Soot Question

Hi folks,

I had my first-ever insert installed in 2013, in a cabin that we use part-time year round. The insert's been working great, and I love the results so far.

Today I had it cleaned for the first time and was a little surprised at the amount of soot that came down. It filled a 5 gallon pail about 3/4 full. There was NO creosote in the pile. I would estimate that I have burned about 1.5-2 cords of wood since initial install. The guy who swept it said I am burning correctly and not to do anything different.

Is this a large amount of soot? Is the quantity of soot based on things like the type of wood or the stove temps? I always burn dry wood and dry to burn as hot as possible. Perhaps I should just have it cleaned more often?

Thanks.

 

How tall is the stack? Seems a little heavy on the soot for the amount of wood burned, but if it's not the goo or black shiny stuff, you should be ok. I get maybe a cup or so half way through the season, and I burn 5 full cords every year.
Possible for you to check it yourself at least once a year?
During our first winter here, I finally got up to check ours, and found the inside diameter of the 8" pipe had clogged up with a heavy layer of brown fluffy soot to the point the ID was only about 4".
Previous owners obviously hadn't cleaned, and at the time, I didn't know any better.

 

Papadave - the stack is about 17'. I have a ladder tall enough that I could check it but would I just take the spark arrestor off and shine a light down the liner?
The guy who cleaned it cleaned from inside the house (bottoms up) by the way.

 

Yep.
If you don't have a problem getting up there and/or buying the brush and rods, it's a piece of cake to do.
Or, do like your guy does. Not sure what he uses, but you could get a Soot Eater, and clean from the bottom. Just make sure the cap gets cleaned too.
Lots of folks don't like heights (I'm one of those), but I've got an easy to reach setup, so I do it myself. No more than 10 minutes for me.
If your stove has a removable baffle, remove it before running a brush down from the top to avoid damage and soot buildup on top of the baffle (which will restrict exhaust flow).

 

Yes, EricVW, it's external to the cabin.

 

It's mainly alligator juniper, Arizona white oak, and Emory oak...with a little ponderosa pine

 

Reminded me of this....... Eric VW

 

Donovan. Love beads, etc..........
How 'bout this one........

 

Hey - I remember that! lol

 

I haven't had the draft measured - didn't know that was an option.
I do know that on some nights in shoulder season, I'll get a burn going when the outdoor temps are in the mid-50s and I noticed that it doesn't draft well at those
relatively higher outdoor temps.
Pics coming soon!

 

Our cabin is about 120 miles from our home in the Phoenix area. It's in the Tonto NF and about 5600' in elevation.
Northern AZ has the largest continuous stand of Ponderosa pine in the country. It's pretty neat to be in the desert in the morning and in the forest in the afternoon. Here's a pic looking off the porch at an alligator juniper. It gets its name cuz the bark looks like gator hide. I thought I had a cabin pic handy but will keep looking.

 

Your soot volume sounds normal. As long as it's soot and not creosote all should be fine. If that's how clean your burning Mayne switch to cleaning yourself every other year and having the pro every other year....

The problem with the soot though is it can continue to accumulate and choke the chimney diameter down, this can lead to sluggish starts and dirty glass....