Cleaning a BK Flue....Bottom Up?

[BurnIt13]

As I dream of someday getting a BK I've always wondered how you guys clean out your flue? I'm sure someone is going to say that they burn so clean you don't need to. I'm used to a secondary stove where you can remove the baffles and go right up the pipe from inside the stove.

Can you do that with a BK? Do bits and pieces move out of the way to facilitate this? Or do you have to use a telescoping pipe and go straight up from there?

Thanks!

 

[webby3650]

They have a bypass, when its open the flue is wide open to the stove. You still need to remove he connector pipe and clean ash from behind the cat.

 

[jeff_t]

There is a bar welded across the bypass opening, to keep a split from finding its way in there and not allowing the bypass to be closed. A Sooteater would work, but not a standard brush.

At least on the King.

 

[BurnIt13]

So I could run my sooteater or brush up through the stove but need to disconnect the pipe anyways to clean out the stuff behind the cat? This basically adds 1 step to what I'm doing now. I think I can live with that.

edit....was once step behind jeff_t. Got it.

 

[Highbeam]

I'm sure someone is going to say that they burn so clean you don't need to.

The flue on my BK has been much nastier than when the same flue was used for a non-cat. The BKs are many things, but clean burners is not one of them. Low flue temps, low flue gas velocity, both add up to make a cold cap and a high likelihood of junk condensing in the flue.