I have been burning wood since the mid 60's. My chimney for my fireplace is made of brick with a 12 inch by 12 inch tile liner. I don't burn my fireplace any longer for the simple fact that a fireplace is a waste of fire wood. That is when you burn wood in a fireplace, it sucks all the heat out of your house and right up the chimney. Besides that the only place that is warm in your house is right in front of the fire, near the hearth... Which actually , now that I think of it wasn't a bad thing when I was younger (OOh the days of women, wine and roses.) but I digress.
I still burn wood, but now I burn it in a air tight wood furnace located in my basement. The furnace has a plenum with heat runs running to all the rooms in the house. It also has two cold air returns (one near the front door and one near the back door. This setup is ideal, the entire house is toasty as can be. My house is a two story home. The chimney for the wood furnace in my basement exits the center of my roof which is a pyramid type roof and steep...Way too much of a pitch for me to climb on now a days. My fireplace chimney runs up the back wall of my house and continues up higher than the peak of my main roof This chimney had to clear the peak of my main roof to prevent down drafts when burning the fireplace. Back in my younger days I used to climb up on the roof and then place a step ladder against the fireplace chimney, remove the cap and run a chimney brush down the chimney to clean it. After I installed the wood/coal furnace, I knew I had to come up with a way to clean my chimney without having to climb up onto the roof. Sure, I could have just hired a chimney sweep to do it...but then again, no I couldn't, since I won't hire anyone to do things that I can do for myself Here is what I came up with. I had a sewer cleaning snake that is 1 inch wide, about 1/4 inch thick, and 50 feet long. I removed the cutting head from the snake and attached a 3/8 inch piece of pipe about 8 inches long and threaded on one end to the snake by drilling and bolting. I then screwed on a 3/8 inch coupler to the threaded end of the pipe. I now can screw my chimney cleaning brush into the coupling. Now I just open the clean out door on my chimney in the basement and run the brush that is attached to the snake "up" the chimney and back down a half dozen times to clean the chimney. ----- Original Message ----- From: Lee A. Stone To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 14:07 Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Fireplace Safety: Avoiding the Dangers ofCreosote Buildup great posting Ray about chimneys. I would be interested to read here how those burning wood are taking care of their chimneys. I do not have a wood stove or fireplace in this house but have burned wood many times in a previous home. due to the highth of the chimney we had a relative or hired someone to clean the chimney. I found it interesting when we hired a professional chimney sweep that he did it all from inside and made no mess at all but he sure did get a lot of crap out of that old brick chimney. again thanks for the very interesting post Ray. Lee On Wed, Oct 01, 2008 at 06:53:51PM +1000, Ray Boyce wrote: > Fuel oil and natural gas prices have soared, and with them so has the > popularity of alternative fuels. Wood stove, pellet stove and fireplace use > are all on the rise, and with each of these comes a hidden danger that every > dedicated "wood burner" needs to keep in mind: Burning wood creates > creosote, and if left untreated creosote can cause fires. > > The "Skinny" on Creosote > > When wood fire burns, it releases unburned gases. These unburned gases > condensate on the walls of the chimney liner or flue tile and form a tarry > or glazed substance called creosote. Creosote becomes dangerous when allowed > to accumulate in the chimney, where it becomes a fuel source for a potential > chimney fire. Creosote buildup can be minimized by burning small hot fires > and using dry, well seasoned wood, but the reality is the formation of > creosote from burning wood cannot be avoided. > > The Dangers of Creosote Buildup > > A chimney fire will occur when built-up creosote deposits are ignited by > extreme heat from the fireplace. For this to occur, the creosote must be > subjected to high temperatures-temperatures in excess of 1,000 degrees or > so. Although 1,000-plus degrees may seem a bit extreme, the following quote > from the March 1990 Home & Hearth Magazine puts this all in good > perspective: > > "Creosote buildup, by itself or in combination with other factors, was > involved in 92 percent of chimney fires reported in a study commissioned by > the Wood Heating Alliance. A buildup of as little as 1/8 to 1/4 inch of > creosote is sufficient to create a fire hazard." > > First Key to Safety is Cleaning > > Eventually, every chimney requires a manual cleaning to remove creosote > build-up. Since the formation of creosote is an unavoidable byproduct of > burning wood, cleaning your chimney becomes an unavoidable task as well. > Cleaning a chimney on your own is a dirty job and is somewhat difficult to > do. The proper brushes and techniques should be used to ensure that the > sides of the chimney are left clean from creosote. And, more importantly, > proper inspection should be done at every cleaning to ensure there are no > structural defects, such as cracks or missing mortar joints in the chimney > flue that could lead to eventual safety problems. For these reasons it is > highly recommended that the task of cleaning be left to a CSIA Certified > professional chimney sweep. The frequency for the cleanings can vary, based > on the amount of use that the fireplace receives, but should never be longer > than a year between cleanings. > > "Chemical Cleaning" is a Great Idea, Too > > Understanding that creosote can begin to reform within a few days after > cleaning, a regular method of ongoing maintenance is always recommended. To > accomplish this, chemical cleaners are a great solution. Chemical cleaners, > used during burning, will help to prevent creosote from reforming, as well > as help to reduce chimney odors. These types of cleaners can be found in > several different forms, including powders, liquid sprays, logs and sticks. > When selecting a product to use, keep in mind that the best alternative in > chemical cleaners is one that can be used on a daily basis with every burn. > My experience has been that the liquid sprays, such as ACS's Anti-Creo-Soot, > are the best choice when selecting a cleaner. They tend to be the least > expensive per application, they're extremely easy to use and, since they are > used with every burn, they are the most effective at reducing ongoing > creosote buildup. > > Burning wood, whether in a fireplace or a wood-burning appliance, offers > many advantages to the homeowner, including the lure of heating with wood > and the joy of stoking the fire. The energy savings that can be gained by > wood as an alternative fuel source have motivated many homeowners to become > "wood burners." By taking a couple of steps to keep your fireplace clean > from creosote buildup you will enjoy all of the benefits of natural wood > without the risks of fire. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > -- Your computer account is overdrawn. Please see Big Brother. Come and chat with me at #quietzone on irc.newnet.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
