Insert flue cleaning

[musch]

I have an insert with a stainless liner.
I spent some time talking to the installers, and one guy mentioned that no one should clean the liner with a brush.

Can any of you explain why? And is this true?

 

[Rspike]

My guess is he meant with a steel brush , the stainless steel liners should be cleaned with a poly brush.

 

[ozarkjeep]

true that.

poly brush, NOT steel.

and if you are lucky, you can get up past your damper plate, or refractory, and dont have an offset adapter.

I drop a rope with a bolt down my liner ( from the roof) reach up inside the insert, pull it into the firebox, pull the poly brush all the way down with the rope, and then goto the roof, and pull it all the way back up with the other rope.

takes about 20 minutes, I dont even get that dirty.

Poly brush costs about $15, adapter to tie a rope on it is about $4 more.

 

[EastwoodGang4]

Poly brush

Where do you buy these poly brushes??

 

[ozarkjeep]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Chimney-Brush-Poly-6-Inch_W0QQitemZ330067127224QQcmdZViewItem

http://www.northlineexpress.com/round-chimney-brushes.asp

I had a local store that stocked them ( lucky)

 

[musch]

Thanks a lot guys, another question, have you ever heard of a pipe being cleaned with a chain?

This is my 3rd woodburner, there is nothing like em.

 

[musch]

true that.

poly brush, NOT steel.

and if you are lucky, you can get up past your damper plate, or refractory, and dont have an offset adapter.

I drop a rope with a bolt down my liner ( from the roof) reach up inside the insert, pull it into the firebox, pull the poly brush all the way down with the rope, and then goto the roof, and pull it all the way back up with the other rope.

takes about 20 minutes, I dont even get that dirty.

Poly brush costs about $15, adapter to tie a rope on it is about $4 more.

I'm gonna do just that. How many times a season do you need to do it?

I burn pretty much 24/7.

 

[goof008]

anyone have any hints on how to clean thru the 30 degeree elbows I have on my chimney? I like the pulling the brush thru, I am just wondering if it will make the bend. Will it make it thru a "T"?

 

[ozarkjeep]

Not sure on the 30 degreee elbow.

mine is a straight shot.

Ive only had it installed since November, cleaned it once, got about a cup full of black dust out of it.

maybe once a month if you burn 24/7?

not sure on that really, whenever there is reduced draft, or you have had alot of smokey, cold fires.

 

[PA Plumber]

Hart & Cooley

I just heard today that Hart & Cooley is sending out an updated cleaning and care protocol for their stainless steel lined products. If I hear anymore I'll post it.

 

[jab6]

stainless steel

i have been a welder for alot of years...if you scrape stainless steel with carbon steel it will rust...you can scrape stainless with stainless and be fine....

 

[PA Plumber]

Does it rust because the carbon from the steel is left imbedded in the surface of the stainless?

 

[jab6]

stainless

yep...thats what happens

 

[jab6]

chimney cleaner

ever try shapeing a fish basket to fit your chimney?....works well

 

[PA Plumber]

Engineering Bullentin

Just Received the Hart & Cooley Bulletin.
Dated September 25, 1986. You know this info is right off the press!!

Lots of maintenance warnings and recommendations before and after the following quoted statements.

"If it is determined that a cleaning is necessary, the chimney should be brush cleaned using a POLY brush or some other device that will not scratch the inner surface. Scratching the surface allwos creosote a better foothold on the stainless steel.

1. Size the stove to your needs --do not use one larger than required. Size the chimney to match the stove collar diameter. Oversized chimneys may contribute to creosote build-up.

2. Burn small hot fires in order to keep the flue gas temperatures hot enough to prevent condensation inside the chimney. 400 F - 500 F is an approximate range. Daily hot firing at start-up for 10-30 minutes will help re-evaporate creosote.

3. Exterior mounted chimneys in geographical areas where sustained low temperatures are possible should be enclosed in an insulated chase, but still maintain the 2 inch air space to the pipe. Failure to enclose chimneys can cause excessive condensation, creosote build-up and poor draft.

4. Chemical chimney cleaners are not recommended since their performance may not be dependable and some ingredients could harm stainless steel."

There is more about chimney fires and safety and prevention at the end of the 4 above points.

 

[wdchuck]

Thanks a lot guys, another question, have you ever heard of a pipe being cleaned with a chain?

This is my 3rd woodburner, there is nothing like em.

Heard of it, yes. Chain in a gunny sack and run up and down to clean a big ol' masonry chimney.

OR

Get a brush of appropriate material that fits your chimney snuggly, and know that you scrubbed it well, nothing will be left behind with a well fitted brush.

I use the fiberglass rods that screw together, and run it from the roof, once in the fall, once during the middle when the sun cleans the shingles of snow, and again at the end of the season.

There's a 6" hole on the opp. side of the current smokepipe entry, I can fit a mirror in the chimney and using a 1,000,000candle power spotlight it gives me a very clear view of the level of buildup, I do it at night from the basement, no sunlight to dilute the beam. This allows me to check it weekly without climbing, and after 8weeks there is barely 1/8" of dry,brittle, crusty fuzz.

Just one man's way.

 

[musch]

Heard of it, yes. Chain in a gunny sack and run up and down to clean a big ol' masonry chimney.

OR

Get a brush of appropriate material that fits your chimney snuggly, and know that you scrubbed it well, nothing will be left behind with a well fitted brush.

I use the fiberglass rods that screw together, and run it from the roof, once in the fall, once during the middle when the sun cleans the shingles of snow, and again at the end of the season.

There's a 6" hole on the opp. side of the current smokepipe entry, I can fit a mirror in the chimney and using a 1,000,000candle power spotlight it gives me a very clear view of the level of buildup, I do it at night from the basement, no sunlight to dilute the beam. This allows me to check it weekly without climbing, and after 8weeks there is barely 1/8" of dry,brittle, crusty fuzz.

Just one man's way.

Real good info, just what I was looking for. Thanks a lot.

 

[Bowtie]

I use a fiberglass rod screwed onto a wire ball also to clean the galvanized triple wall pipe on mine 3 times a year same as posted by wdchuck. I try to burn hot as possible. I cleaned my flue 3 weeks ago after burning maybe a cord of various native Kansas wood through it, including ash, hackberry, hedge, walnut, and mostly mulberry. had about 2 cups of dry black soot fall to the bottom.