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[lakotazz]

Hi all! It has been an especially warm winter here in northern MN, so that means lots of smoldering and lots of creosote. I know that many of you basically burn the creosote out of your chimneys by making a super-hot fire once in a while... basically a deliberate chimney fire to clean it out. Even if I have just brushed out my chimney, that hard glaze still remains and I can get it to ignite if I want. But, given my set-up (see attachments) the idea of burning out the chimney scares me. In the garage the chimney turns red hot and embers shoot out the top - that part doesn't worry me - it's the part where the chimney passes through the attic that I'm worried about.

Although I set up the boiler, I did not build the garage, so I'm not sure what's going on between the ceiling and the roof. I assume it is some kind of well-insulated section of pipe, but there is no access to the attic, so I really have no idea.

So, I have a questions: Based on what you see in the photos, would you be wary of deliberately cleaning out the chimney with a hot fire?

Info on attachment: Aqua-Therm 275, 17 years old.

[attachment deleted by admin for space issues]

[MattyNH]

Hi all! It has been an especially warm winter here in northern MN, so that means lots of smoldering and lots of creosote. I know that many of you basically burn the creosote out of your chimneys by making a super-hot fire once in a while... basically a deliberate chimney fire to clean it out. Even if I have just brushed out my chimney, that hard glaze still remains and I can get it to ignite if I want. But, given my set-up (see attachments) the idea of burning out the chimney scares me. In the garage the chimney turns red hot and embers shoot out the top - that part doesn't worry me - it's the part where the chimney passes through the attic that I'm worried about.

Although I set up the boiler, I did not build the garage, so I'm not sure what's going on between the ceiling and the roof. I assume it is some kind of well-insulated section of pipe, but there is no access to the attic, so I really have no idea.

So, I have a questions: Based on what you see in the photos, would you be wary of deliberately cleaning out the chimney with a hot fire?

Info on attachment: Aqua-Therm 275, 17 years old.

I'd probably unscrew or unnail one of those osb boards on your ceiling to check it out..Theres gotta be insulated pipe from the ceiling all the way up..Other wise id think the garage would be burned down a long time ago lol..But Id check that out first before deliberately setting a chimney fire...If or when you do that..Take the baffle out..You'll have a quick straight shot up the chimney..Works slick

[lugnut]

Hi all! It has been an especially warm winter here in northern MN, so that means lots of smoldering and lots of creosote. I know that many of you basically burn the creosote out of your chimneys by making a super-hot fire once in a while... basically a deliberate chimney fire to clean it out. Even if I have just brushed out my chimney, that hard glaze still remains and I can get it to ignite if I want. But, given my set-up (see attachments) the idea of burning out the chimney scares me. In the garage the chimney turns red hot and embers shoot out the top - that part doesn't worry me - it's the part where the chimney passes through the attic that I'm worried about.

Although I set up the boiler, I did not build the garage, so I'm not sure what's going on between the ceiling and the roof. I assume it is some kind of well-insulated section of pipe, but there is no access to the attic, so I really have no idea.


Although I'm still a "newbie" I can see where even I might be a bit shy in setting off a chimney burn.  Not doubting you as you did not build the house/garage, but wondering why there is no access to the attic?  I agree greatly with Matty...check that pipe out first.  Wondering also as I look at the photos, why they had a bend in the stack...why not just a straight shot up and out through the roof...that too would lessen the creosote.  Not certain how one would even get a brush in there because of the bend if one even wanted to clean it out.  Good luck and let us know the outcome.

Lugnut
So, I have a questions: Based on what you see in the photos, would you be wary of deliberately cleaning out the chimney with a hot fire?

Info on attachment: Aqua-Therm 275, 17 years old.

[pintopaul]

go to walmart buy the creosote tabs , i use one in my owb atleast twice a month it helps . put it in on the hot burn cycle (like when your fan kicks on) or a good hot bed of coals .

[lakotazz]

Thanks for the responses.

Yeah - I would much rather not have the bend in the pipe, but that was the only configuration I could figure out because the chimney hole was too close to the wall. I suppose a straight diagonal might be a possibility, but that would require some fancy custom-job at the connections since it would be on an angle.

I'm not sure why there's no access to the attic -- I think the previous owner of this house did some of his own contracting work with a bottle in-hand.

I'm pretty sure there is an insulated section of chimney running through the attic, but even still I'm not sure how much to trust it since the rest of the garage is wood. How well do those insulated chimneys suppress heat from a chimney fire? I've seen an uninsulated pipe get white hot from burning creosote. How hot could I expect the outside of an insulated pipe to get?

[willieG]

in my opinion those insulated chimneys you buy at places like lowes or tsc are garbage. the one i had cam e in 3 foot sections, was made of thin stainless steel and had about 1 inch or so of insulation between the layers. After about 5 years i removed my fire place and when taking teh sections aprt i found one that had burnt through the inside layer of stainless and all teh insulation had ran out (or burnt out)

my brotherinlaw put in his wood boiler and set it in a shed and used the same stuff with a cap...the cap plugges with creosete andhe had a chimney fire, actually had a fire in the attice of his shed but caught it before the building burnt down. the hole was high enough in the chimney that it was above the cieling enough to just melt the paint of the tin off the tin siding.

i would put an access hole in that cieling and take a good look at what you have up there. i used schedule 40 pipe and 1200 degree insulation on mine.

[MattyNH]

in my opinion those insulated chimneys you buy at places like lowes or tsc are garbage. the one i had cam e in 3 foot sections, was made of thin stainless steel and had about 1 inch or so of insulation between the layers. After about 5 years i removed my fire place and when taking teh sections aprt i found one that had burnt through the inside layer of stainless and all teh insulation had ran out (or burnt out)

my brotherinlaw put in his wood boiler and set it in a shed and used the same stuff with a cap...the cap plugges with creosete andhe had a chimney fire, actually had a fire in the attice of his shed but caught it before the building burnt down. the hole was high enough in the chimney that it was above the cieling enough to just melt the paint of the tin off the tin siding.

i would put an access hole in that cieling and take a good look at what you have up there. i used schedule 40 pipe and 1200 degree insulation on mine.

Willie you say like supervent or super pro pipe ( brand that lowes, etc carries) suck..you use schedule 40 pipe and 1200 degree insulation..How did you make it? and you make it weather proof? I do have to say I haven't had a problem yet with the piping from Lowe's (supervent)

[DevanD]

How well do those creosote cleaning logs work? I've seen them in stores like Walmart. Are they the same as the creosote tabs?

[MattyNH]

How well do those creosote cleaning logs work? I've seen them in stores like Walmart. Are they the same as the creosote tabs?

When I ran my wood stove those cleaning logs worked slick..I did try it in my owb...I didn't find any change.. Save yourself the $15.00..Just run a hot fire here and there..You'll clean your pipe out..

[lugnut]

Hi all! It has been an especially warm winter here in northern MN, so that means lots of smoldering and lots of creosote. I know that many of you basically burn the creosote out of your chimneys by making a super-hot fire once in a while... basically a deliberate chimney fire to clean it out. Even if I have just brushed out my chimney, that hard glaze still remains and I can get it to ignite if I want. But, given my set-up (see attachments) the idea of burning out the chimney scares me. In the garage the chimney turns red hot and embers shoot out the top - that part doesn't worry me - it's the part where the chimney passes through the attic that I'm worried about.

Although I set up the boiler, I did not build the garage, so I'm not sure what's going on between the ceiling and the roof. I assume it is some kind of well-insulated section of pipe, but there is no access to the attic, so I really have no idea.


Although I'm still a "newbie" I can see where even I might be a bit shy in setting off a chimney burn.  Not doubting you as you did not build the house/garage, but wondering why there is no access to the attic?  I agree greatly with Matty...check that pipe out first.  Wondering also as I look at the photos, why they had a bend in the stack...why not just a straight shot up and out through the roof...that too would lessen the creosote.  Not certain how one would even get a brush in there because of the bend if one even wanted to clean it out.  Good luck and let us know the outcome.

Lugnut
So, I have a questions: Based on what you see in the photos, would you be wary of deliberately cleaning out the chimney with a hot fire?

Info on attachment: Aqua-Therm 275, 17 years old.

Lakotazz......I brought up a similar question a while back and was told not to run a brush into a hot/warm chimney.  Remember, you are going to be on the other end of that wand and it's going to get mighty hot.  Myself, I would wait until the box cooled down to maybe a few coals/embers...I have done my chimney when it was only "luke warm."