- of woodstoves and chimneys The scourge of newer, more efficient wood heating stoves is the pesky accumulation of creosote in the stove pipe or • chimney flue. Balky, smoking stoves or chimney fires are the result of inattention to this common problem. This discussion of chimneys assumes the reader has th~ intelligerice not to use •single wall pipe as chimney material. January 1978 RAIN Page 9 Tpe stove or flue pipe which .connects y.our stove to the chimney should be clean and free from debris. A hand-hel,d wire brush will usually handle this j-ob. During the heating season it is possible to check for creosote build-ups .by tapping the side of the stove pipe. A light, thin metallic sound indicates the pipe is clean. A dull "thunk" indicates there is some creosote or debris in the pipe. ' All chimneys should be examined and preferably swept once a year: There is no substitute for a close visual examination of the top of the chimney. Creosote accumulates first at the top of most chimneys and is easily visible. Loose bricks and soft mortar should be removed and replaced to maintain a safe chimney. Loose soot or objects can be dislodg~d by lowering a weighted burlap bag attached to a rope. Effective creosote removal usually must be done with a chimney brush (available at most wood stove dealers). Additional help and information can be found with most stove dealers or local fire -departments. Stove retailers who stock chimney cleaning equipment 'will usually have instructional material for the do-it-yourselfer. C FORESTS ) Reforestation in Arid Lands, Fred Weber, 1977, $6.50 plus postage from: VITA 3706 Rhode Island Ave. Mt. Rainier, MD 20822 A joint Peace Corps/Vita publication pulling together the Peace Corps practical experience and VITA's technical expertise. Based on West Africa projects, but most sections of the manual are valuable elsewhere. Covers land use choices, understanding soil and water characteristics, choosing species, nursery management, site preparation and planting, uses and prevention or fire, sand stabilization and a gµide to useful native species for this particular region. -TB . Chimney brushes (shown above) are effective cleaning tools. The modest.($10 to $35) cost enables every homeowner to have his own set. They:r~ available from S/A Imports Division, 700 East Water St., Suite 730, Syracuse, NY 13210. Leucaena, National Academy of Sciences, 1977, free to institutionally affiliated recipie_nts in government, education or research (if you 're not, fake it-what a_bsurd discrimination!) from: Commission on International Relations (J H215) . National Academy of Sciences 2101 Constitution Avenue Washington, DC 20418 otherwise, $6 from: National Technical Information Service Springfield, VA 22161 (Accessi_on No. PB 268-124) New release in the NAS series that includes Under~xploited Tropi(!al Plants and Making Aquatic Weeds Useful. One of the -few really commendable AID projects! I really like the reports we've seen from this series-solid, thorough, clear and mind-blowing in their implications. This one surveys a tropical tree Bill Day family that is legumenous, whose leaves rival manure in nitrogen content and fertilizer value, whose wood has uncommonly high density _and caloric va\ue as a fuel, which coppices, and which provides excellent forage for rm;ninant·animals. - TB Locating, Cutting and Gathering Wood (G2873), Wood as Fuel (G2874), Wood Burner & Chimneys (G2875), and • Heating Water (G2876), by University of Wisconsin-Extension, available to Wisconsin residents from county extension agent, out-of-state purchasers should check on availability and price from: Agricultural Bulletin Bldg. 1535 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706 If you'.re in Wisconsin , y ou're very fortunate, as these are excellent primers on various aspects of wood heating. We'd like to hear about similar pamphlets from other states. - LJ
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