cleaning

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  1. S

    Cleaning up my Nashua Wood Burner

    Im looking dor a manual or some guidance to clean up and best way to access duct pipe in the rear. I'd like to clean up any creosote and dirt from these areas and possibly recoat outside. Pictures are attached.
  2. G

    Flue and Chimney cleaning

    New to wood stoves and Hearth. Had my chimney cleaned (Napoleon S9 with flue and chimney) a couple weeks ago. Now I am hearing a lot of what I assume is creosote falling in the flue when I light a fire. I was nervous about safety because I bought this house a year ago and don’t know the...
  3. D

    Vermont Castings Reliant cleaning question

    I cleaned my chimney today for the first time since I installed my used VC Reliant (with a top draft). When I went to clean out the stove, I wasn't sure if I was actually getting all of the soot and creosote or it if was going back behind a steel (or probably cast iron) plate that has a row of...
  4. K

    Cleaning a KP130

    I bought a KP130 after having issues with a Ashley(VG)5790 for 4 years. There where areas not mentioned or diagramsed that needed cleaning to maintain proper airflow to prevent pellets from overflowing on my old stove. Turns out after all the reading, calling and parts replacing... the feed...
  5. F

    Wire brush on metal chimney -- how bad to use once more?

    We moved into a house with a woodstove three years ago. We've had a chimney sweep come twice, and I'd like to try taking that on myself this year. The chimney is metal (shown in photos), and I've read here that a wire brush isn't recommended for metal chimneys (and that a SootEater is). But I'm...
  6. J

    Raccoons!! -How to clean Smoke Shelf of Heatform Fireplace

    We purchased a house a few years ago that has what I believe is a Superior Heatform fireplace in the basement. Not long after moving in we noticed a nasty smell coming from it. We called a chimney sweep and after some camera work we discovered that there were dead raccoons on the smoke shelf...
  7. C

    Cleaning/brushing inside of stove

    Hi all, how often does everyone clean/brush out the inside of their wood stove to remove soot? I don’t know if I’m doing something wrong but I get a thin layer of black soot built up rather quick. I clean out some ash everyday but leave a bit in the bottom, but not sure how often I should be...
  8. S

    How to clean grate and ash tray every day, while also keeping the house warm?

    Hi all! I love our pellet stove. But I really don't understand to clean the grate and ash tray every day AND keep the house warm. How long is it supposed to take for the stove to cool completely? I have left the stove off for FOUR HOURS, and there are STILL tons of embers to deal with when I...
  9. J

    A Couple Tips I Discovered...

    Let me start by saying if these tips are common knowledge, I apologize for wasting your time. TIP #1: The next time you clean or replace your combustion blower fan blade spray a coating of Teflon dry lubricant on it. It will stick well through many cleanings and can easily handle the heat and...
  10. hearthtools

    A little video I did on annual service on a meridian by Enviro

  11. N

    Englander 10-CPM not producing much heat

    I have had an Englander 10-CPM for more than 6 years and generally have been very happy with it. Recently, though, the HEAT being produces has dropped significantly. The volume of air blowing out remains strong, just not anywhere near as warm as it has been in the previous years. Am using the...
  12. B

    Soot on top of stove

    Hello! I recently cleaned my wood stove pipe and there was a dusting of soot on the top of the stove after. Is this cause for concern? If I had collected it, I'm guessing about one or two teaspoons worth was present. Thanks!
  13. H

    Regency Hampton HI300 flue baffle removal

    Hello, First post here. I have a Regency Hampton HI300 wood insert. The previous owner of my home had it installed, so I don't have a ton of history with it. My chimey has clay liners (3), and the center liner has a flexible steel pipe in it which is connected to the insert below. I cleaned the...
  14. S

    Fire Place Cleaning - Smoke Shelf and Chamber Cleaning

    So I am cleaning my fireplace myself for the first time. I flue itself was not terrible dirty, but I can smell it in parts of the house on a warm day. Next I want to focus on the smoke chamber and smoke shelf. It looks fairly dirty in there and I wanted to see what most people use for cleaning...
  15. tmsjava

    Special gloves and other needs

    I assume you can open the hopper to pour more pellets in while the stove is running (we've only run it a couple of times since we got it). In that case, we'll need "heat resistant" gloves, right? Any special kind to touch the hopper while it's hot? (I can't use a regular kitchen oven mitt...
  16. W

    Checklist for wood stove off season cleaning and prep?

    Hey everyone - new member here. I was curious to hear what everyone does at the end of the heating season to clean and prepare their wood stoves. Mine has a catalytic combustor as well. I searched for other threads on here and didn't find anything too exhaustive or recent on this topic. What...
  17. S

    Secondary burn issue. Resolute II

    When damper is down smoke comes in house. Is there a way to vacuum out secondary burn area w/out taking off the backplate
  18. G

    Cleaning brick fireplace with muriatic acid

    My brick fireplace has some water damage and is generally dirty from 50 years of use. I grabbed some muriatic acid but there doesn't seem to be any good tutorial videos. Does anyone have any experience or found a tutorial that was helpful?
  19. R

    Firelogs vs. wood fires

    Every time I get my fireplace cleaned, they say the same thing. That “real wood” is better than the firelogs. That real wood leaves less creosote that needs to be cleaned from the flue. But I cannot see how that makes any sense. When I use firelogs, I will use 2, maybe 3. When I use real wood...
  20. M

    QuadraFire Classic Bay 1200 troubleshooting

    So I just had a brand new stove installed a few days ago. They put 1 bag of pellets in it to make sure it worked. I'm supposed to pull the fire pot cleaning rod daily. (As a first time stove owner I didn't really know how far it was supposed to pull out.) I've been doing it but today I decide to...
  21. VirginiaIron

    What have you done to your stove/chimney today?

    I checked the top of the stove for straightness and cleaned out the firebox and gave my stove a thorough inspection from the outside while checking seams and welds. From the inside via the firebox and the throat, I checked welds, looked for corrosion, and assessed the condition of the baffle. I...
  22. D

    HELP- Rika integra II insert fan noise

    hello all, I have a Rika Integra 2 insert, and the fan noise is becoming unbearable! It it loud. It rattles. It vibrates. It keeps us up at night. All things I would like to rectify! I have cleaned the unit many times, but never the long fan on the bottom (combustion fan) which I think...
  23. G

    Noob - New Stove - Very bad smell! Help!

    We're in the SW of France, where the weather has turned and we've had an Arduro wood stove installed a couple weeks ago. We ran it on and off over a few days with all seeming to go well until yesterday morning, when we woke to a very strong smell in the house. I had a look at the stove and...
  24. W

    What vacuum do you recommend?

    Getting Quadra-fire Vermont AE installed in the next month or so (looking forward to winter!). What vacuum do you recommend I get . Was considering the Cougar Ash but some of the reviews on Amazon aren't so good. What is a good quiet vacuum to clean a pellet stove? Many thanks.
  25. Jonkman

    Best way to clean vent pipe on my setup? Proper off season procedure?

    Hi So I am done with my first season, am I am not sure the best (and easiest) way to clean my vent pipe (see attached photo). I have a Quadrafire Castile Insert that is vented up through our roof. Should I go on the roof and run a brush down? (what kind, I was think of one of the spinning ones...
  26. Q

    Jotul C350 Wintersport Insert - advice please!

    Hi all,, I've grown up around woodstoves and can navigate around them pretty well. However, we decided, four years ago, to try an insert (Jotul C350 Wintersport insert) because we thought this would fit the decor a bit more. I've become pretty dissatisfied with the insert and looking for...
  27. P

    Cleaning the exterior of a Cast Iron Stove

    Cleaning the exterior of a Cast Iron Stove: I have one of this and t does have some look like oxidation marks in the exterior (good condition otherwise). I have heard that there are some liquids or pastes you can apply, graphite based has been mentioned elsewhere and others. Since I have a...