Cleaning of the chimney of a firewood insert

[Spikem]

This will be our second year of burning using our Quadrafire 3100.

My question is - Do we need to have the chimney cleaned out this/every year?

We don't burn 24/7. Weekdays (when my wife and I both work), we burn from about 4:30 in the afternoon until the last wood is put onto the fire at about 8:00 at night. Weekends, we burn most of the day.

So, do we need to have the chimney cleaned this/every year? I'm not looking to be cheap but if it's not necessary, I don't want to do it.

Thanks and, if this is in the wrong forum, my apologies.

 

[Wet1]

Well since you've now burned with this stove for a first season, I would recommend having it pulled, cleaned, and inspected. This way you can get an idea how everything looks after one season of burning, but also check to make sure everything is okay. Chances are there are no hidden problems, but you don't know. If it's dirty, you know you'll have to do it at least once a year, or possibly more if things look really bad (although I doubt this is the case). If everything looks good and it's not at all dirty, maybe you can go two year before having it done again. But I'd want to at least get a feel for what things look like after the first season. Better to be safe than sorry, especially when you're starting out.

 

[Gooserider]

Moving this to the hearth room as it isn't a boiler being discussed - no big deal...

As to the question, I think you will find a constant reccomendation that you should have your chimneys cleaned and inspected (or do it yourself) AT LEAST once a year... This is a good idea, even with modern stoves and inserts that don't build up as much crud as the older ones.

I would especially suggest this given that you have a new install, and you won't really know what it does in your home until you have actually cleaned and inspected everything... Remember that every setup is different.

My general reccomendation is that you should check (and clean if needed) any wood burner at least monthly when you first install it to see what it does, and then gradually spread out the intervals to a max of once a year if you find that it is burning pretty clean...

It is best to clean as soon as you feel burning season is over, in order to remove as much potentially corrosive creosote deposits as you can. In any event you should also at least do an inspection in the fall just before you start burning in order to make sure that you haven't had any issues develop (such as critters taking up residence) in the chimney during the off season...

If you are willing to, it is not terribly difficult or expensive to do your own cleaning, especially if you have a chimney with a full liner, or a pre-fab. - use the search for details on how.

Gooserider

 

[summit]

Well since you've now burned with this stove for a first season, I would recommend having it pulled, cleaned, and inspected. This way you can get an idea how everything looks after one season of burning, but also check to make sure everything is okay. Chances are there are no hidden problems, but you don't know. If it's dirty, you know you'll have to do it at least once a year, or possibly more if things look really bad (although I doubt this is the case). If everything looks good and it's not at all dirty, maybe you can go two year before having it done again. But I'd want to at least get a feel for what things look like after the first season. Better to be safe than sorry, especially when you're starting out.

i agree, you may not need it, but you will have a good idea of how you are doing if you have it done.. next year, if you follow the same burning pattern, you should be able to make a more informed call.