Is once a year enough chimney cleaning???

[Dexter]

Looking at comments on related threads, I see that some folks are cleaning several times per year. I burn 24/7 during the cold months (near Boulder CO). When I clean, most of the crud is light brown or gray dusty ash, not "greasy". Question: If there isn't glaze or patina in the pipe or chimney -- and if you're not getting a pant-load of ash when you clean, isn't once per season enough?

Dexter

 

[BrotherBart]

Yeah in that case once a season is plenty. I have always done a mid-season cleaning but am thinking about going to just one this year. Old knees are getting too wobbly for climbing up there any more than necessary.

 

[fossil]

I can go through 7+ cords of softwood burning in two stoves over the course of a season. I clean them both once/year, from the bottom up. Maybe a ¼" coating of loose, fluffy black soot/creosote. Never a problem with spark arrestor screen clogging. I don't feel a need to sweep more often. Rick

 

[cmonSTART]

It sounds like once is enough for you. Personally I do it twice per season because I'm obsessive about it. Some folks with older stoves will do it once a month. It really depends on your setup.

 

[Todd]

I like to do a mid season sweep and inspection just for peace of mind. Never get enough soot to justify it but I'll keep doing it til I get old like BB.

 

[northwinds]

Once per year is probably enough if you're not producing much when you sweep. I always feel better after the mid-season
sweep even though I only get about a cup of light stuff. Usually, there's a day in January or February when the roof is clear
of snow and ice, which makes the job easier and safer.

 

[Joe Matthews]

Most people I know just do it on an "as needed" basis My dad has an older stove, and he cleans it more often but I know other people who only clean it once a year because they never have all that build much build up. I think once you are familiar with the stove you burn and how much accumulation you get, you can base your intervals on that after a season or so...

 

[Backwoods Savage]

It depends upon the wood and your burning techniques and some by the stove too. We had a stove once that required us to clean the chimney 3-4 times per heating season. Also one year we burned green wood (white ash) and cleaned it even more. In 2007 we installed the Fireview and a new SS chimney that runs up the outside of the house. The chimney is too short by normal standards but does just fine. We have cleaned the chimney one time and that was at the end of the 2009 burning season. Didn't get very much soot at all. We looked last spring but the chimney was clean.

However, I hope new wood burners do not look at this thread and think they can get away with cleaning the chimney only once per season New wood burners need to check their chimneys once per month. Clean only as needed. The reason I give for this is that most new wood burners think they have "seasoned" wood but really can't tell and just go by what someone told them. Therefore, why take any chances? Check the thing. If it needs cleaning, clean it and then change something. Get some different wood....if you can find it.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

suprisingly i clean more with the pellet stove connected to my flue than when i had my cat stove burning in it. usually twice a year was my "schedule" and it was probably overkill.

modern stoves properly used burning seasoned fuel dont put near as much crap in the flue as the old dragons did. im still of the belief a good solid cleaning to prep for the season and at least an inspection mid way should be just fine. if you have a modern stove and you are accumulating enough buildup to warrant more cleaning than that somthing is amiss IMHO.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Mike, I have a relative who has a pellet stove and one of their complaints is that they have to do a lot of cleaning quite often so what you wrote does not surprise me. I also agree with you on the modern stoves burning much cleaner.....if you burn good fuel.

 

[soupy1957]

C'mon Jake.........step up and be counted!! (lol)

The Chimney Sweep will come out at the end of this month.......just before we start burning "regularly" (24/7). I'll look for a classic "January Thaw" to get him to come out again, and check things out, only for "Peace Of Mind."


-Soupy1957

 

[prairiefire]

my insurance policy requires me to clean the chimney pipe twice a year, there is no stipulation that it has to be done by a licensed sweep so i do it myself. i don't burn 24/7 so have never had any creosote build up just light colored ash but it gets cleaned twice a year wether it needs it or not. better safe than sorry i guess, luckily mine is very easy to get at and clean don't even need a ladder!

 

[soupy1957]

The Insurance companies for some of you folks, seem very restrictive. You wouldn't by chance (PrairieFire) be the same fella who said that he gets a "Certificate" from his Chimney Sweep to give to his Insurance Company, are you?

Our Insurance company only had a Questionnaire to fill out about the installation of the stove, that they said was not applicable in our case, because we had it installed "Professionally." (They are mostly concerned about those consumers who do their OWN installs).

I personally wouldn't want MY Insurance Company to be requiring any more from me than necessary.

-Soupy1957

 

[prairiefire]

no not me soupy they don't care who cleans it as long as it gets cleaned, i just keep a little book and write down the dates that i clean it and that satisfies them. was pretty easy to get insurance on the stove once i talked to the right guy. he came out to the house did some measurements and took some pictures, it was an exsisting install, called me the next day with the quote pretty simple to deal with.

 

[jlasserton]

It doesn't sound like you are having any trouble with the chimney, so yeah, once a should be fine...

 

[firefighterjake]

Well . . . since Soupy is calling me out . . .

Honestly, as others have said, what you're describing sounds like an annual sweep would be fine . . . although I concur that a quick check (and sweep if necessary) about halfway through the burning season might be worth the time and peace of mind.

Now as far as being obsessive . . . Cmonstart . . . sorry . . . I am obsessive . . . I check and clean my chimney monthly . . . but a) it's a 10-15 minute job, b) I never have to leave the ground to do so, c) it never really needs the sweep, it's more of an academic exercise and d) I do it since it would be really, really embarassing if I had a chimney fire due to my line of work.