DIY Chimney cleaning

[ChillyNoMore]

I have a Scan 61 (non-cat) wood stove. Unfortunately, the manual was only loosely translated from some Scandinavian language! Can anyone advise on how much of the innards (baffle plates) should be removed prior to conducting a top-down chimney cleaning? Any other tips on how to do this process safely, cleanly, and correctly? Thanks in advance!

Les

 

[DexterDay]

Cant comment on the baffle plate. But I just used my Soot-Eater for the 1st time 2 days ago, and Wow was that easy. Instructions are very easy to follow and overall the unit is not that expensive. Look at it as a 10 yr tool (or better) Thats a couple bucks a yr, for a tool that made the job kind of fun.

Cheers

 

[EJL923]

Unfortuantely i cant speak for your stove, but usually the baffle is in a position to catch all of the falling soot, meaning either complete removal or a way to sneak a vac hose and mirror to inspect. I have heard of good things from soot eaters, but im more of a straight rod and poly brush kind of guy. Plus i cant do bottom up. I did that once and had soot everywhere, so i stick to keeping to door closed. If you do the solid straight rods, find the thickest you can, not the thin ones at HD or lowes. I ended up getting Ø7/16 rods online. The thin rods are a pain to push thrue a long chimney. Of course, this story changes if you have any sharp bends.

 

[ChillyNoMore]

I just bought the Rutland 6" poly bristle brush and fiberglass rods, so no budget left for the SootEater. The rods are 3/8" diameter so I hope they will work. Luckily my chimney and stovepipe only total about 13 feet in height so hopefully the rods will be up to the task.

I burned all last winter and had no visible build-up but I wanted to give things a sweep before the new burning season starts!

 

[EJL923]

13' of chimney you will be fine. I was able to get about that much with the 3/8 rods, maybe a little more. But anything longer you would need 7/16 rods

 

[ChillyNoMore]

Thanks EJL -- I'm off to give it a try!