Well I got up on the roof ran the Sooter eater down the pipe and after a year's worth of burning just a small amount of black fine ash came out. I sure am glad there are forums around like this that stress the importance of dry wood. You guys have read my posts and you see what I burn. Stuff like pine, cotton wood, elm, quaking aspen and so on. That just goes to show it does not matter what wood you burn if it is dry it will not creosote.
Yep I am getting all my uglies cut up so I can use them up in the fall also. I like to mix the pine and cotton wood together when I burn it.
Yep, uglies and pieces make good Heat too, I got a big crate full of Hickory Uglies and limb pieces that's going to get burned this year, among others
I'm debating even cleaning my chimney and pipes this year. Last year was the driest my firewood has been so far, all ash and silver maple CS&S for 2+ years, and I didn't even go through a full cord with the mild winter.
If there is one single thing a woodburner can do that directly affects every other aspect of the lifestyle in a positive way, it is definitely seasoning your wood properly. Lots of species require several years to be properly seasoned. And although some situations/topographical areas don't warrant it, top-covering your wood makes it even better. I used to check my flues several times a season (every two months or so) until I got on the 3-Year Plan, now I only check it once in the middle of heating season, and even that rally isn't necessary. Because it's always clean with little fly ash.
Me too. Burned a little more than half a cord. When oil is cheap, ya gotta go with it. I don't think I need to clean the flue, although I did have a Wren try to build a nest in the flue cap and it wound up in the stove. Heard it flapping around in the flue pipe and damm near jumped outta my skin. It made it into the firebox and flew out when I went to remove it. Got it to go out the front door and almost crashed into the dog's head.
Hey fellas. Even if you don't clean the chimney, it does pay to check it. Like Al stated, he found a bird nest. Many times you'll also find hornets! For some reason they seem to be attracted to chimney smells.
The first year we burned wood we got started late on our wood inventory so most of our wood was only seasoned 6 months (cherry which we resplit before bringing in) except for about two face cord of nice hard maple that had been c/s/piled in the woods for a year. We decided we would clean the chimney in January and at the end of the year, I really don't need to clean it in January but I still do, the wife likes it done so a happy wife means a happy life.
After reading some other posts in this thread, I wanted to clarify that I DO check and sweep my flue prior to the burning season and also at the end of burning season, and one time during the burning season (usually around New Years Day). As Backwoods Savage explained, this guarantees that no birds or bees made a home out of the flue during the off season.
I clean my chimney each summer, and I check the flue with a mirror often during the burning season to make sure everything is clear. Last year was the first year that all of the oak that I burned was c/s/s 3 full years and most of it had been top covered for well over a year. I got up on the roof to clean the chimney a few weeks back and I could not believe how little creosote there was. After I ran the brush through and cleaned out from the bottom it barely covered the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket. Never had a lot but this small amount really amazed me. I still want to clean and check the chimney for safety and peace of mind, but burning 3-4 year old wood can give you peace of mind in its own right.
Similar experience here. I used to check and usually clean at least 2-3 times every winter, if not more. Once the wood got dry, I found that wasn't really needed, so I check during the January thaw and run the brush down. Mostly just get a cup or so of brown stuff. Normally I'll do a cleaning at the end of the season as well, but I didn't do that this year, so I'll be doing it shortly. I'm a little concerned about some of the wood I have this year, so if it's not burning as well as I'd like, I'll be up on the roof to check.
