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What a difference an insulated flue makes


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Just been sweeping my parents and our flues. Both modern stoves burning the same wood. Had trouble getting the rods through my parents one which had inch thick lumps of soot caked onto the inside of the flue. Got half a bucket of soot out of it. Then did our ours and got a wine glass full. I put it down to ours having a fully insulated liner while my parents one is a plain liner in a stone chimney. I am sure the fact we have a larger stove helps as well but not to that extent. Going to be cleaning their stove every few months from now on as the chimney must have been virtually blocked!

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5 minutes ago, Woodworks said:

Just been sweeping my parents and our flues. Both modern stoves burning the same wood. Had trouble getting the rods through my parents one which had inch thick lumps of soot caked onto the inside of the flue. Got half a bucket of soot out of it. Then did our ours and got a wine glass full. I put it down to ours having a fully insulated liner while my parents one is a plain liner in a stone chimney. I am sure the fact we have a larger stove helps as well but not to that extent. Going to be cleaning their stove every few months from now on as the chimney must have been virtually blocked!

It could also be that the parents' stove is left slumbering a lot rather than flaming. When they are running what does the colour and density  of the smoke look like?

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They are pretty good with how they use it after some lecturing. It's a well regarded stove (Burley) and you cant completely shut it down anyway and I have never seen the secondly air more than half way shut down. It's a small stove with a long uninsulated chimney so no surprise the water and creosotes condense before they get out the top. Worst bit is about a meter from the top and this is where it comes out the roof so I guess cools even more.

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21 minutes ago, Woodworks said:

They are pretty good with how they use it after some lecturing. It's a well regarded stove (Burley) and you cant completely shut it down anyway and I have never seen the secondly air more than half way shut down. It's a small stove with a long uninsulated chimney so no surprise the water and creosotes condense before they get out the top. Worst bit is about a meter from the top and this is where it comes out the roof so I guess cools even more.

Well you are right in that if the flue gases fall below the dew point of tars or water before they exit the chimney they will condense on the sides, my point being if the flame is clean there are minimal tars that get away, water is inevitable so an insulated flue must be better.

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29 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

my point being if the flame is clean there are minimal tars that get away, 

Yes I was a bit shocked how much there was in there. It's not used all the time either. Cant honestly say I think the Burley is that great. They had a larger Woodwarm before that was often shut down too far due to being too large for the room and had less problems cleaning the flue when it was in place. Lit it for them today and it is working better than I have ever seen it so maybe it was never put together quite right as the baffle is a bit fiddly and can get out of place easily. Time will tell I guess

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insulation will make a big difference but also, are both flues internal or is your parents on an external wall? Is your parents the same length or longer?  longer will draw well but will also cool a bit more before the top.  Same diameter flues? you have a bigger stove?  bigger will mean more flue gas and thus it will be travelling up the same diameter of pipe faster, thus cooling less per metre travelled. also I am guessing you run yours to heat a big space and ths run it fairly hot?  parents not slumbeing but still running nearer 'tick over' to just heat a room will make a difference.  Lots of things all making a bit of a difference possibly.

  I've read its worth doing periodic (say every few days) a hot hot burn, get the flue properly hot all the way up and drive out any dampness or creosote that may be accumulating.

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1 hour ago, neiln said:

insulation will make a big difference but also, are both flues internal or is your parents on an external wall? Is your parents the same length or longer?  longer will draw well but will also cool a bit more before the top.  Same diameter flues? you have a bigger stove?  bigger will mean more flue gas and thus it will be travelling up the same diameter of pipe faster, thus cooling less per metre travelled. also I am guessing you run yours to heat a big space and ths run it fairly hot?  parents not slumbeing but still running nearer 'tick over' to just heat a room will make a difference.  Lots of things all making a bit of a difference possibly.

  I've read its worth doing periodic (say every few days) a hot hot burn, get the flue properly hot all the way up and drive out any dampness or creosote that may be accumulating.

We insulate most inset stoves as this is most manufacturers recommendation but we very rarely insulate free standing stoves.   My home and showroom freestanding stoves both burn dry but lower grade wood, willow, pop, pine etc,  the stoves are run pretty well flat out all the time.   Both stoves do about 1000 hours a year and are not shutdown overnight,   I sweep the chimney every 2 years and never get any more than a kilo of soot out.  

 

A

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Mine is an internal flue ( not outside wall ) . Its pretty much as insulated as it could be . 7.5" clay liner surrounded with vermiculite beads with a 6" stainless liner up inside that . 

Snap [emoji106] same as you stubby, i did wonder if they would get my liner down and round my bends at the time, but they did.
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Another couple of possible differences i thought of. do your parents ever soot the glass?  They will be sooting the flue a little at the same time, maybe you run that tiny bit hotter. Do they shut down and relight every day, but you run continuous?  I'm guessing if they are room heating then they may.  Every start involves a sooty period and a cold flue for it to settle on.

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