Pro tip: A homeowner in Denver once told me his wood stove was 'self-cleaning' because he only burned seasoned oak.

I had to explain that even clean fuel leaves creosote, and his inspection showed a quarter inch buildup after just one season. Anyone else run into this kind of stubborn belief about certain woods?

3 comments

3 Comments

hollyl457d ago

You ever see someone so sure they're right it's scary? My buddy swore by burning only apple wood in his insert, said it was like magic clean fuel. He skipped a whole year of sweeping. When the pro finally got in there, the creosote was so thick and shiny it looked like black glass in the chimney bend. Cost him a small fortune for the extra aggressive cleaning.

nancythomas7d ago

That "black glass" description is pretty wild, but I have to wonder if the cleaning bill was really just from the wood choice. Chimneys need sweeping no matter what you burn, right? Maybe his insert wasn't set up right, or the wood wasn't dry enough. It seems like there's always more to the story when a repair gets that expensive.

taylor_miller107d ago

Oh man, that reminds me of my neighbor. He was burning this super sappy pine because it was free, said it was fine. After one season his chimney liner looked like it was coated in black tar, like sticky road stuff. The sweep said it was the worst he'd seen in years and had to use special chemicals. My neighbor's cheap wood cost him way more in the end.