How clean do you think I am burning?

This is my first year with the new to me wood eater. It will be about a month until I am able to get and use a sooteater to check on the cleanliness of the chimney. I plan on removing the baffles and cleaning from the bottom up.

I have had about 15 evening fires of a couple loads each and only a couple day long fires where we have been home to keep it going. It was not our intention to burn 24/7 thought the heating season as the pellet stove can handle the whole house during the coldest weather but I wanted to have a wood eater just in case we lose power. Plus there are sometimes when we just would rather the heat of a wood stove.

I have a straight up chimney setup except for a 15 degree set of elbows in the attic to offset and avoid the roof framing. There is about 5 feet of double wall stove pipe going up to the ceiling where it changes to class A which is about 13 feet. For a total of about 18 feet. The probe thermometer which is about 18 inches from the top of the stove typically find between 400 and 800 during the burns.

There is not any smoke except for up to about 15 mins on a reload. Does no smoke equal no creosote? And does any creosote that does build up on reloads burn of or dissipate during burns?

The glass stays pretty clean. A couple times there have been smallish black spots that appear during startup but they disappear during the course of the next burn or two. A slight haze has developed but isn't noticeable unless you are right up close to the stove.

The firebricks typically are really light. Once in a while they darken up but I think this has omly happened during startups.

How clean do you think I am burning?

 

you are panic ridden....relax a bit. With what you have said so far it looks like you are ok. Wood supply seems to be the most important factor to me, burning wood under 20% MC will get you there cleaner than wet stuff.

 

You seem like you are doing fine. What are your stove temps, usually.

 

Sounds pretty clean
Look close at the cap
If it's got creosote forming on it, give it a cleaning.
Good to inspect a few times thru the year .

 

Yea I know. I worry about safety a little too much. I couldn't live with myself if anything preventable were to happen to my family. Luckily I have what I think is a good wood supply for this year. 3 year CSS oak and 2 year CSS ash.

 

Peak stove top temps are roughly 300 avoiding to the magnetic thermometer I have on the top of the stove. I don't pay too much attention to that temp though. What I watch closely is the probe temp which peaks at around 800-900 at beginning of cruising.

 

I plan on checking out the cap someone soon. The bottom of the cap looks dark from the ground but not sure if it is creosote or just dark soot or what.

 

Got some binoculars ?
Save some climbing.

 

No Dex. I never got around to posting photos or details. Life was and still is just real busy right now with no end in sight. I'll try to post some photos soon.

 

I do but I gotta clean out the gutters from the last of the leaves that have fallen since I last cleaned them. Two huge maple trees out front and one out back....

 

I think you're fine. Burning very clean.

 

I am SOOOO glad I put big overhands and no gutters on my house....

 

Thanks for the words of encouragement everyone.

 

Yes, cleaning gutters sucks the big one..... Been thinking of putting some sort of shield on top to let the maple wirlygigs and leaves just bklow off but keep the water flowing into the gutter.

 

So....
Does no smoke equal no creosote? And does any creosote that does build up on reloads burn of or dissipate during burns?

 

You don't build enough creo to worry about on reloads. You have lots of air moving & the flu gasses are
hot & not much time to cool down before they're out & gone.

Burn it hot for 10 min or so before adjusting it down to your normal setting for the long burn.
A hot flu will burn off any little amounts of creo.

It's when it gets 1/4 inch thick or so the there' enough fuel to
start a chimney fire. You'll see it on the cap easily.

If you are not seeing smoke , you are not building creosote.

Good to be concerned, but as time goes by, & you inspect & don't find much.
You'll relax a bit about creo build up, knowing you're burning good dry wood . That's the "KEY" .

 

OK thanks. Good to know. Thanks for your advice!

 

+1, just what he said.
And to repeat on the wood, the dry wood is the entire key to this whole wood burning thing.