Burning an aluminum can in the fire to reduce cresote?

[canfossi]

I have heard that if you put an aluminum can in the fire that it will reduce the amount of cresote buildup? Also, if the metal flue of the woodstove is inside the house that it will create less cresote since the flue stays warmer versus being outside? Are these true? Thanks again, Chris

[comfortablynumb]

setting a really hot kindling fire once a week will do more for the reduction of buildup than any voodoo you can do.

a hot hot hot fire (get the stack hotter than normal, @500 degrees) with clean bone dry wood and keep it there for 30 min or an hour wil vaporize and burn off any creosote trace that is in the pipe.

I clean my stacks once a yr and they are coated in soot, and ash in the bends, not hard creosote buildup.

it keeps the innards of the stove burned clean too.

creosote is formed by slow airr choked fires people set down to save wood.

turning down a fire is fine, but you have to set a hot fire going now and then to burn out the gunk.

[Toads tool]

The outside pipe will get a build up of creosote faster than the inside. THe fumes and smoke are much hotter inside and it is insulated by being indoors. The creosote starts forming as the smoke cools off closer to the exit, outside.

Don't know about the aluminum can, there are other quick fixes out there but nothing replaces a good brushing.

I've experienced a flue fire, the galvanizing on my pipes started flaking off like powder.
You could watch the progression of the fire up the pipe.
It sounded like a freight train and pretty much toasted the cap on the exterior flue pipe. I had to replace all the inside pipe and installed a "T" up-side-down at the bottom of the exterior stack to be used as a cleanout.

[fordson major]

nothing beats brushing the chimney!! we have kept ours clean by using hot fires and dry wood. now have outdoor wood boilers, burns anything and no worries of chimney fires

[Beeman]

Do a search, this myth has been busted already. No replacement for brushing the flue.

[DocM]

We drop a length of tow chain down our pipe once or twice a year, rub it around the sides, cleans it very well.

[celticfalcon]

sounds like a job for mythbusters

[crashy]

I used to take a brick and tied a rope through the holes of the brick ( I am not sure what that kind of brick is called) then put that down the chiminey scrapes off all the bad stuff pretty good.

[Rockin'B]

Originally Posted by Beeman

Do a search, this myth has been busted already. No replacement for brushing the flue.

Amen.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Why do a halfway job with a brick or chains when a proper brush is only $8? As tight as my brush is, I am sure it gets almost ALL the loose creosote. I don't think a brick or chains could possibly get more than 50-60%, might work in a pinch, but why risk it?

[YounGrey]

Good advice, thanks!

[ricky]

hard things like chains and bricks damage the tile and inner chimney after a while. use a brush better in the long run.

[woodsrunner]

Well considering aluminum melts at over 1000 degrees it probably would reduce creasote. Not because the can was in there, but, because the fire was hot enough to burn some of it off.