Bottom up cleaning with a Princess Insert

[denzel]

I've got a Blaze King Princess insert that I installed last winter. I burned probably 3/4 of a cord of wood of questionable quality in the tail end of last winter. I would like to get a sooteater and clean my insulated stainless liner from the bottom up and I have a few questions:

1. First, is it even possible to get the rods up through the bypass and get a good cleaning?

2. Do I need to remove the catalyst? I've heard they're fragile, so I'd prefer to leave it in place if possible. I'll order some gasket if I do have to remove it.

3. Any other tips are appreciated. My chimney isn't really safely accessible without a man lift, and I definitely don't want to pull the stove and disconnect the liner.

Thanks.

 

[webby3650]

Your PI has an angled flue collar, and a bypass that opens toward the cat. This allows most all of the debris to fall into the firebox when you clean the flue. There's no reason to pull the cat on a BK insert when cleaning. Just vaccum the face of the cat.

 

[Blazing]

I'll add in I cut a piece of cardboard and wedge it in front of the bypass door so as zero debris gets behind my door.

 

[jetsam]

I did pull my cat to clean it this year, and discovered that the angled outlet to the flue can collect sweepings. You can't see it without using an inspection camera or pulling the cat.

Just reach up in there with a shop vac hose or a brush after you sweep. Easy to miss but sweepings could obstruct maybe 10% of your flue if you never do it.

The ledge behind my cat did not have significant crud on it, which means that doing what I had been doing is sufficient (I just reach up there with a hand and brush the crud down into the stove after sweeping the flue). Every time I do that I think about making a shop vac attachment to reach that area, but it's apparently not really needed.

 

[coltfever]

I think Denzel is asking in the first question if you can sweep the entire liner from the inside of the firebox up to top of liner. Good question but I dont think the extention rods would have enough flex bend to them at the opening.

 

[jetsam]

I think Denzel is asking in the first question if you can sweep the entire liner from the inside of the firebox up to top of liner. Good question but I dont think the extention rods would have enough flex bend to them at the opening.

He was asking about a sooteater; I have never even seen one. I would guess that if it's the kind of thing where you connect a shaft to a drill, it's not going to work after you put a big bend in it, but I am not sure.

Edit: The sooteater brochure on Amazon says "extremely flexible to navigate multiple elbows", so maybe it would work.

 

[Highbeam]

I use a sooteater to clean my princess from the firebox, through the bypass, and up to the cap of the chimney. Works great through the 90 degree bend of the stove which should be more severe than the insert with it's angled flue collar. I'm not so sure if I'll ever go up on the roof again just for chimney service.

The sooteater also cleans my 19 foot flue above the shop stove NC30, right through the firebox.

My old screw together rutland rods are gathering dust in the shed.

 

[coach0519]

Thanks Guys... My Gardus Sooteater has just arrived and y'all answered my question.