Safety: Stove Pipes & Chimneys

If you have a wood burner, you must keep your flue clean, as creosote build up will ignite and damage you flue and can burn your house down. During the winter, I check my flue every week.

I do clean my flue when need be, but I use a powder creosote remover. I use Rutland creosote remover, it's sold by tractor supply. The instructions say to use it twice a week, but I use it every day. One 32 ounce container lasts me 1 month and it only costs $10.00. Like I said, I use it every day during the burning season. I'd rather be safe then sorry.

I found this on the net about chimney myths, good article:

https://www.mychimney.com/blog/about/chimney-myths-and-misconceptions/

Here's a very easy way to help prevent the build up of creosote.

I'd would use it, but that would mean I'd have to drink more beer.

I do use this method, I burn one each day:


https://www.hunker.com/12002695/how-to-use-aluminum-cans-to-prevent-creosote

Here's another way by using a mixture of borax and salt. I've never tried this one (YET)


https://www.hunker.com/13419272/how-to-prevent-creosote-buildup-with-borax

Five ways to control creosote buildup in your chimney:

https://www.survivopedia.com/surviving-off-grid-5-ways-to-manage-chimney-creosote/

Now that the heating season is starting, here's some helpful hints on preventing a creosote buildup. I keep my wood burner between 250 and 350 degrees and once a day I see that it burns at 400 degrees or higher for 30 minutes, this almost eliminates the buildup of creosote.

There are other helpful hints at related articles:


https://homeguides.sfgate.com/temperatures-woodburning-stove-48039.html

The heating season is coming soon, it was 39 degrees in the morning this past week and I had a fire going in the wood burner. I had cleaned our stove and flue the day before.

Here's an article on how to clean your stove and flue, get it done, don't wait until you have a flue fire:

https://chimneytechniques.com/blog/the-guide-to-properly-cleaning-your-wood-stove/