Who sweeps their own chimney

[coppermouse]

Top down with a brush, no cleaning agents, I tape a trash bag on the bottom to catch all the creosote. I have to take off the top 3' section to be able to reach. It is tripple wall metalbestos

 

[FJH]

OK I noticed the stove anit pulling as hard as it has in the past so,I did a little checking today I pulled the pipe from my stove .my pipe is approx 9 ft to the chimney in the ceiling ,9 ft of chimney !The exposed single wall pipe in the shop was coated with 1/4 inch layer of cresote Ive been burning semi wet/ dri wood mixed) But I was plesantly surprized to find that the chimney its self is relitivly clean not much on it at all,Leads me to beleive that the exposed pipe cools so much faster that it gives the stuff time to biuld up.
In short I will need to clean the pipes more often than the chimney its self!
So today I'm gona nip down to the hardware store and get brush kit about 35 bucks and that will be that!

 

[mantis]

Doing mine now as I write. Do most from bottom up as my chimney is 32' and not reachable from the roof. Once a year I get a lift or 40' latter to inspect and clean from top down. Have always used wire on my SS though and brush says OK for SS on the box. After you burn awhile on SS there is a slight coating that never comes loose and the bristles don't seem to get to metal anyhow. Got 2 45's in the run so fiberglass rods are essential.

I love the looks of that Chimney.Real nice

 

[splittah]

I wonder if the reason that a poly brush is recommended is that they are more pliable and able to get into the individual ribs better than a steel brush.I have always used steel brushes on mine.

That I could understand especially if it is ribbed.

Mine is a triple wall metalbestos with a smooth interior and the metal brush has worked fine for many years.

 

[Tesen]

Past times we've cleaned my flue, 6" tripple wall extends 35' - 36' foot and 4' of that is above the roof line with nothing to hold onto (dangerous even when tied off). Past times, we've used a bucket truck, removed the bottom cap which is very close to the ground (2" space, attached trash bag, remove and recap) and brushed downwards.

I am wondering, if it is possible to remove the bucket truck from the equation. If I detached the stove pipe going into the tripple wall inside the house (basement) where it joins (T piece of tripple wall, with an end cap at the bottom, stove pipe feeds into the T) the flue, if there are rods flexible enough to bend 90 degrees upwards with a brush attached and still be usable to get up that 36'?

Tes

 

[ssupercoolss]

i clean mine about every three weeks or so, the boiler idles a little, plus i would rather not have a chimney fire. i clean mine from about 1/3 up the double wall running up the side of my house. someone from another board passed along this awesome idea. my breaching pipe exits my house below grade, the tee actually sits in a concrete box i poured. there is just enough clearance at the bottom for me to get the cap off. about 8 feet above that i installed another tee, and thats where i send the brush up, and then down. i have to stand on a bucket to do this, but it takes about 7 minutes to do.

tesen - i dont think any flexible rod that is able to make a 90 deg. bend would have enough rigidity to go up another 36'. i can be wrong though. its happened in the past.

 

[Tesen]

tesen - i dont think any flexible rod that is able to make a 90 deg. bend would have enough rigidity to go up another 36'. i can be wrong though. its happened in the past.

That is what I thought man, but I thought it was worth a shot asking in case I missed a superduper rod that someone had found It is on my list of things to do, to dig out around the bottom of the flue, enough hopefully to attack this from the bottom instead of having to borrow a friends bucket truck, or to stand on a ladder that high.

Oh well

Tes

 

[MtnHermit]

The metal one I take the top 4 foot section off,makes it easier,you got to take the rain cap off anyway.

How hard is it to take off the top section? It sure would make it a lot easier.

I have 6" ID triple wall flue pipe.

 

[MtnHermit]

Any tricks or tips that people who want to start should know?

You don't say what you're cleaning.

In my case I have a wood stove with the damper in the stove, no flue damper. So two things I'd add to the tips:
1. Remove the fire brick so the soot is not obstructed. The top of my stove has fire brick to direct the hot gasses.
2. My flue is 6" ID, a 6" brush is just to tight, I snipped ~1" off most of the hundreds of wires. Otherwise it got stuck about halfway down the pipe.

I clean it once a year and the stove fills ~ half full with soot.

 

[indiansprings]

I have a tile flue approx 25'. We just take a log chain and run wire through it making it into a ball about the size of the flue and drop it up and down with an old piece of repelling rope. We do it twice a year and it keeps it nice and clean. Low tech Low cost wonder

 

[user 19670]

Around my area and in over 30 years of burning stoves at one time or another I have never seen or heard of a nylon brush for SS stove pipe.. even at the stove shops around here I have never seen one.

IMO, what is so fragile in a SS chimney to warrant one? SS is tougher than a wire brush.

just my 2 cents.

For the same reason that a welder needs a dedicated SS wire brush to use when he is welding stainless. Steel bristles not only scratch the SS but they actually leave traces of steel embedded in the SS that can and will start to rust and once it starts it spreads to the rest of the SS.

 

[KodiakKen]

darn slackers

oh yeah that would be me. I took out an old coal burner from the caboose of a train that was installed by my father when the addition was put on..removed the stainless and installed a vermont catalyst with double wall insulated..3 years later.. I thought..ya know.. I should really clean my chimney..I had 2- 30 degree elbows so bought a plastic brush..went up and down several times dropping the rope and weight. hardly anything..decided I climb enough for the phone company at work..changed my pipe to straight out ..will check it when the weather breaks..can't be a catalyst stove..3 years and I would bet on less than a coke can of soot. I was amazed...most of my buildup was on the cap and maybe a foot down the pipe(most extreme temperature change) which is normal. I love it..1300 square foot and $22 gas bill...I think I am ahead just a tad

 

[splittah]

For the same reason that a welder needs a dedicated SS wire brush to use when he is welding stainless. Steel bristles not only scratch the SS but they actually leave traces of steel embedded in the SS that can and will start to rust and once it starts it spreads to the rest of the SS.

Interesting... learn something new every day.. Reps to you.