Pics of myliner and cap. Opinions

[KYrob]

I have been burning 24/7 for 1 1/2 months and it warmed up so I thought I'd check out the liner and cap. Cap looked nasty but liner wasn't to bad. I ran the brush through and there wasn't much, or didn't seem to be to me. What do you long time burners think? My wood is walnut and hackberry that has been split almost a year and had been down and cut into 4 foot lengths for about 1 year prior to being split and stacked. Here's the pics. Also, I noticed that the liner is not a straight shot up the chimney. It is like a corkscrew somewhat and I wonder if this is OK or should I try to pull it up more and make it straight. Here's the pics of before and after cleaning and the residue that came out. There's a pic of the cap as well. Not sure what order they will be in.

Rob

 

[KYrob]

Here's a pic of the heat hogs.

Rob

 

[lowroadacres]

I have seen a lot worse at this point in the season but it is a good reminder to stay on top of our heating systems.

You ask whether to straighten the liner up or not? I have no clue as I have no experience with flexible liners. When we lined our masonry chimney to install our woodstove we went with a rigid double wall liner that is insulated that easily fit down our existing flue. I realize that for some installations one may need to use a flexible liner I am still very happy we did not use one.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Rob, I'll probably get flamed on this but to me it says your wood is not good. To have the cap get that dirty in only 1.5 months is not a good sign. However, continue to check it at regular intervals and you'll get by. This is just a wake-up call for you to get your wood put up earlier. Give it time to dry and you won't have that problem.

 

[KYrob]

Thanks for the response guys. I knew I would be close on some of my wood but I have about 4 or 5 cords that I split and stacked in early summer of 2010 that should be good to go in Nov/Dec this year. I have also decided to just push the button on the central heat when temps are 30 and up. It's a very efficient unit and unless the E heat comes on, doesn't cost much. That will give my wood a little more time to season as well. When it gets in the 20's, I'll load the stove. That's my plan anyway.

Rob

 

[Lynch]

that looks pretty dam good to me ,
i know looking down dad's his is alot worse , he would have big chunks of crap along the sides , we sweep it once a year with no problems

 

[ikessky]

The cap looks kind of nasty, but the stuff in the liner looks pretty decent. Looks to be dry, powdery soot which is a good sign.

 

[KYrob]

Yes the cap was nasty looking but you could rub it right off and it wouldn't get your fingers the least bit dirty. The stuff inside the liner was, as you said, like powder that would fall off if you touched it.
My wood supply should only get better as time goes by so time will tell.

Rob

 

[CALJREICH]

Well you certainly did a good cleanig job. Do you make housecalls? lol I bet my chimney is worse.

Do you have an epa stove?

 

[KYrob]

Yes, it's an epa stove. I drop a rope down from the top and then tie a poly brush on inside the box and pull it up. One pass cleans it nicely. Housecalls? I wish I had time for housecalls.

Rob

 

[Uper]

I could be off-base here, but the cap looks like it restricts air flow and that would cause a buildup on those small openings. Slightly less than seasoned wood may be adding to the issue. I would look into a different cap that has more of an opening, keeping in mind what your setup is and not adding to any fire danger. My owners manual says to open up the airflow when adding wood and one additional time each day. The hotter burn helps eliminate some of that too.

 

[smokinj]

Yes, it's an epa stove. I drop a rope down from the top and then tie a poly brush on inside the box and pull it up. One pass cleans it nicely. Housecalls? I wish I had time for housecalls.

Rob

If it only took one pass to get it that clean your in good shape.