under wet conditions which is what shown here is much safer than one in the middle of the night. have you tried sweeping the chimney? stay safe and thanks for watching.
@@honeybeehomesteading i removed it first.
First use seasoned firewood, this eliminates creosote build up. A chimney liner is never as durable as Clay Tile. Just switch to coal and call it a day.
I only burn wood seasoned for a year min. My firebox on my old stove was too large forcing me to run it in a chocked down restricted state. That produces more creasote. I will pass on the coal. I smell enough sulfur forging, don't want that in the house.. thank you for watching and commenting.
I call BS. 1/8 IN. creosote burnt like that?
The fire burned in 2 minutes and that was with air restriction. It might have had more buildup as there was about 2 weeks between the time of inspection and the fire. it might have had 1/4 inch of buildup but no more as the fire just burned off too fast. At the beginning of the video you can see the creasote buildup on the cap. It starts to drip with the heat before it catches fire I noted it in the video. But it was also a small amount. Thanks for watching.
That thing hasn't been cleaned in a LONG time, and you don't burn Gum or Fruit wood in a fireplace. You also don't burn green wood. You butn seasoned wood. Not everyone should have a fireplace obviously.
Plus the 1960's? Man I can show you chimneys over 100 years old and they still work great and don't have chimney fires.
That chimney is cleaned regularly. There are allot more factors that apparently you are unaware of. You are correct about what to burn. I only burn hardwood that has been seasoned for one year min, usually it is oak mixed with some other hardwoods. In this particular case I was using a ember hearth woodstove which is a steel stove with a very large firebox. Having a large firebox with a steel stove meant I needed to have the fire choked down which leads to more buildup. Every chimney is a little different but masonry chimneys are the worst for buildup period. I had a chimney with a fireplace that was 110 years old in my previous house. It never had a fire but I was not using it everyday either and it was a fireplace not a woodstove insert. My current other wood stove has a metal stack and has never had a chimney fire. Thanks for watching the video.
@@honeybeehomesteading Well masonary chimneys are not made for wood stoves. A pipe should have been put in from the start. Most of the time if a chimney is not burning clean it is primarily because the firebox was not built-in properly, or the wrong wood was burned. If a fireplace is not built properly it will not have proper air flow. Like I tell people all the time, just because the person is a mason doesn't mean they know how to build a chimney.
@@abcertweldWood stoves have been used in masonry chimneys for a few hundred years. My previous house I mentioned earlier had three chimneys all with 2 stacks. 2 of the chimneys were built with only one fireplace and the second flue had a connection for a wood stove as was common in the era. They had a pipe connection about 5 ft off the floor and masonry the rest of the way. Having a liner is absolutely the best way to go but that way not always done when this stove was installed 40 years ago.
@@honeybeehomesteading exactly yes I am aware of this, but like you said. A separate flue is installed for a stove. Those chimneys are built different from a conventional fireplace.
A chimney fire is old timey DPF REGENERATION. Change my mind🤣🤣🤣
Dpf ??? I am afraid I am unfamiliar with the term.
Diesel particulate filters on modern diesel engines
@@jamesfeeley5854 gotcha. I am lucky as I have a case 590sl with a Cummins turbo. None of the emissions crap to deal with on it.
Взглянув на название канала, почему-то вспомнил своего прадеда, который был кузнецом.
So it fixed itself...
Yes and no. As you can see from the video the ash can really clog up a chimney. If you were to leave it that way there is a chance it could break off and stop up the chimney. Routine inspection and cleaning are always best. The worst thing you can have is a uncontrolled chimney fire. I restricted the air flow on this one to prevent it from getting too hot. Even then there was some serious heat produced. Thank you for watching and commenting.
0 buildup or creosote burning eucalyptus for 30 years
That is interesting, I bet it smells great burning too. thanks for watching
What on earth are you burning? And how do you start the fire? That buildup is NOT something that is normal of you burn dry good wood in the correct way.
I am burning only dry seasoned hardwood. The problem comes from having a oversized wood stove made of steel. It used double what my new stove does and if you ran a hot fire it would overheat easily. 2 months of use and it was prime for a fire. My new stove also uses a liner which the creasote is removable with a nylon brush.
That's what mine looks like after 6 months of continuous burning of green pine.
@@t.dig.2040 I don't know why you would burn any green firewood much less pine. Not only will it leave heavy buildup but you are loosing most of your heat in the form of steam. If all you have is pine maybe you can cut your wood a year in advance so it will be well seasoned.
@honeybeehomesteading the green pine was one season's fluke. I didn't have wood and the snow was about to fly, so I bought a semi load. I can't wrap my head around my 6 months of non stop burning of green wood looks like 2 weeks of seasoned hardwood... I have the same clay lined masonry chimney with a 1980s seal tight, steel stove with a massive firebox.
@@t.dig.2040 hey t it wasn't 2 weeks of burning. it was 2 weeks since my last inspection, it has 2 months prior to that for a total of 10 weeks of buildup. how much area were you heating. i live in a brick rancher and was heating 1200 sqr ft. i kept the stove really choked down but it still ate firewood like candy and put off tons of heat. i was burning white oak at the time which makes a difference as it has allot of wax in the wood. it would have been better if i was burning something like red oak. i needed dry wood that would burn as slow as possible. it also did not help that the chimney rectangular flue was next to the shelf so all the smoke had to go around it but also made it easy to catch fire. if you don't know it you could upgrade your old stove with a new one and government will give you a tax credit up to 2000. we did it and it cut our firewood usage in half. thanks for commenting i really appreciate it.
Thats why you only burn wood inside your house lol
I don t care about getting rock whatever any more ...TH-cam sure is sick in forcing ads on me and when i comment they dont want me to talk about the sick ad theyt present me.
I am sorry they are forcing more ads. Whether or not a video is monetized youtube puts ads in it. It is still better than network tv which seems to devolved to more ads than content. I cant even try to watch a movie on regular tv.
Too many adverts
Thanks for the feedback George, unfortunately the number of adds is not something i can control as youtube pics the adds and duration. i try t make my videos content oriented as possible and never stretch them out as some do.
8
burning wet wood
nope not wet just too choked down on a oversized insert