Stuck Stove Pipe

[CatfishHunter]

I went to a friend's cabin to help clean the stove pipe. It's a new-to-them cabin with an unknown date of the last cleaning. We removed the screws holding the sections together but could not get the pipes to slide up. The roof is a 24/12 a-frame so not at all easy to clean from the top.

Any advice on how to free sections that are frozen from the bottom?

 

[Highbeam]

I went to a friend's cabin to help clean the stove pipe. It's a new-to-them cabin with an unknown date of the last cleaning. We removed the screws holding the sections together but could not get the pipes to slide up. The roof is a 24/12 a-frame so not at all easy to clean from the top.

Any advice on how to free sections that are frozen from the bottom?

Can’t you just clean right through the loading door with a sooteater?

 

[coaly]

We don’t know the condition of pipes, they could be nearing the end of life expectancy. If still solid you should be able to smack them sideways at each joint with screws removed until they rock back and forth at each joint.

Does it have a telescope section at top with a clamp to loosen, or a rear vent to pull back and drop? If there is a no baffle or it is easily removable, clean from bottom up. If no electric, you would need to use a battery operated rechargeable drill with a Soot Eater or chimney whip type cleaner.

If you end up removing pipes, I clean from the bottom with flexible rod sections. I use a plastic bag big enough to fit over pipe. Poke a small hole in the bottom center, insert 1 flex rod section with brush connected into bag. Insert brush into pipe, and have helper hold bag over pipe. I hold bag bottom tight to rod where it goes through hole in bag with one hand and clean, adding flex rod sections as needed. Everything falls into bag. When removing, pull brush out into bag. A minimal amount leaks from the hole in bag holding it tight to the rod just enough to slide the rod through the small hole in bottom of bag.

 

[CatfishHunter]

Can’t you just clean right through the loading door with a sooteater?

Unfortunately not on this old Haughs stove. The baffle is not easily removable and even if so, there is not enough clearance to get the rods into the stove pipe.

 

[CatfishHunter]

We don’t know the condition of pipes, they could be nearing the end of life expectancy. If still solid you should be able to smack them sideways at each joint with screws removed until they rock back and forth at each joint.

Does it have a telescope section at top with a clamp to loosen, or a rear vent to pull back and drop? If there is a no baffle or it is easily removable, clean from bottom up. If no electric, you would need to use a battery operated rechargeable drill with a Soot Eater or chimney whip type cleaner.

If you end up removing pipes, I clean from the bottom with flexible rod sections. I use a plastic bag big enough to fit over pipe. Poke a small hole in the bottom center, insert 1 flex rod section with brush connected into bag. Insert brush into pipe, and have helper hold bag over pipe. I hold bag bottom tight to rod where it goes through hole in bag with one hand and clean, adding flex rod sections as needed. Everything falls into bag. When removing, pull brush out into bag. A minimal amount leaks from the hole in bag holding it tight to the rod just enough to slide the rod through the small hole in bottom of bag.

That is exactly how I clean them as well. I usually throw a ratchet strap around the bag on the pipe so that nobody has to hold the bag.

The pipes appear solid. I suppose that I should have just knocked the sections around hard enough to loosen them as you suggested. The section at top is telescopic but there is no clamp. It should just slide up into the shield/adaptor that goes through the ceiling. I'll go with more brute strength the next time I visit.