SootEater for a Stainless Steel Flex Liner

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Fivehorizons88

Fivehorizons88

Member
Aug 20, 2014
128
Eden, NY
Hi All,

I want to save some money and start cleaning my own chimney. I have a stainless steel Flex liner and was wondering if anyone has used the Gardus Sooteater on their flex liner? Is it safe to use or will it damage my liner?

Any advice is appreciated! Thank you!
 
I've read numerous threads on the sooteater and I don't remember a single one claiming damage to anybody's liner. Most users really like the sooteater.

Here is my take on the soot eater: It does a great job at for an excellent price. My complaint is I find clicking and un clicking the rods to be very difficult when feeding them up and pulling them back out from my clean out "T". I have a bad back and the awkward position kills me. I found pulling a cable/brush settup MUCH faster and easier. The other complaint I have is the mess it makes out of my drill. It gets covered in black soot and takes forever to clean.

But the idea of doing a "bottom-up" cleaning is so appealing I keep using it.
 
Last edited:
I use the Sooteater to clean my 8" oval stainless liner. I have zero complaints with it.
 
Love the sooteater. 5 minutes and done.
 
Five minutes might be a stretch since there is a lot more to cleaning your flue than just running a sooteater up or down the chimney. I have one and use it from the top down since I have easy access to the top of the chimney and it is easier for me to clean from that direction. Bottom up cleaning works well for a lot of folks, but you often still have to climb up on the roof to inspect and clean the rain cap since that is typically the dirtiest part of the system and can get clogged up quickest. I take my cap off to gain access to the flue and carry the cap down to the ground to give it a good cleaning with a wire brush.

Once the flue is clean you still need to clean the soot/creosote from the inside of your stove. Even if you run the sooteater up from the bottom you are likely to have some of the debris find its way into the top of the stove above the baffle. Cat stoves have the cat area to be dealt with, as well. Having said all that, and getting back to your original question regarding damage to a ss flex liner, don't worry. As long as you use common sense and a soft touch you aren't likely to damage things.
 
Nick Mystic said:
Five minutes might be a stretch since there is a lot more to cleaning your flue than just running a sooteater up or down the chimney. I have one and use it from the top down since I have easy access to the top of the chimney and it is easier for me to clean from that direction. Bottom up cleaning works well for a lot of folks, but you often still have to climb up on the roof to inspect and clean the rain cap since that is typically the dirtiest part of the system and can get clogged up quickest. I take my cap off to gain access to the flue and carry the cap down to the ground to give it a good cleaning with a wire brush.

Once the flue is clean you still need to clean the soot/creosote from the inside of your stove. Even if you run the sooteater up from the bottom you are likely to have some of the debris find its way into the top of the stove above the baffle. Cat stoves have the cat area to be dealt with, as well. Having said all that, and getting back to your original question regarding damage to a ss flex liner, don't worry. As long as you use common sense and a soft touch you aren't likely to damage things.
Click to expand...

Hey Nick,

Thank you for your advice/suggestions!
 
I'm in the same boat. My sooteater just arrived and I have an old school 10"x10" clay tile flue I'm going to clean with it first, then cut it down to run up my 6" flex liner connected to my stove. Hopefully I'll get a chance to do it this weekend and I'll report back once I do. Based on what others have reported and the manufacturers own instructions, I doubt there will be any issues with damage.
 
iluvjazznjava said:
I'm in the same boat. My sooteater just arrived and I have an old school 10"x10" clay tile flue I'm going to clean with it first, then cut it down to run up my 6" flex liner connected to my stove. Hopefully I'll get a chance to do it this weekend and I'll report back once I do. Based on what others have reported and the manufacturers own instructions, I doubt there will be any issues with damage.
Click to expand...


You don't have to cut the cords on the Sooteater for the round liner.
 
claydogg84 said:
You don't have to cut the cords on the Sooteater for the round liner.
Click to expand...

Really? Is that based on your real-life experience with one? The instructions include a nice little chart with a ruler for cutting the cords down to the proper length for your flue size. In stock form, I don't even know if I could get the spinning head piece into my liner with cords that long, so I think I will err on the side of trimming them down. The cords are replaceable if need be.
 
iluvjazznjava said:
Really? Is that based on your real-life experience with one? The instructions include a nice little chart with a ruler for cutting the cords down to the proper length for your flue size. In stock form, I don't even know if I could get the spinning head piece into my liner with cords that long, so I think I will err on the side of trimming them down. The cords are replaceable if need be.
Click to expand...

I did my 8x11 tile chimney liner as it came and have done my 8" oval liner with the same head.
 
iluvjazznjava said:
Really? Is that based on your real-life experience with one? The instructions include a nice little chart with a ruler for cutting the cords down to the proper length for your flue size. In stock form, I don't even know if I could get the spinning head piece into my liner with cords that long, so I think I will err on the side of trimming them down. The cords are replaceable if need be.
Click to expand...
I didn't cut mine for a 6 inch round pipe works great.
 
Didn't cut mine for my liner. 6inch liner.
 
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