Sooteater

[Treacherous]

Pic was taken before I shoveled creosote out of the stove.

I never completely vacuum out my stove but shovel out everything I can. The bypass certainly makes using the Sooteater (7 poles with my install) a quick and easy task on my Endeavor.

 

[HDRock]

Pic was taken before I shoveled creosote out of the stove.

I never completely vacuum out my stove but shovel out everything I can. The bypass certainly makes using the Sooteater (7 poles with my install) a quick and easy task on my Endeavor.

I realize that Pic was taken before you shoveled creosote out of the stove/ , and , I also ,never completely vacuum out my stove but shovel out everything I can
Thanks

 

[northwinds]

Today, I used the sooteater for a second consecutive year. This year I went from the bottom up. Seemed to go better taking the rods off this year. Last year, that seemed like
a pain in the butt. Got about a quart of dry powder from 23 feet of chimney with a couple pairs of 45s. That's the first cleaning since last summer with 24/7 burning last season. I can live with that.

 

[Ashful]

Why are you guys waiting until fall to clean your pipes? I usually clean at the end of the season, not the beginning, figuring I don't want that corrosive chit sitting in the tube thru the summer humidity.

 

[Treacherous]

Low humidity during the summer where I am.

 

[Sprinter]

I don't want that corrosive chit sitting in the tube thru the summer humidity.

I believe some manufacturers require early cleaning as a condition of warranty. Probably because of corrosion. Or they want a convenient "out" of a claim.

 

[northwinds]

Why are you guys waiting until fall to clean your pipes? I usually clean at the end of the season, not the beginning, figuring I don't want that corrosive chit sitting in the tube thru the summer humidity.

Procrastination.

 

[Ashful]

Procrastination.

 

[Mr A]

I have an oval pipe. Just guessing, when trimming the line to fit my flue, I would cut to the longest length across the oval? The directions say to cut 1/4" more the length of the diagonal of a square or rectangle, or the diameter of flue. It says on the box it does oval, but leaves it out of the instructions.

 

[Nick Mystic]

That's what I would do. The lines are pretty flexible, so I don't see a problem with the longer length causing problems with the shorter sides. I think the line will just rub with its side against the pipe rather than the tip. Then again, the head of the device moves around a bit as it wobbles and rotates inside the pipe, so the tips will probably still hit the near sides from time to time.

 

[fire_man]

I used my Sooteater for the first time and here are the results:

The good: It cleaned the flue really well (bottom up method into a T)
The bad: What a mess! next time I will be more careful to seal the opening!
The ugly: I toasted my nearly brand new 14V cordless drill! The gears sound like there are marbles in them. Next time I use a real drill.

Overall it did what I wanted, no more ladders and climbing on the roof.

 

[Sprinter]

The ugly: I toasted my nearly brand new 14V cordless drill! The gears sound like there are marbles in them. Next time I use a real drill.

Wow, sorry to hear about the drill. I once thought I ruined my Bosch drill because it sounded exactly the same. Then I found that the speed switch wasn't all the way to one side which caused it to sound like that. Something to check just in case.

 

[fire_man]

Thanks for the idea, Sprinter. I tried but still marble sounding gears. It almost seems like soot got inside the motor bearings.

Oh well lesson learned.

 

[Sprinter]

Oh well lesson learned

Well, maybe it will help someone else anyway. Thanks for warning us. Is it new enough to be returned? Maybe it was just coincidental.

 

[fire_man]

Too old to return, way too new to be broken.

I'm thinking a cloud of soot got into the motor, because with increased use the awful sound is getting better, broken gears would improve.

Next time I will use the vacuum method, but with my luck I'll fry the vacuum motor.

 

[Treacherous]

I just use this cheap HF 18v drill I got for $35 on sale.

 

[BrotherBart]

I am probably the only Sooteater naysayer. The drill started smoking halfway up the 35 foot liner. And in the 21 footer I hated hearing the joints in that flopping rod beat the crap of the liner.

I went back to the rope and brush.

 

[Treacherous]

I imagine in a liner it would probably sound a little dicey. Nothing disconcerting sounding in my 21 ft ICC run though. I've only been concerned about getting caught up in the cap somehow. This has never happened and it beats any crud out of there nicely. I wanted to make sure I used a clutched drill this year though. I spun & broke a pole off last year. They did cover under warranty though. It was my fault. A nice gesture from Gardus though,

 

[clemsonfor]

I fried my 8 yr old corded drill that already had like an 1/8 to 1/4 play in the shaft.

 

[clemsonfor]

No big deal has been on last leg for years.

 

[Ashful]

I went back to the rope and brush.

Describe, please. I imagine going up a ladder to drop the rope down the pipe, and then drawing the brush down from below? Might not be so bad on my lower chimney, but still frightening for mid-season on the big chimney.

 

[BrotherBart]

Yeah I set up both pipes to do it that way. I go up and open the megabucks caps and drop both ropes and push the brushes into the pipes. Close the caps and go down and pull the brushes through. No it isn't a squeaky clean cleaning but squat is left and it ain't gonna play in a chimney fire.

 

[Treacherous]

If my roof wasn't 12/12 and I liked heights more I would clean from top. My new raised metal seam is even slipperier than old metal roof so even further from it happening. I am thankful the SootEater works so well for my setup.

 

[HDRock]

If my roof wasn't 12/12 and I liked heights more I would clean from top. My new raised metal seam is even slipperier than old metal roof so even further from it happening. I am thankful the SootEater works so well for my setup.

I don't know how U could even stay on a 12/12 roof for more than 5 secs without sliding off .
Maybe gulf shoes (no I wouldn't),or harness n rope

 

[Ashful]

Bart, how do you like big ladders? Planning any trips north, say... January?

Unfortunately, the way it's currently set up, I'd have to pull the flagstone on the big chimney to remove the squirrel cage. The chimney guy does this each spring, when he does his top-down cleaning.



No big deal, until you consider where you're working from (I don't think I need to re-post THAT picture ).