Newbie

[black smoke signals]

Does your chimney pipe have a key damper like the one in the draw coller link?
Its getting over my head now!

Do you have any ECO bricks you could put in to offset the wet wood?

 

[mechanic100]

I was trying to figure out what the bulge is in the stovepipe about a foot above the stove. My guess was a draw collar, but that sounds incorrect. What is it?

That does seem like a lot of smoke. Do you have some pallets you could break down or some clean construction cutoffs that you could mix with the cord wood? If so, try that and see if it helps clean up the smoke.

will try some pallets.
The bulge is just a double wall connector.
I have amazing draw on this stove.

 

[mechanic100]

Do you have any ECO bricks you could put in to offset the wet wood?

no eco bricks, the wood is very dry in my opinion, but have not used a meter.

 

[mechanic100]

Looking at the pictures BELOW the blacken cap it looks like PIPE is too black. According to your manual 20ft minimum stack height could try a extension to bring the cap over your roof peak.Is it possible your cap is particle plugged from burning wet wood?

I hope it is not plugged.
Is there any other way of finding out, other than going up on the roof?
I just had the pipe off in the house when replacing the stove, it just had a small bit off light grey powder in it.
The other stove ran less than 3 months on a new pipe.
If I burned any wet wood in the other stove, it was just dry wood with a bit of snow on it.
I am a city boy, new to the country, so this is all new to me.
Thanks

 

[black smoke signals]

I use a Soot Eater it cleans the chimney from the bottom with a 18v Dewalt cordless drill bought from any big box store. If your cap has small openings or slots soot Eater will help clean your cap.

 

[black smoke signals]

Do you have a digital volt meter with ohms setting? Buying a Soot Eater has plastic whips act as a weed wacker with flex rods pickup two extra rods should work to 24ft chimney

 

[mechanic100]

I use a Soot Eater it cleans the chimney from the bottom with a 18v Dewalt cordless drill bought from any big box store. If your cap has small openings or slots soot Eater will help clean your cap.

but do you have to go up on the roof and actually take the cap off?
Not sure if it has slots or openings.
Can you just clean from inside.
I live close to Welbeck saw mill and they sell stuff like that, maybe I will pop over and ask them.
I lived in the city and had a wood fireplace, I cleaned it once in 23 years, and we burned a few cords a year, (some years).
I have had this new chimney for 3 months, I really can't see it being plugged already.
I just want to be safe.
The WETT cost me $300.00 plus $150 in pipe, stove $5300, original install through the steel roof $4500.
It's getting out of control, not to mention the $1100 I have spent on my wood pile.
I will be harvesting some hardwood this winter (guy was just here), from the land
Dude says I have some good ash, pine and cedar trees that I can sell for lumber and firewood.

 

[Sprinter]

I hope it is not plugged.
Is there any other way of finding out, other than going up on the roof?

You should be able to see any buildup in the screen (assuming you have a screen on the cap) visually, or at least with binoculars. You should be able to see right through the screen. If there is some buildup in the screen, it usually is very light and fluffy and can just be easily blown off. If it's heavy and hard, you have problems.

But if there is, it's almost certainly from incomplete combustion for whatever reason. My first year, I had that happen because my wood was not really as ready as it should be. Every year since then, there has been no buildup at all. My installer told me I should get rid of the screen when he installed it, but that is totally unnecessary if everything is burning properly.

I'll give a +1 to the SootEater. It's not so good if the flue has a lot of hard or gooey creosote, but I doubt if your problem is that bad. I use it from the top, but it can be used from the bottom too. If the screen has buildup, You'll probably have to get up there. The top of the flue is always most vulnerable to creosote buildup since that's going to be the coldest part.

 

[mechanic100]

Do you have a digital volt meter with ohms setting? Buying a Soot Eater has plastic whips act as a weed wacker with flex rods pickup two extra rods should work to 24ft chimney

I think I understand the principal, but why do I need a volt meter with an ohm reading?
(I do have one)

 

[mechanic100]

You should be able to see any buildup in the screen (assuming you have a screen on the cap) visually, or at least with binoculars. You should be able to see right through the screen. If there is some buildup in the screen, it usually is very light and fluffy and can just be easily blown off. If it's heavy and hard, you have problems.

But if there is, it's almost certainly from incomplete combustion for whatever reason. My first year, I had that happen because my wood was not really as ready as it should be. Every year since then, there has been no buildup at all. My installer told me I should get rid of the screen when he installed it, but that is totally unnecessary if everything is burning properly.

I'll give a +1 to the SootEater. It's not so good if the flue has a lot of hard or gooey creosote, but I doubt if your problem is that bad. I use it from the top, but it can be used from the bottom too. If the screen has buildup, You'll probably have to get up there. The top of the flue is always most vulnerable to creosote buildup since that's going to be the coldest part.

I have a Mavic pro drone, I will fly it up and take a few HD pics with it.

 

[Sprinter]

I have a Mavic pro drone, I will fly it up and take a few HD pics with it.

 

[mechanic100]

Here is a video of my Chimney
Please tell me if this is normal or not.

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[black smoke signals]

Forget the DVM all we are trying to do is eliminate one by one of your problems buying a moisture meter is cheap bough mine at Lowe’s. If your cap is clean we move on.

 

[black smoke signals]

Using a Drone cool idea

 

[black smoke signals]

I’m wondering if it’s really cold up in the bush I have not looked at my stack in zero or below.

 

[Sprinter]

I’m wondering if it’s really cold up in the bush I have not looked at my stack in zero or below.

That's a good point. I may not be the best source for extreme climate conditions, since we are a pretty mild climate. But it seems to me that if one does have some stage two creosote at the top (the fluffy kind), even in cold climates, you should strive to keep the flue hot enough to reach the top. That's where a flue thermometer, such as from Condar, will help.

Question: were you using the same 22' flue with the older stove? You said that the burning seemed much cleaner with it. If there were no problems then, there should be no problems now.

 

[HomeinPA]

Ok, so I see you actually have a stovepipe thermometer....What temperature does it read when you're burning and it's smoking like this??

BTW--Really nice outfit there! Love the red stove.

 

[HomeinPA]

Follow up - do you have a stovepipe damper above the thermometer?

 

[kennyp2339]

Judging by the one pic showing the top loading stove latch opened and seeing a the crud build up for 1 days worth of burning, I'm going to say that either your burning the stove to low or you wood supply is to wet.

 

[black smoke signals]

Here is a video of my Chimney
Please tell me if this is normal or not.

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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Mechanic 100 hearth com needs to give you a round of applause this made my day. This is too kool! Just how cold (temp)is it in the Bush?

 

[Sprinter]

Well, that's probably a first here. Very cool. Now I gotta get me one.

Good news is that I don't see any crud in the cap. But it does look like smoke. I really can't comment much more than that since I'm not familiar with that style stove. Downdraft stoves do operate differently.

 

[black smoke signals]

I just graduated from new member to feeling the heat maybe begreen is testing us

 

[Sprinter]

Hoo boy, haven't seen a whorehouse red stove in many years here. j/k

Sorry, I've resisted long enough, and just bored enough to ask: How does one recognize "whorehouse red" as a distinct color and how did you recognize it as such so quickly? I won't tell.

Really, you should have seen that one coming

 

[Sprinter]

maybe begreen is testing us

Nah, but I'm sure he sometimes feels that we are testing him LOL.

 

[bsutter01]

Looking closer at the flue pipe in your earlier post, it looks like it is installed upside down? Maybe I am seeing this wrong.