Results of Chimney Cleaning

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Mitch Newton

Mitch Newton

Burning Hunk
Apr 4, 2012
174
Beavercreek, Ohio
I got the chimney cleaned and the sweep showed me were there was was more soot about 1 foot up the stove pipe than at the top of the liner. The stainless steel liner is about 25' tall, insulated, and located inside a masonry chimney on the interior of the house. I thought most of the soot would be at the top of the liner where it's cooler. Any thoughts?
 
Is this just before an elbow?
 
Did the sweep give you any thoughts on why he found more there than at the top? Seems odd but there must be an explanation
 
My Oslo heats my home said:
Did the sweep give you any thoughts on why he found more there than at the top? Seems odd but there must be an explanation
Click to expand...

He just said that he sometimes he finds it at the top and sometimes it's more at the bottom.
 
I can understand an air leak or an uninsulated section affecting the pipe and producing results like yours. Just seems a little weird
 
My Oslo heats my home said:
I can understand an air leak or an uninsulated section affecting the pipe and producing results like yours. Just seems a little weird
Click to expand...

Yes it does seem odd since that is the hottest part of the flue system. The stove pipe all fits together very tight so I don't think it's an air leak. I monitored this area with the infrared thermometer constantly and it was usually in 400-550' range. The sweep did say to keep burning the way I am since there was less than a half gallon of soot after burning 6 cords. The top of the flue was not very dirty at all.
 
Our last cleaning found more accumulation by the elbows. Not sure why. Maybe the smoke slows down and cools more rapidly at that point. FWIW, the exterior temp of the pipe is hottest there, perhaps indicating the most rapid cooling of flue gases at that point.
 
New question to the same subject. How does the sweep know what section of pipe different kinds of soot comes from? My guy has his vacuum hose in the pipe where the thimble is. He will open his vac and show me he collected and how much but we have no idea what parts of the pipe it came from.
 
The sweep did not disassemble the stove pipe. He sent the sooteater in thru the stove after pulling the baffle forward. He only put the sooteater in about two feet and pulled it out and a lot of soot fell into the firebox. Then he sent it on up and did not get very much soot. The vacuum hose was just laying in the fire box to get dust. He said that he doesn't disassemble anything cause bolts/screws have a tendency to break. I am going to drop the baffle and insulation blanket to make sure it got cleaned and to inspect it.
 
OK, I see what happened here. None of your single wall pipes were removed, they were cleaned in place. Something we do different, I take my single wall pipe apart myself and lay it on the front lawn for the sweep to clean. I clean the upper section of the stove myself too. It's just one of those things I'd rather do myself, knowing how they came apart and how they should go back. I have had sweeps in the past take it all apart and then screw new holes with the self tappers and totally disregard the original holes.
But still, I have no idea why your single wall would hold so much soot, that should be some of the hottest pipe sections in the run. Maybe the flues draft was catching some cool air through a gap in the sections?
 
I think that's a good idea. I'll take apart the stove pipe and have him clean it separately from now on.
 
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