# Clean Chimney With Aluminum Soda/Pop Cans



## veme (Dec 2, 2005)

The Orchard Pruner guy was here today and we got to talking wood stoves & chimneys while we worked.

He told me he uses 3 or 4 empty aluminum soda/pop cans to keep the creosote down - puts 'em in the firebox.

I never heard of that before :shrug: 
It sounds goofy to me.

Does anyone have experience with it?

Thanks

veme


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## Cindy in KY (May 10, 2002)

Yeah, we burn at least one a day. It makes the soot dry and flaky instead of sticky. We still have to knock it down to clean out, but ours drops straight into the firebox, and we just pull out into firebox, and it burns. All the oldtimers around here save their cans for burning in the stove.


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## Abe R Crombie (Mar 13, 2005)

Neighbor has been doing it for years and says it works.I clean my flue regularly but do throw a can or two in when I think of it.This is the first time I've heard of it other than from the neighbor.Must be something to it?
Abe


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## Junkmanme (Dec 16, 2006)

Very interestin. Never heard of it. Might be a very good idea. I know it won't hurt anything. Probably worth a try!

THANKS,
Bruce


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## jersey girl (Nov 21, 2005)

OK, just so I understand, you put the empty soda cans into the firebox when a fire is burning and it helps keep the cresote down? What a great idea. We will try it.
Joanie


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## Rockin'B (Jan 20, 2006)

I'd like to know the science behind this. 
Anyone?


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## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

My hubby was a chimney sweep for 20 years- we use aluminum cans too! try 
www.greenspun.com/bboard/g-and-a-fetch-msg.tlc?msg_id=00AC12 or google creosote aluminum.

Not coming up with address- Google wood stove cleaning log aluminum -


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

If only things were so simple....people are always looking for the "magic bullet."


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## Twogun (Jan 31, 2006)

Cabin Fever said:


> If only things were so simple....people are always looking for the "magic bullet."


I don't know about "magic bullet" but I toss a few "silver bullets" ( empty coors light cans  ) in the firebox on a regular basis. Honestly, I don't know if it works or not but it makes me feel more comfortable sleeping at night. Plus, I do clean my flue every year.


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## Farmerwilly2 (Oct 14, 2006)

It all makes sense now. Aluminum cans have only been on the market for about 30 years, about the same time frame the global warming weenies have been blubbering about. Seems obvious to me that cans cause soot to be scoured from flues, falling to earth and causing delusions of warming worry and falling skies. I'm saddened *sniff* by the implications.


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## canfossi (Sep 18, 2005)

Interesting! So if I use the woodstove everyday, do I put a new aluminum can in each day? Thanks Chris


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## Beeman (Dec 29, 2002)

Makes you wonder what happens to the aluminum or does it magically become good for you?


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## Shepherd (Jan 23, 2005)

I had heard that firefighters often suggest throwing aluminum pie pans in the fire... any firefighters out there?


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## Cindy in KY (May 10, 2002)

I clean our cookstove pipe every day. I just pop it inside and then go up the ladder and pop it out there. It falls into the firebox. It is always dry and flaky unless I forget to burn a can or two, then it is sticky. I bend the can before I put it in there. I burn aluminum pie pans too. I know it works. I would say 1 or 2 cans a day.

I am burning old barnwood, about 50 years old, so I know my wood is not green! But our big cookstove will get very hot if we don't keep it on low, so we do get buildup in the pipe.


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## OkieDavid (Jan 15, 2007)

Why am I sitting here picturing a hand full of environmental compliance personnel at the <insert your local environmentally polluting, cancer causing evil factory of choice here> factory sitting around in a meeting trying to explain to the CEO- "but sir...we have NO idea how aluminum oxide is showing up in our air quality monitoring data....we have tried explaing to the EPA that we don't even use aluminum in any of our processes".....

we all live down stream....or in this case downwind

David


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## Two Cents Worth (Dec 8, 2002)

So a six pack a day will keep the chimney sweep away.

I've got a co-worker that will love to hear that. Expect he'll increase his drinking just so he will have the cans to use and still plenty to recycle.


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## Highground (Jan 22, 2003)

Well, I think I'll put a full six pack in mine and see if I can clean my pipes and steam clean the stove at the same time.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Here's my theory on the subject. To get aluminum to burn, the fire has to be extremely hot. The melting point of aluminum is about 1200ÂºF. I doubt if anyone burns there stove at this temp....at least for very long.

So let's say your planning on an "all night burn." You fill the woodstove up with large logs and turn the air controls and/or damper way down for a slow burn. You know this is a recipe for creosote production, so you throw some aluminum cans in the woodstove too, just for good measure on accounta you heard that cans will "clean" your stove. 

Next morning, the aluminum cans are still in the woodstove....it never got hot enough to oxidize the cans. The inside of the woodstove is kinda of black and shiny. So, you follow the advice of most experienced wood burners and start a very hot fire and let it roar for 30 minutes to an hour to get rid of the creosote. During this hot burn the aluminum cans also disappear! The inside of the woodstove is all clean, the black is gone. OMG, the aluminum cans cleaned my woodstove! No, I'm afraid not, the roaring hot burn cleaned your woodstove.


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## kuriakos (Oct 7, 2005)

Just don't use it in place of cleaning the flue at least once every year.


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## Rockin'B (Jan 20, 2006)

Too much fuss for me. I clean my flue with a brush once or twice a year and run a hot burn a couple times a day. 
I don't think I'll try burning aluminum. I don't know what aluminum does, but metals gasified isn't my idea of a good thing and I'm not sure it's necessary.


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## Beeman (Dec 29, 2002)

Cabin Fever said:


> Here's my theory on the subject. To get aluminum to burn, the fire has to be extremely hot. The melting point of aluminum is about 1200ÂºF. I doubt if anyone burns there stove at this temp....at least for very long.
> 
> So let's say your planning on an "all night burn." You fill the woodstove up with large logs and turn the air controls and/or damper way down for a slow burn. You know this is a recipe for creosote production, so you throw some aluminum cans in the woodstove too, just for good measure on accounta you heard that cans will "clean" your stove.
> 
> Next morning, the aluminum cans are still in the woodstove....it never got hot enough to oxidize the cans. The inside of the woodstove is kinda of black and shiny. So, you follow the advice of most experienced wood burners and start a very hot fire and let it roar for 30 minutes to an hour to get rid of the creosote. During this hot burn the aluminum cans also disappear! The inside of the woodstove is all clean, the black is gone. OMG, the aluminum cans cleaned my woodstove! No, I'm afraid not, the roaring hot burn cleaned your woodstove.



Damn science!! It ruins all of these great quick fixes. 
next thing you know you'll tell me not to put yeast in my septic.


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## Jim S. (Apr 22, 2004)

Heheheheh...might as well toss in my theory...they are worth too much at the recycler to be burned up!


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## Dobber5.0 (Apr 2, 2014)

Cabin Fever said:


> Here's my theory on the subject. To get aluminum to burn, the fire has to be extremely hot. The melting point of aluminum is about 1200ÂºF. I doubt if anyone burns there stove at this temp....at least for very long.
> 
> So let's say your planning on an "all night burn." You fill the woodstove up with large logs and turn the air controls and/or damper way down for a slow burn. You know this is a recipe for creosote production, so you throw some aluminum cans in the woodstove too, just for good measure on accounta you heard that cans will "clean" your stove.
> 
> Next morning, the aluminum cans are still in the woodstove....it never got hot enough to oxidize the cans. The inside of the woodstove is kinda of black and shiny. So, you follow the advice of most experienced wood burners and start a very hot fire and let it roar for 30 minutes to an hour to get rid of the creosote. During this hot burn the aluminum cans also disappear! The inside of the woodstove is all clean, the black is gone. OMG, the aluminum cans cleaned my woodstove! No, I'm afraid not, the roaring hot burn cleaned your woodstove.


I was looking up info on the Aluminum can thing to help with creosote. You shouldn't be so cynical and crabby. The people in this thread that suggested using the aluminum never said it magically cleans out the creosote. They said it helps keep it down and keeps it more flaky and dried out so it's easier to clean. I also tried it recently due to people suggesting it. It does seem to dry it up.
Also look stuff up before you throw facts. Yes aluminum melts over 1,200ÂºF. But you can also look up very easily that woods burns up to 1,100ÂºF and the coal bead reaches over that no problem and any good fire in the winter should have a beautiful coal bed. Haven't you ever seen a aluminum can melt quite easily over an open fire? I don't know about you, but the wood I burn in my woodstove burns better than most of the crap I throw on an open fire.

Sorry for digging up an old thread, haha, but thanks for the info!


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

It is a myth. No matter how nice or how crabby you say it, it does not work, never has never will. Burning well seasoned wood at a decent flue temperature will limit creosote buildup. 
Oxidizing aluminum is a poor way to eliminate creosote and a good way to pollute the air, your ashes and prevent recycling of an important mineral.

Next thing you'll be claiming that potato peels reduce creosote or a willow branch can find a buried pipe.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I've got a thermometer on my wood stove, even when I'm using it in the catalytic mode, I seldom see it reach 1200 degrees...


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

A good hot burn keeps ours clean. Our empty cans are worth a nickel, so we don't burn those!


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## ceresone (Oct 7, 2005)

Furnace manufacturer told me to do this yesterday


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## Wolf mom (Mar 8, 2005)

Don'cha just love it! "Cynical and crabby" and on Dobber's first post, too. 

If you knew Cabin Fever like we know Cabin Fever :sing:and his lovely wife too.


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

I have tossed back a few cans of Coors.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Bret said:


> I have tossed back a few cans of Coors.


Me too. My colonoscopy didn't detect any creosote so it must work.....:happy:


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Ya you can rack this up as a Old Wife's Tail.


> Potato peels and aluminum cans themselves don't raise the temp. The reason they supposedly "work" is because one has to burn the fire at a higher temperature to consume the potato peels or aluminum cans. *Ergo the same high temp fire with or without the cans and peelings would do the same*.


http://www.ironwoodinfo.com/news/local/091008_fire_seminar.htm


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

haypoint said:


> Me too. My colonoscopy didn't detect any creosote so it must work.....:happy:


I never want to be caught spreading inconclusive or wrong information so my R & D goes on indefinitely.


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## MommaD’s (3 mo ago)

Rockin'B said:


> I'd like to know the science behind this. Anyone?


 Manganese


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## MommaD’s (3 mo ago)

Rockin'B said:


> I'd like to know the science behind this.
> Anyone?


Manganese


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