Softwoods like fir, pine and cedar make more smoke, and therefore more creosote.
What firewood produces the least creosote?
The best kind of wood to burn is one of the hard woods, such as oak, hard maple and birch because they release more heat and produce less creosote deposits.
What causes excessive creosote buildup?
Creosote buildup increases when the air supply is restricted in the chimney, unseasoned wood is used to make a fire, and when the chimney temperature is cooler than normal. Too much creosote buildup can cause chimney fires and these low burning fires can go undetected until they spread.
What is the best wood for chimney?
Fir is the best choice, but other softwoods include pine, balsam, spruce, cedar, tamarack, alder, and poplar. Softwoods tend to burn faster and leave finer ash compared to hardwoods. 3 They also can be messy to handle, especially pine, spruce, and balsam, as they cause creosote to build up more quickly in your chimney.
How do you prevent creosote buildup in a wood stove?
The best way to control creosote is to prevent its buildup by maintaining a briskly burning fire with dry, well-seasoned wood. Maintain a flue temperature exceeding 250 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent creosote condensation. Some new, more efficient stoves deliver more heat to the room than an open stove or fireplace.
What wood should not be used for firewood?
Evergreen trees are softwoods, so avoid buying firewood that comes from pines, firs or cypress trees. Freshly cut or unseasoned wood. Wood that has just been cut from the tree is still loaded with natural moisture. This makes the wood more difficult to burn.
What is the cleanest burning wood?
When hardwoods are burned in good conditions for a fire, they produce very little smoke or unhealthy particulate matter. A few examples of the most popular hardwoods for fires are white oak, ash, birch, red oak, hard maple, beech, hickory, pecan, dogwood, apple, and almond.
Will a hot fire get rid of creosote?
Third degree creosote buildup in a chimney. Hot fires kill creosote. If you have little to no creosote built up in your chimney, keep burning your fires hot! If you keep your chimney temperature above 250º F, you are far less likely to have problematic amounts of creosote accumulate between yearly cleanings.
Will burning an aluminum can remove creosote?
Burning aluminum cans does not get rid of the creosote, it merely turns it to flakes and powder. It remains necessary to physically clean the chimney with the correct chimney brushes.
Do catalytic wood stoves produce less creosote?
Because of the way the catalytic wood stove operates, the burn time of a load of wood is significantly increased, the amount of wood required to heat is reduced, and there is less creosote deposited in the chimney lining.
What is the hottest burning wood?
Most oak trees put off a ton of heat when they burn, but the white oak is at the top of the list with an astounding 30.7 million BTUs of heat per cord of wood.
What firewood burns the longest?
1. Hickory Burns The Longest. Hickory is the densest of our hardwood list, burns hotter than oak and maple, and burns the longest on this list. You can start a fire with hickory, get a nice bed of coals going, and let it burn through the night.
Does burning cedar create creosote?
You need to be careful of creosote build-up when burning cedar firewood. The wood’s high resin and oil content will cause creosote to build up faster than other woods. If you are frequently burning cedar firewood, you should clean your chimney once per year.
At what temperature will creosote ignite?
Creosote can ignite at temperatures as low as 451 degrees F (for context, a fire in your fireplace can burn in excess of 450 degrees F), and even just an 1/8” buildup of creosote is considered enough to cause a chimney fire.
Do the chimney cleaning logs really work?
Chimney cleaning logs or creosote logs work by chemically changing creosote in the fireplace flue. And while these logs can make creosote flake off, they don’t eliminate creosote and soot. All they do is make it easier for a chimney sweep to get in there and clean everything out.
Do potato peels clean chimneys?
In all honesty, however, the old wise tale about burning potato peelings/skins does in fact help. You have to use fresh/uncooked potatoes. What’s interesting is the byproduct of the potato peels/skins create a chemical reaction that drys out the chimney allowing any creosote buildup to dry up.
Can wood be too old to burn?
Firewood shouldn’t be able to age past its usefulness for burning. In other words, if the firewood is protected from insects and moisture reasonably well, it could last for many years before burning.
What tree makes the best firewood?
The best-known firewoods are white and red oak trees. The wood from these oak trees is prized for its strength and density, and that density makes it one of the best at producing heat.
What should you not burn in a fireplace?
10 Things You Should Never Burn in Your Fireplace or Woodstove
- Wet wood. Wet, or unseasoned, firewood can contain up to 45 percent water.
- Christmas trees.
- Painted or treated lumber.
- Any type of paper with colored print.
- Plywood, particle board, or chipboard.
- Fire accelerants or fire starters.
- Plastics.
- Dyer lint.
What type of firewood smokes the least?
Firewoods That Produce The Least Amount of Smoke
- Ash. Ash firewood is a great all-around firewood, produces almost no smoke, puts off a moderate amount of heat, and is a quick seasoning wood.
- Oak.
- Maple.
- Applewood.
- Beech.
- Black Locust.
- Hickory.
- Black Walnut.
Are Duraflame logs bad for chimney?
Since duraflame® firelogs are made with dry wood sawdust, only a fine soot is left in the chimney. In fact, tests show that a duraflame® firelog has 66% less creosote accumulation per hour of fire than the creosote accumulation from burning a wood fire.