Posted: 9/10/2014 8:56:18 PM EDT
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I've been thinking about the need to learn how to clean my own chimney. I consider myself pretty self reliant and capable of living off the grid for a prolonged time, but my fireplace has always played a major role in winter survival. Only problem is, chimney maintenance is critical in reducing the risk of a house fire. I've always relied on having a company come in and do the job, but what if that's not an option? I'm curious to know if any of you do your own chimney cleaning, and if so, what tools and tips do you have?
As a side note, a stainless steel liner was installed when I purchased my new stove two years ago. Thanks for any input. |
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I've done it a few times. Not the most fun job.
If you have a wood stove or insert it can be a little harder. There is a brush head that is weighted and you lower it from the top down and then drag it up and back down a few times. Kinda like cleaning a barrel. I seem to remember making sure there is enough weight to drag it down all the way. The bigger deal is the soot in the stove or fire place while brushing. Sealing it really well with plastic tarp and tape works ok. And canvas tarps work good but can't use them for indoor after they get soot on them. A friend of mine disconnects his stove and tapes several contractor bags at the end to collect the dust and debris. Either way don't rush it and you might even let the dust settle a few hours before removing the tarps or bags to keep it from getting into the house. And climbing on roofs suck. Especially where chimneys are usually located. Get a harness and ropes. They also make metal brackets you can screw onto the roof peak to tie into and will keep you from falling off... 
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mine is easy.
1 placed a stainless steel cable that is hanging from a pully that is on a pole above the chinmey. 2 drilled a small hole for the cable to drop down through the chimney cap and hanged the weighted stainless steel brush from the end of the cable that passes through the cap. 3 i leave the brush at the bottom of the chimney where the clean out is loacated so that it won't interfear with the draft. 4 the cable is long enough (2 story house) that it makes it to the ground when the brush is at the base of the chimney. 5 wait till the fire is at a low setting temp and go out side. put gloves on and pull the cable up and down untill there is no more restaince (about 5 to 7 full leanght up and downs) 6 let the brush go back down to the base and go back in and stock the fire i do this about once every two weeks and it works like a charm. i don't have to go up on icey roofs and risk falling. i do go up and check it visially in the spring and right befor heating season. we heat strickly with wood about 5 cords a year. also i heat with an airtight add on furnace so i dont have to worry about dust and suite enternng the home. it takes me longer to get the gloves and boots on than it takes to do this. |
| Ace hardware sells solid rods, just like a gun cleaning rod, and steel brushes to fit your pipe. I use masking tape and plastic to completely tape off my fireplace opening and then clean it just like a rifle bore from the roof. After years of light use compared to true winter climates, I found that my flue really didn't need cleaning. Probably due to really well seasoned hardwoods. |
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Quoted:
I found that my flue really didn't need cleaning. Probably due to really well seasoned hardwoods. This was my experience as well.... using a modern, EPA stove that burns efficient and has low ash output, combined with well-seasoned wood, I haven't had to clean my flue in years because there is relatively zero build-up. I do have some small amounts of fly-ash but it always breaks loose and falls back down the flue on it's own. I get less than 1 cup of ash from the flue per year. IMHO, there is NO reason to clean your flue often if you are burning efficiently (not creating creosote) with well-seasoned wood... I still recommend an annual inspection to verify that everything is functioning properly and you don't have build-up. |
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Quoted:
This was my experience as well.... using a modern, EPA stove that burns efficient and has low ash output, combined with well-seasoned wood, I haven't had to clean my flue in years because there is relatively zero build-up. I do have some small amounts of fly-ash but it always breaks loose and falls back down the flue on it's own. I get less than 1 cup of ash from the flue per year. IMHO, there is NO reason to clean your flue often if you are burning efficiently (not creating creosote) with well-seasoned wood... I still recommend an annual inspection to verify that everything is functioning properly and you don't have build-up. Quoted:
Quoted:
I found that my flue really didn't need cleaning. Probably due to really well seasoned hardwoods. This was my experience as well.... using a modern, EPA stove that burns efficient and has low ash output, combined with well-seasoned wood, I haven't had to clean my flue in years because there is relatively zero build-up. I do have some small amounts of fly-ash but it always breaks loose and falls back down the flue on it's own. I get less than 1 cup of ash from the flue per year. IMHO, there is NO reason to clean your flue often if you are burning efficiently (not creating creosote) with well-seasoned wood... I still recommend an annual inspection to verify that everything is functioning properly and you don't have build-up. I fall in this same category, but do run a brush through the flue every fall, just because I have the brush and rods.. My setup allows me to brush with the stove hooked up, "everything" just falls into the stove. I like to pull my baffle and secondary air tubes every year and check them too, so I do it all in one afternoon, at a leisurely pace. Last year my 24 foot of triple wall chimney yielded 1/2 cup or so of soot. I did have some build up on the spark arrestor screen, looks that way this year too, took about 30 seconds to brush it off. |
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Ideally you should have to only give it a quick brushing once or twice per season.
The key is to burn a hot fire each morning for 30-60 minutes, basically making the condtions for a small chimney fire. It will burn up any creosote built up from the previous day. As a habit I climb up and do mine monthly, even with the hot morning fires you still get some stuff built up. |
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Some people around here will take apart their triple wall chimney in the off season, stuff the sections full of cardboard and burn them right clean on the ground, give them a quick sweeping and put it all back together.
If I have enough time I am going to build a nice masonry chimney this year for my stove. The triple wall on the side of the house is ugly, and it is too small for my firebox so the draft is a bit messed up. I've had the footer poured for two years, I just need 2 days and a helper to get it slapped together. |
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Quoted:
Some people around here will take apart their triple wall chimney in the off season, stuff the sections full of cardboard and burn them right clean on the ground, give them a quick sweeping and put it all back together. If I have enough time I am going to build a nice masonry chimney this year for my stove. The triple wall on the side of the house is ugly, and it is too small for my firebox so the draft is a bit messed up. I've had the footer poured for two years, I just need 2 days and a helper to get it slapped together. If you go with that masonry chimney outside of your heated space you may have draft and creosote issues you don't currently see with the triple wall. Your new chimney will be cold and any creosote will condense out and it won't draft as well either. If you go the masonry route for looks consider dropping in a stainless liner and then vermiculite around it. This will keep your flu gases HOT and therefore a strong draft. It will also minimize any condensation of creosote. Or build a chase around the existing triple wall to hide it? |
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Quoted:
If you go with that masonry chimney outside of your heated space you may have draft and creosote issues you don't currently see with the triple wall. Your new chimney will be cold and any creosote will condense out and it won't draft as well either. If you go the masonry route for looks consider dropping in a stainless liner and then vermiculite around it. This will keep your flu gases HOT and therefore a strong draft. It will also minimize any condensation of creosote. Or build a chase around the existing triple wall to hide it? Quoted:
Quoted:
Some people around here will take apart their triple wall chimney in the off season, stuff the sections full of cardboard and burn them right clean on the ground, give them a quick sweeping and put it all back together. If I have enough time I am going to build a nice masonry chimney this year for my stove. The triple wall on the side of the house is ugly, and it is too small for my firebox so the draft is a bit messed up. I've had the footer poured for two years, I just need 2 days and a helper to get it slapped together. If you go with that masonry chimney outside of your heated space you may have draft and creosote issues you don't currently see with the triple wall. Your new chimney will be cold and any creosote will condense out and it won't draft as well either. If you go the masonry route for looks consider dropping in a stainless liner and then vermiculite around it. This will keep your flu gases HOT and therefore a strong draft. It will also minimize any condensation of creosote. Or build a chase around the existing triple wall to hide it? 
I am a little biased because I build them for a living, but the only thing worse looking than a stainless triple wall on the side of a house is chase with either fake masonry or siding. I know the problems with exterior masonry, but it will likely be a wash on cleaning it since the numbers are wrong currently. I don't have the proper diameter for a good draft so I know that is contributing to extra build up. Block chimneys are dirt cheap really, not a huge deal to build one, use it and clean it until it begins to fail, tip it over and slap up another one. My dads is about 15 years old and just beginning to show some wear, and he runs it non stop almost 6 months a year, in about 5 years or so it will be time for a new one, just to be on the safe side. |
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I clean just about every month in the winter. 
We burn some junky wood at times. 
I heat with wood only. Burn fir and alder well seasoned. I sweep three times a year or so. Once in the fall to check everything out. Once in January and again in April or so. Even with well seasoned wood, when it's barely cold enough to light a fire and the stove is dampened down you will generate quite a bit of creosote. Quickest and easiest way I've found so far is a good mid season chimney fire. Don't ask, but it came out clean.
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Quoted:
I clean just about every month in the winter.
We burn some junky wood at times.
I recall our first year here, we could barely afford to put gas in the cars let alone heat the place. I was in the back with a chainsaw I borrowed from my dad cutting up fresh blow downs and burning them that day. Talk about a dirty chimney, I was cleaning that thing weekly. |
| Good info so far. If you do get a bad accumulation of creosote and it is to the point of blocking your chimney, lower one end of a length of log chain down the chimney and rattle it around to knock the bulk of the stuff off of the walls. After that you can use your brush and rods. |