Chimney Cleaning

[Adam_MA]

Just wondering how many of you do this yourself, or pay to have it done.

Last winter was my first year with a wood stove, and I am trying to decide weather or not to pay to have the guy who installed the chimney come out for the cleaning, or if I should just use the money to go ahead and buy the stuff myself to do it. My setup is pretty simple I guess, and should make for a rather quick job.

From the top of my stove, the stove pipe goes up 2', makes a 90* turn to the back wall, enters the class A pipe where it passes through a wall thimble and exits the house. It then connects to a T connector that has a clean-out on the bottom, and then goes up 12' or so to a cap. The roof isn't very high up, or even that hard to get onto for that matter. I can easily step up from a 6' step ladder setup on my deck, and be on the roof. I figure it would be pretty simple with the correct brush and rods to push down through the pipe to the clean-out.

My confusion comes in with the pipe going through the wall, and the actual stove pipe. I would guess that I would have to remove the stove pipe, take it outside and brush that out? Also would I just pass the brush through the pipe that goes through the wall?

Then comes the equipment. Am I correct in my understanding that I will need one of the poly brushes for use in my SS chimney? Also since the run is straight, would I be better off with rigid rods, and then just one flex type rod to use for brushing out the stove pipe that has the 90 in it? Also, is chimney cleaning usually done dry, or do you have to apply some sort of cleaning solution prior to the actual brushing.

Or, should I just pay to have it done, watch the guy do it, and then just do it myself next year???

 

[Pagey]

I can't comment on cleaning your interior pipe, as my chimney is a straight shot with no bends or offsets at all. But, I can say that cleaning the straight run from the roof is relatively easy. Yes, for the stainless steel, you'll want to use a poly brush. Just make sure you get the right sized brush for your stainless steel's inner diameter (usually 6"). Once you get your brush and rods and get up on the roof, remove the rain cap and attach one of the fiberglass rods to the brush. Push the brush into your chimney and test how tight the fit is. The first poly brush I purchased fit so tightly that it was nearly impossible to reverse even from the top section (where I had the most leverage)! It would have been bad to have pushed the brush all the way down and not been able to reverse it! If your brush does need trimming, a set of tin snips will do the trick, and you don't have to trim that many bristles to get a better fit - just a few of the longer ones will do. Once you have a comfortable fit, work the brush down a little with only one or two rods and then stop. Now tug up on the brush (you sometimes have to give a pretty hard tug). You should feel the brush "reverse" and the resistance you feel when tugging on the brush should lessen.

Cleaning yourself is not a big deal. I was nervous about it the first time, as I had zero experience. But as long as you are comfortable on a roof and have a brush that fits properly, cleaning is quick and easy. If you want to hire a pro and watch the first cleaning, there is nothing wrong with that. But unless you have some sort of health/medical condition or an overly dangerous roof, I can't see any reason to pay someone every year.

 

[Adam_MA]

Thank you for the tips! I'm sure the one about the brush size will save some headaches!

 

[madrone]

I have almost exactly the same setup as you. I use the flex rods, but only because that's what the hardware store had on hand. I spent about $50 total. I run up from the T to the top and back. It takes 5-10 minutes. Then I remove the inside pipe from the stove and wall connection, and run the brush through by hand. It's a little messy, but doesn't take too long. The whole procedure might take a half an hour. It's easy, and you'll know if you did it right. It's either clean, or you brush again. No cleaning solutions required, and it doesn't need to be polished inside, just free of most of the deposits. You shouldn't have any problem sweeping it yourself.

 

[Adam_MA]

Perfect! Thank you for the info!

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

if the manual doesn't explain cleaning well enough for you to understand it, watching a sweep do it correctly might be a good idea. i have instructed many homeowners as i cleaned thier chimneys over the years, its good cust. svc even if you might loose a sweep job in the future..

 

[madrone]

So Dave, do you recommend against steel brushes in a ss chimney? I bought steel, but have since seen here that some think poly only for ss. I haven't noticed any negative effect so far.

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

So Dave, do you recommend against steel brushes in a ss chimney? I bought steel, but have since seen here that some think poly only for ss. I haven't noticed any negative effect so far.

any ss liner should hold up to most steel brushes. the smaller gauge wire kind. some pretty weak ss flex might be damaged by really stiff/ ridgid steel brushes. ridgid pipe doesn't damage easily
if the poly gets it clean thats ok, but i like steel brushes

 

[madrone]

Ah. Thanks! Makes sense that steel might be too much for flex.

 

[firefighterjake]

Cleaning a chimney for most folks should be a simple and easy process . . . the exception being if there is some funky set up or some wicked high and pitched roof. From your description I would say it would be a non-brainer as it should be a very easy project.

To answer your questions . . . I clean my own chimney rather than pay anyone. A bonus: Buying the brush and rods isn't all that expensive and then you can clean your chimney whenever you want. For me, I went a little overboard last year and cleaned it every month whether the chimney needed it or not . . . but hey, an ounce of prevention, right?

Your chimney set up sounds a lot like mine . . . only I have a lot more height. While you can clean from the top (and honestly it sounds like it would not be a big deal to do so) if you have the T-connection you can also do a quick sweep from the bottom by removing the T's cap. If I were you and getting on the roof was not a problem I would sweep from the top as you could remove the cap and clean it. However, if you elect to do a sweep in middle of the winter, rather than climbing up on a slick or snow-covered roof you could easily do a quick sweep from the ground.

You will want to clean out all the pipes . . . at least once a year. I would suspect that the bulk of the creosote build up will be in the exterior of the pipe as the gases cool . . . typically I see most of my creosote build up (although not a lot) near the middle to top of the chimney. That said, you still need to clean out all the pipes . . . something admittedly I have not yet done . . . I'm saving this for a Fall project since I'm currently pretty busy trying to tear down a camp which will become my new woodshed and at the same time clear a lot for the fire department's fire pond (of course the wood from this lot will be 2010-1011's wood supply).

Steel or poly brush . . . ah, one of the big debates here at hearth.com. There are proponents for each and both sides make valid arguments. I went with poly . . . and honestly it seems to be doing a good job. Just make sure you get the right size diameter brush.

Rigid or flex pipe . . . again, another debate. I don't think it would really matter much in your case. I have fiberglass (more rigid than flex) since it is pretty much a straight shot up for me.

Treatment . . . typically you don't need to use any chemical treatments if you've been burning properly. About the only time I hear of folks using a chemical while sweeping the chimney is when there is a glazed creosote that is near impossible to remove by physical means. Burn hot. Burn well seasoned wood. If you do these two things you will most likely not need chemical treatment.

Final question . . . should you do this yourself. Answer: Yes . . . but if you have any doubts take others' advice and pay a sweep to do it, watch him, take mental notes of what they do and then do accordingly once you purchase your own brush.

 

[Adam_MA]

Great replys. Thanks everyone, I'm gonna order my stuff today!

 

[eba1225]

I clean my own and do it about every 6- 8 wks during the burn season. I have a 6" SS liner and am able to perform the whole operation in about 45 mins (includes getting the ladder and all of the flex rods. I have found that one of those weed wacker type of cleaners is best on the lower part of the liner as there is a zig-zag in the liner that is really tuff for the other rods to get past. I also clean from two directions, from the roof for 90% and then from the stove for the bottom 10% which actually wind up being 25%, so there is some overlap.

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

(broken link removed to http://woodheatstoves.com/metal-chimney-brushes-c-292_175_181.html)
these are what we use 95% of the time

 

[northwinds]

I got up on the roof and did my cleaning today. I cleaned mid-winter also. This time there was even
less powder--maybe 1/4 cup. Unless I get an optimal mid-winter day next season for sweeping, I'm
only going to sweep annually.

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

glad your stove is running well, what do you burn?

i've been back to one of the first installs i ever did, (13yrs ago, an Avalon Pendelton(790) full liner brick chimney, top plate/seal only )
to sweep and inspect a few times. once was 4yrs after we installed the stove(they called becasue the stove was smoking...)
the chimney had nothing but powder, about 1/8- 1/4" inside the liner. the baffle had 3-4" of ASH on it cloggind off air flow!
they burn 2-3 cords of black and live oak a season and its thier sole heat for 1500 sqft, so they keep a hot stove.
if your chimney is staying above 3-400* your pipes stay really clean, caps can be another matter, our 1/2" cdf screen requiremnent keeps maint. more frequent

 

[northwinds]

glad your stove is running well, what do you burn?

i've been back to one of the first installs i ever did, (13yrs ago, an Avalon Pendelton(790) full liner brick chimney, top plate/seal only )
to sweep and inspect a few times. once was 4yrs after we installed the stove(they called becasue the stove was smoking...)
the chimney had nothing but powder, about 1/8- 1/4" inside the liner. the baffle had 3-4" of ASH on it cloggind off air flow!
they burn 2-3 cords of black and live oak a season and its thier sole heat for 1500 sqft, so they keep a hot stove.
if your chimney is staying above 3-400* your pipes stay really clean, caps can be another matter, our 1/2" cdf screen requiremnent keeps maint. more frequent

Last winter I burned five cords of mixed oak, hickory, maple, along with some poplar and pine during the shoulder
seasons. Everything was split and seasoned at least a year and some of it 2-3 years. The furnace doesn't come on unless
we're out of town overnight.

I've got an easy chimney to burn clean: 25 feet straight up the middle of the inside of the house with only about five feet
above the roof exposed to outside air. Took about fifteen minutes on the roof, and most of that time was spent screwing and
unscrewing rods. It was windy here yesterday. I probably should have picked a calmer day for climbing around my roof. The
cap was very clean. I wondered if maybe wind or rain had cleaned it up. There was at least some stuff to brush off for the
mid-winter cleaning.

I use a stovetop thermometer, and have double walled chimney, so I don't have any data on chimney temperatures.
The stove generally cruises between 500-700, so I'm not worried.

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

strong "northwinds" might clean your cap of powdery soot depending on cap design

 

[quads]

I clean my chimney myself about once a month instead of hiring someone. The reason I heat with wood (even though I enjoy it) is because everything else is too expensive, so paying someone to clean the chimney is out of the question. I'm very much the "do it yourself" type anyway. I keep about one month's supply of wood on the porch, and when that runs out I clean the chimney and haul more wood up.

My chimney setup sounds about the same as yours. I use a steel brush and fiberglass rods. I can't imagine using a poly brush, Old Smokey makes some tough deposits. I prefer to clean it from the roof because the top 6 inches or so is where the toughest stuff forms. But when it's icy and snow-covered, I clean it from the bottom through the clean-out. Many years ago I removed the cap and tossed it so it's no longer in the way. All it did was collect creosote and served no other purpose for me anyway. Then I remove the inside pipe, carry it outside to clean, and run the brush through the thimble pipe in the wall. Depending on how cold and windy it was for that month, or the lack thereof (the windier and colder it is the cleaner it is) I might get about 2 gallons of creosote.