Wood Insert Chimney Sweeping Procedure

[jgoodnow]

I'm having my chimney swept for the first time since having my wood insert installed about one year ago (the insert is a Jotul C450 Kennebec). Can someone outline the standard procedure for doing a chimney sweep when there is an insert installed? The sweeping firm said that they would clean the chimney from the bottom, not the top. Is this standard? Does the insert need to be pulled out to do the sweep? If so, how can they possibly offer me the same price as for an open fireplace chimney? If not, how do they gain access to the stainless steel liner in order to sweep it? Can they remove the secondary air tubes and get an open shot up the stack that way?

Thanks in advance for any info on this.

 

[LeonMSPT]

With a full liner from the insert to the top of the chimney, they'll remove what they need to, and shove a brush and flexible rods right up the chute... vacuum the nasty out, and hand you the bill. No worries.

 

[velvetfoot]

I sweep out the insert from the bottom myself.
On mine, you remove the secondary tubes and the ceramic baffle and insulation on top of it, being careful not to crack it.
I stick a vacuum up the liner as I brush it using screw-on flexible rods.
I have a hose attached to the vacuum exhaust and put that out the window.
I also clean out the ash and stuff on the floor of the insert, look to see if anything is bad, etc.
I pull back the rug and put down some plastic in front of the insert first.

Do the pros have a camera or something to inspect the inside of the liner?

 

[Rudyjr]

Therm, Let us know how they do it. I am curious about this also.

 

[rphurley]

I bet that there are hundreds of us new insert owners just waiting for the answer to this one!

 

[cityevader]

I just swept out my C450 for the first time in three years. I spent a whole $17 at Ace and got a brush, tied about 6 lbs of weight to it and attached a rope and lowered it down. Every 2 feet or so giving a bunch of strokes. After 10 minutes, totally clean. I got about 1/2 of a coffee can worth. It simply lands on top of the baffles where it can be vacuumed. I wanted to see how much was there, so I pulled it off the shelf with a small stick.I can't imagine brushing from below...what a mess Not to mention requiring substantial work removing/disassembling multiple things on an insert.

 

[velvetfoot]

If you don't feel like climbing on the roof then it's not a bad option.
Don't most inserts have insulation on top of the baffle?

 

[cityevader]

Maybe i phrased it wrong. By "baffles" I meant the top plate that "divides" the firebox from the flue outlet.

On the Jotal 450 there is at most a 2 inch gap between that top plate and the upper firebox roof itself. This is where the creosote dust lands.

 

[velvetfoot]

You're right. I guess every insert is a little different.
I coulda swore that they all had an insulation balnket over them.
For laughs I looked at your manual, and no insulation!
It looks like it's metal and not fiber either.
Both factors would seem to help in your top-down sweep method with taking minimal stuff apart.
My last Quad had a steel baffle but still the insulation, so that still had to be taken out when swept from the roof, which involved removing the tubes.
I have to say though, the fiber is an improvement generally, 'cause that plate weighed like 30 lbs.
In any event, our new place is a two-story with metal roofs and porches and I haven't been on it in the 3 years we've had it.

 

[cityevader]

Doesn't sound right...you mean the exhaust went right through the insulation? I can see how a cat needs removal, but insulation sounds external to the flue pipe.

 

[velvetfoot]

Yes, the exhaust flow goes right over the insulation and then out thru the stack.

 

[BrotherBart]

From a post last February by a Forum member with a Kennebec that talked to a Jotul engineer:

"What I needed to do was open the doors and with both hands lift up the baffle/secondary burn tubes. The rear of the baffle will disengage from the air inlet. Once the baffle is lifted up, drop one side down below the rail that hold it in place. The entire baffle can then be lowered into the firebox.

I couldn’t remove the baffle from the unit but that is not necessary. Just needed some room to place a can under the opening to catch the falling junk. Just beware that the baffle is heavy, I mean heavy. It came down easier than it went back up and in. The specialist told me to make sure that when replacing the baffle it is engaged with the secondary air opening at the rear of the unit. Overall it was a very simple operation. My liner and Jotul Kennebec is cleaned and ready to burn."

 

[cityevader]

Interesting and good to know, but since everything that has been attempted to be removed on mine has broken, I'll leave it be and simply use a stick to pull the creosote dust off the shelf.

 

[jgoodnow]

With a full liner from the insert to the top of the chimney, they'll remove what they need to, and shove a brush and flexible rods right up the chute... vacuum the nasty out, and hand you the bill. No worries.

From a post last February by a Forum member with a Kennebec that talked to a Jotul engineer:

"What I needed to do was open the doors and with both hands lift up the baffle/secondary burn tubes. The rear of the baffle will disengage from the air inlet. Once the baffle is lifted up, drop one side down below the rail that hold it in place. The entire baffle can then be lowered into the firebox."

The sweeps showed up shortly after 8 this morning and were gone before 9. They had no trouble removing the secondary air baffle - it is indeed suspended by two rails on the left and right sides of the firebox. There are no fasteners; the baffle is held in place by gravity.

They removed a gallon or so of "very fine powder." They said there were no blockages or narrowings. (The 6" stainless steel liner goes all the way up the stack and is not ovalized as it passes through the damper throat). In short, they said I was doing a pretty good job burning wood. I said my wood, although seasoned, was not always as dry as it could be and they said drying the wood was a natural stage of combustion. My interpretation is that as long as every fire eventually gets sufficiently hot, starting with wood that is not is dry as one would like is not the worst thing in the world. I think it's more a matter of heating efficiency and effectiveness: the dryer the wood, the more heat you can get and the longer the burns you can achieve because you can turn down the air and maintain hot temps.

Thanks for all the replies. In summary, it really was no problem.

 

[Scrounger]

Thanks BB, that was me who talked with the Jotul Engineer. It really is easy to remove the burn tubes.