One of the chimney sweeps and stove installers we work with was called to a house in a village near Carlisle to investigate a boiler stove that wasn’t drawing (all the fumes were coming into the room instead of going up the chimney).
The householder couldn’t understand why it was happening. He sweeps his own flue regularly and only uses the best dry wood. It must be the stove.
The chimney sweep couldn’t even get his brushes up the liner in the chimney. The liner had to be removed and cut open.
This is what he found:
This is a lump of tar. Tar forms in your chimney naturally when you burn wood. That’s why you need to get your chimney swept regularly. However, burning wet wood produces an awful lot more tar and can block your chimney, which is exactly what this 8-inch long piece (amongst others) was doing.
The product of perfect use and maintenance? I don’t think so.
Whatever you may think or believe you are doing if you’re sweeping your chimney yourself, it won’t be the same or nearly as good as a chimney sweep. Get your chimney swept professionally.
Just because someone says your wood is seasoned and dry doesn’t mean it is. Get a moisture meter for your wood, they look like this:
If your wood isn’t perfect, then run the stove hot and use a flue protector to help break up the tar.
This Stove could have killed this family. Always, always, always fit a Carbon Monoxide Detector. You can find out about what’s available by clicking here.
Everything you need to run your stove safely is available at the shop.