Chimney cleaning mid term grade

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.

MoDoug

Minister of Fire
Feb 3, 2018
583
NE Missouri
I did a mid season cleaning of my chimney, this was my first cleaning since late November and got about 25 ounces of soot, it was ground coffee consistency and color. That's a 30oz. container in the pictures. I use the Sooteater cleaning system from the stove up, about 20 feet of pipe and I use Meeco's Creosote Destroyer on a regular basis (I like to think it helps). I used my phone to get a couple pics before I started cleaning and glad I did because Pic #1 reminded me to remove my Fluegard temperature probe before cleaning. LOL

What can I learn from this? Is this about on par, or can I do better?

Chimney1.JPG Chimney2.JPG Chimney3.JPG
 
I usually start burning in late September-October, will burn 24/7 by late November-December and stop around May. As such, I’ll clean beginning of December, usually sometime around now, and at the end of the season. I’ll usually get about 1-2 cups each sweep.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MoDoug
I don't see a problem with that. It's more than some get, but it's not enough to choke the stove and its not the type to catch fire.

How much wood have you gone through?
 
  • Like
Reactions: MoDoug
I don't see a problem with that. It's more than some get, but it's not enough to choke the stove and its not the type to catch fire.

How much wood have you gone through?
I think I've gone through almost a cord of wood.

I guess when you say choke the stove, you're talking about cutting back on the air vent. This is my first stove, so I'm playing with it and experimenting. I tend to cut back the vent to 1/3 open once it gets going, that's where I normally keep it. My adjustable vent is the air wash that enters from the top of the door, the bottom has a non-adjustable vent at the bottom.
 
yeah thats about what i get every 3 months or so. I cleaned around xmas time, if we get a nice day i may clean again otherwise i'll probably wait til the end of season in May to sweep again
 
  • Like
Reactions: MoDoug
There's a few pics of plugged caps floating around. You arent going to get that.

Burn another cord, try to keep the flue a bit warmer, and clean it again. See how much you get.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MoDoug
yeah thats about what i get every 3 months or so. I cleaned around xmas time, if we get a nice day i may clean again otherwise i'll probably wait til the end of season in May to sweep again
With the sooteater cleaner, it's done from inside the house, up through the stove. I made the mistake of doing it on a really nice day, the next several days were overcast and miserable, I felt like I squandered a nice day working inside. I don't have much of a choice on how to clean my chimney, my rain cap is 12 feet above my roof.
 
That looks ok. I get about twice that from a yearly cleaning each fall. I burn weekends and a few week. 2-3 cords.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MoDoug