Wood Burning Stoves- Have you had yours services lately?
“One of my most enjoyable childhood memories is of our wood burning stove in the living room downstairs; the heat it would give off was amazing and clearly a great & economical way of heating our house in Pemberton. Now living and working in Vancouver, I have several clients who have and use their wood burning fireplaces for heat and enjoyment. With this traditional form of heating comes a lot of obligations & annual service. Please read below on what maintenance and service is required to have your fireplace running efficiently and safely.” – Roland Kym
Woodstove Maintenance -Creosote Formation
What Causes Creosote? Wood is made up of solids (cellular structure) and high moisture content, with the latter under the best of conditions rarely falling below 11 to 17%. Combine this with the fact that as a tree grows it leaches all types of nutrients and minerals from the surrounding soil creating a mixture of solids. As this mixture burns, moisture and minerals are released in a gaseous form.
This would be OK if the smoke simply went up and out the chimney, but it doesn’t. Smoke is hot, and as it flows upward, it must pass through considerably cooler chimney walls, which causes condensation. It is this temperature difference that is responsible for some of the smoke to condense (stick to) the chimney wall. Picture a glass of ice tea on a hot summer’s day, the surface of the glass is cooler (chimney wall) than the air around it (smoke), causing little beads of moisture (creosote) to appear.
Cleaning Requirements
o Both the chimney and chimney connector should be inspected for creosote deposits at least twice monthly and build up removed as necessary. Only dry seasoned natural wood is approved as fuel. Using green or inadequately seasoned wood may increase creosote build-up.
o Burning a stove on low for long periods may cause incomplete combustion, creating vapours which may condense in a relatively cool chimney, forming creosote. Creosote deposits tend to form in long runs of venting where gases cool prior to exhausting. Although reduction of creosote is one of the primary advantages of a high tech and catalytic stoves, some creosote-forming compounds will escape unburned during normal use.
o To inhibit the build up of creosote, adjust the air intake control to a medium-high or high setting for no more than 10 minutes a day. Do not attempt to burn out heavy creosote accumulations in this manner. This must be removed from the chimney by scraping or brushing to reduce the risk of a chimney fire.
NOTE: Single wall pipe cools rapidly, therefore installations using this type of connector are more susceptible to creosote deposits.
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