Anyone use the soot eater to sweep their chimney. I have a 6" flex liner that I would like to be able to Sweep from the bottom up and this looks like it might be easier than a traditional brush.
Soot Eater
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I bought one this summer and cleaned all three lined chimneys with it. Worked well. Bends in the liner/pipe can be a pan in the ass, but doable. Cost me about $70-80 with an extra rod kit for my two taller chimneys. Normally would have cost me $450 to have all three cleaned.
ailanthus
Feeling the Heat
I used mine for the first time this summer and was pretty pleased with it. I didn't shell out for the extra rods so I have 18' of rod and 28' of chimney and ended up doing both top-down and bottom-up, both of which were pretty easy. I also have some bends that I wasn't sure how it would get around, but it worked great. I had an "oh, s!" moment when I realized I had my pipe damper to deal with from the bottom and didn't want to disassemble anything, but it fit right through (not while spinning!). Tooks some pics but can't really see anything in them - sorry.
chimneylinerjames
Feeling the Heat
Curly
New Member
Bought one a couple years ago....the best investment I have ever made......errrrrr, other than the investment of love towards my wife and children (is she looking over my shoulder?????)
Had my soot eater for 3 years, works great. Remember when you first get it ,,,,, loosen the allen holding the lines, pull the lines through to get the desired length on one side,,,,, then,,,,, cut the remaining long sides to the match the length you had on the opposite side. The result in doing it this way,,,,, you now have a whole extra line set to use when the original ones get worn down. If you just trim both sides as is, you have no extra line set. I also used it to unclog a 4 inch gray water drain pipe.
Yes an awesome product. Lots and lots of threads here with hints on how to use the system the best. Some hints I'll add is that it was a better bargain when I was shopping for our SootEater to get two full sets instead of the one set and then another couple of rods. That way you get two good whip heads and several more spare rods. I purchased ours (along with the "LintEater" system for cleaning our clothes dryer line) from SmartHome as they had the best price.
The other thing is that I use both the trimmed whip head and also the untrimmed whip head; I found that with the head that is trimmed you really have to have some serious RPMs on the drill to get the bristles to extend totally straight and hit all inside areas of the stove pipe and chimney pipe whereas with the untrimmed head it had the ability to spin slower and still hit every single section. The trimmed head seems much more efficient at knocking all the creosote off but the untrimmed head seems much more thorough. So, I run the system up and down first with the trimmed and then second with the untrimmed and the chimney is completely spotless after all that!
When I use the system I start by taking the chimney cap off so I can really clean it too and then with that off it doesn't matter much how far you feed the system through the chimney; you'll feel the head clear the chimney but it doesn't do damage. But, if you cannot access the cap to remove it I would recommend feeding rods up the chimney one by one by hand until you softly touch the cap and then mark the last rod with a piece of tape or something and also count the total rods that the chimney took. That way you can spin the system up super fast all the way up until that last rod and then be somewhat slower as you approach the cap to avoid doing any damage up there with the whip head.
The other thing is that I use both the trimmed whip head and also the untrimmed whip head; I found that with the head that is trimmed you really have to have some serious RPMs on the drill to get the bristles to extend totally straight and hit all inside areas of the stove pipe and chimney pipe whereas with the untrimmed head it had the ability to spin slower and still hit every single section. The trimmed head seems much more efficient at knocking all the creosote off but the untrimmed head seems much more thorough. So, I run the system up and down first with the trimmed and then second with the untrimmed and the chimney is completely spotless after all that!
When I use the system I start by taking the chimney cap off so I can really clean it too and then with that off it doesn't matter much how far you feed the system through the chimney; you'll feel the head clear the chimney but it doesn't do damage. But, if you cannot access the cap to remove it I would recommend feeding rods up the chimney one by one by hand until you softly touch the cap and then mark the last rod with a piece of tape or something and also count the total rods that the chimney took. That way you can spin the system up super fast all the way up until that last rod and then be somewhat slower as you approach the cap to avoid doing any damage up there with the whip head.
So if I took out my damper could I reach up into the stove with this soot eater and run it right up through?
My chimney is straight up for two stories.
With the by-pass open I can see right up to the top.
My chimney is straight up for two stories.
With the by-pass open I can see right up to the top.
I'm not really sure how it works with dampers but for the stove specifically I simply remove the firebrick baffle blocks and run it right up through the stove pipe, into the chimney pipe and then all the way up. It is super simple and extremely effective. I do use the supplied plastic sheeting and tape it to the firebox to control the creosote.
If its just a Pipe Damper, it should go right by it. Just make sure you don't spin it there.
The head is a small ball that will go to one side or the other.
The head is a small ball that will go to one side or the other.
Well I don't use the flue damper anyways and could take it out .
Would be a lot easier to just run the soot eater right up to the top from inside the stove I'm thinking.
I only do the top down in the spring with my brush and rods.
Usually not much in the pipes but the cap can get nasty.
Would be a lot easier to just run the soot eater right up to the top from inside the stove I'm thinking.
I only do the top down in the spring with my brush and rods.
Usually not much in the pipes but the cap can get nasty.
Hey
I bought one this year. In Canada they are more expensive: I paid $125. However, my sweep charges $150 to sweep. I made sure there was no glaze and it was simply soot. It works really well. My T is only 12 inches off of the ground and it bent up there no problems.
A
I bought one this year. In Canada they are more expensive: I paid $125. However, my sweep charges $150 to sweep. I made sure there was no glaze and it was simply soot. It works really well. My T is only 12 inches off of the ground and it bent up there no problems.
A
DianeB
Feeling the Heat
my stove pipe is crimped a little going through the damper block off plate - do you think I would have a problem using the sooteater? Our stove is vented out of the rear with a T (Duravent equipment)
Sprinter
Minister of Fire
Great idea! If I have a six inch liner, what is the finished size I need from end cut to end cut? The instructions and template were a bit confusing...I think I went too short?
chimneylinerjames
Feeling the Heat
Basically leave 3.5 inches sticking out each side. Loosen the allen pull the line back through so you have 3.5 inches on one side, tighten the allen and cut the opposite side to 3.5 inches. You should have enough line now to make up a brand new set.
Yeah I would like to know that also.
What kind of drill have you used it on. I have a few drills to choose from but I was hoping that I could use a cordless 18v as well as my Milwaukee 1/2 drill.
As far as I know, with glazed creosote a sooteater is too soft. Think about it: it is simply a plastic whip head (like a weed eater). It even states in the manual that it is not for glaze creosote: "
The SootEater is designed to remove light to moderate "Soot" & "Creosote" deposits commonly found in chimneys as a result of burning wood. It is NOT designed for removing "Glaze" deposits, which are very difficult to remove. A professional chimney sweep should be called if glaze deposits are present. The SootEater is intended for routine maintenance and cleaning of residential chimneys only. It is still necessary to have the complete chimney, fireplace and stove system inspected at least once a year by a professional chimney sweep. "
Andrew
The SootEater is designed to remove light to moderate "Soot" & "Creosote" deposits commonly found in chimneys as a result of burning wood. It is NOT designed for removing "Glaze" deposits, which are very difficult to remove. A professional chimney sweep should be called if glaze deposits are present. The SootEater is intended for routine maintenance and cleaning of residential chimneys only. It is still necessary to have the complete chimney, fireplace and stove system inspected at least once a year by a professional chimney sweep. "
Andrew
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