finally got a brush thru the vent......

[Grove St.]

For what it's worth.... this is the first year I have done my own top to bottom stove/vent pipe cleaning, instead of calling the dealer. For the vent I have been trying to use one of those brushes on the end of a very flexible, thin plastic shaft (the kind that when not being used it naturally coils itself into a bunch of loops). I always remove and clean the ESP before cleaning the vent pipe. From the stove my vent pipe turns and goes vertical about 4', then turns and goes out the side wall of the house, with about 4' of horizontal, and half of that is on the outside. Unfortunately, I was never able to get the brush pushed or pulled completely thru from one end to the other because the shaft was not stiff enough - it would flex way too much and would not go past the second elbow. So I was left with pushing it thru from both ends until it would go no further. It became rather frustrating fighting with that dang thing, kind of like pushing a rope.

Today I tried something different: I fished a line thru the vent pipe and then used it to pull a brush clear thru the entire path - all the way from the inside of the stove and then out the end of the vent. It worked perfectly and was so much quicker and easier then trying to use that flimsy plastic shaft. I finished with the leaf blower/vac. Sorry - no pics, but it really wasn't that spectacular.

Is this a practical, reasonable, or common method for getting a brush thru the entire vent? For me it worked like a charm. Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[heat seeker]

Whatever works! I've never heard of it, but it makes a lot of sense. Now, why didn't I think of it…..

 

[mik_kane]

Do you have a Tee clean-out in the vent line? Is the rope hard to pull through?

 

[Grove St.]

Do you have a Tee clean-out in the vent line? Is the rope hard to pull through?

No tee, the dealer didn't put one in and I didn't think to ask about it. The line was super easy to pull thru, and I used an electricians fish tape to get the process started.

 

[boo boo]

Good job. You just saved some money. How long have you been calling the dealer to do this for you?

 

[Grove St.]

Good job. You just saved some money. How long have you been calling the dealer to do this for you?

This is only my second winter with the stove. I've always done a standard weekly cleaning myself. Only had the dealer here once for the full monty near the end of last winter. After learning a lot on this site I now do the full top to bottom cleaning myself after every ton. Vent pipe has always been pretty clean with only insignificant amounts of buildup.

 

[glenc0322]

This is only my second winter with the stove. I've always done a standard weekly cleaning myself. Only had the dealer here once for the full monty near the end of last winter. After learning a lot on this site I now do the full top to bottom cleaning myself after every ton. Vent pipe has always been pretty clean with only insignificant amounts of buildup.[/quote

nice job I use this on a drill works great pretty cheap and takes 5 minutes to clean and can go back and forth instead of one direction But like heat seeker said what ever works is good
(broken link removed to http://www.gatzies.com/p-57264-gardus-sooteater-rotary-pellet-stove-cleaning-system.aspx?zmam=94292956&zmas=1&zmac=26&zmap=TRV803666&gclid=CNO5vLbCgrYCFQSg4AodlwMAwA)

 

[boo boo]

This is only my second winter with the stove. I've always done a standard weekly cleaning myself. Only had the dealer here once for the full monty near the end of last winter. After learning a lot on this site I now do the full top to bottom cleaning myself after every ton. Vent pipe has always been pretty clean with only insignificant amounts of buildup.

Yes this site is awesome, I didn't know anything about burning pellets before I got here, Not saying I do now but more than I did in November. I have not used a leaf blower for the vent yet maybe this summer I will get one but for now I use a dryer lint rush that works great. Once a month and it has no issue. The first brush I had would not go past my 45 because of the rod being to stiff. Wished I would have thought about what you did with a rope on each side my wife and I could have played tug of war through the stove

 

[heat seeker]

The LBT, while it does help clean the vent, IMO, is primarily to clean areas of the stove that are inaccessable. It's used after a good cleaning of the stove, and it's often amazing how much "extra" ash comes out.
It makes the job more fun!

 

[DexterDay]

Look up "Lint-Eater" or "Soot-Eater".

The lint eater is designed for dryer vents, but also works on pellet stoves (there is a pic of a pellet stove on the box). Hook it up to a Drill and away you go. In 2 minutes your done. You can kill 2 birds with one stone. Clean your dryer vent and pellet vent in the same day. I actually worry more about my dryer vent than I do my pellet vent. Your dryer vent should be cleaned 1-2 times a year also. Or else that can become a dangerous situation.

The soot eater is a little different, (make sure you look up the pellet stove one. There is one for wood stoves also). You custom cut the wipper strings to your vent size, then connect a drill and go to town. I have one for my wood stove flue and it works awesome. I can clean my 18 ft Class A in about 5 minutes.

Both of these products work well. The Lint eater has a 4" brush head, but it is very soft and flexible. I use it on my 3" system and my 4" vent system. No problems. Just hook it to a good drill (spinning clockwise) and within a minute your vent is spotless. Finish it up with the LBT and your good to go.

 

[PoolGuyinCT]

Look up "Lint-Eater" or "Soot-Eater".

The lint eater is designed for dryer vents, but also works on pellet stoves (there is a pic of a pellet stove on the box). Hook it up to a Drill and away you go. In 2 minutes your done. You can kill 2 birds with one stone. Clean your dryer vent and pellet vent in the same day. I actually worry more about my dryer vent than I do my pellet vent. Your dryer vent should be cleaned 1-2 times a year also. Or else that can become a dangerous situation.

The soot eater is a little different, (make sure you look up the pellet stove one. There is one for wood stoves also). You custom cut the wipper strings to your vent size, then connect a drill and go to town. I have one for my wood stove flue and it works awesome. I can clean my 18 ft Class A in about 5 minutes.

Both of these products work well. The Lint eater has a 4" brush head, but it is very soft and flexible. I use it on my 3" system and my 4" vent system. No problems. Just hook it to a good drill (spinning clockwise) and within a minute your vent is spotless. Finish it up with the LBT and your good to go.

I have both, I prefer the soot eater. Though they clean equally well, if things go bad I think the soot eater will be must easier to recover from my insert venting.