Expert: James Ball - 11/4/2010

Question
Hi Mr Ball, its me again with more questions.  You have already helped me with two other steps in installing my wood burner, I'm hopeing you have some more helpful advice in you.  My problem now is that since it is installed, and I've been burning for 4 days now trying to figure out the best air flow and amount of wood to use to get the best burn times and heat, I have a major creosote issue.  I have been reading about using a thermometer on the stove pipe in order to keep it in a certain range to have a cleaner burn.  I am using one.  The problem is that in order for me to keep it up in the range of approx 300 to 500 degrees, it would be way too much heat.  I've been burning it around 200 to 230, to get the amount of heat desired, and close to the burn times I was thinking.  The problem is, as you know, that is ideal creosote forming temperature.  It's installed in our finished basement that is just one big room, no partitions, just wide open.  Furred out walls with 1" foam insulation, and paneling, drop ceiling with 6" insulation in the ceiling.  The ceiling joist or main level floor joist are 18" plated floor trusses.  I have installed  the " egg crate " style tile in the drop ceiling in the center of each room above, and pulled back the insulation in those areas to allow the heat to rise to the floor.  This also allows the heat to spread over the entire floor as there is approx 12" above the insulation before the subfloor.  Other than the low temperatures in the burner, this is working almost perfect as the evenings have dipped into the high 20's and day temps in the middle 40's to low 50's.  It has kept the basement and the majority of the upstairs in the low 70's  I know in a month or so, temps will be lower outside for longer periods of time, and it would easily be compensated with more logs and more air intake.  In experimenting with the lower drafts and the rear damper, as I asked in an earlier email, I can achieve the over night burn times and at work burn times by using just the drafts, or both.  After only 4 days of burning, I already have creosote build up and dripping from just about anywhere it can find.  Even with installing my pipe in the proper directions with mail end towards the burner, I'm getting drips from the adjustable elbow joints, and the last section going into the back of the burner, even though I used the stove cement to fill the small bevel left after the pipe was installed and screwed in.  It's still finding places to leak and drip.  Now my basement smells like we are smoking jerky because of smell that comes with the drippings.  Well now that I set the stage with all that, I guess my question for you would be do you have any recommendations on how to keep my pipe and chimney in a hotter zone, as so not to create excessive creosote, and at the same time, not sweat us out of our house.  It's only a small ranch home, 1200 sf per floor.  I never thought putting a wood burner in the basement, to heat a total of 2400 sq ft through the concept of heat rising, would be too much.  Again, at only having a stove pipe temp of 200 to 230 ish degrees.  I figured it would have to be a much hotter.  It's an old Schrader stove as well, not even one of these new ones with all the bells and whistles.  Just a good old black box.  Sorry such a long email.  I just have been reading so much about proper burning, and it seems like everyone contradicts themselves.  Get it good and hot, choke it down with drafts and dampers to have hot coals when its time to reload.  But then choking it down creates less heat going out the pipe and flu, which is breading ground for condensation and forming of creosote.  If you don't choke it down, it will burn plenty hot to prevent major creosote, but you will be loading wood in it every two hours.  Also, these newer, very expensive ones that market the long 8 hour burn times and 10 and 12 hour heat times, can't possibly be doing that without choking them way down and creating creosote issues.  I haven't researched the ones with the extra device that reburns the smoke fuels, so less is going out, but maybe that is something to think about.  Also, my wood is dry oak.  Dead for quite a while, split and stacked for almost three months.  Not perfect, but probably much better than what most are using. My stove pipe comes out the back of the burner to a 45, up approx 32" into another 45 and then approx 24" horizontal through the wall into the chimney and liner.  I figured the 45's would actually be better than 90's and a straight vertical run.  Again, sorry so long.  Just got myself frustrated after all the wood cutting, splitting and stacking, and being excited to actually fire it up, and now this problem.  I'm not going to fire it until I can figure something out.  Cheaper heat is not worth the safety of my family.  It sure would be nice to figure out how to use this burner, or some other burner for that matter.  Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Jason

Answer
Welcome back Jason, ok lets look at the facts, your wood might not be as dry as you hopes (18-22% moisture content they do sell a gauge), you have a very old stove (not very efficient), you are "choking it down to get a longer burn" and you are not burning it hot enough 300-500 degrees.
A wood stove is a lot of work but used properly they can be a real help with heating costs.
try burning the stove at "300-500 degrees" Creosote is the non burned by products of the wood so a cooler exhaust will carry more to the chimney then a hotter exhaust.
A new stove will require maintenance also but will burn must cleaner (less dripping of creosote), but must be burned correctly
The do make a chemical to help make the 3rd stage creosote (the dripping) easier to clean but will not eliminate it.
stop by your local wood stove store Mid afternoons might be their slow time (or call and ask) and you will have to spend some time talking to them about  how to solve this problem, as I have suggested.
Also get a Certified Sweep (CSIA.org) in to verify this stove is installed correctly
James