While cleaning the pellet stove I did not realize the intact was blowing soot into the house until it was tooooo late. I did not have the heat on upstairs and the soot travelled all through my house covering the complete interior of my home. I need to have a clean up crew come clean the damage, however, my homeowners insurance is "not sure" they cover something like this. Can someone please help me with any information. Thanks in Advance.
HELP Soot covering interior of house!!!
- Thread starter Jamee
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Ssyko
Minister of Fire
Was the vent pipe installed properly and all the joints sealed? Is there any evidence of where the soot was coming from. As for the insurance, every policy is different and they will always try not to pay. So read up on your policy.
SidecarFlip
Minister of Fire
Think you are screwed. You should have ascertained where the soot was going prior to what you did. Supposed to suck it out through the venting with the vacuum side of a leaf blower, not blow it in.
Serve-Pro time, 'Like it never happened', for a price.
I bet you have a real mess.
Serve-Pro time, 'Like it never happened', for a price.
I bet you have a real mess.
SidecarFlip
Minister of Fire
Interesting that your stove runs on Barley. I'll have to try that sometime. You mean 'barely' I believe.....lol
Pretty obvious to me. Instead of sucking the venting out with the vacuum side of a leaf blower, the OP used the pressure side (blow side) of the leaf blower and blew all the fly ash though the stove (I bet the door was open) into the house. Fly ash has a nasty habit of floating around and then clinging to surfaces plus it stinks.
Sure am glad I'm not the OP. Hard lesson to learn, which side sucks and which side blows....lol
tbear853
Feeling the Heat
Not understanding what an intact is nor the method of cleaning in use? What is it you were doing in other words?
My interpretation, he was using a leaf blower to clean, but had it blowing into the pipe instead of making it suck from the blower intake. If that's the case , then lesson learned , sorry...
SidecarFlip
Minister of Fire
One of those 'read between the lines' comments. I'm doubting that posters actually read what they post before they click post it........
You see a lot of that on just about every forum today.
You see a lot of that on just about every forum today.
SidecarFlip
Minister of Fire
Big difference between suck and blow as in opposite ends of the leaf blower... Least it's clean, of course all the fly ash is inside instead of outside and that isn't a plus by any stretch.
tbear853
Feeling the Heat
I know, but "intact"? I'll find mitsakes in mine too ...
.... but I'll go back and edit my post if I've already posted.
"Mitsake" was no mistake either.
.... but I'll go back and edit my post if I've already posted.
"Mitsake" was no mistake either.
Washed-Up
Minister of Fire
If no mistake, I’m still trying to figure out what could happen to cause all of the soot everywhere
heat seeker
Minister of Fire
Highbeam
Minister of Fire
fmsm
Minister of Fire
Last I knew an insurance company will not cover your own errors (I am being polite here), nor should they. If insurance were to pay it would get added to the actuarials and end up costing the rest of us. If there were hot embers it might have been a candidate for a Darwin award!
bogieb
Minister of Fire
Yeah not sure where this situation falls. Most claims are errors of some sort. Like if you are not paying attention and rear end a car in front of you. Clearly your error and they pay.
SidecarFlip
Minister of Fire
My final comment is... At least the house wasn't covered with 'Suet'......... 
tlc1976
Minister of Fire
I can see how this would happen, and at first I thought the same thing when everybody talked about the leaf blower trick. Especially considering I have this cheap electric leaf blower that intakes from ambient air, I didn’t realize the good ones had an actual intake port. So I figured blow it into the cold air intake and watch the ash blow out the exhaust. However it’s not a completely sealed path because of the auger and hopper. I knew it wouldn’t work right so I never tried it.
SidecarFlip
Minister of Fire
tbear853
Feeling the Heat
I ran across one of the big Craftsman leaf blower - vac s a few years ago on sale at a K-mart, I hold it up to cleanout tee with a short plastic near 4" connection to the leaf vac intake holding the vac upside down, shoots black soot out across the yard from the blow out end. Stove off & shut first.
I have run a 2.5" Shop Vac's hoses way up the flue with the vac vacuuming before I found that sale. I even have extra hose for that, but only used a time or two.
I like the big leaf blower vac better, just watch where it's pointed.
I have run a 2.5" Shop Vac's hoses way up the flue with the vac vacuuming before I found that sale. I even have extra hose for that, but only used a time or two.
I like the big leaf blower vac better, just watch where it's pointed.
Last edited:
We will never see him back... The wife came home and killed him when she seen the mess...LOL... Still cant see how that happened but chit accidents happen.. I don't have a leave blower with a suction that i can hook up to pipe.. So i got the smart idea that while i had it apart one day and air compressor was running i would hook it up to the pipe and blow it out... Big mistake to much pressure for that little pipe..lol... Spent the rest of the say cleaning the house
Similar threads
