When having a wood burning stove insert. do you still need to have your chimmney cleaned?

Question

I never had to deal with wood stoves before so i am completly in the dark. trying to figure out what to do so i dont burn my house down thanks for the help

Answer 1

It is always a good idea to have your chimney inspected and cleaned at least once a year no matter what kind of  wood-burning system you have.  Better to be safe than sorry.

Answer 2

Stoves, because they're air tight, generate more creosote than a fireplace. I had two stoves when I lived in NJ, and I cleaned my chimneys at least twice during the winter to prevent buildup.  

Answer 3

Stalyun2 has offered great advice and everyone is correct. To add to theirs I suggest calling your neighborhood fire dept. They sometimes will clean chimneys for free. They'd rather prevent a deadly fire rather than lose a life in a preventable situation.

P.S. burning a soda can once a day also prevents excessive creosote buildup just as an FYI.

Answer 4

Yes !

Answer 5

Imho. You are better off without the wood stove insert. Everyone thinks they are saving money but an actual analysis of the costs and risks are in order before installing one especially without any prior experience. Consider the source of the fuel. Free or not. Near or far. Cost of the time to handle the fuel up to six times to the disposal of the ashes. Pickup or delivery? Cleaning of the flue. A cleaning twice a heating season is almost mandatory for safety. Interior dust particles making the air less healthful. This is especially harmful to expose young children to in the depths of winter when colds and flu are prevalent.This has the effect of second hand smoke for young children leading sometimes to respiratory problems. The constant odor both inside and out of creosote. This one is hard not to have with an airtight. It seems to permeate the home and is especially prevalent with the type of stove you are mentioning because of the ability to burn 'cooler' or very slowly. Insurance rates. They always ask about wood burning for a reason.    I hope I am not being too negative for you but after burning and chasing wood for 27 years finally woke up one day.

Answer 6

Yes, but all means, clean it. Stove inserts will burn much hotter than the open fire place. Plus, when the doors are closed to the stove, it gets very hot - then, if it's windy out side and you open the doors, it could draw that fire and heat up the chimney like a shooting flame. You might guess what could happen next. Yes, you may have the fire fighters at your door.  

Answer 7

yes you do once evey year.

Answer 8

If you burn wood, the tar will build up.

Have that chimney cleaned once a year.

Answer 9

YES!!!!  Creosote (I hope I spelled it right), collects in the shaft of the chimney and over time can cause a fire.  Either get it professionally cleaned, or go to Home Depot and get that CLR log that you can burn in it over time to minimize the creosote.  Good luck!