Cleaned the Rangeley/ chimney, a few observations

[waltdog]

Last week we had a warm afternoon so I took the chance to get up on the roof and try my hand at chimney cleaning. First thing I noticed, every screw on the external chimney brace was loose and about to come unscrewed. Not a big deal a bit of loctite and problem solved. Next thing I found was the storm collar caulking had failed after only two months. Some good exterior grade caulking had it fixed right up. After all that i finally did sweep the chimney yielding about 2/3's of a cup of creosote.

I am glad I went up to inspect, and proves to me that a periodic inspection is a good idea.

 

[pen]

You make a good reminder to everyone. It never hurts to check as things can change all the time and therefore maintenance schedules may need to change also.

I went up to clean the chimney new year's eve and was surprised to find more accumulation than normal. I guess the warm fall / early winter had me operating the stove at lower temps than normal and things added up. After last year's cleanings I was sure I wouldn't need to sweep mid-winter. I was glad I checked things out.

pen