Check your flues

 
c&t coal
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Post by c&t coal » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 8:25 am

Just a reminder to check your flue pipes for rot or clogged ash before you fire up this season. I'm sure this is nothing new for most in this forum, but some of the newbies may not realize that ash will rot flue pipes if left uncleaned over the summer. It's a good practice to remove and clean your flues at the end of the heating season. A person in my area died last week from CO2 poisoning from a coal stove because the flue pipes were clogged with ash. Please stay safe and make sure your CO2 detector is working as well.


 
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Post by Lightning » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 11:45 am

You probably meant CO (carbon monoxide) instead of CO2 (carbon dioxide). A common typo around here. I just wanted to clarify for new people. Sorry to hear about the tragedy. It can happen with any form of hydrocarbon based fuels but with coal appliances and connecting pipes one must be extra vigilant for clogging and decay.

 
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Post by Chubby79 » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 12:28 pm

When you say flue pipes, are you referring to the stove pipe connecting the stove to the flue? I'm about to start my second season.. and we learned the hard way that you must clean and take care of the stove pipes post season.. our baro damper and pipe all need to be replaced after only being used for one season. I am sweeping the chimney myself this year (we had it inspected and cleaned last year before using it) should we actually have it inspected annually? Should I be concerned about my flue since we didnt sweep in April? Ready to warm up the house but want to do it safely!

 
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Post by McGiever » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 12:57 pm

c&t coal wrote:
Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 8:25 am
A person in my area died last week from CO poisoning from a coal stove because the flue pipes were clogged with ash. Please stay safe and make sure your CO detector is working as well.
Chubby79 wrote:
Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 12:28 pm
When you say flue pipes, are you referring to the stove pipe connecting the stove to the flue? Should I be concerned about my flue since we didnt sweep in April? Ready to warm up the house but want to do it safely!
Yes, you should be concerned. :o
Who the heck is qualified to say, "No concerns, you should be okay, go right ahead and light a big ole fire"???

 
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Post by Chubby79 » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 1:09 pm

I didnt mean "bless me to fire it up" over the interwebs.. what I meant was, will not sweeping the chimney at the end of the season typically cause damage to the flue.. generally speaking.. and is it normal practice to have the chimney inspected annually..

 
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Post by Lightning » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 1:22 pm

I'll tell you what I do because my stove pipe rotted in just ONE summer. Every spring immediately after my stove goes cold I disconnect the pipe. I'll take it outside and rinse it out with the garden hose. Then take a mild soap solution and wash the inside of the pipes with a cloth or sponge, rinse again. After that I let them bake completely dry in the sunshine. Finally I'll store them in the attic for the summer. I even wash out my stove in the basement and dry it with an electric heater, then put a coat of oil on the interior.

Keep in mind though that I have a cool damp air stagnant basement all summer.

Long story short, in any environment I would at least disconnect the stove pipe and rinse them out. Fly ash becomes corrosive when exposed to humid air.

 
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Post by McGiever » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 1:24 pm

Chubby79 wrote:
Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 1:09 pm
I didnt mean "bless me to fire it up" over the interwebs.. what I meant was, will not sweeping the chimney at the end of the season typically cause damage to the flue.. generally speaking.. and is it normal practice to have the chimney inspected annually..
Okay, gotcha...so since, admittedly having not performed the end of season cleaning and corrosion prevention, should you be concerned of starting up without issue?

Yes, do be concerned. This is the message that the first poster above has brought to us all. :)
c&t coal wrote:
Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 8:25 am
realize that ash will rot flue pipes if left uncleaned over the summer


 
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Post by Chubby79 » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 1:42 pm

Thanks.. I think maybe I was a bit unclear... my black stove pipe and barometric damper are trash, I will be replacing them before lighting her. Now that weve had a small exchange I took to Google instead..and will be getting my chimney inspected as well... though my question still remains. Having NOT SWEPT the chimney, will that alone likely cause damage to my flue *or am I saying that wrong** the inside of chimney*** and lightening, ty, I read your older post about your technique after I noticed mine had rusted.. next spring we will definitely be taking better care of our set up

 
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Post by Lightning » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 2:27 pm

A clay lined or just a block and mortar chimney are relatively impervious to the corrosive compounds created with fly ash and humidity. For your own piece of mind you can have the chimney brushed and inspected, personally I don't do that. The only thing I do with my chimney is clean out the base of it where the clay liner goes from horizontal to vertical. Fly ash likes to collect at the bottom of any vertical sections of stove pipe and/or chimney.

 
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Post by Chubby79 » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 3:06 pm

Thanks!! I will be getting an inspection done anyhow.. but I feel better about the outcome of it now 🤙🤙 cant wait for that sweet heat

 
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Post by McGiever » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 3:17 pm

My apologies, you did say your metal stove pipe parts are all ruined and need replaced.

Yes, stove pipes and flues are not all the same thing, and make for confusion. ;)
So your masonry chimney was only serviced last a full year ago and this is your concern presently.

*Lightening* got you all squared away now, so, thanks for checking if it was safe to use and what to look for. :)

 
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Post by snuffy » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 7:35 pm

Don't overlook the chimney cleanout door. Mine (4"X8" aluminum assembly) got completely funkified, the door fell right off and the door hinges are frozen in place. Fortunately I have two spare assemblies from Temple Foundry. In the new ash door I replaced the aluminum pins with coated deck screws and I'll keep a closer eye on rot.

 
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Post by c&t coal » Tue. Oct. 23, 2018 8:29 am

the pipe that we get at Home Depot or any hardware store isn't good for much more than 2 seasons. One of my customers runs a truck repair service and uses truck exhaust pipe.

 
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Post by Chubby79 » Tue. Oct. 23, 2018 8:32 am

I'm hoping with a good cleaning after the season I can make it last a bit longer, mostly the baro and manual damper, the pipe itself is cheap enough
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 
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Post by McGiever » Tue. Oct. 23, 2018 8:41 pm

Chubby79 wrote:
Tue. Oct. 23, 2018 8:32 am
I'm hoping with a good cleaning after the season I can make it last a bit longer, mostly the baro and manual damper, the pipe itself is cheap enough
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Cleaning is half the process...wrap them in newspaper and store them away in a attic or overhead somewhere hot but very dry area till fall light up time again. Dormant chimney can be a hostile storage area for some.


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