To reduce soot and creosote buildup, burn only dry, hard wood. If your woodpile has some soft or wet wood, don’t burn it alone; mix it with dry wood to keep the fire as hot as possible. To see if your wood is dry, bang two pieces together. A hollow “ring” means that it’s dry. If it goes “thud,” burn something else. Keep your woodpile off the ground, loosely stacked, with the top covered. (Dry wood can absorb moisture from rain and snow.) If you can, store some of your wood inside. Don’t forget to check it for termites or other little critters before you bring it inside.
To get the most heat from your fireplace, install glass doors, close them after the fire is going, and control the burn rate with the air vents. If your fireplace smokes, move the grate as far back as you can and put one half of a regular brick under each leg. Every fireplace should have a chimney cap to keep rain from rusting the damper (causing chimney damage), to keep birds out, to help the chimney draw better, and to reduce or eliminate that sooty odor from your chimney. Call or email me for a reasonable price to install a protective chimney cap.
Woodstove owners: Beware of “Backflash.” Never stand in front of your stove when you open the door. The hot gasses in the stove can mix with the inrushing air and backflash into the room, burning anyone standing in the way. To reduce the change of backflash, open the air inlets 30 seconds before you open the door. Fireplace inserts and woodstoves vented into fireplaces should be cleaned once a year, or more often if you notice a reduction in the draw or if the stove starts to smoke a bit when you open the door. Both types of woodburners must be removed from the fireplace for a complete cleaning. Freestanding stoves should be cleaned as needed (once a year, minimum). If your stove starts to smoke out of the front and pipes, it means that the chimney is full of soot and creosote. Put out the fire and give me a call. Never try to burn out a clogged chimney. Don’t try to clean the chimney with chains; they can crack or break the tile liner, and they don’t do a good job anyway. If you don’t mind heights, dirt, and grime, you can buy rods and a brush do the job yourself. Needless to say, if chimney sweeping were easy or fun, I wouldn’t be in business.