Cleaning your chimney

[wdenton]

Hello
Is there any way I can clean my chimney form the stove up to the roof.
I thought I saw somewhere last year you could buy some kind of flexible rod but I am not sure how well they work.

My house is 2 story and the stove is on the bottom floor
pipe is about 29 ft with a slight 30 degree angle in the second floor so it is not a straight shot.
so the pipe kinda looks like this from the outside to the stove
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(not to scale)


I am afraid (understatement) of heights to getting on the roof is not an option.
Also I would like to be able to do it myself instead of paying someone.

 

[wdenton]

OK so the lines and dashes didn't come out as I had planned haha
but hopefully you get the idea

 

[fire_man]

Many really like the sooteater and it should work for you. It uses 3 foot lengths of flex rod with a spinning head like a weed wacker and does a pretty good job - and it can be fed from the bottom. 30 degree angles should not be a problem.

Personally I would go out my mind feeding 3 foot lengths up a nearly 30 foot chimney pipe. You would need to buy 2 kits to get that length. Each rod takes twisting, wiggling and jiggling to clip and unclip. I've seen the professional rods and the spring clips are huge and don't jamb as easy. My other complaint is I feel like I am trashing my drill every time I use it. It's almost impossible not to get soot on it which eventually has to do bearing damage not to mention the mess it makes on the drill which takes a long time to clean. Like I said, many love it but I'm looking into something else now.

 

[wdenton]

I thought about the drill part and my solution to that is I have a 15 dollar Chicago drill from harbor freight that would be great for that.
Will the sooteater go through the 90 degree off the back of my stove or do I need to remove that?

Also if you are looking for something new are you looking at getting rid of yours. Wink Wink

 

[bholler]

No none of the systems will go through a 90 very well does your chimney have a tee at the bottom? and if so can you pull the bottom cap and clean up that way?

 

[wdenton]

nope there is only a 90 that goes from the pipe to the stove.
But maybe I could look at replacing the 90

So do I look for a 90 with a clean out or is it called something else?

 

[fire_man]

I think you would be frustrated with the soot eater with a 30 foot flue but will keep you in mind. I plan to hang onto mine as a backup until I verify the new setup works well. I'm gonna post the "Viper" reel style brush in a new thread and see if anyone has any experience with it.

 

[bholler]

We use the viper all the time and like it allot

 

[bholler]

We use the flat stainless bristle disc brushes and they work really well and a set will last us a year. So for a homeowner it would probably last a lifetime.

 

[fire_man]

Bholler Is this the Viper you have ? Why do you like it?

Why do you use the flat bristle brush instead of the poly? I have a lightwall liner so don't think I can use the steel brush.

 

[bholler]

No ours has a stand i dont remember what model. We like it because of how flexible it is it is really easy to clean from inside with it. We still use rods and brushes on some and rotary cleaners on some but on new stoves with good conditions in the staks it works well. And we use the stainless brushes on light wall to with no problems they are very flexible and don't harm the liners. But some liner manufactures say not to use any metal brushes so check on yours but we have been using them for over 10 years and have never had an issue

 

[fire_man]

Is this the one you have? Why would you ever still use rods?

 

[bholler]

Yes thats it and we use rods if cleaning from the top i think rods from the top are easier that using the viper from the top and if the chimney is really dirty the viper brushes don't cut it.

 

[fire_man]

I'm really tempted but they are pricy. I think I can get the 50 footer for about $350 plus brush.

There is no way I will clean the 25 foot flue from the roof and the sooteater would be way to much of a pain.

 

[bholler]

I dont use a soot eater it would not hold up to the amount of use we would be putting it through. Top cleaning for us is usually with screw together fiber glass rods and a brush. Our rotary cleaning rods are 1/4" steel and we go through them in a year. But they are also used for liner break out which is hard on them. And yeah vipers are pricey for a homeowner i dont think it makes sense to spend that much for a homeowner but that is my opinion and i am cheap lol.

 

[fire_man]

So what would you suggest for a homeowner who wants to clean from the bottom a 25 foot 6" slightly ovalized lightwall liner?

 

[bholler]

probably the soot eater But if you are willing to spend the money for the viper it is a very good system i am not saying you shouldn't get it i just think it is allot of money for something you will only use once or twice a year.

 

[fire_man]

Thanks - now I have some thinking and calculating to do. I have a bad back and hate fighting at those crazy angles with the soot eater but the Viper is $$$$.

 

[Camben]

Uh oh... I just ordered the sooteater for my 20+ ft chimney. I only read very positive reviews on the sooteater so hopefully I won't be disappointed. Oh well. Live and learn.

 

[bholler]

i have never used one but most people here like them they seem like a very good homeowner product

 

[NHcpa]

I think the real solution to all our woes is to marry in to bholler's family... Every time I open a thread with his comment, I learn something new!

 

[bholler]

Well thanks nhcpa

 

[fire_man]

Uh oh... I just ordered the sooteater for my 20+ ft chimney. I only read very positive reviews on the sooteater so hopefully I won't be disappointed. Oh well. Live and learn.

Most users really like the sooteater.

For me the negatives are it bothers my back, the rods are frustrating, and the mess it makes of my drill.

When I used to pull a rope down the flue it only took me 15-20 minutes to clean, now with the sooteater it takes over an hour. So considering I only need it a couple times a year the extra time is not that big a deal.

 

[fitter9]

The soot eater really works well for me. With my Lopi Freedom i don't have to take anything apart. i just open the bypass damper and bend the rod a long sweeping 90 degrees and run the drill on the outside of the firebox. its almost mess free. All the soot falls right in the firebox then i just vacume it out.
My chimney is 30 ft tall with a steep roof so top down cleaning isn't for me.
The bad things are that its a lot of work and the kit only comes with 18 ft of rod.(six-three footers). I think they sell extra rods.
I just bought 2 full kits,(36ft of rods) that way i have extra parts if needed

 

[Camben]

I'll be giving it a try next week. I ordered a kit with an extra 2 pack of rods. I never gave thought to the ash and soot falling back down into my drill. Maybe I can make a "shield" for a lack of better term for the drill to prevent any kind of damage. I'm sure there will be some words flying during this fiasco...