To sweep your own, do you have to remove baffle? (this is a Lopi insert)

[tickbitty]

My husband got the insert and (insulated) liner swept. It was expensive, a little over $200, but it had been almost a year so we needed it. I told him to pay attention so we could get some rods and brushes and do it ourselves more frequently.

He's pretty aware of how to get the cap off and stuff since he already cleaned that off some prior to the sweep coming, and took a pic down the uncleaned liner. He had no idea how much creosote came out of the 16' liner, since the sweep had a vac working in there the whole time as he cleaned from the top.

But the sweep took apart and reassembled the whole baffle. Do those of you who clean do this too? I was kind of wondering if it was necessary and sort of hoped that I could just open the bypass damper and let it all fall in that way, but I suppose that would inevitably end up with a bunch of creosote up there on top of the baffle to some extent. I imagine taking it out's not rocket science but I just wondered if all you guys have to do that as well.

Maybe it's different because our stove is an insert?

 

[begreen]

With the bypass open most of the soot should just fall into the back of the stove. But I would at least pop out the rear baffle brick to get clean out crud that didn't make it down the hole so that it doesn't bind the bypass later on.

 

[bpm44]

I recently cleaned my LOPI Revere insert (new stove, new to us house - used to have a Lopi Patriot and an Englander 28-3500 at the old house) and I cleaned with the bypass damper open and then took the front two air tubes and the baffle bricks out to see how much did or didn't make it through doing it that way. There was a surprising amount that needed to be cleaned out once I removed them - it had sort of built up a ring or ridge of soot that would have definitely hampered smoke flow out the stove and into the liner. It wasn't hard to remove the tubes and baffle bricks, just tedious since it was the first time for this insert.

 

[budman]

I just open the bypass and sweep and after done take the shop vac and put
the end of hose up in the bypass hole and angle it some to clean the top of baffle plate.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Removing my baffle boards takes about 3 minutes. I close the door, sweep, and am left with a small pile of creosote in the stove when done.

I don't have a cat stove

 

[Cate68]

I recently cleaned my LOPI Revere insert (new stove, new to us house - used to have a Lopi Patriot and an Englander 28-3500 at the old house) and I cleaned with the bypass damper open and then took the front two air tubes and the baffle bricks out to see how much did or didn't make it through doing it that way. There was a surprising amount that needed to be cleaned out once I removed them - it had sort of built up a ring or ridge of soot that would have definitely hampered smoke flow out the stove and into the liner. It wasn't hard to remove the tubes and baffle bricks, just tedious since it was the first time for this insert.

How long did you burn before doing this first cleaning? I'm debating on whether or not to do a mid-season cleaning mostly because I don't think my sweep works during the winter. I've been burning since November with dry wood, most under 10% MC and the cap, inspected with binoculars, is clean with no obstructions.

 

[basswidow]

My baffle board sits a top of my air tubes. Above that are fire bricks. It's simple to remove and it allows me to use a mirrow and flash light to shine up the flue to inspect. I would be disappointed in a sweep if he didn't remove the baffle and give it a good once over. Removing the baffle allows all the knocked out crud to land in a pile in the bottom of the firebox. Plus - if they are sweeping from the top down, they don't want to damage the baffle once the brushes make it to the firebox.

I've removed mine a few times now. Easy to do and gives me a reassurance that my flue looks good. I like to see bright metal all the way up to the cap!

I am in the same boat. I want to get my own brushes to save $ and do my own sweeping and inspecting.

 

[Cal-MI]

Yes, removing a baffle is easy. But it takes two strong men to reinstall the top baffle on my Jotul insert.

 

[bpm44]

I burned for 3 months before this first cleaning and I burn 24/7. It easily could have gone longer, but my wood is seasoned 2-3 years, and I would rather clean too often than not enough. I always try to time cleaning around breaks in the weather just to make life a bit easier. I don't like being on a roof with snow, and we had a nice warm -up that melted everything so I did it then. I got about a cool-whip container of powdery creosote thru the open bypass and then about a third of a cool-whip container was up above where the bypass area is. I installed this insert in early fall and it is recessed into the fireplace opening due to the fireplace's massive stones. Next year I plan to remove it and install with a T behind the stove and bring the stove out so it sits flush and see how that works for me. I'm hoping to have more useable heat out in the room as a result too. Happy Burning!

 

[maverick06]

I have the FPX 33 (same as the lopi declaration, they are both travis stoves). The baffle isnt fun to remove and is a real pain to get back on for me. Theoretically it should be easy, but its not. I removed it last year and 3 years of use had let the plate sag a little so it wasnt perfectly straight. pain in the butt.

The first 3 years I never removed it, and just swept the chimney with the bypas open. I used a shop vac to suck on one side of it and the air compressor to blow on the other, did that after sweeping. 3 years of this and there wasnt anything on top of the baffle. I am not going to pull it again. Might get a brush to clean that area though, just to make sure i get the most heat out possible. Something like this.

http://www.efireplacestore.com/rut-137f-25.html