Anyone Ever Use Rutland Creosote Remover or Kiwi-Shoot

tractorboy13 · Post by **tractorboy13** » Tue. Oct. 11, 2011 5:47 pm

I used the kiwi-shots last year and it seemed to work OK. I just was wondering if anyone has ever used ether of this products in there coal stove. Thanks

freetown fred · Post by **freetown fred** » Tue. Oct. 11, 2011 6:12 pm

My young friend, for what purpose are you useing either of these.

tractorboy13 · Post by **tractorboy13** » Tue. Oct. 11, 2011 6:17 pm

Just to help my chimney clean during the burning season. My stove is never out all winter and I found this at tractor supply so I gave them a try

Post by **Rob R.** » Tue. Oct. 11, 2011 6:58 pm

Save your money and buy more coal.

Post by **franco b** » Tue. Oct. 11, 2011 8:48 pm

Coal does not produce creosote so not needed. You should clean the pipes and chimney once a year however to remove fly ash.

tractorboy13 · Post by **tractorboy13** » Tue. Oct. 11, 2011 9:26 pm

I burn wood from time to time and this product seems to help with the fly ash

freetown fred · Post by **freetown fred** » Tue. Oct. 11, 2011 10:00 pm

We all have our own little gadgets that we use,but when posting a question like this one, make sure you imply that you are burning wood from the git go. Burning coal for 3 seasons after burning wood for 45 yrs, I know for a fact that either product you mention has no effect on fly ash and as franco b stated--cleaning your pipes once a year is the only way to properly remove fly ash--KISS---Later my young friend.

SteveZee · Post by **SteveZee** » Wed. Oct. 12, 2011 8:09 am

freetown fred wrote:We all have our own little gadgets that we use,but when posting a question like this one, make sure you imply that you are burning wood from the git go. Burning coal for 3 seasons after burning wood for 45 yrs, I know for a fact that either product you mention has no effect on fly ash and as franco b stated--cleaning your pipes once a year is the only way to properly remove fly ash--KISS---Later my young friend.

What Fred said. Also, I might add that when I was a woodburner (yes, I admit it)

I used to buy a bag of stove coal and a couple times a week, I would throw in some big chunks. I found that coal exhaust would naturally loosen creosote deposits on my Glenwood cookstove. Just before the monthly clean out (I used to have to do) under the oven, I would burn several big chunks of stove coal and the next day the creosote would be hanging off the the upper round burner plates. Under the oven where the smoke would circulate (and cool) would be quite a bit of creosote build up. I had a special tool to rake it out. The coal I burned actually helprd with creosote removal and probably as good as either of those products.
This is what I'm talking about! Never again!

Post by **Rob R.** » Wed. Oct. 12, 2011 8:27 am

Steve, I had the same results with my old hand-fed boiler. After burning wood for a week there would be visible creosote deposits on the inside of the firebox. After burning anthracite for a few days, the creosote would start to peel off. You should have seen the junk that fell out of my chimney after running the EFM wide open for 2 weeks!

SMITTY · Post by **SMITTY** » Wed. Oct. 12, 2011 8:00 pm

Just burning charcoal one night to take the edge off the cold a few years back, I noticed it left creosote all over the glass - and presumably everywhere else all the way out the chimney. Darkened the glass quite a bit with film.

SteveZee · Post by **SteveZee** » Thu. Oct. 13, 2011 9:20 am

SMITTY wrote:Just burning charcoal one night to take the edge off the cold a few years back, I noticed it left creosote all over the glass - and presumably everywhere else all the way out the chimney. Darkened the glass quite a bit with film.

Smitty,
I got soot on the mica's too, just from starting the herald with charcoal. I read where some of the guys cover over the mica's/windows with foil or something when starting that first fire to keep em clear.

Rob, I can imagine. Around here the old times had all sorts of anti-creosote remedies. Potato peels was one I heard but the chunks of anthracite works as good as any other "product" I've ever used.

warminmn · Post by **warminmn** » Fri. Oct. 14, 2011 5:05 pm

As a newer coal burner you've all got me wondering... Is it the heat from the coal that loosens the wood soot or a chemical reaction of some type? Thanks

SteveZee · Post by **SteveZee** » Sat. Oct. 15, 2011 9:11 am

Good question. It's my "theory" that its a chemical reaction that loosens up the creosote.

Post by **Rob R.** » Sat. Oct. 15, 2011 9:17 am

I don't know for sure, but I think Steve is onto something. My chimney had served a wood boiler for 30 years before I made the switch to a coal stoker...which has a MUCH lower stack temperature than the wood boiler. The creosote started falling down about two weeks after the EFM was running. Some of it looked like black popcorn, and some of it was flat sheets that looked like it peeled off the flue tiles. About 2/3'rds of a 5 gallon pail came down the first winter, and when I went to restart the EFM this September, there was another 1/2 pail of "stuff" that had fallen down during the two months that the boiler was off-line.

Just for you guys, I just went and checked the cleanout again...clean!

freetown fred · Post by **freetown fred** » Sat. Oct. 15, 2011 9:22 am

Yep, definetly a chemical response--wood burns a lot hotter then coal--coal is just more consistent--I've been shaking & topping the old Hitzer every 36 hrs over the past 2 weeks--been through about three 5 gal pails of nut.

Anyone Ever Use Rutland Creosote Remover or Kiwi-Shoot

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