Adding salt to you fire?

[Ohiowood]

Any one ever heard of putting about a half of cup of table salt in your fire box to reduce your creosote ?

[Dan_Shade]

I'd be concerned with it causing excessive rust in the firebox/stove/stovepipe

[Dave Shepard]

It may also produce a dangerous condition when it burns. There is a ceramics process that uses salt for glazing, but it may not be an issue at these temps. Salt kilns are usually in separate buildings due to this danger. The one at work is well separated from the other buildings.

[Gary_C]

The byproducts from burning sodium chloride will never be good for a firebox. The possible results may be soda ash which is caustic and either chlorine gas or hydrochloric acid.

Salt is also used as the principle agent in some types of fire extinguishers to blanket the fire so it would not be a good thing to promote better burning.

[stumper]

There are products designed to address creosote?  They are not expensive and work well.  I beleive the one I have is called creosoot.  It turns baked on tough creosote to a dry crumbly black creosote that cleans easily.

I used it a couple of times a year before I insalled my eclassic.  I was thinking of trying it in the last fire of the year to simplify my cleaning.  I thought I would clean out all the ash scrape the walls, brush the tubulators, then start a hot kindling fire and use the cresoot on it with the idea that it would help address some of the baked on tough creosote.

[SwampDonkey]

Some of those products, at least the ones I have used, you don't want a roaring fire at all. The stuff makes its own tremendous heat to do the job. I just put in on the coals. On product is like a stick of wood inside a paper package, just toss the whole thing in.

[RobbyRob]

Just clean your chimney 2 times a year

[roman]

 Yeah RobbieRob is right. After putting out many chimney fires and structure fires because of chimney fires the best way to ensure you are safe is to maintain your chimney. I check mine a few times each season. I burn the fire hot once a day to help clean the soot out.
You can always build your chimney like the pioneers. Leaning away from the dwelling supported by stout poles. When a chimney fire threatens the structure you kick out the poles and your chimney topples on the ground away from the cabin.

[tyb525]

I've heard burning aluminum cans can help. You need a roaring hot fire for that, and that in itself helps burn out the creosote (too much creosote and it will cause a chimney fire )

[bandmiller2]

Does anyone here know whats the active ingrediant in those chiminey cleaning products, I'am sure its just a common chemical. Frank C.

[clearcut]

According to the House Hold Products Database, one such cleaner, Safe-T-Flue has:

Ingredients from MSDS/Label
   Chemical           CAS No / Unique ID   Percent
   Isopropanol              000067-63-0   <10
   Cobalt acetate              000071-48-7   <1
   Manganese acetate      000638-38-0   <2
   Copper sulfate              007758-98-7   
   Trisodium phosphate   999999-82-2
   (unspecified)   


http://hpd.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=brands&id=23008003

[bandmiller2]

Thanks Clearcut,I would say the working part is trisodium phosphate the rest to make pretty colored flames. Frank C.