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Let the snow fly! KT is now prepared for.....

Getting tougher to get one insured here in Michigan. When I recently switched companies for homeowner’s insurance, soon after they found out that I had a wood burning stove in the house, and promptly canceled my policy.

My stove was professionally installed 20 years ago and I’ve had no issues with it. I ended up going back to my original insurer that told me, “no problem.”

KT understands that situation. Shortly after building the Castle, we had our wood heater installation inspected and certified as meeting the standards. Then a few years later, we had to change our insurance agent, not the insurance company. He saw our installation, and asked who installed it, and KT said we did. He started to freak out, then KT laid the Certification on it. Then he calmed down and we still, after some 35 years, have the same insurance company. :laughing::laughing:

We have a stainless steel triple wall chimney pipe, which we clean twice a year...at the end of the summer before we fire it up in the late fall, and usually in late January we get a warm week, so we let the fire go out and clean it the next day. Cleaning removes most of the formed creosote, which is the primary cause of a chimney fire. We also installed the proper heat shield on the wall behind the heater at the specified distance out from the wall. Heater sits on concrete floor.
 
Wow, congrats on getting all that done KT !!!! :thumbsup:

.......you obviously wanted to guarantee your family "wood" stay warm over the colder months :lol:

Ye are correct, GKL! :laughing::laughing:

In Missouri, insurance added 10% to bill but didn't if it was a fire place. Don't know now...

If you have a fire place, you can purchase a more energy efficient heater insert for it and heat much out your own Castle with it! And that should not cause your insurance to increase, but likely you need to have it professionally installed this day and time.
 
Nice stacks is usually something I say to you about silver hahaha. What kind of wood?
A month ago I hand split and stacked a good bit for my dad, mostly birch and maple that he had dropped and roughly stacked last year.
 
KT understands that situation. Shortly after building the Castle, we had our wood heater installation inspected and certified as meeting the standards. Then a few years later, we had to change our insurance agent, not the insurance company. He saw our installation, and asked who installed it, and KT said we did. He started to freak out, then KT laid the Certification on it. Then he calmed down and we still, after some 35 years, have the same insurance company. :laughing::laughing:

We have a stainless steel triple wall chimney pipe, which we clean twice a year...at the end of the summer before we fire it up in the late fall, and usually in late January we get a warm week, so we let the fire go out and clean it the next day. Cleaning removes most of the formed creosote, which is the primary cause of a chimney fire. We also installed the proper heat shield on the wall behind the heater at the specified distance out from the wall. Heater sits on concrete floor.
I’ve never cleaned my stove pipe in 20 years…last time I was on the roof it was clean as a whistle! I think what helps is burning dry, seasoned wood. That, and 80% of my pipe is inside the house so no big temp differential.
 
Nice stacks is usually something I say to you about silver hahaha. What kind of wood?
A month ago I hand split and stacked a good bit for my dad, mostly birch and maple that he had dropped and roughly stacked last year.

Local hardwoods, principally red oak and white oak with mixed cherry and some small amount of hickory. Maple is valued for its fall colors here and we have little to no birch down here.

I’ve never cleaned my stove pipe in 20 years…last time I was on the roof it was clean as a whistle! I think what helps is burning dry, seasoned wood. That, and 80% of my pipe is inside the house so no big temp differential.

Interesting...about 85% of our pipe is outside the Castle, so that is likely the problem. But the cleaning is no hassle. There is a cleanout trap at the base of the stack and it usually only takes three pull throughs of a wire brush to remove the dried creosote. Only about a twenty minute job.
 
Interesting...about 85% of our pipe is outside the Castle, so that is likely the problem. But the cleaning is no hassle. There is a cleanout trap at the base of the stack and it usually only takes three pull throughs of a wire brush to remove the dried creosote. Only about a twenty minute job.
You’re lucky, my house has a 10/12 pitch and the stove pipe exits the peak. I have to straddle the roof peak and remove the 3’ SS pipe. Last time I was up there for 20 minutes. When I came down I couldn’t walk right for three days it was so painful. :no:
 
You’re lucky, my house has a 10/12 pitch and the stove pipe exits the peak. I have to straddle the roof peak and remove the 3’ SS pipe. Last time I was up there for 20 minutes. When I came down I couldn’t walk right for three days it was so painful. :no:

The Castle roof is a 5/12 pitch so not too difficult to stand on. Pipe exits the roof. Interior of pipe is 6", so the cap is easy to remove, O.D. is 12". Prince John now does the roof climbing presently, drops rope through chimney pipe and KT ties the chimney brush to the rope. Pulling the brush through the pipe 3 times does the trick.:D:D
 
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