Slumber burning wood - not a good idea !

muckybutt

This is one reason why slumber burning wood is a very bad idea.



What you have in the picture is the after effects of burning too cold or slumber burning wood, this is an inset stove with a 6" liner after a few months burning slowly. The liner was almost completely blocked. Despite what your manufacturer says or the bloke next door - never ever slumber burn wood, you get the same but with added creosote from burning wood that is too green, and also run a higher risk of a chimney fire.

Now from the above photo you can also get an idea as to why its a very good idea to get a Carbon Monoxide detector as well, if this flue had become blocked then deadly invisible co fumes would fill the room the stove was in.

This is one reason you should properly maintain chimneys - stoves and range fires, minimum of once a year get your chimney or solid fuel appliance swept by a chimney sweep.

highrisklowreturn

Interesting - what are your views on slumber burning smokeless and bituminous?

muckybutt

Smokeless theres no problem with burning on a low setting.

Bitumenous or house hold coal, not a good idea. Burning this on a low heat you wont get a clean burn, a lot of the fuel will remain unburnt and end up going up the chimney coating it in a very thick soot, just right for a chimney fire if theres too much or a good soot fall into your living room.

welda

I get about the same amount of soot if rodding once a year/season, I don't see it a problem really, especially when 6" liner is over 10 metre long, all proportional would you not say??

Same can be said, what is slumber burning, if leaving vent's open, even a small amount, one is never finished feeding the burner.

Spring time now, time to give the box a rest for a few month :j

muckybutt

welda wrote: »

I get about the same amount of soot if rodding once a year/season, I don't see it a problem really, especially when 6" liner is over 10 metre long, all proportional would you not say??:j

Honestly ? I would not say no !

A wood burner when burned correctly over a season should only produce enough soot to fill two hands.

When you get that amount of soot down as in the photo and if its a grainy cinder toffee type consistency then you are burning the stove incorrectly, that is classic slumber burning and sometime indicative of a chimney fire. The thing is when its like the photo it isnt over the 10 metre as you seem to think, you will generally get a bit down the first few metres, then it will clear for a few then as you get to around the 2/3d's way you often find its very restricted as this is where the temperature of the flue gasses starts to drop off and this is where you start to get blockages, severly restricting flow.

Experience tells you a lot of things, and over the years I have done many stoves with and without flue liners and you still get the same problem, without a liner the stove in the photo would have probably produced two full bin bags, as it was with a liner that stove and 7m liner three quarters filled a bin bag which is as I say a hell of a lot.

Hope that helps clear it up a bit better for you Welda

welda

muckybutt wrote: »

Hope that helps clear it up a bit better for you Welda

Perfectly thanks!!

Another question though. My chimney is lined, as chimney was breached, a fair bit too, as I dropped down a cctv inspection camera. If chimney was sound, I possibly would not have lined?????

Thankfully I have never had a flue fire, but I do feel a wee bit more security knowing if it did happen, consequences would not be so severe due to fire contained withing a double lined SS liner!

Your reply could mean deeper paranoia and, chimney swept 3 times a season!!!!

Regards.

muckybutt

welda wrote: »

Perfectly thanks!!

Another question though. My chimney is lined, as chimney was breached, a fair bit too, as I dropped down a cctv inspection camera. If chimney was sound, I possibly would not have lined?????

Your reply could mean deeper paranoia and, chimney swept 3 times a season!!!!

Regards.

With reference to lining - if a chimney is in good health shall we say - then there really is no need to line, sure you will get the installers saying ohhhh yes you need a liner etc. I dont like ripping folk off full stop so will always advise accordingly and let them make their own decision as to if they will or wont fit a liner.

From a sweeping point of view, liners will create far less soot than a normal open chimney due to the higher temps and speed of the exiting flue gasses.

I have many stove customers who have both open flues and liners, this weekend for instance I had one where a liner couldnt be fitted, however I wouldnt sweep it because the Hetas installer had'nt left access for sweeping ( breaching building regs ) so advise was given to my customer to get installer back and to get a soot box fitted. No sweep no charge and advice and knowledge to customer was free - and customer will get me back when needed

Williwoodburner

rustyboy21 wrote: »

If I had a stove, I would rather take the information given by an experienced and knowledgable sweep, than a bunch of stove enthusiasts, with regards to posters on this forum.

To Live or not to live..... That is the question!

Rustyboy, as above you dont have a stove so I wonder what is the purpose of commenting on these threads ?

With respect to others on this forum, sweeps and stove installers are running a business and have to make money, other stove enthusiasts as you call them are trying to heat their homes and save a bit of cash.

After all it is moneysavingexpert. :money:

re your comments as below -

It was mainly posted to highlight the amount of uninteligent posters on here, who think it is perectly ok, to be burning pallets,kitchen units,hedgerows etc , who put their own lives in danger, as well as anyone stupid enough to take their words on doing it.

Nothing wrong with burning waste wood and pallets, almost any wood is ok as long as dry/properly seasoned, also we burn quite a bit of hawthorn/blackthorn removed when laying hedges, it is in my opinion some of the very best firewood.

The only stuff to avoid is anything covered in thick paint or chipboard etc...which has lots of glue in it.

Regards

Willie.

Leif

Williwoodburner wrote: »

.

Nothing wrong with burning waste wood and pallets, almost any wood is ok as long as dry/properly seasoned, also we burn quite a bit of hawthorn/blackthorn removed when laying hedges, it is in my opinion some of the very best firewood.

The only stuff to avoid is anything covered in thick paint or chipboard etc...which has lots of glue in it.

Maybe you assume this, but someone here was kind enough to warn me against burning fence posts etc as they are tannalised which means arsenic etc in the ash and smoke.

I have loads of Holly, Cotoneaster, Buddleja etc seasoning.

A._Badger

Williwoodburner wrote: »

Nothing wrong with burning waste wood and pallets, almost any wood is ok as long as dry/properly seasoned, also we burn quite a bit of hawthorn/blackthorn removed when laying hedges, it is in my opinion some of the very best firewood.

The only stuff to avoid is anything covered in thick paint or chipboard etc...which has lots of glue in it.

Regards

Willie.

I certainly burn a lot of willow pollarded from my trees - but it needs to be bone dry. I can't imagine why hedgerow wood could be a problem, so long as it was dry and burned fast.

Williwoodburner

Leif wrote: »

Maybe you assume this, but someone here was kind enough to warn me against burning fence posts etc as they are tannalised which means arsenic etc in the ash and smoke.

I have loads of Holly, Cotoneaster, Buddleja etc seasoning.

I guess just as from a car exhaust there are numerous nasty gasses within the smoke from a woodburner, just dont go putting your head down the chimney when the fire is lit :rotfl:.

I guess no one is going to burn loads of fence posts or pallets (recon you would need a couple of hundred to get through a winter), but the odd post/pallet/scrap wood, cant see a problem with.

Re Mr Badgers willow, yes it makes very good firewood but is very wet when green so takes a bit of seasoning.

:beer:

Willie.