got about the same results as last year which is alot IMO. I hear guys on hear that burn more than me saying they only get a couple cups or so but I get much more than that and I really do not know why My wood is dry and fully seasoned 16 to 18 percent on my MM I do not burn any paper or garbage and I always get about the same every year when I clean it I have a small insert in a zero clearance firebox with a uninsulated stainless liner with about a 15 foot run and live in a mild climate, when I take the cap off and look down I do not see much at all, but the liner does have a good "bend" in it where it transitions out of the insert and starts up the chase and I always spend extra time there when I run the brush down I have always wondered how much I get so I decided to measure it out this time, could not find any suitable container so i grabbed the Pyrex out of the kitchen cabinet filled it to the brim and than another 6 cups or so, its all that light fluffy stuff
Not a pro so take it for what it's worth but composition wise that looks like the kind of ash you want. Not the kind of stuff that's going to start a fire. You could try to open the air up some more and send the gases up the flue a little faster and hotter if it bugs you or do a mid-year cleaning. How many cords of wood are you burning?
yeah its all the light fluffy stuff and i am really not worried about it catching fire, i am at times a little stingy on the air. I only burn about 2 cord or so a season. but still seems like alot of build up as compared to some of the people on here that burn much more than I do
Chasing those burn times! Me too! A cleaning mid year after a cord certainly isn't out of order. Or keep doing what your doing. Sounds like you're getting consistent pretty good results.
Good thing is it is light and flaky as has been said. That, I guess is a little on the high side for 2 cords burnt. Uninsulated liner is probably contributing to that would be my guess. I just finished my second year with the cat stove and about 20' of insulated liner and got almost nothing out of the chimney. Old stove was on the liner for a short time and it would produce some. It doesn't sound like it is too concerning to you, but if it bothers you, you could always insulate the chimney with the pour in insulation.
Well, you could burn a lil hotter, but at the expense of efficiency. To me I wouldn't worry about it, that looks more like ashes/soot than creosote. I don't think insulating your liner will change much for you in that department either, might draft a lil harder though. If you have no draft issues now then, meh, good enough IMO. Maybe you are just a more thorough chimney sweep than the guys that just get a couple cups...
Does your wife know where her Pyrex has been? .... All in the name of scientific findings....... I get a bit but most of mine is due to my double angle in the black pipe before it shoots straight. Could some of be to start and stops and not continuous burns?
she was out running errands when I cleaned the stove and i washed it real good before she got home yes, I dont burn 24/7 and insert is also too small to get good overnight burns so I usually have to restart it in the morning and again when I get home from work. I think that may be the biggest factor
If your next meal has a certain...hmm, ah, smokey flavor...just keep yur trap shut and eat it! I bet you're right
Elder, my setup is just like yours. Small ZC fireplace, small insert, uninsulated SS liner around 24 ft. Daily restarts. 2 cords a year burnt depending on weather. I get about the same amount of fluffy stuff as you did. I wouldn't worry about it.
I would agree if it looked more like creosote, but that just looks like ashes/soot, I don't think insulation will change it much
cap looked remarkably clean with just a small amount at the very top of inside cap, top of the liner did not look bad either so i think the majority of it was in the bend where the liner transitions up the chase
