TESTING CREOSOTE-REDUCING DEVICES: THE RESULTS

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Again, a home installation may produce more or less liquid creosote than we noted. We believe, however, that the most meaningful results of our project are those that concern the creo sote in the whole venting system . . . including the solid residue from liquid creosote. In many-if not mosthousehold installations, liquids that condense in the flue will evaporate and/or solidify before they're seen by the homeowner. The liquid creosote condenses more readily in the cooler parts of the system, and the condensate then flows down the flue until the volatile components are driven out by the higher temperatures found in the lower parts. The water evaporates . . . as do some lower molecular weight compounds.

Our test installation had a tee high in the system (in order to catch creosote falling or dripping from the insulated chimney). Without the tee, we believe the solid residue we obtained by heating the liquid condensate to drive out the water would have accumulated in the stovepipe connector. We've therefore considered this solid residue as part of the total creosote buildup in the venting system.

One of the major claims made by the Smoke Consumer's manufacturer is that a chimney fire is less likely to occur because of the device's flame-quenching and spark-trapping effects. We didn't test those effects in this project, so it's possible that the Smoke Consumer could offer benefits in addition to creosote reduction.

Regardless of any flame-quenching and spark-trapping capability, however, we believe that the unit's "continuous burn reactor cycle" itself could ignite chimney fires in some cases. As the filter collects particles, the draft is reduced . . . and it may become necessary to tilt the filter open slightly to get afire capable of igniting the deposits on the filter. (This is suggested by the manufacturer.) During the attempt to achieve a blaze intense enough to burn out the deposits, we think that a chimney fire could accidentally be started. (Since there was substantial creosote accumulation in the chimney above the Smoke Consumer, as there was above the other two devices, chimney fires are possible despite the creosote reduction brought about by the use of such products.)

The Smoke Consumer also requires a substantial amount of operator attention: It is automatic in neither operation nor maintenance. Manual cleaning -which the manufacturer suggests be done roughly once a week for maximum filtration efficiency-isn't as easily accomplished as the literature states. We resorted to scraping deposits off and tapping particles out with the filter in place, but for thorough cleaning, the filter must be removed from the reactor plate . . . a procedure we found difficult.

In addition, the Smoke Consumer restricts the draft in the chimney . . . as do both the other devices we tested. Thus, as the manufacturer points out, it should not be used where draft is marginal.

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