What Can You Put in a Wood Stove to Keep the Pipe Clean?

Wood Combustion

• Combustion in a wood stove occurs as a chemical reaction between wood and oxygen that produces heat, water vapor, carbon dioxide and other gases and ash. For efficient burning, your wood stove requires an adequate oxygen supply, the proper amount of fuel and a clean flue. As wood burns, water vapor is removed by vaporization and evaporation. At 500 degrees Fahrenheit, the wood begins to break down and emits volatile gases that require a temperature of 1,100 degrees F to complete the combustion process.

Avoiding Creosote Buildup

• The best way to keep your chimney clean is to burn dry, seasoned wood that burns at a higher temperature than damp, unseasoned materials. It is important to maintain a moderate rate of burn to avoid creating a smokey fire that deposits unburned wood tar vapors onto the internal walls of your chimney pipe. If your chimney produces an excessive amount of smoke above your home, open the damper to allow more oxygen to reach the fire, thereby producing higher temperatures and more efficient combustion.

Wood Types

• Hardwoods, such as oak and maple, burn longer and hotter than softwoods, like pine and cedar, but take longer to dry out and properly season because hardwood fibers are more closely packed than the fibers found in softwood. Any wood used for burning in your wood stove should be seasoned for at least one year to reduce the chances of creosote accumulation in the chimney pipe.

Chimney Sweeping Logs

• Burning chimney sweeping logs to reduce creosote buildup is not an adequate substitute for mechanical cleaning and regular inspection of your wood stove's flue. The Washington Public Fire Educators and the Chimney Safety Institute of America agree that these products should be used as only one element of a complete chimney maintenance program. Mechanical problems can sometimes only be discovered through regular inspection, and the creosote reduction provided by a chimney sweeping log is neither total nor adequate on its own.