Soot Eater - Yay or Nay?

[SpAmSoNiTe]

While browsing the forums I came across several people mentioning the Soot Eater.. Do those that have one love it or hate it? Been looking for a good way to do a decent mid-season cleaning to my new Supervent straight up chimney without having to climb up on the 9/12 pitch roof. I was planning on just taking my interior double wall pipe off and running straight up the chimney with a poly brush, but this option has me intrigued..

How flexible are the rods? I've got probably less than a foot of telescopic room if I pushed the double wall back up into itself. Could I bend these rods enough not to detach it from the chimney adapter at the ceiling?


Thanks,
Sam.

 

[begreen]

I like it. The rods are quite flexible. They negotiate my 45 deg. offset elbows without complaint. I detach nothing, just pull the baffle, tape some plastic over the door opening with a slit for the sooteater and clean.

 

[jatoxico]

Generally well thought of around here. I have one and it works as advertised. Rods are pretty flexible but not clear what you mean from your description.

 

[SpAmSoNiTe]

I like it. The rods are quite flexible. They negotiate my 45 deg. offset elbows without complaint. I detach nothing, just pull the baffle, tape some plastic over the door opening with a slit for the sooteater and clean.

Pretty scared of pulling the ceramic baffles.. They seem so... Fragile in the Englander!

 

[SpAmSoNiTe]

Generally well thought of around here. I have one and it works as advertised. Rods are pretty flexible but not clear what you mean from your description.

I have a telescoping length of double wall pipe from my ceiling box to the stovetop. Pipe extends from like 40-60", and it is only around 49" to my stovetop. What I mean is that if I loosen the pipe from the top of the stove, there is a 9" gap without taking anything else apart to get up the chimney.

 

[Highbeam]

I've pulled the baffles from my nc30. They are not fragile. Drop the front tubes, slide the fiber boards out and then you can run the sooteater right up the flue.

I would be more concerned about unscrewing and collapsing the double wall. You'll scratch it, might not be able to find the screw holes, might drop it on your head, etc.

I want the sooteater for Xmas. Tired of jacking around on the roof screwing rods together.

 

[alforit]

A definite YAY here.............I love mine

 

[blacktail]

Yay.

 

[TheRambler]

I absolutely love my sooteater for my pellet stove. Would buy again 1000x over. It was just bought this year, and came with the super flexible white rods.

I also have the regular sooteater, just purchased this year also. This one the jury is still out on. I do like it, but it no longer comes with the white rods and only comes with the black rods now. The black rods are nowhere near as flexible as the white ones. So its a bit harder to make turns with it. Since its not quite as flexible it tends to stay on one side of the flue(the rod) and it rubs on the ss liner edge. I have used it twice and the rods are showing some wear. Not sure how long it will hold up, only time will tell.

They both do an excellent job cleaning, and for the ease of doing bottom up cleaning i will probably continue to use them for some time, I just wish they would again offer the white rods for the main version.

 

[fitter9]

I think the soot eater is great. I open the bypass on my lopi and the rods are flexable enough to make a 90 degree turn inside the firebox without having to take anything apart. I have 30 ft of chimney and the soot eater cleans it with no issues.

 

[TheRambler]

I think the soot eater is great. I open the bypass on my lopi and the rods are flexable enough to make a 90 degree turn inside the firebox without having to take anything apart. I have 30 ft of chimney and the soot eater cleans it with no issues.

Is that with the white or black rods? I feel like my black rods are on the verge of breaking on a 90. They even have a picture with a slash through it in the instructions saying not to do a 90 now with thr black rods

 

[littlericky]

Yay!

 

[prezes13]

Might be a stupid question but if you guys do bottom up cleaning do you get a lot of mess in the house? I do top down so I have door to my stove closed so there is no mess. Just vaccum fire box after.

 

[jatoxico]

I have a telescoping length of double wall pipe from my ceiling box to the stovetop. Pipe extends from like 40-60", and it is only around 49" to my stovetop. What I mean is that if I loosen the pipe from the top of the stove, there is a 9" gap without taking anything else apart to get up the chimney.

OK I think I know what you mean. A 9" gap from stove top to pipe might be tight unless you can come in from the backside so the angles not too steep, depends on where the flue exits the top. Either way I think I would leave the pipe on anyway and go in through the door and up. I have to remove my baffles and drop the whole upper assembly, burn tubes and all. It's not the most fun thing I get to do but with everything out I can give the entire box a good cleaning. If you never do that you don't know what buildup you could have.

I have "Skamol" bricks which sit on the cast baffles which would break if I was too rough. Just have to carefully remove them then go to town.

 

[Hogwildz]

I want one too! My only concern is the cap & screen. Might still have to go up to clean them.

 

[jatoxico]

(broken image removed)

I have this ^ and have to use two sets of rods to get to the top. Had the wife go out once and look from the ground to see if I was getting all the way up. Sure enough the head does get up there and rattles around. Seems to come pretty clean.

 

[fespo]

A+

 

[fitter9]

i have the black rods. i don't bend them in a tight 90. just enough to go threw the bypass and out the stove door. I'm on my second season with them ( 4 or 5 cleanings) and I've had no issues with broken rods.

 

[Heatsource]

yay!

 

[charger4406]

yay

 

[Highbeam]

yay

On the BK, no problem making the bend up through the bypass flapper and into the flue?

 

[blueguy]

On the BK, no problem making the bend up through the bypass flapper and into the flue?

Nope.

 

[charger4406]

On the BK, no problem making the bend up through the bypass flapper and into the flue?

It bends up through the bypass quite easily, I have the black rods and they are flexible enough to make the bend.

 

[BeardedJon]

After hearing all the good things about these on this forum I'd like to get one myself. Where's the best place to order them online?

 

[DanCorcoran]

Here's a link to a how-to I posted two years ago. As you can see, I was only able to lift my telescoping flue about 5 inches, but it provided plenty of room. It also addresses your concern about soot in the house. Enjoy...

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/cleaning-the-flue-on-a-hearthstone-shelburne.87644/#post-1134032