# Potatoes and creosote



## Stegman (Dec 27, 2011)

So I picked up a chintzy farmer's almanac at my local Dollar Store and came across this nugget: 
_
Most of the trouble with chimneys filling up with soot may be avoided by burning potato parings. The chemical action is such that the soot is entirely cleaned out. Doing this every three to four weeks will keep the chimney clear and the draft good, no matter what fuel is used." _

Thought? Old wives tale, or is there something to this. I thought it was interesting, if nothing else. It's simple, and it probably can't hurt anyway.


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## Pagey (Dec 27, 2011)

From what I've read, most of the "chemical reaction" type solutions are really geared towards making the Stage 3 type creosote into something less tar-like and thus more brushable.  I imagine this, if it truly works, is based on the same principle.  Though it perhaps makes the creosote more "brushable," there will never be any substitute for a manual inspection and cleaning, IMHO.


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## Wood Duck (Dec 27, 2011)

I just came in from splitting and stacking a cord of potatoes. I like to stack my potatoes in a round 'spudhausen' for about a year before I burn them.


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## firefighterjake (Dec 27, 2011)

I like my potatoes with their peels in tact . . . I save the peels for eating . . . for my chimney I just burn at the proper temps and burn seasoned wood . . . and run an occasional brush through the chimney -- that seems to work pretty well.

SAVE THE SPUDS -- BURN A BEER CAN.


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## gerry100 (Dec 27, 2011)

I've heard the same folk tale.

For thirty years , when there are potato peels around during the burning season I toss them in the stove.

No idea if it does anything but it hasn't hurt.


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## prescottonian (Dec 27, 2011)

I don't know if it is a wifes tale or not but I have heard of  boiling potatoes in peanut oil to clean it up after deep frying  turkeys .Also heard of them being used in making bronzes as in bronze statues . It supposed to take the impurities out.


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## gerry100 (Dec 27, 2011)

Didn't mean to imply that potato peels can be relied upon in any way to clean your chimney or to replace any efforts in that area.

Tossing them in the fire may help and may not.

My father used to say that the skins are where all of the vitamins are - may be more beneficial to eat them


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## oldspark (Dec 27, 2011)

Creosote what creosote?


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## leeave96 (Dec 27, 2011)

My father in law use to burn orange peels to keep the chimney clean.

I'll stick to seasoned wood and a brush down the chimney!

Bill


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## North of 60 (Dec 27, 2011)

leeave96 said:
			
		

> My father in law use to burn orange peels to keep the chimney clean.
> 
> I'll stick to seasoned wood and a brush down the chimney!
> 
> Bill



+2


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## Pagey (Dec 27, 2011)

oldspark said:
			
		

> Creosote what creosote?



That's how you know them taters is workin!


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## billb3 (Dec 27, 2011)

sure beets walking out to  the compost pile with them  in January.


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## Pagey (Dec 27, 2011)

billb3 said:
			
		

> sure *beets*walking out to  the compost pile with them  in January.



I see what you did there.  VERY clever!


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## nola mike (Dec 27, 2011)

If yer gettin creosote in yer chimney, you just need to turnip the heat of yer fire...


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## BrotherBart (Dec 27, 2011)

The idea has a peel.


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## Blasket (Dec 27, 2011)

My mother swore by potato skins to keep the chimney clean, every so often she would throw in a big bag of skins on the fire, used to drive my father nuts as it usually killed the fire    We never did have a chimney fire.


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## Bub381 (Dec 28, 2011)

Well you can all laugh but me and my spuddies are gonna try em.I'll keep an EYE out and tell ya what i find.Seriously will throw a few in though.Those old folk weren't stupid. :blank:


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## North of 60 (Dec 28, 2011)

Its a poor mans method of steam cleaning.  Thats it!
EDIT: Except no cleaning is taking place.


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## BrotherBart (Dec 28, 2011)

Might I be so bold as to suggest that nobody throws anything but dry wood into their stove to prevent a creosote problem, until they determine that they actually have a creosote problem.


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## Rage_Perry (Dec 28, 2011)

I read someone else here in the forums said that they throw a handful of rock salt on a bed of coals once a week to help with buildup. I don't disbelieve this, but if you are reading this can you share your experiences? 

I have a Heatilator WS22 [non-cat w/ 2ndary combustion tubes], installed only 2 weeks ago and am still getting the hang of how long to run full throttle and when to throttle down.... I don't want any trouble too early. I am confident that the wood I am using is good too.


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## Dakotas Dad (Dec 28, 2011)

So.. I don't want to peel any potatoes..

Would using potato chips be just like using eco bricks?


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## raybonz (Dec 28, 2011)

BrotherBart said:
			
		

> Might I be so bold as to suggest that nobody throws anything but dry wood into their stove to prevent a creosote problem, until they determine that they actually have a creosote problem.



+1 If you burn dry wood with proper air settings you won't need to add anything to reduce creosote..

Ray


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## Bub381 (Dec 28, 2011)

I'll brush mine every couple of months,that'll take care of all this.No salt though.


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## firefighterjake (Dec 28, 2011)

And other nuggets from the past . . . 

-- Don't burn pine. Pine causes creosote. (An oldy, but goodie from many long time wood burners.)

-- The best days to cut your firewood are on __, ___. ___. etc. (From one of those Almanacs).

-- The best way to clean a chimney is to stuff it full of hay, cardboard or crumpled newspaper and light it. (From some old-timers . . . that didn't burn their house down.)

-- You should only burn seasoned wood . . . that's why we cut down our wood in the Summer so it's seasoned by the Fall -- 3 months later. (From the old school crowd.)

-- Sometimes it's good to burn some unseasoned wood . . . it makes the fire last longer at night. (From the folks who brought you the 2 a.m. chimney fire)

-- The cute little poem about what wood is good to burn and what isn't.


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## Bub381 (Dec 28, 2011)

Jake point taken,VERY good point.


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## PA Fire Bug (Dec 28, 2011)

leeave96 said:
			
		

> My father in law use to burn orange peels to keep the chimney clean.
> 
> I'll stick to seasoned wood and a brush down the chimney!
> 
> Bill



One of my uncles used to dry orange peels near his fireplace and then burn them.  He would cut them into spirals so that the peel from one orange would be in one long piece.  They would burn like crazy and would make quite a show.  One day my cousin and a friend threw too many dried orange peels in the fireplace and started a chimney fire.  Fortunately, they had a fire extinguisher and were able to put out the chimney fire.


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## basod (Dec 28, 2011)

My nieghbor has mentioned the beer can burn every once in a while.  His experience being his father with an open burning fireplace.
Prior to installing my insert I inspected the flue every fall and brushed with a stiff scrub brush attached to my pool pole, never had more than a 1/2 cup of soot in the bottom.
I've been running some SYP through the insert the past few weeks its been seasoned 3 years prior to standing dead from beetle kill the previous summer.
I went up to inspect last friday and have nothing more than the usual light brown dust on the last few feet of liner barely anything on the cap either.
Anyone else find a correlation between glass sooting up and stack soot, this year my wood is actually seasoned as opposed to past 1/2-1yr seasoned wood, with lots of glass cleaning, and 3 brushes a season with fairly decent upper stack buildup.


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