How many people sweep their own chimney?

[doktorfaustus77]

Hello, Like the title says I was wondering how many of you sweep your own chimneys? I have had my chimney inspected last year and all was well. So now I am considering sweeping my own to save money. A few questions fopr those that have done this.

Besides stove removal, how long does it take and how do you know when you are done?

Any techinques to share?

Warnings and admonitions are welcome! Thanks.

 

[cbrodsky]

Hello, Like the title says I was wondering how many of you sweep your own chimneys? I have had my chimney inspected last year and all was well. So now I am considering sweeping my own to save money. A few questions fopr those that have done this.

Besides stove removal, how long does it take and how do you know when you are done?

Any techinques to share?

Warnings and admonitions are welcome! Thanks.

We tried once going from bottom up, disconnecting double wall stovepipe at the transition to class A in the ceiling. Kind of messy.

Next time, we went top down from the roof - much easier thanks to cleanout tee behind the stove at the bottom of the run. I'd say 30 minutes total including toting out the ladder. Also easy to look in at the top which is where you'd likely have the worst buildup, so if it's clean there, you're probably fine elsewhere in the chimney. Was also our first full year with the stove, and very little to clean out.

I'm actually very uncomfortable on roofs, but my wife is fine so she is our sweep! We have 5 of the adjustable length rods and a metal brush from Lowes - worked great.

-Colin

 

[doktorfaustus77]

Thanks! I think I will givie it a shot. How did you figure out what size sweep you needed? Is it the same size as the flue or a bit bigger for abrasion?

 

[suematteva]

We do our own.

We have a poly brush, 7" inch on the box, Class A is 7 inch.

Disconnect the single wall at the Class A, get two plastic grocery bags, one inside the other, masking tape plastic bags around pipe. Make sure tape is not stuck to pipe.

Up the roof i go, the Mrs, supports the plastic bags and tells me when the brush is there, run up and down usually 2-3 times.

We get less than a cup of soot, 5 cords go through a year.

 

[wg_bent]

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/3052/

Look at my thread on this, plus about 4 others a day or two later.

 

[hardwood715]

I do my own also, sweep from the top down, Then--- Yank the whole stove out of the fireplace, (pre EPA, but UL listed slammer) crawl in the fireplace, and clean the smoke shelf, chamber, and
run a brush up into the chamber area. Once I had 2 rods going in there, and cleaned her up real nice, decided to unscrew 1 rod to come back out of the damper area. only thing is , BOTH rods came off--DUH, now the brush is up there, Wifey comes in...what the hell ya doing in there!??? Thank god for her cane!! Nutting I yell as i grab her cane hook that darn brush and yank like no tommarrow, Whew!! That was close!

 

[Greg123]

Sweep mine from the bottom up, much easier when there is snow on the roof. The mess can be easily minimized by getting a small plastic bag and poking a small hole just big enough to fit the flex rod into then attach the brush on the opposite side. Then I attach the plastic bag to the Class A with some painters tape then sweep away, all the mess falls into the plastic bag.

 

[elkimmeg]

My setup has worked for two chimnys for over 30 years. I drop the rope down the chimney tie a 5lb weight on it, stuff it into the ash cleanout door and pull it up. I clean at the start of the season this weekend and mid season

 

[Hinterlander]

Better safe than sorry, so I paid a guy from the hearth dealer where I bought the stove to do it this year. It was installed last year and it took a couple of months for us to understand the stove, so we figured it was worth the $80 to have the stove, liner and connections inspected. He removed about two cups of residue from the liner and said we are good to go this year. So next year I think we're going to do it ourselves and save some money.

 

[suematteva]

My setup has worked for two chimnys for over 30 years. I drop the rope down the chimney tie a 5lb weight on it, stuff it into the ash cleanout door and pull it up. I clean at the start of the season this weekend and mid season

Elk,

What kinda brush is that?

 

[Corie]

I've got a 6" brush. I go up on roof, remove cap, drop rope down to bottom and dad pulls the brush down while I work it up and back and forth. THen I clean the cap and put her back together.

 

[wg_bent]

After cleaning my liner with a brush I figured there was a more effective way. Not sure what it is yet, but I'll work on it. I'm thinking of something like a pile of zip ties pushed through a cable...electric drill on the other end. The flying zip cords would scrub all the nooks and crannies of the liner. That may not be the answer, but something like that.

The brush doesn't get everything. On the other hand, the left over ash that fills the little gaps in the liner seems like it will protect the liner some and help insulate it slightly.

Probably not worth the effort. I think Elk's idea is great especially for a masonry chimney.

What is your chimney set up anyway Elk?

 

[Homefire]

My setup has worked for two chimnys for over 30 years. I drop the rope down the chimney tie a 5lb weight on it, stuff it into the ash cleanout door and pull it up. I clean at the start of the season this weekend and mid season

Elk,

What kinda brush is that?

That is the wad of chicken wire he speaks of so often.

 

[suematteva]

An old vermonter with a house that was built soon after the Mayflower landed, used to use a small christmas tree, we always used to kid them before or after the holiday.

 

[elkimmeg]

My two wood stoves are vented into masonry 8/8 flues Using a 5 LB weight as a giant washer I bend and streech the wad of chicken wire over it. The harder one pulls the weight like washer pushes out. The proceedure is to drop the rope down the flue. This has been used 30 years so it is formed for the flue and has been pulled so hard that it forms a cone like shape with a center hole for the rope.
I pull it out and streech it tie the 5lb weight stuff in it into the ash cleanout door. With the help of a 2/4 I pull it up the flue wraping it around the 2/4 and if I get resistance the 2/4 acts as a lever. Ever hear of the chain method. Drop a chain down with a weigh and swing it agound It will knock off any stuborn cresote chunks.. I thought about getting an 8/8 wire brush even borrowed one and used it, but It did not work any better.

A couple of years back I started and still use A bead of caulk on the ash cleanout doors and seal them tight. Two reasons one the stoves draft better and second, anytime coold air enter in the chimney it cools the exhaust, and initiates cresote formations. The reason for cleanning the chimney in the first place. One would be suprised sealing the ash cleanout doors really enhances draft

 

[paulgp602]

I clean my own from inside the house. 6" round poly brush and 15' of flex rods. First cleaning paid for the brush and rods. Every cleaning after that is money in the pocket.

 

[BrotherBart]

A couple of years back I started and still use A bead of caulk on the ash cleanout doors and seal them tight. Two reasons one the stoves draft better and second, anytime coold air enter in the chimney it cools the exhaust, and initiates cresote formations. The reason for cleanning the chimney in the first place. One would be suprised sealing the ash cleanout doors really enhances draft

True dat. I stuffed the bottom flue tile on the basement flue with mineral wool one foot under where the liner goes into the thimble and then sealed the clean-out door. I don't want any air at all in that flue cooling it down. The bricks and Ma Nature will do enough of that.

 

[ourhouse]

I sweep my chimney and my dads. 6" round for mine and 8" square for my dads. I use the flex rods and they seem to work pretty good for me. I go from the top down. My dads roof I stand on top of to clean. Mine is a lot higher so I bring a bucket truck home from work. It works great, and I don't have to deal with a ladder falling out from under me.

 

[Willhound]

Just did my first clean with the Summit insert today. Unit was installed last fall. Top down with a 6" poly brush on fibreglass rods. Got about three quarters of the way down and things got a little tight, so I tried to come back up, but couldn't budge the brush. Gave the rods a spin with a wrench on one of the rod connectors, and was able to get the rest of the way down. When I got to the short piece of flex that connects the insert to the stainless liner, I was able to reverse direction and pull the brush back up. Second stroke was much easier. Ended up with about 2 cups of dark flaky creosote, caused by some of my wood not being as dry as I would like last year since I decided late in the year to install the insert, so had to rely on delivered wood. Total time including cleaning the ash out of the firebox and removing the baffle in the Summit totalled ab out 30 minutes. Now that I've done it once, next time will take less time.

 

[BrotherBart]

I have always cleaned my own after seeing the results of a "professional sweeping" the first year I had my insert. Since both stoves were pre-EPA it meant removing them and scrubbing away at the flues.

Now that they are lined and I am getting older and creakier, I will probably go to having some young whipper snapper zip up there to clean the gutters (the ground keeps getting farther away every time I get to the edge of that three story roof) and get him/her to drop the the ropes down the pipes to me while he/she/it is up there.

That is the plan but I will probably end up dragging my old butt back up there for a few more years.

 

[Shane]

I have always cleaned my own after seeing the results of a "professional sweeping" the first year I had my insert. Since both stoves were pre-EPA it meant removing them and scrubbing away at the flues.

Yeah were all a bunch of crooks. I wouldn't pay to have my chimney cleaned. (Smiley added after shane made an ass of himself)

 

[BrotherBart]

I have always cleaned my own after seeing the results of a "professional sweeping" the first year I had my insert. Since both stoves were pre-EPA it meant removing them and scrubbing away at the flues.

Yeah were all a bunch of crooks. I wouldn't pay to have my chimney cleaned.

No way that you are all a bunch of crooks Shane. My experience was when chimney sweeping was the wild wild west. Anybody with a brush and a ladder was considered a pro. The guy even wore one of those freakin top hats and was recommended by everybody around. Brit accent and called himself "The Limey Chimney Sweep". Good grief. He did one guy I worked with's chimney for five years. House burned down in year six and the fire department said the smoke shelf had never been cleaned and lit off.

You guys have become professional at the business since those days. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to have a certified sweep clean my flues.

 

[Shane]

I forgot to add a smiley at the end. Sorry that came off really bad without the smiley.

I will say though that your experience is not any less uncommon today than it was 20 years ago. Many "sweeps" are still not properly cleaning units. I go to several a year where pellet stove combustion blowers weren't pulled, unlined inserts not pulled etc. The best advice I can give the DIY when it comes to self sweeping is go ahead. Get educated though know what your doing. And have the pro out from time to time even just to give you an inspection. For the folks who have it done annually by a pro, still get educated, get a general idea of what is required to clean your unit. And don't be afraid to sit right behind the sweep and watch. Good ones won't mind. There still are no licensing requirements. There are CSIA certified sweeps that's a good sign but not an absolute guarantee that one is doing a good job.

 

[Roospike]

I have always cleaned my own after seeing the results of a "professional sweeping" the first year I had my insert. Since both stoves were pre-EPA it meant removing them and scrubbing away at the flues.

Yeah were all a bunch of crooks. I wouldn't pay to have my chimney cleaned. (Smiley added after shane made an ass of himself)

I agree ........ Your fired ! Heres an extra for the next time brother man , < :cheese: > use it wisely. I also agree with shane ( that dont happen very often, lol ) But for the record he has a good point for the home do-it-yourself sweeper to have a pro come out once in a wile and give your set up a look-C as they have seen way more than most and what to look for if an issue does come to play.

 

[Shane]

What have we disagreed on?