The Wood Furnace--- The Creosote Monster

Here is an email I received that that is a very common problem people have when using a wood furnace that is connected to a thermostat.

I have a woodstove tied into my house heating system (utilizes the same duct work). When I run my woodstove for a while and the house gets warm it chokes the fire down. If I load up the woodstove for the night I get a lot of condensation running down into my woodstove. This makes a mess and causes the whole house to smell. Is there something I can do to avoid this (other than not run the woodstove)?

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Hi,

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The type of woodstove system you are speaking of is known for building creosote, especially when connected to a thermostat. The condensation you are speaking of is actually creosote that will harden into a stage 3, or glazed creosote. This stage of creosote is highly flammable and as you have said emits an odor. This glaze will not only build up in the stove but also in the chimney flue increasing the possibility of a chimney fire.

To stop this glaze from building, you should consider all of the following options.

1) Make sure you always use nothing but fully cured hard wood. Wood that has not cured properly will contain water that will will develop as creosote in your system.

2) Open the manual air controls on your system to allow more air to your stove while burning. Smoldering wood caused when your thermostat shuts down the air flow to the stove will cause a build up of creosote. While you will go through more wood, you will not get a bad creosote build up.

3) Disconnect the thermostat and manually adjust the air to your stove. Keep a constant flow of air and the wood will burn hotter and reduce the creosote build up.

Hope this helps,

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The thing people have to realize is that using a wood furnace connected to a thermostat is great for keeping the house at a constant temperature and also for making your wood last a long time. The downside is that you will build more creosote and increase your chances of a chimney fire.

Ultimately, the decision comes down to the homeowner. Is it worth risking your family and home to save a little wood and a little work on your part?