creosote

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  1. M

    Enviro Evolution EF-V soot

    I have an Enviro EF-V that I’ve been running since about 2008. It has run well until recently. Stove vents (DuraVent?) to a clean-out tee, then vertically through the ceiling and roof—total length of vent is about ten feet, terminated with a cap. The flame is good—definitely not lazy...
  2. G

    New 316 Liner Issues in old clay liner.

    Hi, we've been in our house just over 18 months, its a early 1970's build (Clay lined chimney) that had a wood burner fitted when we moved in. The previous install was a bit of a botch job which consisted of the wood burner stove pipe going into a register plate then a coupling fitted to around...
  3. F

    Creosote burning inside burn chamber

    Hello, I’m new to this place so bear with me if I’m asking about something that has already been answered. So I have this Jøtul made SCAN DSA 3-2 fireplace insert and I have used it since October to heat almost every day and I have used dry olive wood and mainly sawdust briquettes which are 10%...
  4. Woodedacres_PA

    Buck Model 81 - cleaning

    Hello, First season with the model 81 with stainless steel liner with insulation in our masonry chimney and looking at some advice from professionals. It was 72° here today and going to be slightly warmer this week. Hoping to take the baffle boards out and clean the stainless Steel liner. Does...
  5. J

    How to remove these stains?

    Best way to clean off these stains? I read ammonia, soap, and salt, but not sure if anyone has any experience with this? Our glass cleaner says for masonry aswell not sure if that would work?
  6. F

    Liner Worth Trying to Save?

    Turns out burning wet wood is bad… I think we’re lucky the house is still standing. I’m pretty sure this is just the drippings at the bottom of the liner from the real plug at the roof line, which couldn’t even be pierced with a rod. Finally got a chimney sweep to come take a look, and he...
  7. J

    What’s causing this?

    Stove England 24-ACD /50-SHW24 We started burning and it slowly started to leak. We thought maybe it was our wood, but we were told it’s seasoned and it splits like butter (oak wood). We thought it was the temperature. Our stove gets to 300-450. Runs on the colder side at night. The pipe is...
  8. A

    Worth it to rebuild 2008 Hearthstone Tribute 8040 or is it even necessary

    I have a Hearthstone Tribute 8040, purchased & installed in 2008. We’ve used it perhaps 40-60x each winter that we’ve lived here. This past year, we ran out of the wood that we had from clearing our land 13 years ago & bought split, kiln-dried spruce & have been burning much more often than...
  9. Amanita Cottage

    New woodstove owner needs advice

    We just got our first ever woodstove. After lots of research we opted on the absolute steel hybrid from Woodstock soapstone company. It’s a bit overkill for our tiny cottage of 650 sq ft. We did a few smaller fires to season the stove and the past 2 days have been trying to figure the stove out...
  10. thehiggy

    Chimney Repair or Reline?

    I've searched everywhere on the web and found a lot of information (and opinions) but this site seems to be the most well informed. I've tried to piece together information from here or there, but I really think I need to layout the entire situation to make sure all the pieces are accounted for...
  11. M

    Creosote Question

    I had an Osburn 2000 Insert installed this past fall and have been burning pretty heavily since mid October. The stove is great and has been able to heat my whole house but I have some concerns about creosote buildup. This past week I noticed some 2-3” chunks of what I think is creosote buried...
  12. Misty818

    Chimney Smell - Toxic?

    I have been having a smoke smell in my house for a couple months or so. It had gotten very strong. I thought it was from the recent fires that were in the area, but the smell remained even after the smell outside had gone. This morning I realized that I’d left my flue open since the beginning...
  13. woodstovelover

    Creosote prevention question

    I recently started using the top-down method for starting my fires. So far I am loving the results. It gets my stove hot very quick especially the stove pipe. My question is, will this method help keep creosote buildup down in my stove pipe? My wood is very dry and produces no smoke out the...
  14. B

    Multi-fuel stove not burning coal too well.

    Hi I’m going out of my mind reading post after post after post on various blogs and not seeming to find a solution to my problem - maybe I’m not searching for the right thing or maybe I’m just unlucky. Who knows. But hope someone here can help me. I’m relatively new to the stove world having...
  15. C

    thimble and safety

    hello, I just did a straight out the wall installation to my new pellet stove. its about 4 inches from back of stove to the wall. I used the supplied thimble. I normally have gone out the roof but thought it would be less of a challenge with roof repair to go out the wall this time. the pipe...
  16. Jotel me this

    Creosote help?

    In another thread, ive been asking about how to use a wood stove properly: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/extend-burn-time-100-burn-too-quick-20-smolder.170627/#post-2288354.. With this... ive learned that its ok to lower the air amount to get a slow burn.. but all of the websites...
  17. cbscout

    Creosote and Insert install

    I have been informed by a chimney sweep/inspector that I hired to clean out and inspect my chimney that I have a good bit of creosote in there from the former owner. I am getting ready to buy and install an insert. He said that he is going to charge me a bunch of money to clean it out and do a...
  18. M

    Fireplace flue - unusual blob

    Hi, We've got an unusual blob formed on the external wall of the chimney flue. Just wondering if you have seen anything like that before and know what it could be? The flue kit has been installed new in Sept-Oct 2015 Haven't touched it yet, as don't want to damage the flue any further just at...
  19. M

    Spicy wood smell coming from heat vents

    Good evening, everyone! I have been reading Hearth.com forums for the last 7-8 years after my novice husband decided we were switching to wood heat, but failed to mention he had no experience in maintaining such a system. I have learned SO much from the discussions on here. Generally when I...
  20. K

    Blaze King Ashford 30.1 Creosote

    Is Rutland Creosote Remover safe for this wood stove? They claim it is...
  21. M

    Persistent Draft Problem

    We bought a 20-year-old home with a brick fireplace a few months ago. The fireplace is in the center of the house, brick, and has a terra cotta liner. We didn't notice any fireplace odors when we looked at the house (it was snowing--no AC turned on). Fast forward to moving in in June, and...
  22. J

    Chimney... Creosote?

    Hey everyone, I'm new to the site but have been loving what I've been reading so far. Lots of great stuff on hear that's getting me really excited to start burning some wood for the first time! I have ordered the Supreme Volcano Plus and am planning a DIY install on a an exterior masonry...
  23. A

    Gasket in Hearthstone Heritage 8021?

    Hi! Hoping you can help! We have a Hearthstone Heritage 8021. It was probably installed 12-14 years ago, before we bought our house. In the past couple of years it has created a creosote smell after burning for about 45 minutes. So... we haven't been using it! We get the chimney cleaned...
  24. Chamel

    Blaze King Sirroco 30 Overfires when thermostate is above med/high.

    Hi everyone. I hope someone can help me here. I just bought a sirocco 30 this year and have been trying to learn how to use it the past few weeks. It's awesome getting 24 hour burns with even heat. But I have a few problems. I know your supposed to burn your fuel on high for 20 or 30 minutes to...
  25. G

    Noob - New Stove - Very bad smell! Help!

    We're in the SW of France, where the weather has turned and we've had an Arduro wood stove installed a couple weeks ago. We ran it on and off over a few days with all seeming to go well until yesterday morning, when we woke to a very strong smell in the house. I had a look at the stove and...
  26. H

    Black tar in stovepipe?

    So I noticed this dripping from my stovepipe today. It's a very very sticky black tar leaking from the joints on my stove pipe. I know it's creosote but my question is why. I just cleaned my pipe and installed a new liner less than 2 weeks ago so everything is clean. I burn a hot fire and only...
  27. VirginiaIron

    To Insulate or Not Insulate a Flexible Liner - That is the question!

    I have been debating the use of insulation on a flexible liner and I have received mixed opinions from some people and the sales reps. It seems that insulation is required from most insurance companies to maintain safe clearances rather than stack temp and creosote- although stack temps and...
  28. T

    Bypass damper, overnight burn, creosote?

    Does running a VC resolute 2 (or the likes) through the bypass damper overnight create more creosote than if run with the damper open? Also, if I run through the bypass damper overnight, should I run it really hot the next morning to burn off any creosote?
  29. Punkydoodle

    Is staying in the "burn zone" necessary?

    Hello. I am new to this forum (and new to using wood stoves). Last spring we changed out an old propane gas insert to a new Napoleon 1402 wood stove insert as it was incredibly expensive to run the gas stove and we live in the woods with an abundance of wood. So far I am loving it but I do...
  30. Kosmonauts

    Open fireplace, Creosote cleaning in smoke chamber

    Hey! I am relatively new to the burning thing and have recently learned how creosote buildup works and can effect your chimney and home. First off, yes, I am burning seasoned firewood, mostly oak and cherry, and had a professional chimney sweep at the beginning of the season. I would say...