Cleaning the cap...................

[WoodMann]

Hey folks-
after last season of burning some questionable seasoned wood, the flue cap got darker and darker. On my scheduled seep I took of the cap and mesh screen from the cap and with a wirebrush the size of a toothbrush got to all the crevices of the cap as best I could but you wouldn't know it looking at it from the ground outside. So the question is- how do I clean the cap real good? Can I soak it in something? Deos bleach do anything? Sorry I haven't goten to taking pictures, but I think the idea is prolly conveyed, hopefully.........................
Thanks..................

 

[LLigetfa]

There are cleaning products designed specifically for creosote removal from brick or glass. I would test it to see what if anything it does to the metal. Bleach usually does a good job of getting stubborn stains off of stainless appliances, utensils, and vacuum bottles but it can also eat holes through it. I ruined a couple of vacuum bottles using bleach. Oven cleaner might work too.

 

[WoodMann]

Hey- I never thought of that. I'm gonna give it a shot.....................

 

[LLigetfa]

My cap and the last foot of chimney has been discoloured for years leaving a tell tale sign of what the prevailing wind is. I've never thought of it as unsightly, just lived in. Mind you, nothing I have ever looks new for very long. The first scratch on a new car hurts the most but I buy used cars now so it doesn't hurt so bad when I add yet another scratch.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I just take a wire brush to the cap and don't worry about a black stain. On the other hand, it sounds as if you have a wire mesh. Those can cause some problems if the mesh is too small. Most people just remove the wire mesh, but that is not always an option I suppose depending on codes.

 

[Dave_1]

Hey folks-
after last season of burning some questionable seasoned wood, the flue cap got darker and darker. On my scheduled seep I took of the cap and mesh screen from the cap and with a wirebrush the size of a toothbrush got to all the crevices of the cap as best I could but you wouldn't know it looking at it from the ground outside. So the question is- how do I clean the cap real good? Can I soak it in something? Deos bleach do anything? Sorry I haven't goten to taking pictures, but I think the idea is prolly conveyed, hopefully.........................
Thanks..................

Remove & toss mesh, soak cap in white vinegar 2-3 days, & brush.

Replace the mesh with aluminum gutter leaf guard.

For me this works out to be an every 3-4 year chore.

Good luck with it.

 

[WoodMann]

THanks everyone. I can't toss the mesh per se because I've tried it without the mesh and have gotten a few birds. I'll snap a pic of the mesh, it's shaped like a diamone, the perforations that is, so I didn't think it was restrictice. But commin' to think of it I do have some 1/4"mesh siddting around, now that's an idea...............

 

[Dave_1]

Remove & toss mesh, soak cap in white vinegar 2-3 days, & brush.

Replace the mesh with aluminum gutter leaf guard. ;-)

http://www.gutterguardian.com.au/

 

[WoodMann]

Isn't it too hot up top there for aluminum? And isn't that too constrictive? I'm gonna get right up there and soak the cap, fortunately we have warm days ahead for a bit here and mid 30's at night so I can get away without a fire.......................

 

[Dave_1]

Isn't it too hot up top there for aluminum? And isn't that too constrictive? I'm gonna get right up there and soak the cap, fortunately we have warm days ahead for a bit here and mid 30's at night so I can get away without a fire.......................

Mark,

hasn't melted yet &, if memory serves me right, is about the same size opening as the original mesh.

If your wood is >20% in m.c. yes it will clog it up quickly. So will burning even < 20% m.c. pine.

To me cleaning the mesh is a waste of time so I just replace.

Good luck with it. ;-)

 

[GeneralBill]

To keep birds out, I use galvanized chicken fence, wrap it around the cap, then cinch it with some wire around the base. Probably doesn't look great, but that's in keeping with the rest of my place

The good thing about chicken wire is it won't clog so easily and is quick to put on or remove.

- Bill

 

[GeneralBill]

Oh, another benefit of chicken wire is it is hardly restrictive at all to air flow. The expanded metal grating has a lot more air restriction.

- Bill

 

[grommal]

Isn't it too hot up top there for aluminum? And isn't that too constrictive? I'm gonna get right up there and soak the cap, fortunately we have warm days ahead for a bit here and mid 30's at night so I can get away without a fire.......................

Mark,

hasn't melted yet &, if memory serves me right, is about the same size opening as the original mesh.

If your wood is >20% in m.c. yes it will clog it up quickly. So will burning even < 20% m.c. pine.

To me cleaning the mesh is a waste of time so I just replace.

Good luck with it. ;-)

I doubt if Al mesh will melt except in the event of a chimney fire. In that case, a melted cap mesh would be the least of the worries anyway.

 

[lexybird]

use eazy off oven spray cleaner and hose it off

 

[WoodMann]

Thanks, I'll do the overn cleaner theng, but fires the mesh. you can see here in the pic the original mesh- the dark one and had some clog patches on it. The new roll of 1/2" square mesh that I have left over from another project is what I'm gonna put on now, heck- I might even cut a few links out here and there to open it up a bit more.....................

 

[Highbeam]

I use carburetor cleaner to clean off the brown stains. I really like a shiny SS chimney cap through the summer so I hit it with all my chemicals. I even tried diesel fuel but it wasn't as good as the cheapy carb cleaner from wallys. No sense in cleaning it now though since it will stain again with the fires. Only thing to do now is keep the screen clear and maybe windex the outside of the class A. Make sure no creosote or other funk is getting above the flashing where your roofing meets up above the chimney.

 

[WoodMann]

Makes sense- no point in making it sparkle now just heading into burning season. I'll hold off 'till summer to get anal. Thanks for all the suggestions, and that chicken fence/ wire sounds like the perect thing, Bill but all I had on hand was this 1/2" mesh, but I went ahead and cut a few bigger, can't wait to get this back up and run a fire................