Creosote problem in stovepipe

[Wlmedley]

Yes it's stainless steel and it's been in there since 1977.I put it in myself.Didn't seem to cost that much back then but I can't remember what I paid for it.I do remember stove was 1200$.Seemed like a fortune at that time but it's paid for itself many times.

[Wlmedley]

Correction 1987 :laugh:

[GRANITEstateMP]

  When my clay liner cracked, we replaced it with a flex stainless, wrapped in insulation that stuck to the pipe. The material was pricey at least 5yrs ago, but my homeowners actually picked up most of it. 

  I have the same type of 3 side exposed chimney, but my stove is in the basement, so it has to go up 3 stories. The stainless liner drafts way better, but I do get some plugging from time to time on the cap. A hot, hot fire or a few well placed .22 shots clean the cap every time!

 

[Wlmedley]

DonP, you are correct.I looked up chimney pipe and it looks to be 10" outside diameter for 8" pipe.They are mighty proud of it also.

[Don P]

I'm on the same train just a few cars before you  :D. I looked at the reline kits but in our case I couldn't get the clearance to combustibles required. I've got to show that I have complied with all the fine print, which isn't a bad thing... but that fine print sure shoots down a lot of my desires. I could not find a stock flue liner that would contain a double wall class A chimney pipe. I may well be wrong but I couldn't find one that would slide in as a retrofit in any standard flue and maintain clearances. When you go to the reline kits, check those clearances to combustibles.

[bluthum]

If I am reading this correctly you have an 8" metal pipe inside a much larger clay tile. If that is the case and it were mine my first thought would be to consider filling the space between the tile and pipe with vermiculite or other appropriate insulation. I'm assuming vermiculite is still considered ok for such purposes. 

No doubt part of the problem is the single wall sticking out at the top and cooling too fast. If it would still draw properly maybe you could shorten that or replace just the top portion with insulated or double wall pipe. 

[beenthere]

A hot, hot fire or a few well placed .22 shots clean the cap every time!

So just what do you shoot when the shot is well-placed? Is it the creosote? Use bullets in the .22 or shot? 

I'm thinking the crinkly, papery creosote that plugs up the top of the chimney wouldn't get blown apart with a .22 shot from the ground at an angle. But I must be missing something.  ;) ;)

[Wlmedley]

bluthum,I think I will try replacing the exposed single wall with double wall and see how that works.Hopefully the pipe that isn't sticking out the top will stay warm enough.Exposed pipe is what gets stopped up.Thanks everyone for all suggestions.

[GRANITEstateMP]

beenthere,

I try and plink the cap itself.  If I hit it right, the creosote that's up there kinda breaks off. It's not super sticky, almost brittle, so 1 good thwack usually gets it clean

[loghorse]

for years on my outside boiler every so often i put in about a dozen aluminum cans.next morning if there is snow on ground there will be a black dust on the snow.

[Wlmedley]

I think I might have found a solution without replacing my pipe.I did a search on the internet of chimney pipe insulation.Several things came up.One that looks good is a larger pipe with insulation on the inside which has a seam down the side that you put around old pipe and it snaps in place.On my 8" pipe size would increase to 10"which would still fit in my clay flue tile.Another is an insulation you wrap around pipe and tape or wire with SS and then slide a stainless steel sock type thing over the whole pipe.I think I could do either for less than $500.Would have to pull entire pipe out of chimney to do it and that would require me to ask for help which I am not good at.May not completely solve problem but it would have to help.

[Wlmedley]

Bought a kit from Rockford Chimney to insulate my stove pipe.Approximately $500 for kit.Talked a couple fellas into helping me pull pipe.Didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped.Stared pulling pipe up and heard a thump and pipe got lighter.Come to find out I had used steel zap screws to hold pipe sections together and they had rusted out in the 35 years they had been in pipe.Only half the joints stayed together and ended up bringing pipe out in two 12' pieces.Probably a good thing because 24' of pipe would have been hard to remove.My brother and I installed it in one piece but we were a lot younger then.Now it's on the ground and I have installed insulation and a SS wire mesh sock which goes over insulation to protect it (it was a bear to get on)and I also replaced all screws with SS.I decided not to try and put in full length at one time so I fabricated a clamp to put on top of first section so it will set on flue tile while I connect second section.Now trying to figure how to get pipe on roof by myself and back down in flue.Pipe is not real heavy but a little more than it was because of insulation.Thought about renting a man lift but rental places are pretty far away from me.Any ideas?

 

 

 

 

    

[Hilltop366]

Small boom truck?

[doc henderson]

several guys, and or put a pole or pipe down chase and use it to get the liner upright and slide over.  remember to pull the pipe out after.

[beenthere]

Rent some scaffolding. And/or build a temporary platform on the roof at the peak by the chimney. Better to be safe than sorry.

[Wlmedley]

I'm using my BIL,s ladder which will go a little higher (mine just reaches the top) and I've got it tied to the chimney with ratchet straps.Been thinking I could extend it a little more and perhaps put a pulley on top rung and hoist pipe up.Kind of worried bottom might kick out but might back truck up against it and tie to it.I could probably get some help if I waited until weekend but I hate to bother anyone on their days off.Also it's decided to get cold around here and I want to burn my stove.A boom truck would be nice 😊 

[Don P]

I have scaffold so that is how i would do it, or the lull if easily accessible. You could stand a board up vertically along the outside of the chimney. A block screwed to the face of the board catches the top of the chimney. Half the board up in the air above the chimney, half down the outboard face. Throw a strap around the top of the chimney and the board. At the top of the board are a couple of 2x2x ~1' long "fingers" screwed to each side of the board. Standing on the roof you now have something to support the section. BUT, if you aren't comfortable up there, that is what they invented money for.

Our stove is going and they might get snow up on Whitetop tonight.

Rockford is the kits I've been looking at, are you happy?

[Wlmedley]

I can rent scaffolding.I have some but not enough.I don't know how to put it up with my chimney in the middle of it.It would just have cross bracing on one side until I got above chimney.Would that be ok?

[Wlmedley]

Don P So far kit seems pretty good.Let you know more if I get pipe hooked up.Wire mesh hard to get on but will go with a lot of patience 

[Don P]

Not for more than about 2 bucks high. I'd just set up right along it and build a good work platform up where you're working which is below the very top so you can lean against the bracing when handling the pipe.

[Wlmedley]

Bought this piece of insulated pipe from the same outfit.It's aluminum and snaps around old pipe.This is what I am going to use for the piece that sticks out of chimney. I'm not afraid of heights but at this stage in life that might not be a good thing  :laugh:Ok I understand now about scaffolding. Thanks .Scaffolding used to be pretty cheap to rent and I wouldn't have to be in any hurry to get it back.

[NE Woodburner]

@Don P,

I purchased a flexible liner kit with fittings, cap and the pour in vermiculate/portland insulation from Rockford. They were great to work with and everything went together and worked well.

[Wlmedley]

I got very lucky today.My neighbor about a half mile down the road works for a crane company and happened to bring a boom truck home last night as he had been working in the area and didn't want to drive all the way back to the shop.He didn't work today so I called him and asked could I hire him for about an hour.I put pipe completely together and he came up and set it in chimney for me.Went in really easy.He wouldn't take any money.Maybe remembers me fixing his go cart for him when he was a kid. I am one happy camper.Hope this solves problem.Had a little extra insulation so I put inside flue that sticks up.View from top of chimney.

 

 

  

[Wlmedley]

Upper 20s tonight.Smoke will be rolling  :laugh:

[doc henderson]

see what happens when we live right.  good for you.  could not have been any better.  all other options would have likely damaged the new insulation product.