I’ve heard from many folks, as well as seen it on the web about aluminum cans in a wood stove will help to keep the chimney clean/cleaner. I have no evidence whatsoever if this in fact works but still do it otherwise from time to time. Anyone else have any input?
I’m not saying there’s any truth to this, but can’t seem to hurt? This is the only other thing I put in stove other than wood
The only thing that happens to an aluminum can in a fire is the lacquer coating inside the can vaporizes and is a negligible quantity and would hardly affect creosote and the aluminum ( and manganese and what ever else they add to make the different aluminum alloy(s) used in cans ) oxidizes and turns into crumbly oxide mixed in with the ashes. Seeing as the can(s) "disappeared" it must miraculously clean the chimney as part of its disappearing act. If you need to believe it affects creosote somehow you may as well dance with the sugar plum fairy all night to remove creosote as well. Save your can deposits to pay the sweep or buy dryer wood with it and leave can recycling to the recyclers.
It seems there is always somebody looking for something weird. The Mother Earth News ran something about this about 35 or more years ago. It quickly died, as it should have. I still highly recommend burning wood in the stove and nothing else except some things for fire starters. In addition, if one feels he has to resort to such bull as burning pop or beer cans to clean the chimney, he should stop burning wood because he just doesn't know much about it. Burn the right fuel and your problems with creosote are over.
Every so often (year or three) this comes up. Many who have burned "forever" have heard this at least once. All I can say is that when we are at a campfire and someone throws a beer can into the flames, by the next morning...all the ashes are completely gone! My theory is that since there is no place for the creosote to accumulate with a campfire, the cleaning action of the aluminum must go to work on the next closest thing...which would be the ashes. Make sense? Now, about that bridge that I have for sale.......
You sell bridges? Is that what you’re taking classes for? Form HVAC to bridge sales.....nice! Next, yer gonna learn how to work on trannies.....
It melts at 600ºC If aluminum burned you wouldn't be able to recycle and reuse it. When a car burns the aluminum rims form a puddle on the ground beneath where they were previously a solid. Aluminum rims melt in a wildfire.
There's your answer. Burn hot enough to burn an aluminium can and you will burn hot enough to not let creosote build up.
