Chimney sweeping

[atvdave]

Thanks for the replies. Due to the bends in my chimney I am letting the sweep do it this time(and the slate 2 story roof). Unfortunately I won't be able to take off work to watch him, so I will have to read up and figure out how to do it myself to save money next year.

Here's what I use: http://www.sooteater.com/chimney/

I find it very easy to use and does a good job and goes around the bends very easily. A brush & rope will do a good job as well but I just find this a bit easer.

Here's my review on ********** : http://www.**********/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/31911/

 

[Hlakegollum]

On my stove the black steel pipe gets real bad. Easy to tell though, just take a broom stick and tap on it. If it rings nicely its clean. As it gets more and more buildup it will slowly turn to a thud. With experience this can be a good indicator of when its time to sweep the chimney.

I take the inside black pipe apart every year and reach into each section with a wire brush. Some years it is real bad. Good luck.

 

[FIRESMOKE]

Tuesday when I got home from work my wife says there is something wrong with the stove. Every time she tried to open the door to load it smoke would just pour out into the living room. Set off the smoke detector 3 times. I went outside and opened up the clean out and found very little creosote. Went up on the roof and found that the stupid spark arrester was packed tight with creosote and ssot. 5 minutes with a screw driver and all was well again. This is my first year with a stove so I am not sure if this is normal or not?

 

[Mike PA]

Normal? Yes. But, just because it is normal, doesn't make it right. I used to have trouble with my cap, as well, until I opened it up a bit. It did not have a spark arrestor, but it had too many surfaces for creosote to build on in the cap, so I cut some of it out. Has worked well ever since. I still go up on teh roof every now and then to check and clean, but it has given me no problems since I re-designed it. I'm not sure I understand the need for a spark arrestor or screen on a chimney. There should not be anything sparking up there?

Other option is to make certain that you burn hot frequently or make a point to clean often. My problems arose from being gone all day and having the stove choked as well as the cap design. I couldn't change being gone all day, so I had to change the cap.

 

[wkpoor]

Hmm... I have double wall on the inside.. tappin on it will just mess the paint up. Guess I'm gonna have to figure something out.

Double wall inside to the thimble??? Your wasting some valuable heat there.

 

[myzamboni]

Tuesday when I got home from work my wife says there is something wrong with the stove. Every time she tried to open the door to load it smoke would just pour out into the living room. Set off the smoke detector 3 times. I went outside and opened up the clean out and found very little creosote. Went up on the roof and found that the stupid spark arrester was packed tight with creosote and ssot. 5 minutes with a screw driver and all was well again. This is my first year with a stove so I am not sure if this is normal or not?

Ditch the screwdriver and put your BBQ grill brush to good use. I practically kicked myself when I found out how effective it was for cleaning spark-arrester screens.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Double wall inside to the thimble??? Your wasting some valuable heat there.

It's the close tolerance stuff that allows the pipe to be within 6" of combustible surfaces. When the stove is running 450 deg, I can lay my hand on the pipe and it's just good and warm to the touch. Hopefully a byproduct of that will be that it stays cleaner.

Ian

 

[wkpoor]

Ditch the screwdriver and put your BBQ grill brush to good use. I practically kicked myself when I found out how effective it was for cleaning spark-arrester screens.

First year I burned a stove the spark arrest screen plugged on me and I ditched it. Got a plain old rain cap. Never had a problem since.

 

[wkpoor]

I forget that mine is in the basement with nothing but concrete around it. I can see that on the first floor living space that pipe could save alot of money not having to build a stone wall behind the stove.

 

[BillNole]

Here's what I use: http://www.sooteater.com/chimney/

I find it very easy to use and does a good job and goes around the bends very easily. A brush & rope will do a good job as well but I just find this a bit easer.

I know this is an old thread, but does anyone else have any experience with this product? http://gardusinc.com/sooteater.html

I can't help but think of Ronco, or an "As seen on TV" type product from a late night infomercial. I found it online for less than $60 with free shipping, which is just cheap enough to make me suspect this might be one of those "you get what you pay for" situations...

My chimney is less than 15' from the firebox to the top of the pipe and straight as an arrow and this looks pretty simple, so it might just work in my case.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

 

[lindnova]

The guys at ********** swear by the sooteaters. I already have rods, but if I was to go buy new I would get a sooteater, especially with a short chimney.

I just read this whole thread for the first time. As far as cleaning while hot, I have to remove the baffle on my PE Spectrum. Not very good to do with any coals left.

 

[BillNole]

The guys at ********** swear by the sooteaters. I already have rods, but if I was to go buy new I would get a sooteater, especially with a short chimney.

I just read this whole thread for the first time. As far as cleaning while hot, I have to remove the baffle on my PE Spectrum. Not very good to do with any coals left.

After posting this, I found it for less than $50 on Big-A, so I went ahead and ordered one. I figured I could use the rods and just put a regular Poly brush on it if I don't like the weed-whipper effect of the sooteater. The reviews were very positive on every site I checked and at that price, it looks like a pretty safe bet on this one.

Thanks for the response!