My First Time Cleaning Chimney

[oskar470]

Just for info I had my Regency wood insert model I3100 installed back in 2000 and I have been using it every winter burning about 6 cords of 16” logs. Never had any problem with it and I’m quite happy with it. But I must say I have a problem finding good people to clean the chimney which I do it most of the times every fall, last time been October 2018. Sometimes I had the chimney cleaned after 3 years and the amount of soot was not more than I got today.

So I decided this fall to clean the chimney myself and I bought a 6” brush with steel bristles along with a set of extension rods and since I’m afraid of heights I had to clean the chimney from inside pushing the brush up.. I had a heck of a time to push the brush up and I had to stop when I was about 10 feet up (the length of my chimney must be about 20-25 feet).

I was surprised with the amount of soot I got by going only half to total height because I remember from the past when I had it cleaned by others I never seen so much soot so I suspect the guys last time perhaps they used a 4” brush?

Since I never cleaned a chimney I was expecting to see only a lot of soot but what I got most was something like granules like the consistency of sugar but they were all shiny. Is this normal? (is this creosote?)

My question now is should I use a 4” brush instead the 6” or perhaps I should try another 6” with polypropylene bristles?

Thanks

 

[Ashful]

Clay tile or flex liner? If flex liner, I suspect that’s the first steel brush that’s ever been up there, most use poly brushes in flex liners. Could that be why you’re getting so much more?

More importantly, how are you planning to get that brush out of there, if it’s jammed 10 feet up?

 

[bholler]

You really shouldn't be using a steel brush in a stainless liner

 

[oskar470]

You really shouldn't be using a steel brush in a stainless liner

Sorry for the omission guys, I have SS liner and somehow I believe it is like a pipe (not flex).

The brush is not jammed, I was able to pull it down.

The box of the brush says “can be used with SS chimneys) but I will try to see if I can exchange it for a poly brush. Too bad because the first box I got at the store it was a poly brush but when I saw the SS next to it I thought it will be better. BTW the poly brush was more expensive!

 

[Ashful]

Hey bholler, what brush is recommended for rigid stainless liners? Haven’t seen one of those since the 1990’s!

 

[bholler]

Hey bholler, what brush is recommended for rigid stainless liners? Haven’t seen one of those since the 1990’s!

Not carbon steel. Liner manufacturers say that can damage stainless

 

[Grizzerbear]

Since I never cleaned a chimney I was expecting to see only a lot of soot but what I got most was something like granules like the consistency of sugar but they were all shiny. Is this normal? (is this creosote?)

Yes that is stage 2 cresote

My question now is should I use a 4” brush instead the 6” or perhaps I should try another 6” with polypropylene bristles?

I'm assuming you have 6 inch liner.....u never know......stick with six inch brush and as b holler and bashful said get a poly brush. Steel and stainless dont mix. It will scratch the stainless liner and eventually will rust from this.

 

[Grizzerbear]

as b holler and bashful said get a poly brush.

Sorry bout the typo ashful

 

[jetsam]

The worst part of the creosote is going to be at the top, so you have only seen the tip of the iceberg.

Look into getting more rods or a sooteater.

 

[oskar470]

As Grizzerbear mentioned “Yes that is stage 2 cresote” What the other cresote stages look like?

What is “sooteater”?

Tomorrow I plan to get a 6” poly brush and hopefully I will be able to get to the top. If not then my only alternative is to get the “pros” again

 

[Grizzerbear]

Stage one is is like a brown dust...easy to remove. It's what u like to see if you have any cresote in chimney.
Stage two is what yours is. Flaky,black, buildup. Not ideal but if you stay on top of it it's not terrible to get out of chimney.
Stage three is really bad lol. It's like tar. Gooey sticky and hell to clean out. You dont want this.
When was last time you had flu cleaned.

 

[oskar470]

Stage one is is like a brown dust...easy to remove. It's what u like to see if you have any cresote in chimney.
Stage two is what yours is. Flaky,black, buildup. Not ideal but if you stay on top of it it's not terrible to get out of chimney.
Stage three is really bad lol. It's like tar. Gooey sticky and hell to clean out. You dont want this.
When was last time you had flu cleaned.

Good to know, thanks.

It was October 2018 last time I had it cleaned but never liked the guys (they were 2). One at the top of the roof stayed there not more than 5 minutes and one inside cleaning the firebox. Total time spent, 20 minutes = $145.00

I have another post here (I think) about their visit. After they left, next time I started the fireplace one of the pipes inside holding the 2 top ceramic baffles fell because he didn’t hit it properly to lock on the firebox side + the 2 ceramic baffles were almost gone (been used for 20 years and never replaced) and I had to find all these out and fix by myself. So what’s the point to have it cleaned when they make it worst?

 

[weatherguy]

Sorry bout the typo ashful

Bholler is not bashful

 

[blacktail]

What is “sooteater”?

Quite a few people here are happy using one, including me.

 

[oskar470]

Quite a few people here are happy using one, including me.

View attachment 248539

Thanks for the heads-up

I wish I knew this before, I already spent $75 and not done yet. If not successful I will definitely consider it as an alternative. Looks quite a smart system

 

[Ctwoodtick]

Thanks for the heads-up

I wish I knew this before, I already spent $75 and not done yet. If not successful I will definitely consider it as an alternative. Looks quite a smart system

Is easy to use, can cut the “brush” to size, and is effective (unless buildup is 3rd stage creosote). Glad I got it a while back.

 

[BigJ273]

Definitely creosote, but doesn’t look bad at all considering the size of your stove and the amount of wood you likely burn. I also second the poly brush, the metal one will not do well against your liner/pipe. Sounds like your chimney sweeps are a couple of hacks, I would definitely find replacements, if your not comfortable doing it yourself. I do my wood stove myself, so I know it’s thorough and done right, twice a season. My chimney sweep does my boiler (I’ll gladly pay for that!). He’s a good guy, and even inspects my stove pipe at no charge if I ask him nicely while he’s here. Can’t beat it.

 

[jetsam]

Thanks for the heads-up

I wish I knew this before, I already spent $75 and not done yet. If not successful I will definitely consider it as an alternative. Looks quite a smart system

Well, if you spend another $75 on a sooteater (or additional rods for your brush), you'll still have only spent the amount 1 sweeping was costing you before, and you can do it for free from there on out!

 

[fire_man]

Hey bholler, what brush is recommended for rigid stainless liners? Haven’t seen one of those since the 1990’s!

I must be an odd ball. I installed a rigid stainless liner about 10 years ago. I use the sooteater to clean it.

This replaced a rigid liner that was 20 years old which I cleaned with a stiff wire brush for years. The old rigid liner never rusted but a Sweep suggested I repace it due to age.

The manufacturer of my new liner specifically said it was ok to use a round-wire steel brush.

 

[oskar470]

Well, if you spend another $75 on a sooteater (or additional rods for your brush), you'll still have only spent the amount 1 sweeping was costing you before, and you can do it for free from there on out!

You are right but although money is always important my venture right now started because I can’t find reliable guys to do the job. I’m getting older and the strength is not there anymore to do whatever I want to do like before.

I exchanged my steel brush today for a poly one and tomorrow I will give another try and if successful my thinking is next season I will find someone in the neighborhood who for a few $$$ can go on the roof and do the job from the top down. The cleaning inside I can manage.

 

[bholler]

You are right but although money is always important my venture right now started because I can’t find reliable guys to do the job. I’m getting older and the strength is not there anymore to do whatever I want to do like before.

I exchanged my steel brush today for a poly one and tomorrow I will give another try and if successful my thinking is next season I will find someone in the neighborhood who for a few $$$ can go on the roof and do the job from the top down. The cleaning inside I can manage.

Absolutely no reason you can't Clean from inside well. But I do prefer a rotary cleaner

 

[Ashful]

I must be an odd ball. I installed a rigid stainless liner about 10 years ago. I use the sooteater to clean it.

This replaced a rigid liner that was 20 years old which I cleaned with a stiff wire brush for years. The old rigid liner never rusted but a Sweep suggested I repace it due to age.

The manufacturer of my new liner specifically said it was ok to use a round-wire steel brush.

I guess I don't really know how common or uncommon they are today. I had a solid steel liner put on my oil-fired boiler in the late 1990's. But all liners I've seen here, including the three installed at my current house over the last decade, are all flex.

 

[bholler]

I guess I don't really know how common or uncommon they are today. I had a solid steel liner put on my oil-fired boiler in the late 1990's. But all liners I've seen here, including the three installed at my current house over the last decade, are all flex.

We install a couple a year. Usually for coal

 

[oskar470]

Just for my education guys...



I assume solid liners have a smooth inside surface and the flex must be like corrugated which will make their inside surface not smooth?



Wouldn’t the solid liners be better since they will collect not as much soot?



Or perhaps there is another reason the flex are preferred?

 

[Overfireinthehole]

Flex can collect more but it’s easy to mess with cause it’s flexible and you can buy it in rolls. A sooteater on a drill cleans them right up though unless it’s stage 3 glaze. Then you might as well buy a new liner.