PE Summit - Baffle Gasket Install/Cleaned Chimney from bottom up..

Just got back from a FL. Vacation with the family. Promised myself to install a new Baffle Gasket on the PE Summit and clean the chimney when I returned home.

Background:

I have a oval liner (direct connect) connected to a round SS/Flex Liner. The direct connect goes thru the flue frame and has a block-off plate. While on vacation, I decided to order this http://www.northlineexpress.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=5RU-PB-6P50.

Thanks BrotherBart and High_Iron for the heads up..

I also have a very high roof and the actual chimney extends about 10 feet off the base of the roof. Its like climbing two roofs. Decided to clean the chimney from the inside. Bottom up..

Baffle Gasket/Cleaning:

Disconnected the pipe from the top of the stove and pulled the PE Summit out. Followed the instructions on how to remove the baffle from the firebox by reading the manual and looking at HogWildz thread as well..

Thanks HogWildz

With the baffle removed, I noticed where the gasket resides. Couldn't really tell because most of the old gasket was completly gone. Cleaned up the baffle, installed the new gasket and re-installed the baffle. Next, Chimney cleaning time.. At first, I thought the Chimney Rods where too long, but they where actually flexible enough to go inside the pipe. Connected about 12 feet of rods with the bush at the tip and turned on the shop vac to gather any dust that tried to go into the room. Worked the brush up the chimney going back and forth as I worked my way up, connecting rods as I go.

Chimney Cleaning and Baffle Gasket install - Completed...

How much dust/creosote did you get out and how long since last cleaning? I am curious because I have so little build up that all I really need is a look see. Has anyone switched from chimney sweeping to just taking a look every now and then?

At my end of season cleaning last spring they got less than a half cup of dust. The guy went so far as to tell me he even felt guilty for charging me for the cleaning. I had it done in January of '08 and this was in May, so that represented four months of burning.

But I am still a rank amateur burner and it is worth it to me to know how I am doing.
Burning down the house because I was trying to avoid a $75 cleaning fee would be silly.

They don't pull mine to clean, though.
They just remove the baffle and go up from inside the stove- pulling that thing in and out looks terribly labor intensive.

I installed the SS Full Liner last year, so this would be my first cleaning. I would say around 3 cups of chimney crumbs fell out of the liner during cleaning. For me to take a peak, I would have to either pull the stove out or get on the roof. If your going to peak, it wouldn't hurt to clean it regardless.

Think I will try leaving the stove in next time, but it was too bad moving it. The chimney cleaning rods are pretty flexible and the baffle came out with no problems. The back of the baffle sits on top of a smoke hole (gasket goes around this hole). I would place a rag over or inside the hole to prevent chimney crumbs from falling in during cleaning..

Unless you fully line that, your going to have to keep pulling her out each cleaning. YOu wont be able to get the crap that falls around the outside of the liner and onto the smoke shelf etc.
I did my cleaning this past weekend. Made a baffle gasket out of small diameter rope gasket and shes burning now. Got about 2 hand fulls of ash soot out. I'll start a new thread so as not to stomp on yours here.

The Summit is fully lined and is currently in Secondary Burn Mode. Pulling the stove out each time to clean the full liner isn't bad compared to going outside on the highest roof known to man. I'm thinking since the chimney rods were flexible to clean the chimney with the stove pulled out, they should be flexible enough to clean with the stove still in...