How to sweep/inspect a freestanding outdoor chimney?

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Dale Mahalko

New Member
Nov 9, 2014
3
Gilman, WI
Does anyone know how the lightweight freestanding chimneys on outdoor wood burners are supposed to be cleaned and inspected by homeowners?

The install instructions for a Heatmor outdoor wood burner says install it outside a building, and if near a wood shed, with the loading door at least 4 ft from the shed. So the chimney itself is at least 6 ft away from the roof. There is no way to stand on the roof to gear near enough to the chimney and stuff a brush down it.

The chimney is a stack of lightweight steel chimney extension tubes totaling about 15 ft tall. They are just flimsy metal tubes, they are strong enough to support themselves but definitely not an extension ladder leaning against them.

I can't see any reasonable way to get up there without setting up tube-frame scaffolding, or parking a bucket truck alongside the stove and standing in the bucket to look down inside those flimsy extension tubes and shove the brush down the top of the extensions.

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Meanwhile, the Heatmor manual, page 22, item 22 says to inspect the stove monthly for creosote buildup, and that "Weekly cleanings may be needed in mild weather".

Page 54 says "Make sure chimney and chimney extensions are clean and in good condition. ....... Inspect the chimney once a month during the heating season"

(broken link removed to http://www.heatmor.com/Uploads/CSS_OM_guts_071012.pdf)

Are these instructions a joke, or just lawyerly CYA that no homeowner with a freestanding outdoor wood burner can possibly ever be expected to actually be doing, but at least the stove manufacturer can't be blamed if there's a creosote fire?

I suppose I could call a chimney sweep to come out once a month to inspect it, and once a week in mild weather. And not just any chimney sweep, but one that can bring along his own bucket truck to do the inspection and cleaning. How much will that cost? Should I set up an extra bedroom so the sweeper guy can just stay here and live with us?
 
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15' from grade to top of chimney? Buy a 12' foot step ladder.

This.

Is it really 15' tall though? Don't think I've seen many OWBs with pipes that high.
 
15' from grade to top of chimney? Buy a 12' foot step ladder.

I've been working on my ceiling this weekend. Up and down my 14' step Ladder 1000 times.
 
I'm sold on Werner tripod ladders. Stable and great for working in corners and on uneven ground outdoors. A 12' version is over $400 so I suppose you would need to have some other use than just cleaning a flue.


[Hearth.com] How to sweep/inspect a freestanding outdoor chimney?
 
Thanks, I didn't know there was such a thing as a tripod ladder. That looks like a good solution to get it up close alongside the chimney.

A regular tall 4-leg folding ladder wouldn't work well due to the wide legs and narrow top, putting you far away from the chimney, standing it next to the boiler.

(broken link removed)

$600 for a 12 ft tripod ladder isn't terrible. Probably would only have to pay a professional sweep to come out a couple times, to cover the cost of the ladder and just DIY.
 
Thanks, I didn't know there was such a thing as a tripod ladder. That looks like a good solution to get it up close alongside the chimney.

A regular tall 4-leg folding ladder wouldn't work well due to the wide legs and narrow top, putting you far away from the chimney, standing it next to the boiler.

(broken link removed)

$600 for a 12 ft tripod ladder isn't terrible. Probably would only have to pay a professional sweep to come out a couple times, to cover the cost of the ladder and just DIY.
I just searched Amazon and saw them for $407 so maybe shop around. [edit: $267 plus the $55 sounds great for a 12 footer, that's about what I paid for my 8' two years ago.]

I really like mine for getting into corners and up close into tight spots. You can sneak the single third leg in places a lot more opportunistically than two.

(Yeah, you really need an 'in' to get sensible prices from Grainger.)
 
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Thanks, I didn't know there was such a thing as a tripod ladder. That looks like a good solution to get it up close alongside the chimney.

A regular tall 4-leg folding ladder wouldn't work well due to the wide legs and narrow top, putting you far away from the chimney, standing it next to the boiler.

Not true, you would just set the ladder beside the flue. It works fine. In a corner, yeah, a regular ladder sucks. At 14' tall you're quite a ways from the corner.

Those tripod ladders are often called orchard ladders for obvious reasons.
 
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