So this is crazy. Just risked life and limb to climb on the roof in snow and sub-zero to check out the chimbley. Lo and behold my chimney cap is absolutely clogged with black creosote just as Byrond describes. The inside of the chimney itself, at least at the top, looks the same. The reason this is so strange to me is that I've been heating with wood for five years, and I've cleaned my chimney each fall. Never have I found more that the slightest coating of dusty soot in the chimney, nothing like this. One of the selling points of the cat stoves is that they supposedly "clean" the smoke, and thus you're supposed to have cleaner chimneys. What gives? Any ideas? (Even acknowledging my supply wood is not perfect, it's better than it's been in past years when I've had zero problems). Do people use anti-creosote products in their cat stoves?
If there's anything good I can say about cleaning the chimney it's that I've been abel to do it once per year, in the fall. Now it looks like I have a dangerous winter chore. But thanks for this tip. I never would have looked up there until the spring...
BTW, my chimney is 7 feet above the roof, 6 feet below, say a foot in the trusses, and I'm still short. Never thought I would have to be embarrassed about having a short chimney, of all things,
