It's quiet in here. New discussion topic - what is your procedure for spring shutdown?

[kingOFgEEEks]

What do you do when you are finally done. That's it. No more. for the season?

For example, I'm sure most people clean the chimney and stovepipe, and clean out the ashes in the firebox and ash pan. What else do you do?

My plan (once I'm finally sure I am done, probably in another week or so), is to:

-sweep and inspect the chimney
-remove, clean, and reinstall the stove pipe
-remove all ashes, including removing all fire brick and cleaning with a shop vac w/HEPA filter
-remove shrouding and clean heat exchanger
-lubricate blower where indicated in furnace manual
-disconnect hot water loop, drain tempering tank, disassemble and clean coil

Should I be doing anything else that I am missing? The above list is what is recommended by the manufacturer, but maybe I'm missing something.

Those of you with boilers probably have other things to consider also. Let's help out any noobs out there, and maybe teach an old timer a new trick or two.

 

[NSMaple1]

I usually don't. I just go from burning once a day to burning once a week.

I did one summer though - I just cleaned the firebox out of all the loose stuff & scraped the sides of the scaley stuff, and cleaned the ash out of my smoke pipes & tubes.

(Boiler here....)

 

[Whitespider]

I empty the ash pan at the end of the season... done.
*

 

[brenndatomu]

What do you do when you are finally done.

Honestly...? Just quit loading
I always intend to clean the pipe/chimney, firebox, and heat exchanger before summer, but there is always a mile long list of stuff to do in the spring...and it lingers into summer. Reality is, things finally get cleaned up in the fall, usually after the first couple fires. I know, I know, defiantly not ideal by any means...never enough hours in the day...

 

[wood4heat]

Seriously, you remove the fire brick and vacuum it all out? WTFF?

I shovel my ash out when it becomes necessary. I always leave some because it seems to make the next fire easier to get going. If it doesn't need to be emptied at the end of the season it sits until I start burning and fill it with ash again. Granted this is with a simple wood stove.

 

[wndwlkr]

Just quit puttin wood in the stove & grab the chainsaw & look busy !

 

[JeffHK454]

I empty the ash pan at the end of the season... done.
*

Ha..I've got the same plan.

I will be pulling the chimney cap to plug the flue...the beginning of the burn season last year I was greeted by 10,000 stink bugs all over the basement trying to flee their suddenly hot home!

 

[rancher2]

I usually don't. I just go from burning once a day to burning once a week.

I did one summer though - I just cleaned the firebox out of all the loose stuff & scraped the sides of the scaley stuff, and cleaned the ash out of my smoke pipes & tubes.

(Boiler here....)

I second his plan.

 

[cantoo]

I just quit putting good wood in and start burning up the crap like cardboard, sales flyers, bark, poplar, willow, scrap wood, broken or rotten skids, small animals, splitter trash, homeless people, branches from the lawn, and anything else that fits thru a 24x24 door and less than 54" long goes in it. I'm taking my firewood crate building down for the summer and building a little different building using posts. Every year I try to up grade a little.

 

[Whitespider]

...the beginning of the burn season last year I was greeted by 10,000 stink bugs...

Water heater shares the same chimney... can't plug it, bug no bugs either.
*

 

[unclemoustache]

I just quit putting good wood in and start burning up the crap like cardboard, sales flyers, bark, poplar, willow, scrap wood, broken or rotten skids, small animals, splitter trash, homeless people, branches from the lawn, and anything else that fits thru a 24x24 door and less than 54" long goes in it. I'm taking my firewood crate building down for the summer and building a little different building using posts. Every year I try to up grade a little.

"Homeless people...."
Seriously?

I never thought of that before.

What would you charge for me to send some your way to burn? There's a few too many around here.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

Water heater shares the same chimney... can't plug it, bug no bugs either.
*

Ours used to be set up that way also, but we converted to electric (when the furnace isn't making hot water). Oil water heaters are expensive, and a pain in the rear.

 

[Whitespider]

Oil water heaters are expensive, and a pain in the rear.

LPG
*

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

Yeah, when the oil water heater was installed, LPG was expensive, and heating oil was cheap. Times sure have changed.

 

[slowp]

I don't open the door.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Wow, you're really getting very thorough with doing the end of season shutdown, nothing wrong with that! I usually just let him sit until October until I think about getting started again, but I usually DO think about cleaning out some of the ashes (I always leave a few inches in year-round), cleaning the glass and giving the stovepipe a shot of polish, but as of today I only got as far as closing the air inlet on the stove and the damper in the stovepipe lol! But like others on here said, we usually have good intentions but other things seem to get in the way!

 

[Whitespider]

Looks like mine is gonna' sit loaded with firewood this summer.
I loaded the box about third full the other night when I figured I'd be lightin' it the next morning... but it didn't get chilly enough in the house. Then, a couple days ago, when I was sweepin' up debris around it I shoved in the last couple armloads layin' there to get 'em out'a my way. That nearly filled it to the top of the door and we're lookin' at 80° the next few days. I pretty much figure to be done until October sometime now... but the box will be ready-to-light when that time comes
Heck, I'll likely haf'ta pull most of it back out before lighting or I'll overheat the house‼
Still need to empty the ash drawer for the last time though... maybe tomorrow... if I remember.
*

 

[SteveSS]

I need to shovel out ashes one of these days. The boiler has been cold for about three weeks now. I suppose it's near time to get it done.

 

[olyman]

knock all remaining ashes into ash pan,,throw in steel garbage can, and get ready for next winter..clean out the stovepipes,as I know they are due!!!!! and sometime this summer,,crawl up and clean chimney....grrrrrr.......

 

[Erik B]

Cleaning the chimney will happen sometime this summer. One thing tht needs doing is putting a small mesh screen over the chimney to keep bats out of the house. I have had them get in the house thru my fireplace insert. They can certainly squeeze thru small openings.