First year burning. How often to clean?

Looks like it was already on fire. See the heat coloration on the SS?

I guess with that short of a chimney the cap would be pretty hot. If you get it that hot its probably pretty clean down through.

shortys7777 said:

I'm going to clean it right after Christmas to see what I get. Can't hurt. Thanks bholler I was hoping you would chime in. I'll keep an eye on it often.

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I clean twice a year.. once mid season and once at the end of the season. Mid season will be like the 2nd week of january and i will have burned anywhere from 1.5 to 2 cords. I burn pretty clean.. good quality wood eather burning hot or in cat mode

once a year, hardly any buildup in either chimney.

Woodsplitter67 said:

I clean twice a year.. once mid season and once at the end of the season. Mid season will be like the 2nd week of january and i will have burned anywhere from 1.5 to 2 cords. I burn pretty clean.. good quality wood eather burning hot or in cat mode

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Same here...the mid-season cleaning is never needed but I do it anyway for peace of mind..

In winter, if it’s safe and no moisture on roof, I’ll check the liner for buildup a few times per burning season and use sooteater as needed. Usually once per year for the sweeping.

I purchased a house 2 months ago so I have been using mix of dry and wet wood. Mostly in the 25-30% range. Some higher. Some good pieces in the 15-18 range but not much. Mix of soft and hard wood. I burn hot except for when I leave the house or go to bed. Just cleaned and got less than a 1/10 cup of black. Single wall pipe (I think) between 12'-14' high. Cap was very dirty but otherwise not as bad as I thought. My cap is almost completely black.

My Regency i2400 from my other house has the same discoloration as yours but on a 30' pipe insulated. Installed 10 months ago. If I go on the roof tomorrow I will take a picture of both for you.

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bholler said:

I was once every 2 years at my last house. Only been here one heating season this will be second. It is a much shorter chimney and needed it after last year. With the blazeking I am running this year I will have to clean at least twice.

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To my way of thinking shouldnt a shorter chimney need less cleaning? and have less build up? This has proven to be the case for me...

The majority of creosote is formed in the spring and fall when the stove is not running hard and the air is cranked down.

I guess my question is, will Santa be using this sooteater before he goes down the chimney? Ho Ho Ho.

Tar12 said:

To my way of thinking shouldnt a shorter chimney need less cleaning? and have less build up? This has proven to be the case for me...

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I dont think so.. i think it has alot to do with burning technique as well as quality wood. I think someone with my stove and chimney could cause alot of buildup by .. thinking the cats engaged when it's not and also not burning as hot.

bholler said:

Taller chimney means stronger draft so more velocity through the stack

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As Woodsplitter67 said it must be about technique for me as well then as I dont go for super long slow burns in my stove and I never have to clean glass and get very little when I clean the 13 ft. of pipe....I am sure that extra dry wood helps....

Im doing overnight burns every night.. glass is dirty every morning.. every morning i run the stove around 600 and clean it up.. stove pipe is clean.. I'm sitting in my chair and i can hear my cat running.. sound like a mini jet engine in there.. its a nice clean burn..

I clean once a year, every spring. I never get more than a coffee can worth of dry ash. I also burn hot, with dry seasoned wood.

peakbagger said:

The majority of creosote is formed in the spring and fall when the stove is not running hard and the air is cranked down.

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Interesting comment.

That would seem to suggest that cleaning in, say, November and June, at the end of the shoulder seasons, would be better than cleaning in January and June.

the first year we had our stove i cleaned it once a month, our set up made it easy to do from the ground, i knew my wood wasn't the best like most people who just start burning, and the 5-10 minutes it took to brush it gave a lot of piece of mind, now that we're 3 years ahead on wood i hit it with the brush once in january and usually once in june

I try to sweep once a month . . . and I generally suggest that folks new to burning or with a new stove might at least inspect it monthly.

I'll admit, I could get by with doing an annual or bi-annual sweep, but a) sweeping from the ground is wicked fast and easy for me, b) I've got into the habit of doing this monthly and c) I do it monthly due to my job and not wanting to be "that guy" who has to make the 911 call for a chimney fire at 1 a.m.