Learned from the "pros", dodged a bullet

[Jfk4th]

Well I had a small chimney fire in my class A chimney pipe that scared the hell out of me a few weeks ago. So I called the local chimney sweep and he came and gave it a good look over and cleaning. Turns out I have been doing a have ass job of sweeping the pipes, I clean them twice a year but I now know I was not "scrubbing" hard enough or taking enough time.

Since I have 2 stoves I wanted them to do both pipes but they only had time to do one. They checked the other and said it was OK. Well that was not good enough for me since I am now gun shy and think that every plane that flies by our house is the sound of a chimney fire....

So today I decided to go up there because of the warmer temps and give it a good scrubbing. Here's where it gets good. I took my time and cleaned every inch of that 21 foot insert pipe and was just about calling it a good day until I pulled up the brush and realized that I lost the brush......Damn, damn, damn :red: But I didn't panic I just went to the local hardware store and bought another Rutland 6 inch brush, a little more money than the big stores but I wanted to get this done. I attached the better brush and after pushing really hard it was pushed down the opening of the stove. Thank goodness. Plus I am getting good at removing the fire bricks to clean my stove

I still got about 1 cup of brown powder out, I am much happier now that I thoroughly cleaned it.

Tomorrow I am going to clean the other chimney pipe (one that had a chimney fire 3 weeks ago) for my Avalon. Why not, tomorrow is going to be very warm, no ice or snow on the roof. Might as well take advantage of it. Yes it is not needed but I am doing it anyway Plus the Avalon is really simple since you only need to open the top by pass damper and let the powder drop in your stove

Lessons learned:
Do a good job cleaning the pipes.
Hire a pro every once in a while and watch them like a hawk ( so you can pick their brain)
Tighten those extensions and brushes when you clean the chimney.

 

[beau5278]

I've only ever had one chimney fire,that's a sound I never want to hear again,it turned out ok with no damage but it does get your heart beating pretty fast.On the subject of chimney cleaning,if you tie a rope on the end of the brush that goes in first,all brushes that I've seen have a loop for it,that way if your rods come apart,you can still pull the brush down and out the bottom.

 

[fossil]

Depends on the stove. Some stoves are built in such a way that a brush can be neither pushed nor pulled all the way into the firebox. My Lopi Liberty's just like JFK's Avalon, and yes, the brush can make it all the way through. My little Century shop stove, however, has a secondary air supply duct welded in that passes right under the flue outlet inside the firebox. Get a brush down that far without a way to retrieve it back up the chimney, and you'll have to disassemble the stovepipe, pull the brush out, then reassemble. Rick

 

[Jfk4th]

I've only ever had one chimney fire,that's a sound I never want to hear again,it turned out ok with no damage but it does get your heart beating pretty fast.On the subject of chimney cleaning,if you tie a rope on the end of the brush that goes in first,all brushes that I've seen have a loop for it,that way if your rods come apart,you can still pull the brush down and out the bottom.

Sweet, good idea, NICE. I can do this for both of my stoves. Thanks for the info. Yep, I was glad to just be in the back yard when I heard the fire alarm go off and I could see some flames coming out of the chimney cap. I also cut the screen on the cap, many people call the screen a creosote collector.....I am goijg to cut the other screen tomorrow to be safe. In the summer months I am just going to put some chicken wire around both so no small birds or animals will even think about going in there. Of course if they did I guess I would find out when I clean before the fall burning season....

 

[fossil]

I'm no regulation fanatic (a euphemism for code nazi)...but where I live, because of the extreme danger of extremely destructive wildfires (yes, sometimes the fire seasons and the woodburning seasons overlap), spark arrestor screens are required in our caps. NFPA 211 sez an appropriately sized spark arrestor screen will pass a 3/8" sphere, but block a 1/2" sphere, so most of what you see is 3/8" stainless mesh. Yes, it's the coldest point of the system. Yes, it's the most likely place for soot/creosote to begin to collect. Yes, as it tends to clog up, it has an adverse effect on your draft. Yes, it demands periodic attention. Yes, it performs an important function (beyond keeping out the critters), especially if you live in an area prone to wildfire. I have 'em, and I'm keeping 'em. I keep an eye on 'em, and when they look like theyre starting to constrict a bit, I take 'em down and clean 'em and put 'em back up. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it. Do what you will with your screens. Rick

 

[Jfk4th]

I'm no regulation fanatic (a euphemism for code nazi)...but where I live, because of the extreme danger of extremely destructive wildfires (yes, sometimes the fire seasons and the woodburning seasons overlap), spark arrestor screens are required in our caps. NFPA 211 sez an appropriately sized spark arrestor screen will pass a 3/8" sphere, but block a 1/2" sphere, so most of what you see is 3/8" stainless mesh. Yes, it's the coldest point of the system. Yes, it's the most likely place for soot/creosote to begin to collect. Yes, as it tends to clog up, it has an adverse effect on your draft. Yes, it demands periodic attention. Yes, it performs an important function (beyond keeping out the critters), especially if you live in an area prone to wildfire. I have 'em, and I'm keeping 'em. I keep an eye on 'em, and when they look like theyre starting to constrict a bit, I take 'em down and clean 'em and put 'em back up. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it. Do what you will with your screens. Rick

No code for screen where I live...Everything else they are strict with

 

[BrotherBart]

Little confused here. You weren't "scrubbing enough"? How were you cleaning that one pipe and what were you leaving in it? Why is the other one OK if you brush it the same way?

 

[Jfk4th]

I was not scrubbing hard enough, just putting the brush in and not going back and forth at each section of the pipe. In summary it would probably take me less than 5 minutes to clean 20 plus feet of pipe, didn't realize how to really clean the pipe until I watched the local chimney sweep. I guess for 2 years it was my rookie mistake. My other stove is not used nearly as much as my Avalon therefore no problems. I would use the stove in Florida room 24/7 essentially, the other stove maybe once every 2 weeks if that.

Long story short, I think it was the combo of poorly cleaned pipes and 2 years ago I burned not the best wood, not seasoned and wet. Buildup happened but it won't happen again

Everything looks good now and I cleaned one pipe yesterday and one today for peace of mind (nothing but a crumble came out of the Avalon Class A chimney pipe). Should be good for a little while

 

[karri0n]

This is a bit OT, but has anyone else noticed that a user named JFK just posted a thread title "Dodged a Bullet"?????

 

[Jfk4th]

Nice, never thought of that...good call

 

[fossil]

If only he had... :down: Rick