Is there a way for me to clean this chimney from inside?

[pirates712]

I have a Jotul F45 installed in the opening of a double-sided fireplace with a stainless liner (about 13'). Typically I clean the chimney in the fall from the roof, but we recently replaced the asphalt shingles with metal (5/12 pitch), and I'm not thrilled about trying to stand on the metal roof while using both hands to operate the chimney brush. I tried going on the roof once and needed both hands to keep from sliding off...

I'm wondering it it would be possible to install some sort of cleanout between my stove and the liner (presumably the liner would have to be shortened) that would allow me to clean the chimney from inside, preferably without coating the whole house in a layer of black dust, but beggars can't be choosers. This stove doesn't have a bypass unfortunately.

I know cleanouts exists for regular stove pipe, but I'm not sure if this being a liner changes anything. Pics attached.

 

[kborndale]

Can you clean thru the stove with a soot eater?

 

[EbS-P]

Is this a V2 with the turbulator?

 

[pirates712]

Yeah there's really no good way to get a brush into the chimney from the stove

 

[Whitenuckler]

I have a Jotul F45 installed in the opening of a double-sided fireplace with a stainless liner (about 13'). Typically I clean the chimney in the fall from the roof, but we recently replaced the asphalt shingles with metal (5/12 pitch), and I'm not thrilled about trying to stand on the metal roof while using both hands to operate the chimney brush. I tried going on the roof once and needed both hands to keep from sliding off...

I'm wondering it it would be possible to install some sort of cleanout between my stove and the liner (presumably the liner would have to be shortened) that would allow me to clean the chimney from inside, preferably without coating the whole house in a layer of black dust, but beggars can't be choosers. This stove doesn't have a bypass unfortunately.

I know cleanouts exists for regular stove pipe, but I'm not sure if this being a liner changes anything. Pics attached.

If you detach the liner from the stove, then get another piece of liner about 8 feet long you could use a splice adapter to hook it on. Then you could use a brush/rod system and most of the dust would end up in your "cleaning pipe". If you were to add a piece of cloth with a hole on the end for adding rods you could catch it all. I need to do something like that next year on my pellet stove.

 

[pirates712]

I have detached the liner from the stove in the past in order to clean out sweepings, but it's quite a process. Doing so requires removing all the insulation around the liner to give it room to move and lift up out of the stove outlet.
I've found the product below which seems like it could work, but the horizontal bit is meant to connect to the stove and the bottom is meant to be the clean out/cap, whereas I would be using the horizontal bit as the clean out (presumably it could be cut shorter).

 

[xshmoox]

Is it possible you could scoot the stove forward more and rear vent the stove to the cleanout tee and connect it I the liner so you have a clean out from here on out?

 

[pirates712]

Is it possible you could scoot the stove forward more and rear vent the stove to the cleanout tee and connect it I the liner so you have a clean out from here on out?

Yes and no, technically I could but the stove would have to move forward at least a foot which would put it too far out into the room.

 

[Whitenuckler]

I have detached the liner from the stove in the past in order to clean out sweepings, but it's quite a process. Doing so requires removing all the insulation around the liner to give it room to move and lift up out of the stove outlet.
I've found the product below which seems like it could work, but the horizontal bit is meant to connect to the stove and the bottom is meant to be the clean out/cap, whereas I would be using the horizontal bit as the clean out (presumably it could be cut shorter).

View attachment 340605

To bad its hard to disconnect the liner. Does the stove adapter unbolt from the stove?

 

[EbS-P]

removing the the liner from the stove and moving the stove is the easiest. It is possible to remove the top. The whole back comes off. Read the instructions in the manual.

If you cleaned it top down were you able to vacuum everything out?

 

[pirates712]

To bad its hard to disconnect the liner. Does the stove adapter unbolt from the stove?

Technically yes, but it's a nut-and-bolt and the nut isn't welded to the stove, so you have to reach in through the flue to hold it.

If you cleaned it top down were you able to vacuum everything out?

I don't vacuum it out every time I sweep. We don't burn much and the wood is super dry so there's hardly anything to remove

 

[Whitenuckler]

Technically yes, but it's a nut-and-bolt and the nut isn't welded to the stove, so you have to reach in through the flue to hold it.



I don't vacuum it out every time I sweep. We don't burn much and the wood is super dry so there's hardly anything to remove

I wonder once you have the adapter and pipe off if you could tap those holes and get rid of the nuts and use a bigger bolt? If it is made of mild steel and thick enough you could. There are also "press in" bolts.

 

[pirates712]

I did reach out to the distributor for forever flex chimney liners to see if there's a product that would allow the addition of a cleanout in my situation. If not, it seems like my best option so far is to suck it up and disconnect the liner from the stove. I did just re-check how far out of the stove I can lift it and I can only raise it about an inch from it's 'fully connected' position. Looking at my pics above I'm guessing that's about halfway to removing it completely. I bet I could trim about 1" off the bottom of the liner and still be able to have it fully seat in the stove, but that might allow me to remove it more easily. Measure 10 times, cut once

 

[Whitenuckler]

I did reach out to the distributor for forever flex chimney liners to see if there's a product that would allow the addition of a cleanout in my situation. If not, it seems like my best option so far is to suck it up and disconnect the liner from the stove. I did just re-check how far out of the stove I can lift it and I can only raise it about an inch from it's 'fully connected' position. Looking at my pics above I'm guessing that's about halfway to removing it completely. I bet I could trim about 1" off the bottom of the liner and still be able to have it fully seat in the stove, but that might allow me to remove it more easily. Measure 10 times, cut once

It's going to easier to clean if it's a straight run like you are planning. Having to start with a 90 turn is not desirable as I found out this year for the first time.

 

[xshmoox]

I just looked at the manual and that’s a really dumb design I can’t believe you can’t easily drop the baffle seems like so much work to do that. I think like I said biting the bullet and pulling it forward lose some floor space and running rear vent with a tee. I’d rather lose a bit of floor space than do that every year. Unless it’s a raised hearth and don’t have enough room to pull it out some. Or perhaps if you have a stronger draft you could rear vent to a 90 that wouldn’t take as much length to do so then you could pop the 90 off

 

[Todd]

You can drop the baffle by removing the two screws on the rear of the stove. Slide the baffle down into the firebox and sweep bottom up.

 

[pirates712]

You can drop the baffle by removing the two screws on the rear of the stove. Slide the baffle down into the firebox and sweep bottom up.

On the F45 V2? Looking at the stove and the parts diagram I don't see how it's possible. It looks like the top of the stove has to come off to remove the baffle.

 

[Todd]

On the F45 V2? Looking at the stove and the parts diagram I don't see how it's possible. It looks like the top of the stove has to come off to remove the baffle.

Remove the rear heat shield and there should be two 10mm bolts in the back. Remove them and it will loosen the baffle the you can reach through the door lift one side of the baffle up, slide it over and drop it down to the floor. I’m not sure if it slides out the door or not. Be careful of the insulation blanket it’s fragile.

Another way to access the flue is to remove the top. It’s held on by two 2mm bolts on the inside but it would be hard for you to do this with your setup. The top is gaskets so no need to replace the bolts.

 

[pirates712]

These two? I'll have to try it this weekend. This will be magical if true.

 

[Todd]

These two? I'll have to try it this weekend. This will be magical if true.

View attachment 340619

Yes. I see you removed your exhaust collar. There’s a thin paper like gasket on there you may need to replace. I replaced mine with a more durable flat glass door gasket I had.

 

[pirates712]

Yeah this is an old picture. I replaced it with some type of rope gasket if I recall.

 

[Todd]

One other thing I forgot to mention. When you take down the baffle there’s the secondary air supply tube in the back of the firebox between the fire bricks. Make sure you stuff a rag in it before you sweep so it doesn’t fill up with soot.

 

[EbS-P]

Remove the rear heat shield and there should be two 10mm bolts in the back. Remove them and it will loosen the baffle the you can reach through the door lift one side of the baffle up, slide it over and drop it down to the floor. I’m not sure if it slides out the door or not. Be careful of the insulation blanket it’s fragile.

Another way to access the flue is to remove the top. It’s held on by two 2mm bolts on the inside but it would be hard for you to do this with your setup. The top is gaskets so no need to replace the bolts.

Valuable information. And the first time I’ve heard it!

 

[xshmoox]

You can drop the baffle by removing the two screws on the rear of the stove. Slide the baffle down into the firebox and sweep bottom up.

Hmm that doesn’t seem too bad then idk just looked different in the manual. That’s probably the way to go then for your cleaning.