My only objection is pine has a little more crackle to it, and I’ve had tiny embers find their way outside the fire screen on onto my carpet :/ burns great in stove especially mixed with lower flame hardwoods.
Spruce exclusively here, in the tune of 15-20 cords. Make sure it dry. I have an outdoor wood boiler and it’s a different beast, I like mine to be in between 20-25% moisture. My previous house I had Blaze King where I could control the air flow better and could get 12-16 hour burns even at -50*. Warmer temps 24+ hours. In that stove I had closer to 20% or lower moisture. That house had a masonry chimney and I cleaned it monthly as it would build up about a foot below the top if left uncleaned for the season. I started cleaning just once a season then each year I noticed it burned better and started cleaning more often. Until I settled on monthly, it took me longer to get on the roof and to the chimney than to clean it.
He's wrong about the BTUs of fir though. It's an easy test to perform, no matter where you're at in the world.
I have lived in my current house with the same block chimney for 34 years. I check the thimble and stove pipe twice a year and clean as needed. I have never cleaned my chimney. It gets a little dirty over the season but it seems to "self clean" over the summer.
I confess! I sold my house in 2010 and only cleaned it only once in nearly ten years. Every Fall when I cleaned the gutters I'd check it and no creosote ust gray powdery ash. When the insert was installed in late 2001 I had them run the stainless all the way to the top and cap it off. House was built in 1999. No fireplace here just a chimney for the furnace. Landlord said I could put a stove in and it would be rather easy as the lower level is all tile floor. No incentive as the rent wouldn't go down. I do miss my indoor fire. If you ever need it cleaned Joeill volunteer. Is there a bluestone covering the entire chimney? If so it may be a PITA to clean.
You’ve been doing something right for a long time All the years I ran a wood furnace in my masonry chimney I rarely brushed it too. There were some years I burned it out tho. Mostly it ran hot enough to keep it clean. One year in particular I was out of wood, no money for oil so I went harvesting. That wood clogged it up pretty good LOL
Appreciate the offer. The liner I can clean from the bottom if I really want to. Even when I installed it twelve years ago I was well past my prime for doing such things. Carrying that liner up a ladder and wrestling it to get it down the flue was one of my last high altitude crazy moments I used to run up that 10 pitch to clean the masonry flue. Last time I did that would have made a nice social media video. I was wearing my Merril moccasins. Bad idea. 1/4 of the way up the moccasins peeled off and I was in my socks. By the time I reached the peek I was barefoot LOL That day I decided I have no business scaling roofs anymore
I think you need adult supervision my friend! Surely being a tradesperson safety was your main concern? In your case i'd go up the valley and walk the peak down to the chimney. Still risky! Walking up steep roofs was never my thing even though I did it for a living. A roof ladder or foam cushions were standard SOP if I wasn't installing new shingles then it was staged. I watch roofers today with just the safety harness and cringe when watching. Wonder what OSHA would have to say? My chimney was situated on the 12 pitch section of my house. Luckily close enough to a valley that I'd walk up it to check it.
I really love watching videos about wood s d stoves, even the ones that are a little “interesting”. Wow, woodstoves/wood can be messy enough on their own. Sweeping the chimney with door open is next level silly.
