When to clean / brush?

[120inna55]

I've been using my Englander 12-FP since November. I have some creosote build-up, but I don't know when or how often I should clean.

I'm a newbie, but I've done lots of reading on this forum, so I'll go ahead and stipulate what I've learned as to how to avoid/lessen creosote formation:

1. Use dry, seasoned wood only. This probably sums it up: [quote author="Backwoods Savage" date="1295140180"]...Most every time when someone has a creosote problem it can be traced back to the wood.[/quote]
2. Have hot fires & avoid smoldering.

I want to know at what point should I brush my chimney. I have about 7' of double wall stove pipe and 9' of class A stainless with a rain cap and no spark arrestor.

The temps are mild here in East Texas today, so I decided to inspect my chimney. I have the expected loose crud on my rain cap, but nothing obstructive. The lumen of the chimney has about 1/4" evenly distributed, flaky, black build-up. Just blowing on it knocks it loose, and lightly brushing it with my finger reveals the shiny stainless underneath.

I'm having to order a poly brush as I cannot use my father's metal brush on my class A, and the local shops only have metal brushes as well. (before a debate breaks out regarding the necessity of using only a poly brush on stainless, the instruction manual for my class A explicitly states to use a "plastic chimney cleaning brush".

I suspect there's no danger in continuing to use my stove with the current build-up of creosote at least until the poly brush arrives, but I understand it is cumulative by nature. Frankly, I have no idea at what rate this build-up occurred as I have refined my burning habits since experimenting with my new stove. For all I know, most of the buildup happened within the first 2 weeks of use (before I discovered the real meaning of seasoned wood).

 

[tcassavaugh]

A couple of times a year, i first check the condition of the pipe/thimbal as its the easiest to check. For me, thats an area that collects when i burn unseasoned wood. If thats really dirty, i pull the pipe to the stove and clean it as well as the thimbal. Then, i go up top and do the chimney. Most of the time if the thimbal is dirty, the top will be too. If the thimbal is in good shape, i just connect it back together and burn on. Thats just my practice, and its worked for me in this house for 15 years.

cass

 

[Backwoods Savage]

A good rule of thumb is that if you wonder if the chimney should be cleaned, it is time to clean it!

You should be okay though waiting just a couple days for the brush. I usually recommend new burners to check the chimney monthly and clean as necessary. After the first couple of years most folks are getting better at running the stove and also have much better wood. Then they can usually back off to semi-annually and gradually work up to cleaning once per year...right after you quit burning for the summer. Then there are some lucky folks who can get by cleaning only every other year or so but that really takes a good stove and excellent fuel along with good burning practices.

 

[firefighterjake]

I think it's a good idea to at least check monthly . . . especially for newbies . . . as someone else once wrote not too long ago . . . very few folks regret cleaning their chimney too often.

 

[thewoodlands]

This is our second year burning and we clean it twice a year from the bottom up. More for the peace of mind than anything.


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