How often should I have my chimney swept for a part time burner?

[jlightning]

I just installed a jotul 350 winterport into my zero clearance fireplace this fall and have burned a cord of wood through it so far and am wondering when I should have it swept? I only burn 4-5 times a week for around 8 hours each time i fire it up. Im thinking I should have it done soon by a pro and watch what he does so that I can clean it in the future.

 

[pen]

I think you have a good plan.

Doesn't hurt a bit to be on the conservative side in terms of wood amount / time the first cleaning on a new unit. That will give you a baseline. Then from here on out based on the amount of and type of creosote you find with this cleaning, you can make better judgements down the road to decide whether or not you can go longer. In general, this cleaning should give you a good assessment of your burning habits / fuel quality.

Once you learn to do it, and the buy the equipment for a minimal investment, you'll be good to go. I vote to get it cleaned and watch how he does it. Never hurts to have a fresh set of eyes simply check out the installation either.

pen

 

[logger]

I burn 24/7 and go through 4-5 cords each winter. I think people need to clean their chimney according to how and what they burn. What works for me may not work for others, especially depending on people's wood and how its been seasoned. I also think you have the right idea by hiring a pro and watch how its done. When you do it yourself, I'd do a couple cleans, maybe every few months at first, just to see what you're working with and then decide what works for you. If I had to guess, I'd say once a year should be fine for you, but I cant be sure. For the record, once a year works perfect for me so thats what I've been doing. Best of luck.

 

[PNWBurner]

Once a year is probably about right but it sounds like you're doing a lot of cold starts just like me which leaves more creosote. If you have an easy roof to work on go buy a brush and maybe do it twice a year. It really only takes a few minutes.

 

[Wood Duck]

I think it is a good idea to have a pro do it and watch the first couple of times. You should be able to judge how much it needs cleaning based on how much crap comes out of the chimney and by asking the pro's opinion.

 

[Rhone]

I used to burn a 70's wood stove (9-10 cords/year), in a colonial in the basement and would get close 3-5 gallons of creosote each time doing it 3 times/year. Switching to a new house and new EPA unit now I get about 2-3 cups of creosote/year.

I decided why bother doing it this year I'll just do it every other. But as this season progressed more & more smoke poured into the living area whenever I opened the door so I knew something was up. I went to my chimney in the middle of winter with my gear and what I found was surprising. Take a short sleeve shirt arm hole, and turn it inside out. That's what the very top of my chimney looked like, paper thin creosote folding into my chimney probably blocking half of my exhaust. No wonder smoke poured out whenever I opened the door. So even if you don't burn much I would do it once a year. My 70's stove was pretty easy since it was just the masonry chimney I just had to clean it. When I got my new EPA unit, I had a chimney sweep do it the first time so I could learn what I had to do with the insert. I found out the area above the baffle is just a piece of insulation (above the tubes) as when they pulled it out, I must've had a split with a branch that I poked through it as my insulation was smashed up. Just pay attention to removing the baffle, the top above the tubes is typically not solid (I hear it is in Pacific Energy Brands) but rather a thin and delicate piece of insulation board.

 

[Creature]

Hi jlightning,

Part time burner here. Probably 7-10 cold starts a week right now. I just swept my chinmey last weekend, here is my post: https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/90381/.

Hard to say if you need a sweep without a visual inspection, since fuel quality/type, burning practice, climate, etc all play a factor here. Rods and a brush typically cost less than a visit from the sweep, so I'd call one in and learn, then do it yourself next time around.

 

[jlightning]

Thanks for the great info!