Folks, No shame is saying I am panting and cracking beers at 10:30 AM. In August, I converted the stove pipe setup on the Ideal Steel from one 90-degree bend to two 45-degree bends. Prior to doing so I swept the chimney pipe from bottom to top and all was clean. About an hour ago I said "What the heck" and decided to do a small burn to cure the new stove pipe paint and test out the new venting setup. Upon lighting it did not vent and there was smoke spillage. Uh, OK, maybe I need to burn a few pieces of newspaper to get the draft going. That made it worse. The wood started to catch fire and the stove was billowing smoke into the house. I opened the windows, put a fan shooting out one window and went outside to look at the chimney pipe. No smoke coming out the top whatsoever. What the heck? I ran and assembled the chimney brush and rammed it up the cleanout. Small branches, acorns, leaves etc start falling out. What the bleep? In between August and now, a squirrel had built a nest in the top of the chimney pipe. My wife and I never saw or heard anything. The debris got cleared out and the new setup is drafting great but I'm out of commission for the day. Moral of the story, inspect everything before you light for the first time each year. Please excuse me, I'm heading to the liquor store to get more beer.
Had that happen once. A starling had made a nest about 15-18” down. I’m still concerned about screen clogging up so I still use an unscreened cap.
Thanks, I try...... Some of my other excuses have included, "Well, it's a day that ends with a 'y'........ The current chimney cap is a wind-deflecting model that supposedly helps with draft in windy conditions. Well, it didn't keep a squirrel out, it's windy today and there was literally no draft so that theory went out the window. Time to look at screened chimney caps. On the positive side, there is no residual smoke smell in the house. The Ideal Steel seems to really like the two 45-degree elbows and new Cat. This thing is cranking out heat.
Well, the moral of the story, at least on my end, is to do a cleanout prior to the first burn no matter what. Slap, if I had just taken a spotlight and shined it up the chimney pipe prior to the burn it would have demonstrated that something wasn't right. I should be grateful that the worst thing that resulted was a clean chimney and a cold 12-pack.
Yup, that'll getcha too...usually on the coldest day of the year too! The cap I bought has a stamped stainless screen...holes are about 1" or so...I thought maybe small birds could still get in, but nothing since the 2012 install!
Have no fear. You burn dry wood. Takes a few years before buildup is noticeable on this style. They last about 6 or 7 years before corrosion does them in. There are SS versions for more $.
