Chimney cleaning tolerances

[Mr. Kelly]

Hey there…

Happy shoulder burning season to you!

I have about 25 feet of external chimney pipe, and have been cleaning it myself for the last handful of years. There's probably about 4 feet of pipe inside the house preceding it, which has several bends in it before it hits the wall. Not an optimal chimney set up, but it is the best we could do.

I clean the exterior part with a flexible rod with the wire a ball on the end. It fits tightly into the chimney and can really only go one way at a time, given the tightness of the fit.

My concern is up at the chimney cap, where I can see gunk accumulating in the wire mesh. My brush cannot get right up into the chimney cap, which leaves that gunk in place. I don't have a ladder to get up there to clean that thing out.

Do you believe gunk up there, which is not tons, could be enough to be problematic, in regards to it being combustible?

Also… I don't clean the interior part of the pipe, meaning the 4 feet between the stove and the wall, nearly as much, given that I have to take it all apart to get in there. When I stuck my hand in there from the outside, it just felt like there was a bit of ash clinging to the interior walls, and not any kind of real build up.

What would your tolerance be to run with the chimney maintained in this way? With this make you uncomfortable, or does this sound fine, from what you have read here?

Any input, stories, or experiences are appreciated!

 

[Nick Mystic]

Cleaning the chimney cap is one of the most critical areas the system. When it starts to clog up you'll notice smoke wanting to come out the stove door on reloads. This is always a clear sign with my set up that my cap is getting clogged. You shouldn't need a brush that is as tight a fit as you describe using to get a decent sweep of your liner. Have you given some thought to trying a Sooteater? I use one and clean my flue from the top down with good success. Many people on the forum describe using that system for bottom up cleaning with success, as well. As for the bottom section inside your house you just have to bite the bullet and take it apart and give it a sweep. Creosote likes to build up in curves, so you don't want to risk letting that area get a pass when you sweep since a fire in that part of your flue can be a bad situation. Good luck.

 

[Mr. Kelly]

Thanks for your thoughts!

When I am up on my roof, I can see through the mesh of the, and there doesn't appear to be significant blockage… Maybe 10%, at worst.

Where my dad lives, in Central Ontario, for whatever reason, and ignoring my advice, they prefer green wood, because they believe it burns longer, and gives out just as much heat. They wonder why we waste our time and energy stock piling in advance! Anyway, he has an older fireplace insert and hadn't had his double wall chimney pipe cleaned for a better part of 10 years. He said that when the chimney cleaner was finished, he said that there was barely anything in it and he didn't even think it really needed cleaning! Go figure.

I do the exterior part of the pipe, meaning the part that runs externally up the side of the house, either every year or every other year. Even before I run the brush up there, I can look up, and there is not a ton of build up. It looks pretty clean, or at least not troublesome.

This year, at the lower T bend, probably about an inch and a half of soot was laying atop the cap when I removed it. If you can understand what I'm talking about… That troubled me a little bit, but I suspect that is not unusual?

I like the Sooteater idea, since I think I could get it in through my summit flue, if I take the baffle out, so I looked to see if I could find A used one on eBay, or somewhere, since I am currently living on almost no dispensable income, but to no avail… Unless, someone on here has an extra one they might want to part with? It would certainly go to a good home!

Happy Sunday!

 

[electrathon]

Get the wire mesh off of the cap and your issue is fixed. You are asking for buildup that leads to draft issues with the mesh there.

 

[Mr. Kelly]

Get the wire mesh off of the cap and your issue is fixed. You are asking for buildup that leads to draft issues with the mesh there.

Would one have no issues with potential rodent or bird trespassing? It's main purpose, no?

 

[electrathon]

Would one have no issues with potential rodent or bird trespassing? It's main purpose, no?

That would depend on your area. I never have trouble. My Dad lives 250 miles from me and has a lot of trouble. You will not have trouble when you are burning, the off season is the issue. You can always bag the cap in the summer if you have issues. That can be done with a canvas sack and a long stick, you would not need to climb all the way up.