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By Dirty Bristles Chimney Sweep Inc.
BRIDGTON — We are barely into the heating season here in western Maine and we’ve already had several calls after chimney fires. With the influx of new owners to the state and the increase in heating costs, we are seeing more people begin to burn wood and begin burning earlier in the season.
We recommend limited use of a wood appliance until it’s consecutively cold for a week or more. That means temperatures below 30 degrees for more than seven to 10 days. If you do burn early, we recommend NOT closing the damper or air adjustments until after the consecutively cold nights and days. Burning short, hot fires will properly induce a draft and allow smoke to escape out the chimney. Small fires over a longer period of time cause more creosote buildup.
Newer, more efficient wood stoves do not work like the old “all-nighters” did in the heyday of wood burning. You cannot “damp it down” for the night and do the same thing in the morning and not have a creosote buildup in your stovepipe and chimney. Dampers in the stovepipe are not needed with new efficient woodstoves. This too leads to creosote buildup and misuse of the stove.
We’re also seeing wood being bought to burn that very same year. The mixed hardwood common to Maine is not being seasoned as it should be. Wood should sit cut, split and stacked for a minimum of one year before being burned. If you are new to wood burning, in your first year you should be buying cut and split wood to burn the NEXT burn season, not the coming season. Kiln-dried wood is best to burn your first season as your newly purchased wood sits and seasons.
When we test wood these days, we regularly find a high moisture content. Ideal moisture content is 15 to 20 percent. The excess moisture has to be heated and released from the wood before the wood actually burns completely. That leads to more creosote buildup in your stove, stovepipe and chimney.
If you use your stove or fireplace, even sparingly, you should at least have an annual inspection done and have it swept if needed. Using your stove or fireplace sporadically can actually create more of a buildup. Colder chimneys and colder stovepipe lead to more creosote.
Maintenance is the key to safe burning and NOT suffering loss of homes or lives. Do not neglect this very important part of heating your home safely. It literally could save your life.
Dirty Bristles Chimney Sweep Inc., cleans and services all year round, but we recommend sweeping and maintenance in the spring and summer as soon as your burn season is over. That leaves time for repairs or parts to be ordered and installed BEFORE it gets cold again.
Everything is delayed or back-ordered because of COVID-19 issues this year, so please do not wait. Call today and make an appointment at 207-803-8195.
