Chimney Sweep - How often 24/7 burn

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Jay106n

Minister of Fire
Apr 1, 2015
806
Litchfield County, CT
I burn 24/7 with wood stove. Clay chimney. How often should I chimney sweep?
 
There is no right answer as it depends on how dry your wood is, the temperature you burn at, stove, and temperature of the gasses leaving the chimney.in short, it needs to be cleaned when it is dirty.
 
I agree totaly with EatenByLimestone. To many variables involved for a set rule. When burning in a new stove or new setup I would check the flue every two weeks until I had a good idea what to expect. Granted, some chimneys are harder to check than others but physicly monitoring it is really going to be the only way to get your answer.
 
A full insulated liner should also cut down on the creosote accumulation and be easier to sweep. Plus, the stove may draft much better. What model is it? Can you put it in your signature?
 
I used to burn a woodstove 24/7 during the winter and I broke mine down 3-4 times a season just to stay ahead of any buildup in my chimney. I had a metal chimney through my ceiling and up into my attic and out the roof. I disconnected my chimney above the stove and wirebrushed it from the inside through a plastic bag so as to collect the ash from getting all inside the house. There are no tried and true ways but to me safer was better than sorry.
 
I suppose you get enough moderate days down there to let the fire go out? Then you're going to have to mirror the chimney to see what going on in there to determine how often to clean.

As a general rule if you burning hot/hot with genuine seasoned wood your generating way less to almost no creosote...burning practices other than that will generate more creosote that will increase with unseasoned wood and choked down burns.
 
During the burn season I will run the brush up the pipe every two weeks as part of my stove ash clean out process . Usually very little comes out, but it only takes a few extra minutes and I feel the peace of mind it affords me is worth it. My Sedore has inside access to the pipe, so no need to climb up on the roof to sweep the pipes. Even though I may only get a couple cups of soot, the stove seems to run more efficiently and burns longer.
 
I burn 24-7 and clean my flu once a year. I've never got more than 2 cups of creosote out of a cleaning. I season my wood 3 yrs.
 
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Once you get it down and have a good supply of good wood once a season should be plenty but at first you should check more often
 
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When you burn less than fully seasoned wood - it is a good idea to sweep on a more regular basis.. I more less cut and burn, so sweeping bi-monthly is the price of admission I guess. Having a non-cat, downdraft stove affords me this luxury, if you want to call it that.
 
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