Lesson learned - cover your chimney over the summer!

[Joacchim]

I have always covered my Central Boiler chimney over the summer months (since 2010), but I got lazy last spring and let it go. Yesterday I could not get a fire to start, just a faint wisp of smoke from the chimney. When I open the door great clouds of smoke escape, telling me my stack is plugged. Now toward the end of last winter I was burning some questionably unseasoned wood, so I assumed I'd creosoted up my chimney. I was planning to rent a tall step ladder and go up to unplug it, but instead tried one last thing - a drain snake. Boy, was I glad I did! We live at the edge of a woods, and wasps had made themselves quite a home up there. Luckily I was able to knock it loose from the bottom cleanout. Whew (sigh of relief). Photos show what came down. Won't neglect to do that again!

 

[Burnin Since 1989]

I have always covered my Central Boiler chimney over the summer months (since 2010), but I got lazy last spring and let it go. Yesterday I could not get a fire to start, just a faint wisp of smoke from the chimney. When I open the door great clouds of smoke escape, telling me my stack is plugged. Now toward the end of last winter I was burning some questionably unseasoned wood, so I assumed I'd creosoted up my chimney. I was planning to rent a tall step ladder and go up to unplug it, but instead tried one last thing - a drain snake. Boy, was I glad I did! We live at the edge of a woods, and wasps had made themselves quite a home up there. Luckily I was able to knock it loose from the bottom cleanout. Whew (sigh of relief). Photos show what came down. Won't neglect to do that again!
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Wow that's crazy. Yeah they can be persistent little buggers. I had sparrows trying to build nests in my chimney and I had to cut to fit some hardware cloth to stop them. I don't think it would stop bees though. What do you cover yours with?

 

[Joacchim]

I use a large black plastic trash bag with a bungee cord around the bottom to keep it on. Since the chimney top is about 12-1/2' off the ground I have to climb up onto the top of the adjacent furnace to put it on. Since I'm getting older that climb may have contributed to not doing it last spring.

 

[all night moe]

I use a large black plastic trash bag with a bungee cord around the bottom to keep it on. Since the chimney top is about 12-1/2' off the ground I have to climb up onto the top of the adjacent furnace to put it on. Since I'm getting older that climb may have contributed to not doing it last spring.

How about a pole with a hook and a 5gal pail?

 

[salecker]

Twice i have had a Duck in up in a couple of my chimney's
Once at home, and once at my shop
Both times the duck lived.

 

[NickW]

Twice i have had a Duck in up in a couple of my chimney's
Once at home, and once at my shop
Both times the duck lived.

I had a "not live" duck in the chimney at the old place before I upgraded to the NC30. After that happened I invested in a cap that clamped onto the clay liner.

 

[salecker]

I wonder what goes through a ducks mind that would make it aim for a chimney instead of a lake

 

[NickW]

I wonder what goes through a ducks mind that would make it aim for a chimney instead of a lake

Mine was a female wood duck probably looking for a nest cavity.