At Home In The Woods

[radioman]

Gee, I dont know about that flue. from pics it looks like its 2 years worth of cresote. I would say you are not getting the fire hot enough or the exhaust gases is cooling off too fast by the time it reaches the top.

As for the tiller- it goes both ways- a walk behind is great for keeping weeds down between rows, but a 3pt tiller makes a big difference esp the first time. If you got lots of red clay, hidden tree roots, etc- you will be better off with a tractor tiller. a walk behind would be torn to pieces in a unprepared garden. walk behinds these days just don't last like it did 20 yrs ago..

 

[Obed]

Gee, I dont know about that flue. from pics it looks like its 2 years worth of cresote. I would say you are not getting the fire hot enough or the exhaust gases is cooling off too fast by the time it reaches the top.

I'm sure you are correct about the fire temps. I was just adding wood but keeping the air supply choked all the way down. It's all a learning experience for me. Now I know better. Our flue is double-walled air cooled. The air cooling probably contributes to the creosote buildup. We could have bought an insulated flue instead of an air cooled flue but the cost was higher. Our stainless steel flue was already incredibly expensive without adding the insulation cost. Hopefully, next season things will be better. Our wood will be more seasoned and we will know more about operating the fireplace.

As for the tiller- it goes both ways- a walk behind is great for keeping weeds down between rows, but a 3pt tiller makes a big difference esp the first time. If you got lots of red clay, hidden tree roots, etc- you will be better off with a tractor tiller. a walk behind would be torn to pieces in a unprepared garden. walk behinds these days just don't last like it did 20 yrs ago..

There you guys go again trying to help me spend more of my money.

Thanks for the input,
Obed

 

[Obed]

Today my wife ordered the chimney brush and poles. The total was around $100 which included 30 ft of poles made of 5 ft sections.

 

[hydro2]

Yes, I'm looking for a walk behind rototiller. I would love to have a 3PH tiller but can't justify the cost. Even used, they are over $1000.

On another note, Saturday I was at our local TSC. I bought a 2" ball hitch to use to pull my log splitter with my riding mower. I paid $12.00 for it at TSC. Then I went to Lowes a couple hours later. The exact same 2" ball, same manufacturer and model, was only $8. My impression has been that TSC is overpriced, that it is a yuppie tractor supply store. Saturday's purchase re-affirmed my impression. I will definitely shop around before buying there again.

Obed[/QUOTE
They are high priced on many items. They are the only place you can get certain items though

 

[woodlandfarms]

Obed. I was raised with a wood burning stove but it has been a few years so double check what I say.

I believe you are running your stove too cold. Creosote is partly a product of temperature. You could run your fire place hot for a while, a nice hard burn every now and then and it will keep your flew clear. As someone once noted, we got the stove going hard (but it a stove, not a fireplace which I think run colder). I mean flame up the chimney hard. But it was what we were told to do, we didn't do it long but when we did clean the flew it was negligable.

As for being your own chimney sweep, a few words of caution. First is that with new "linked" stovepipes (and not a concrete pipe) the brush can pull apart your flew if not properly connected. Sometimes installers forget to twist lock fllues so be careful your first time, Also don't spin your brush, just up and down.

inside the house cover your fireplace with a wet sheet. The dust that comes out is pretty mind blowing. If you have other openings make sure they are closed. Keep a shop vac around, we just plugged ours in and ran the hose under the sheet and then broomed.

If it helps, get yourself a harness. Attach it to the side of your fireplace chimney. Put in an eyebolt. It won't keep you from falling off the top of the chimney, but it will keep you from going the extra 30 feet to the ground. Remember that you are going to have to do this every year.

All the best

Carl

 

[CurlyDave]

I agree with Carl--you must be vigilant about not losing that brush in the chimney.

In fact, I would test whether I could reverse the direction of the brush in the chimney before I pushed it in more than the length of the brush.

I know when I had a wood burning stove and a chimney brush, I needed to get the brush entirely out of the chimney before I could reverse directions and pull the brush back out of the chimney.

 

[ruralruss]

I'm sure you are correct about the fire temps. I was just adding wood but keeping the air supply choked all the way down. It's all a learning experience for me. Now I know better. Our flue is double-walled air cooled. The air cooling probably contributes to the creosote buildup. We could have bought an insulated flue instead of an air cooled flue but the cost was higher. Our stainless steel flue was already incredibly expensive without adding the insulation cost. Hopefully, next season things will be better. Our wood will be more seasoned and we will know more about operating the fireplace.There you guys go again trying to help me spend more of my money.

Thanks for the input,
Obed

See if a neighbor has a tractor tiller. If so see if neighbor will till it the first time then find a nice used heavy walk behind to use from then on.

 

[Obed]

Obed. I was raised with a wood burning stove but it has been a few years so double check what I say.

I believe you are running your stove too cold.

Agreed.

As for being your own chimney sweep, a few words of caution. First is that with new "linked" stovepipes (and not a concrete pipe) the brush can pull apart your flew if not properly connected. Sometimes installers forget to twist lock fllues so be careful your first time, Also don't spin your brush, just up and down..

Good comments. I didn't know about that!

inside the house cover your fireplace with a wet sheet. The dust that comes out is pretty mind blowing. If you have other openings make sure they are closed. Keep a shop vac around, we just plugged ours in and ran the hose under the sheet and then broomed.

Our fireplace is (almost) air tight when the doors are closed. Will closing the doors be adequate or do we still need a wet sheet? If we need the sheet, where do we put it?

If it helps, get yourself a harness. Attach it to the side of your fireplace chimney. Put in an eyebolt. It won't keep you from falling off the top of the chimney, but it will keep you from going the extra 30 feet to the ground. Remember that you are going to have to do this every year.

All the best

Carl

I might just do that. I have a harness and rope. I might just tie the rope around the chimney and connect the other end of the rope to the harness.
Obed

 

[woodlandfarms]

Think of the dust like when you did Sheetrock. This is an old farmers method by using the wet / damp sheet. We just hung ours over the opening. Jerry rigged would be the best description. We also ran the vacuum from the word go inside this tented area. at the end of the day there will be dust in the house.

I only suggest the harness as you are probably going to need to stand up when you broom.

I have a great video for you to watch if you don't like heights...

Climbing A 1,768 Foot Transmission Tower | Artifacting

 

[Obed]

I agree with Carl--you must be vigilant about not losing that brush in the chimney.

In fact, I would test whether I could reverse the direction of the brush in the chimney before I pushed it in more than the length of the brush.

I know when I had a wood burning stove and a chimney brush, I needed to get the brush entirely out of the chimney before I could reverse directions and pull the brush back out of the chimney.

CurlyDave, thanks for the suggestion. That wouldn't have occurred to me.
Obed