Wood Stove Insert only used seldomly - how often to sweep?

[Amin1992]

Hey guys. Just bought a home with a wood stove insert (Heatilator) installed 2 years ago that the previous owner had swept yearly. Looks like it's been used, ash still sitting in there.

Anyway, we are excited to use it but won't be using it often. All in all, I don't see us burning wood in it more than 20 times per year, probably less. Will probably just be a thing on the weekends and when people are over.

Should I still have it swept yearly? For whatever reasons the prices in my area are insane ($300 to sweep) and I'm not too keen about getting on the roof to sweep myself, or sweeping from the bottom and removing parts of the insert to do that.

What do you guys do ? Would sweeping every other year be fine? Thanks!

 

[tadmaz]

If you can walk on your roof to get to the chimney cap, I recommend buying some fiberglass rods and a poly brush and just doing that once a year. Rods and a brush are FAR LESS than $300. If you can't easily get to your chimney cap, pay someone to do it every 3 years.

 

[Amin1992]

If you can walk on your roof to get to the chimney cap, I recommend buying some fiberglass rods and a poly brush and just doing that once a year. Rods and a brush are FAR LESS than $300. If you can't easily get to your chimney cap, pay someone to do it every 3 years.

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately I think it's a bit too hard for me to get to the cap myself. You think paying someone once every 3 years is okay, that isn't too far in between sweeps? Just curious how all of you measure how often to sweep, as maybe I will use this more/less than I anticipate.

 

[Mike.O]

I would sweep after the first year regardless. This way you can establish a "baseline". If after year one you get nothing, you can gauge your cleaning schedule based off that and go 2 or 3 years.

 

[Ashful]

The issue is that things like birds, Yellowjacket nests, and weather can cause problems with that chimney, even when you’re not using it. So, getting eyeballs on it once per year, whether it’s DIY or pro, is recommended. A lot of us just sweep bottom-up, thru the stove door, with a SootEater, or similar device. No need to get onto the roof for that, and many chimney caps can be ispected from the ground, if you have a clear line of sight. The only real common failure point you’re missing then is crown condition.

 

[begreen]

It's hard to tell how dirty the flue will become. A lot is going to depend on the dryness of the wood burned, how the stove is operated and the flue liner (insulated or not, oversized or proper, length, etc.). Look into the recommended sooteater as an option. It will allow you to clean from the bottom up.