Installation Guide

ManualsBrandsMetalbest ManualsHVACSure-Temp 12" Class A Chimney Pipe Wall Support Kit

CREOSOTE AND SOOT FORMATION AND NEED FOR REMOVAL

When wood is burned slowly, it produces tar and other organic vapors,

Your MetalBest Chimney System is not intended or designed for use as

a combustion or fire chamber. It is very easy to over fire your woodburning

appliance with kindling, scrap lumber, brush or any fast burning fuel. This

can produce flames and high temperatures all the way up the chimney, and

may cause chimney damage.

If you see your appliance or the smoke pipe glowing red, you are risking

chimney damage, or a fire. The creosote may be burning inside the chim-

ney. If you see flames coming out the top, you are either overfiring or there

is a chimney fire.

If the fire in your heater has gotten out of control, or if you suspect a

chimney fire for any reason, follow these steps:

1. Immediately close all dampers and/or air entrance openings to your

appliance. This includes doors on Franklin type stoves. Block off fireplace

openings.

2. Alert your family to the possible danger.

3. Inspect your appliance and chimney surroundings for possible fire. If in

doubt, alert your fire department.

4. Do not continue to use your appliance until it and your chimney have

been thoroughly inspected. Overheating can cause metal parts to expand,

buckle and crack. If you are not certain, have a qualified heating person

disassemble all parts so they can be inspected and replaced.

5. Do not use salt or water on the fire in your appliance. Salt is corrosive

and water will cause a dangerous steam explosion. You might be able to

control the fire by using ashes, sand or baking soda, since baking soda is

an ingredient used for dry chemical fire extinguishers.

6. After a chimney fire, when it is safe to do so, check internal locations

such as the attic and under the roof and keep watching for two or three

hours. There may be delayed smoldering and subsequent ignition, even if

the fire inside the chimney has been controlled.

Warning: The chimney pipe and its fittings must be assembled with metal-

to-metal joints as furnished. Do not use tape or any sealing compound

(such as tar, mastic, putty or silicone) at the outer joints. Sealers in the

joints may cause the insulation to accumulate moisture and will cause

corrosion or freezing failures.

CAUTION: DO NOT USE METALBEST CHIMNEY SYSTEM PIPE WITH

DAMAGED ENDS

Both the inner and outer pipe must join properly to avoid leakage and

accidental disengagement. Slight eccentricity of the inner pipe will not

affect operation provided that the joint goes together completely. Minor

dents or irregularity of the outer pipe will not have any perceptible effect on

temperature safety.

CHIMNEY OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

The need for chimney maintenance depends on the kind of appliance and

how it is operated. Gas and oil-burning appliances may need very little, but

wood and coal-burning appliances may need a great deal of chimney

maintenance. Open front fireplaces without doors usually dilute their smoke

with large amounts of air. Thus the buildup of chimney deposits is generally

very low. "Air tight" or controlled draft wood stoves and heaters produce

dense smoke if they are loaded for long duration or overnight fires, and can

rapidly produce heavy, thick creosote deposits. It is possible, by having a

short duration daily hot fire, to burn off these deposits or prevent them from

building up to dangerous levels. This takes skillful operation and an appre-

ciation of how to get the correct temperature.

securely twist locked together. The diagram, Fig. 8, illustrates these points.

Screws or locking bands are needed to prevent accidental disengagement

during chimney cleaning, and to reinforce the chimney whenever it is

outdoors, along walls, or above the roof.

which combine with expelled moisture to form creosote. The creosote

vapors condense in the relatively cool chimney flue of a slow-burning fire.

As a result, creosote residue accumulates on the flue lining. When ignited,

this creosote makes an extremely hot fire.

With coal which can burn with a smoky fire, this smoke also condenses in

the chimney to form soot.

The chimney should be inspected at least once every 2 weeks during the

heating season to determine if a creosote or soot buildup has occurred.

If creosote or soot has accumulated, it should be removed to reduce the

risk of chimney fire.

Creosote causes many problems. Some are visible while others are not. It

can make trouble if:

1. It runs down the outside of the pipe to damage the finish on the

metal.

2. It drips out of joints, damaging floors or furnishings.

3. It plugs up the chimney to cause poor combustion, smoking, soiling walls

and indoor air pollution.

4. It catches fire in the chimney to cause possible chimney damage and

damage to your home.

If you see deposits more than 1/16 inch thick, clean all of the chimney parts

mechanically. This means using brushes, scraping or equivalent. Don't

start a chimney fire! With only slight deposits, try a hot fire to see if the black

deposits change to light ash or fall down the chimney. You can hear the

sound of falling deposits when temperature conditions are right. After-

wards reinspect the chimney and the inside of the appliance for deposits.

Do not use chemical cleaners, they may corrode the inside of the chimney.

They may or may not prevent or remove creosote. When they are used

together with a hot fire, it is probably the fire that is doing the work.

Depending on the rate of buildup, as you learn what is going on in the

chimney, you can adjust your cleaning schedule.

If you have any doubts about your ability to clean the chimney, or if the

deposits are very heavy and hard to remove, call a professional chimney

sweep. Do not try to burn them off.

It doesn't matter how careful you are with loading, fuel wood selection or

draft control, you should observe the above precautions with any wood

stove or chimney installation.

CHIMNEY FIRES AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM

Enclosure *

Chimney Pipe

Minimum Clearance

Fire Stop/ Joist

Shield (JS)

Ceiling

Back-Up

Strip

2” Minimum Clearance

* Sidewall material may be