Creosote Sweeping Log-Opinions

[Adkjake]

Would appreciate veteran forum members thoughts and opinions on this product.

Do they work?
Are the worth the $12 bucks?
Don't work as advertised?
Save the money for a chimney sweep
Are their other better products?

Thanks

 

[Badfish740]

Would appreciate veteran forum members thoughts and opinions on this product.

Do they work?
Are the worth the $12 bucks?
Don't work as advertised?
Save the money for a chimney sweep
Are their other better products?

Thanks

Never used one, but I would guess that a chimney brush and rods are a much better investment. I'm very happy with mine.

 

[Adkjake]

Understand, but probably won't be able to go that route until spring. Just moved in to a new chalet style house, very steep roof, snow covered for the next few months. Seller had the house for 2 years, only used the wood stove occasionaly, and did not do a chimney clean in those two years.

 

[woodracerx]

Would appreciate veteran forum members thoughts and opinions on this product.

Do they work?
Are the worth the $12 bucks?
Don't work as advertised?
Save the money for a chimney sweep
Are their other better products?

Thanks

If it was me I would have a sweep come in and take a look. Just to be on the safe side.I have never used those products but I have see test data that suggests they dont do much if anything at all

 

[mainemac]

Dear Mt Marcy Mt Dix

I do not know but I used one this winter.

My buddy swears by it; he
notes a lot less creosete and easier to brush off come spring.


Ideally you would not need this at all: you could climb up and sweep mid winter
but as you pointed out sometimes ice snow etc keep humans off roofs for a few months.
I agree with your trepidation about venturing out on the roof in the winter.
Having seen one traumatic brain injury from a 70 year old sweeping snow off roof, this is
one injury you do NOT want.


Tom

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I just bought SootEater. Several people use it on here and claim it is pretty slick. You can do a bottom up cleaning using a drill to spin it like a weed eater. This would avoid going on the roof.

 

[doug60]

Just go buy a box of TSP from Lowe's Or Home depot.
Its the active ingredient in the chimney sweep logs.
A paint can cap full a week will do it.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Chimney fires are effective and free

 

[Adkjake]

I'm liking the other suggestions better than yours

 

[fossil]

I'm liking the other suggestions better than yours

It's OK, that happens all the time. :lol: Rick

 

[iskiatomic]

Chimney fires are effective and free

Big Redd usually has the answers to all the tricky questions. Again, he pulls through!



KC

 

[73blazer]

From what I've read, they help the sweeping process, help keeps the creosote flaky and easier to brush out, but certainly not a substitute for sweeping.

Moving into a new home, if it were me, I'd want to know the chimney is in good shape before I ever used it, I would pay the ~$100 and get a sweep over to sweep it and give you an idea if your setup is in decent shape.

Some peoples idea of "used occasionally" is burning every other week, or Friday night to monday morning...it may not just be a few casual ambiance nights....it all depends what their own frame of reference is, if they grew up a hard core wood burner, "didn't use it very much" means about 50% of the time there's a need for heat.

 

[urkiddin]

all i do with the wood stove at my cottage is get the fire good and hot and toss the empty beer cans in it.seems to work.

 

[rustynut]

this one is for doug60...... What is TSP ? sounds like a liquid ? and how do you apply it ?
thanks
rn

 

[73blazer]

TSP = Trisodium phosphate. It's a powder you usually mix with water. Alot of people won't tell you this, but it's great at cleaning alot of things, like those ground in stains in concrete, or creosote from a chimney.

 

[firefighterjake]

Never used one . . . probably never will. Burn at the proper temps (i.e. hot) and burn seasoned wood and you should be able to minimize creosote without having to resort to the magic anti-creosote stick . . . and for what it's worth, I would spend the money on hiring a professional, credentialed sweep to clean and inspect the chimney if I had just moved into a home and planned to use the existing chimney . . . sure it's an expense . . . but far less than the premium on an insurance claim.