How often do you clean your pipe?

[Steve K]

Talking about your flue pipe here.. I have a free standing Lopi stove with a 6" double wall pipe, must be 18' or so long. I never burn more than 5 cords. I clean out the pipe before the season starts in September and then clean it once more in mid January. Usually it's got about 1" or more build up of dry ash in it every time. All I burn is lodge pole pine.

What do you burn and how often do you clean?

 

[stihlaficionado]

We burn mostly hardwoods, occasionaly some pine, in a fireplace insert. Years back I used to have it cleaned once a year...but we rarely got more then a small bucketful so I now do it myself every 2-3 years.

Each fall I get on the roof and make sure that the cap is on securely and that there are no bird nests or critters lodged in the flue.

I would suspect if the fireplace is not very efficient, the wood is green, and/or if you burn mostly pine you need to clean the chimney more often.

 

[cnice_37]

We burn about 5 cords of all hardwood - mostly oak.

I clean once every year.

If I were burning pine, I'd do it twice like you said - before burning season and once again in January when the weather allows.

 

[PA Plumber]

We burn an average of around 5 cord per year.

Start the season with a clean flue and brush it twice during the heating season.

 

[Beaver eager]

Burn all hardwood 3 3/4 cords per year and clean once a year but doesn't build up much in that time.

 

[twincam]

once a year for both. 7 or 8 cords dry hardwood

 

[dmlefevre]

3-4 cord of hardwood, once before the season is all

 

[scotvl]

As often as she let's me, lol or sept dec then early march.

 

[Locust Cutter]

Flue Cleaning

Burning Oak, Locust and Hedge, growing up we'd clean the flue on my Dad's inefficient insert twice a year, Fall and Spring. We probably only needed to do it once a year as we maybe got a large ziplock bag's worth of ash and soot out of it. That said, why take a gamble with you and your family's safety? Clean it in the fall and the spring and you'll know that A: there are no surprise obstructions that could cause a tragedy and B: it's clean so a chimney fire should be a remote possibility at best. I'd rather be safe then sorry and the worst your out is one more time on the roof,... Unless you're paying someone to do it. Either way it's a damn cheap insurance policy. My 0.02,...

 

[sawkiller]

I usually clean mine every fall right before use and try to only burn well seasoned hardwood. I do have to get on the roof and clean the screen I have on the cap about twice through the burning season and I usually pull the cap and check the chimney when doing so. I have found that if you keep a good hot fire going I usually dont get much buildup. If you just barely have a fire for several days during mild weather you can quickly develop a problem if not careful.

It is also a very good idea to document each and every time you clean the chimney or replace the black pipe ETC. If there is ever a problem that piece of paper can be your friend so keep it in the fire safe!

 

[ray benson]

We burn an average of around 5 cord per year.

Start the season with a clean flue and brush it twice during the heating season.

Same here

 

[flewism]

Once a year, burning 4 to 5 cords, and we have yet to get much out of it.

 

[Steve K]

Thanks for all the comments so far. I think my 12 year old stove is doing a pretty good job with the pine I burn. The wood is well seasoned that's for sure, and it seems some years I get less ash out of the pipe and less buildup on the cap. All I can think is that the wood I cut varies in quality, dryness, etc. I have had two flue fires in my life and I don't want to go through that again. So since I moved into this place I have cleaned out the pipe twice a year.

This thread is just may be a reminder to all of us to keep your pipe clean. It may just save you and your loved ones lives!

And one more thing... Make sure you have good smoke detectors in your house and keep the batteries fresh, spring and fall.

.

 

[sbhooper]

I brush mine every year. I burn 15 cords of mixed wood made up of elm, ash, cedar, and some Russian olive. I could easily go two or three years as I have very little buildup, but it is easy to just do it every year and not worry about it.

My furnace burns hot enough that I have very little creosote.

 

[Cambium]

I do it in September & January myself. I never had more than 1/2 inch of build up in my 6" double insulated flue.... I burn typically 4 cords.

There was someone here who posted a picture of inside their flue after 3 months of burning Pine...It was insane..Shoulda saved the picture.

Think about having a 6" flue with 2 inchs of build up...You just reduced the flue to 4".