Had my buddy come by and clean out my stack a few weeks back. I went 2 years of burning with approximately 22-24 face cords of wood in which about 10 was 2yr old pine.And the verdict is.........He said I could have gone another year!!! He simple said whatever I am doing....keep doing. Twice a week, 2- 600F fires for about an hour or so, usually on weekends, and it really burns everything out. Mind you I have a straight stack from my living room up through the ranch part of my home but its still good to know that everything is fine. Told him I'll see you in 2 yrs!!!
Nice! I got to clean my chimney this coming week but I don't expect to find much. I bet those hot fires really help keep things clean! Good to have the peace of mind that comes with knowing you're burning right!
That is good except the part of depending upon a hot fire to keep the chimney clean. Burn dry wood and it will stay clean all by itself. Then again, like HDRock stated, we burn the stove that hot all the time in the winter. We'll take it even higher but not over 700. We don't have a problem keeping the chimney clean. In fact, I don't even do it. My wife checks it every now and then just for peace of mind and if she thinks it needs it, that task takes maybe 10 minutes to complete and all is well. That is what happens when you burn good dry wood in a top notch stove.
Plus I now know 2yr old Pine seems to be the ticket when mixed in with my other hardwoods like Ash, Maple, Black Cherry and some Birch....
