I have a full length covered porch on my place. I put a ladder on that and do my maintenance. It's pretty easty with the porch....without it...dunno...you'd have to have a long ladder and from experience....that sucks.
How'd you get up there?
- Thread starter Bugboy
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KeithO
Minister of Fire
fossil said:
Rick, I did just the opposite of what I suggested yesterday when I cleaned my chimney (lifted it), but that was because I did not install a telescopic double wall in the house. My chimney is high enough that it has to be stayed and I have fixed stays which will allow slight movement (a few inches). I will never make that mistake again.... I don't know aout you, but the last thing I want to be doing high on a steep roof is wrestling with a big section of chimney. Now on the inside of the house, the end of the chimney will not be that high, and lowering it is much easier. Tie a bag around the open end in the house to catch the soot, remove the cap or last section of chimney and the job will be manageable.
After what I did yesterday, I realized that most of the work is cleaning the chimney cap, and very little is cleaning the pipe. In a different (colder) climate the chimney may need more scrubbing from deposits. I would certainly not dream of getting up on that contraption mid winter with snow and ice on the roof.
Yeah, Keith, everybody's configuration (and challenge therefrom) is a bit unique. During the summer, I don't mind doing my shop stove chimney as I've shown. During wintertime, I wouldn't even consider it...snow/ice on a tile roof at 7/12 pitch is not something I'm about to take on. The chimney on my house is very similar, albeit a bit higher off the ground, it's actually shorter because it's closer to the ridge. Even so, I'll only work on that in summer weather. I'd like to do all my cleaning without disassembling stovepipe, beyond removing the top section of chimney. Time will tell whether or not that works out in my situation. Sounds like you've got yours figured out pretty good. Chimney cap, yes indeed. I tried a wire brush & was frustrated. I used a bucket of carwash soap and a pad of #0000 steel wool and was delighted. Rick
savageactor7
Minister of Fire
Well I hope Bugboy is OK, he never did report back and after seeing him in that pic...I dunno!
I am most curious about his earth home. Years ago in Mother Earth magazine I read of this engineered homes that were built into a side a a well drained berm so you were only heating from a starting temp of 55*...I guess the earth/gravel combo doesn't get below 55* so if it's 0* outside...the house is only 55* so considerable energy is saved heating only the difference from 55* to 75*. The home are also cooler in the summer because they are aligned so the few windows in front only capture the winter sun.
I am most curious about his earth home. Years ago in Mother Earth magazine I read of this engineered homes that were built into a side a a well drained berm so you were only heating from a starting temp of 55*...I guess the earth/gravel combo doesn't get below 55* so if it's 0* outside...the house is only 55* so considerable energy is saved heating only the difference from 55* to 75*. The home are also cooler in the summer because they are aligned so the few windows in front only capture the winter sun.
IT IS AAALLLIIIIVVVVEEE
!
We got it done using the rig as pictured. Sure, it wasn't real safe, but it was kinda fun.
We're going to take the horizontal piece off now that installation is over and I'll just use the ladder cargo strapped to the bucket for cap removal.
You think that one picture is scary,,,,, you should have seen us both up the ladder, leaning off to the side.
To hell with life insurance, the wife would just spend it on food or utilities or some crap.
Actually, the one in the picture is my brother and he is a 25+ year veteran of the fire department and has extensive training in aerial rescue. We came up with this contraption together and it worked pretty well.
I don't have any pics of the front of the house, but is basically a rectangular ranch with the north, east and west sides dug in to the hill. The south exposure (other than the 2 car garage) is mostly windows. Passive solar out the yah-ha in the winter. It can be in the teens outside, 68 deg. in the heated part and it will be 80+ on the unheated (glassed) front porch.
!We got it done using the rig as pictured. Sure, it wasn't real safe, but it was kinda fun.
We're going to take the horizontal piece off now that installation is over and I'll just use the ladder cargo strapped to the bucket for cap removal.
You think that one picture is scary,,,,, you should have seen us both up the ladder, leaning off to the side.
To hell with life insurance, the wife would just spend it on food or utilities or some crap.
Actually, the one in the picture is my brother and he is a 25+ year veteran of the fire department and has extensive training in aerial rescue. We came up with this contraption together and it worked pretty well.
I don't have any pics of the front of the house, but is basically a rectangular ranch with the north, east and west sides dug in to the hill. The south exposure (other than the 2 car garage) is mostly windows. Passive solar out the yah-ha in the winter. It can be in the teens outside, 68 deg. in the heated part and it will be 80+ on the unheated (glassed) front porch.
Here it is year later and I'm still alive. I did my cleaning from the inside and it was way easy. We only had to use the "death-trap" for installation.
I went through about 3 - 3.5 cords of elm, hackberry, mulberry mix last winter and boy does that 30NC put out some heat!. Not much crap in the chimney.
I bought an old homebuilt splitter and overhauled it and now I have about 8 - 9 cords that I finished cutting, splitting and stacking in March of 2009. I should be good to go for this winter.
I went through about 3 - 3.5 cords of elm, hackberry, mulberry mix last winter and boy does that 30NC put out some heat!. Not much crap in the chimney.
I bought an old homebuilt splitter and overhauled it and now I have about 8 - 9 cords that I finished cutting, splitting and stacking in March of 2009. I should be good to go for this winter.
savageactor7
Minister of Fire
jdinspector
Feeling the Heat
rowerwet
Minister of Fire
that picture of your set up looked kind of like one of the pictures in the "safety awards" powerpoint email someone sent me, only it was a 38' ladder mounted onto a dump truck with 2X4s to change street lights. SCARY!
SolarAndWood
Minister of Fire
Our chimney on a 12/12 out near the eve went up one section at a time from inside. Seeing that big of an expense in 8" triple wall swing around while you are getting the next section under it is unnerving. There was 12 feet plus the cap on it above the roof when we put the last section in. A third guy out on the roof steadying the pipe would have been prudent.
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