Chimney Sweep Issues

[Chardler]

I want to sweep my chimney/liner except that I know when the insert was installed, an offset adaptor was needed to connect the liner to the flue collar. So if I were to go up to the top of the chimney, remove the cap and start sweeping, all the creosote will fall not into the insert floor (while the by-pass damper is open), but will collect inside the adapter and rest there. I guess I should mention, the insert is the Avalon Olympic in case that has any bearing on the situation.
Does anyone know how that debris would be removed from that adaptor box without pulling the large insert out, disconnecting it from the liner and flue collar, vacuuming it out and putting it all together again? The job of sweeping it seems simple, the house is a ranch and the liner is probably 12' from top of the insert to the top of the liner/cap. I would do it frequently to prevent a chimney fire but I want to have the debris removal problem figured out before I completely fill it or clog it with loads of creosote.
If you are not familliar with the adaptor, it's used when the flue collar and the liner do not align when the insert is pushed to the back of the fireplace. It is a flat metal box about that telescopes to adjust to the needed difference. It has a hole on the top for the liner to attach to and a hole on the reverse/bottom for the flue collar. It's not very large and about 2-3'' thick, so any debris from sweeping would easily fill it and proably fill the liner going up for a couple of inches.

 

[boostnut]

Can you get your hand in there from inside the insert? If so, sweep your liner then reach up into the adapter and pull the creosote out of the adapter. rinse and repeat.

 

[dj2cohen]

It may sound funny and be a little awkward, but could you possibly get enough hose/pipe for your shop vac to make it reach into the adapter box and just suck it out??

 

[Chardler]

I thought of running the shop vac hose from the top of the chimney down into the adaptor box and sucking it all up from there, but I'd have to buy some extra lengths of hose and make sure the hose does not come apart at any of the connections and then gets stranded in the liner. I'd have to fish it out somehow if that happens.
As far a reaching up into the rear/top of the firebox to acess the by-pass damper opening, I've never tried that but I doubt I could remove too much material from there if my fingers could even get back there far engought to be effective.
Has anyone else had this issue themselves regarding the adaptor box?

 

[thechimneysweep]

If you remove the u-shaped steel cera blanket holddown, then the blanket, then the firebricks that span the top of your firebox, you'll find you can look straight up at the flue collar on the Olympic. Stick your shop vac hose up there and you should be able to vacuum out your adapter box. Dig around with a bent coathanger to verify that all is cleaned out.

 

[Lamurph5]

I also have an Olympic that may have a simular adapter. Can I sweep that from the inside?

 

[Hogwildz]

Tom's the man, thats some damn good advice there.