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Helpful Tips for Homeowners that use a Fireplace, Wood Stove or Wood Burning  Insert

1. How often should I have my wood stove or insert chimney inspected and cleaned?  [ answer ]
    

2. Should I have a smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector installed in my home?  [ answer ]
    

3. Should I burn green wood in my wood stove?    [ answer ]
    

4. Why should I have a chimney cap on top of my chimney?   [ answer ]
    

5. Do I need to install a Stainless Steel chimney liner on a wood burning insert?   [ answer ]
    

6. Do I need to reline the total length of the chimney on a wood burning insert?    [ answer ]
    

7. Do I need to reline the chimney on a zero clearance fireplace when installing a wood burning insert?  [ answer ]
    

8. Can I install an insert with a stainless steel reline kit that is smaller or larger than the flue opening on my insert?  [ answer ]
    

9. Is it important to keep the exterior of my chimney maintained?   [ answer ]
    

10. Is the flashing around my chimney important?  [ answer ]
     

11. Can water penetrate my brick and mortar if it is in good condition?  [ answer ]
     

12. How do I check to see if my chimney is tall enough?  [ answer ]
     

13. How do you clean a wood burning insert chimney when it has a direct connect reline?  [ answer ]
     

14. What is the difference between a Catalytic & Non-Catalytic wood burning stove insert?   [ answer ]
     

15. What are the benefits of each?   [ answer ]
     

16. Are there certain things I should not burn in a catalytic wood burning stove or insert?   [ answer ]
     

17. What kind of chimney do I need for a freestanding wood stove when I am running the chimney through an attic or on the exterior of a house?  [ answer ]
     

18. Can I use a reducer from 8” to 6” on a stove with an 8” flue so I can save some money on my chimney?   [ answer ]

 
How often should I have my wood stove or insert chimney inspected and cleaned?

As a rule you should have your chimney and appliance cleaned and inspected once a year or more if needed.  Even if you don’t burn your appliance very much it is always a good idea to have it inspected before the burn season.  Over the spring and summer animals can take up residence in your chimney, plant matter can build up in and around the chimney cap or the chimney can shift and create an unsafe condition.

All Sweep Chimney Service can give you piece of mind going into the winter with a professional Cleaning and inspection of your appliance and chimney.
 

Should I have a smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector installed in my home?

Every home should have these installed.  It is a small price to pay to protect your family.

Should I burn green wood in my wood stove?  

NO

Why?  Along with other things, creosote is created by unburned particulate matter and water vapor in wood smoke accumulating in a chimney.  This will accumulate on the interior walls of a chimney as creosote.   You will have incomplete combustion when you burn wet or green wood increasing the amount of particulate matter.  Water vapor and particulate matter mix and condense on the interior walls of a chimney.  Burning green wood, or wood that still has most of its moisture will boil out and increase the amount of moisture and creosote that builds up in a chimney. 

It also takes a lot more energy to burn green wood and thereby reducing the stove’s efficiency and heat output.

 
Why should I have a chimney cap on top of my chimney?

Too of the obvious things are animals and rain.  Both can cause damage to the chimney.  Animals can block off the chimney and cause smoke to back up into the house.  Rain can cause dampers and metal fireboxes to rust out.  Moisture in a masonry chimney can damage the chimney from the inside out and create expensive chimney repairs. 

All Sweep Chimney Service carries a full line of chimney caps and accessories.

 
Do I need to install a Stainless Steel chimney liner on a wood burning insert?

YES

Why?  If you have damaged flue tiles it is a must.  Cracked or broken flue tiles can allow hot flue gases to leak out of the chimney and cause a house fire or carbon monoxide to leak into the interior of the home.  New, high efficiency wood stoves need to have all the combustion air pulled through the stove to maintain a good clean burn and keep the efficiencies at a high rate.  Most of the clay lined masonry chimneys in homes today are in need of some repair.  In most cases the masonry chimney will be too large for the insert.  This type of chimney is prone to creosote buildup because the inner masonry liner will not stay hot enough and this will reduce your draft and increase the possibility that creosote will build up and cote the interior of the your chimney.  This all adds up to the likely hood of a flue fire.   Lining the chimney will ensure that you have a safe and well operating chimney and stove system.

Ask us about our lifetime stainless steel reline systems for masonry chimneys.  

 
Do I need to reline the total length of the chimney on a wood burning insert?   

YES  

Why?  For all the reason’s mentioned above.  You will not achieve anything by doing half the job.

 
Do I need to reline the chimney on a zero clearance fireplace when installing a wood burning insert?

YES 

Why?  Chimney’s used on low efficiency wood burning fireplaces do not meet the HT 103 Specifications.  These chimneys are only rated for the original fireplace install.  You will need to reline the chimney with a stainless steel liner that is wrapped in the proper insulation material.
 

Can I install an insert with a stainless steel reline kit that is smaller or larger than the flue opening on my insert?

It is possible to install a larger flue, but you never want to install a chimney on to an appliance that is smaller in diameter than the stove requires.  We however recommend that any chimney liner or chimney installed on our wood burning product is the same size as the appliance.

 
Is it important to keep the exterior of my chimney maintained?

The short answer is YES.  A chimney crown that is cracked can allow rain water to penetrate in behind your brick and mortar.  Over time this will cause damage to your mortar joints and damage the chimney from the inside out. 

Ask us about our chimney crown sealing system.  This will stop or eliminate costly water damage to your chimney.

You should keep an eye on your mortar joints for cracking or missing mortar.  This will only get worse with freeze/thaw conditions.  All Sweep Chimney Service can repair your mortar joints by grinding the bad ones out and tuck pointing new mortar in its place.
 

Is the flashing around my chimney important?

It is very important to keep the flashing around your chimney in good repair.  A flashing that is separating from the chimney or is not sealing will cause rain water damage to walls and ceilings in your home.

All Sweep Chimney Service can install a new Flashing Seal around your existing flashing and eliminate leaks.

 
Can water penetrate my brick and mortar if it is in good condition?

Yes.  The good news is this can be taken care of with a good water seal treatment.  This is a great way to slow down future damage to your chimney.

With a good Water Seal Treatment you can hold back mother nature and keep your new chimney in good condition for many years. 

 
How do I check to see if my chimney is tall enough?

You should use the 10/2 rule.  Simply stated, taking a horizontal line from your chimney you should be 2’ higher that anything within 10 feet of the chimney including the roof.

If your chimney is within 10 feet of any roof peak, then your chimney should be 2-3 feet higher than that peak.

 
How do you clean a wood burning insert chimney when it has a direct connect reline?

The chimney sweep professional will remove or open the insert dampers and or ceiling of the insert.  They will then remove the chimney cap and run the chimney brush down, pushing waste material into the insert and then vacuum and remove any material that was in the chimney.

What is the difference between a Catalytic and Non-Catalytic wood burning stove insert?

Catalytic stoves were designed in the mid to late ‘80s because the EPA wanted all wood stoves to meet certain clean air requirements.  The catalyst is used to reburn the smoke or particulate matter before it exits the stove.  This works similar to the catalyst in your car.  Once the catalyst temperature reaches 500 degrees the cat will fire off and glow red burning up the particulate matter as it passes through. 

The non-catalytic technology uses a system of air inlet tubes or secondary air that is introduced into the firebox and causes the excess smoke to ignite in the firebox vs. exiting the stove as visible smoke.  When you shut the damper and close off the primary combustion air to the fire the fresh oxygen is pulled into the stove through the secondary air tubes and causes what we call secondary burn.

What are the benefits of each?  

The catalyst allows the manufacturer to build a stove with a larger firebox and gives the customer a stove that can produce more heat.  The catalytic stove also burns somewhat cleaner than the non-cat stove and because the homeowner can load more wood into the firebox they will get longer burn times.  The down side is that the customer will need to remove and clean the cat. element once a year and replace the catalyst element approximately every 10-15 years.

The non-catalytic stove is easier to operate with only one damper handle and does not require any additional maintenance for the secondary air tubes or channels.  The efficiency ratings on both are very comparable with the catalytic stove being a few percentage points higher.  In general the non-catalytic stove will be more economical with fewer moving parts and a smaller diameter chimney requirement.

 
Are there certain things that I should not burn in a catalytic wood burning stove or insert?  

YES  

What are they?  Paper products.  Especially paper with colored print.  Treated wood products.  You should only burn well seasoned cord wood in any wood burning appliance.

 
What kind of chimney do I need for a freestanding wood stove when I am running the chimney through an attic or on the exterior of a house?

You must always use HT 103 2100 degree insulated chimney when penetrating any wall, ceiling or attic space.  Any chimney that is exposed to the outdoors will always need to be an insulated HT 103 2100 chimney.

 
Can I use a reducer from 8” to 6” on a stove with an 8” flue so I can save some money on my chimney? 

NO  

Why?  The flue opening on wood stoves are designed in mined, with everything from the stove firebox size to the size of the door opening and combustion air inlet sizes.  They are safety and efficiency tested by independent test labs.  Reducing the recommended chimney size will void your warranty and cost you more in the long run for installation repairs and replacement. 

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