How often do you clean your liner? Any Tips?

[techfranz]

It looks like along with the yearly maintenance on my Harman Accentra I should clean the liner.

1. What tool do you recommend for a 4inch 25ft liner? I have this pellet stove/ dryer hose cleaner that I use in a smaller pellet stove, but I would hate to lose it somewhere up in the liner.
2 If the liner is oval where it passes through the damper, does a brush pass through there?
3. Can I do everything from the hearth or is it necessary to remove the chimney cap and brush from the roof as well?
4. Is cleaner the liner annually too often or not often enough?

 

[Washed-Up]

Leaf blower trick

 

[techfranz]

Wow, neat idea. The chimney cap doesn’t blow off does it?

 

[Washed-Up]

You actually do it opposite of how you are thinking, here’s a video

 

[techfranz]

You actually do it opposite of how you are thinking, here’s a video

I totally see that that would work at least on a temporary basis. I assume the liner still needs a brushing every few years?

 

[Washed-Up]

Yes a brushing once a year is a good idea. A chimney sweep company or if you are capable, there are kits available that work with a drill

 

[Ocelot]

I always tried to do mine about every ton to ton and a half. I only have out and up about 5 feet so it's simple and I don't need to go on the roof or need a ladder. I just pull the cap and have a 3" vent brush attached to a rope with a weight on the end. I drop the rope and weight into the top and pull it down through the cleanout T. Then I made an adapter that connects to the cleanout cap for my leaf blower on vacuum, stick a nerf ball in the top of the vent to block it off, and run the leaf blower for a minute which cleans the whole stove and pipe through the wall. The amount of ash cloud is impressive! I've done it so many times over the years that I can do the whole job in 20 minutes from the time the stove is cooled off after shutting down.

This was with an Englander EP-25 for over 10 years which had all sorts of hidden areas behind the back wall of the fire box and lots of twists and turns for the ash between the burn pot and the vent, so it was necessary and always improved the burn after doing it. I haven't done it yet with my new to me Harman P43. Since the ash is pretty much straight out from the fire box, I don't expect nearly as much hidden ash and may not need to do it as often.

Ray

 

[tlc1976]

I do mine every ton. I’ve got maybe 2 feet of horizontal then 6 ft rise outside. I can do it all with my flex brush from the bottom cleanout, including guiding it into the horizontal section. No taking it apart. I run the exhaust blower on high when doing this, it forces the ash out as I disturb it with the brush.