Am I Going To Burn My House Down???

[Hoozie]

I took your advice.... look at the 2.5 gallons of crap I got out

I like the T much better as well.

I've got this pipe meter at one of my SIL's....bare bones

I have the same one on my stove top. Most of the time it points to the 'T' in wasting fuel Number may not be accurate, but where the pointer is gives me consistency from one burn to the next.

 

[tsruggles]

So, now that I've got some time I'll explain what happened. I saw the post about using a T. I had the day off so I focused on getting the T installed. When I disconnected the elbow it was chock FULL of creosote! In pulling the elbow off the liner, the vibrations knocked loose an avalanche of creosote. I ran back to the hardware store to get a chimney brush and ran it through three times. The bucket is half full of creosote. The first year I used a stove was with an old Jotul 602. Had the chimney cleaned the next year and got maybe a quart of creosote. Ran the 602 last year and didn't clean it this year. Had the 602 running until the beginning of December, and then got the F55.

I'm positive that the massive buildup came from the last two months of running it way too cold. I was in total shock when I saw that mess come out.

Anyways, I'm cleaned out, got my T, fished the thermometer out of the snowbank and ready to roll. My firewood seems seasoned but it's awful wet..... if that's possible. This is definitely a learning process. I still can't believe the crap I got out of that liner.

 

[tsruggles]

[quote="tsruggles, post: 1649452, member: 31003"because of the short distance of the black pipe before it disappears into the fireplace flue

Then you're out of the woods, and the frying pan, and the device can stay in the snowbank... the "red zone" on that device is for a reading that should be taken higher up on the flue. For your setup, impossible. So case closed.

When taking a temp that close to the stove you are not getting the same temp as someone else might get when talking about "safe" flue temps. Apples and oranges. Rather than taking an oral temp, it's like you have been... well, you get the idea.

But for a nice conciliatory compromise, get yourself and herself a $25 IR gun. You can check the flue and the stove top (and have fun playing with the cats).

If the stove or the pipe turn red, whatever the IR gun reads at that moment, that's probably too high. That's the "red zone" for sure. But there are plenty of threads here about the range of flue temps, and people will happy to help you arrive at a "safe" temp range, that's translated from a reading 18" above the flue collar to 6" above.[/quote]

I'm ready to figure out that translation now. I've put the thermo back on so that I can have some idea about what's happening. I also have an IR gun. I'll go try and find one of those threads now.

 

[Woody Stover]

My firewood seems seasoned but it's awful wet..... if that's possible. This is definitely a learning process.

What does that wood do when you toss it on a big coal bed? If you hear a bit of hissing, it could be drier, but will probably work. If you see water bubbling out the ends of the splits, that's pretty soggy and you will struggle.

This is definitely a learning process.

Any time you change something, there's a learning curve. A new stove is a big change.

 

[tsruggles]

What does that wood do when you toss it on a big coal bed? If you hear a bit of hissing, it could be drier, but will probably work. If you see water bubbling out the ends of the splits, that's pretty soggy and you will struggle.

Any time you change something, there's a learning curve. A new stove is a big change.

Oh it hisses and water comes out. I just got this wood yesterday. I know it's not totally green. The bark is off most of it but I've seen the log pile it came from. It's out in the weather and the wood is freshly split. I try and rotate the pieces so that they cook a little more easily. It is a struggle.

 

[rideau]

If you can get some of that wood inside for a week or two before burning, and turn a standing fan on it on low you may be able to dry the wood enough to make it burn much better. If not, you may want to pick up some dimensional wood ends at a lumber store, or some pressed wood logs to mix in with the wood.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Hello all!

I've been doing a lot of research here and have found some great information! Thank you all for your knowledgeable contributions!

I'll get right to the point. I have a new Jotul F55. It's an amazing stove! It's installed in a brick fireplace that's fitted with a 6" stainless liner. The brick chimney is about 3' x 2' with the liner running up the center of the cavity. I have the stove rear vented directly into a 90 and up about a foot of black pipe to the liner.

After reading the forums I determined that the stovepipe thermometer had to get thrown into a snowbank. If I were to let the stove operation continue to be dictated by the stovepipe readings I fear that I would be wasting wood while being cold and allowing creosote to build up.

I have since been asked (commanded) to go dig the thermometer out of the snow and reinstall it. I have refused to since I feel that operating the stove within the parameters of the "safe" zone is not doing us any big favors. As soon as the needle comes within a quarter inch of the "call the fire department and evacuate the house" red zone, it gets turned down despite the fact that the stove is still under 500 degrees.

I just feel that a steel tube inside of a brick chimney could probably sustain the blue blazes of the underworld surging through it for an hour or so...... much less the heat from a really nice stove.

You all probably know why I'm posting this question. Please, feel free to inquire about more specifics relating to my current setup. I just think that it would be helpful to all forum readers (especially me) to be able to assess exactly how much risk I run by not using that darn thermometer.

Please folks, help a guy out here. If you need pictures, I'll take them. More info? I'll give it to you! I could use all of the advice that I can get (all right here in a convenient single thread that I can easily review with loved ones). Otherwise I'm probably going to be residing with the thermometer in that snowbank soon.

I catch a lot of static here for saying things like the following, but, I grew up and live in a logging/mill town. That means a lot of people here heat with wood. No one I know uses a stovetop or chimney pipe thermometer. And remarkably enough, all their homes have yet to burn down.

 

[Jags]

And remarkably enough, all their homes have yet to burn down.

Yes. It is remarkable.

 

[northwinds]

Oh it hisses and water comes out. I just got this wood yesterday. I know it's not totally green. The bark is off most of it but I've seen the log pile it came from. It's out in the weather and the wood is freshly split. I try and rotate the pieces so that they cook a little more easily. It is a struggle.

I encourage you to check your chimney frequently and clean, as needed. If your wood is freshly split and water is coming out, it's green. Wood doesn't start seasoning
until after it's been split and stacked. Most hardwoods require at least a year of seasoning. Oak and hickory can take 2-3 years. Get ahead on your wood, and stove operation becomes much easier.

Green wood takes longer to get up to temperature and falls off more easily into unsafe temperatures. You'll also burn more wood because it takes energy to cook off that excess moisture.