Chimney Cleaning?

[Ford850]

I clean from the top, using the fiberglass poles. My brush was too tight to change directions in my square clay flue. I used tin snips to cut 1/2" or so off one flat side of the brush, trimming each wire. I dreaded doing that thinking it would take forever, but found I could cut multiple wires at once and it only took a couple of minutes. Now my brush cleans better since the bristles make more end contact, and I can reverse the brush to really scrub the flue.

 

[Highbeam]

I was plugging up that mesh screen in 6 weeks so I removed it. The chimney itself was always very clean so it wasn't bad burning that plugged it.

I clean my vertical steel 6" chimney from above with fiberglass rods and a ploly brush. Cheap equipment. I remove the baffle from the stove and then sweep the brush along with the junk right into the firebox. I am able to reverse directions with the brush so I scrub it really good.

Once done I replace the cap and then use the shopvac to remove any debris from the firebox along with cleaning the inside of the stove.

I did it twice last year but that was a mistake. Only once per year if you're burning properly.

 

[smfcpacfp]

I use fiberglass poles and a brush. Since I bought a wood furnace with a catalytic combustor and only use the furnace when the temp is below 30, I seldom have a need for chimney cleaning.

 

[keegs]

For you bone-idles....we just had ours done. We kept getting calls from a chimney sweep business (yeah...my phone number is on the do not call list ) But it was only $35. for the one flue so I jumped. The wife was working from home that day ...said it took about 30 minutes.

 

[Bedlam]

I worked for a company (pro) if you will LOL
35 dollars oh my he would charge 100 plus and the bush never went up the chimney only the rod.

 

[zzvyb6]

Great timing on this question! My chimney has 2 flues: a 13 x 13 for the upstairs fireplace and a 13 x 18 for the downstairs fireplace within a shared brick & clay flue stack. No stoves or stainless material, looks like stone and mortar the first 1/2 upwards and clay flue the rest of the way up. I can stand on the shed type roof and peer down both pipes. There must be some sort of crossover or slant in the flues because you can't see either damper door from the top.

These fireplaces have not been used in quite a while (10 years) but I want to start the big one up. There is considerable ash coating on the hearth firebrick. Is this what they call creosote? I thought that was a chemical added to railroad ties to keep them from rotting. Anyways, do the creosote removing chemicals you can buy help remove this ash deposit? They imply its for woodburning stoves but all I have is a real big fireplace. Please advise (I have no problem calling a chimney sweep or inspector if necessary. The mortar looks good. The cap will need a bit or fixing but I will handle that.

Thanks.

 

[Bedlam]

I have a shinny coating of that creasote in mine always have, its difficult to get off.Its never caused a problem though, I find sometime during the summer the temp changes and humidity will chip it off. i have to sometimes clean soot out without a cleaning or burning. but that stuff is tough to remove...I think a thing to watch for is the buildup in the clean out. it can pile up and then if there was a chimney burn it would be all the more fuel for it.

 

[kthompson]

We had a masonry chimney with fireplace which went to insert over time. I used a small boat anchor for weight and used rope from the roof. The anchor pulled the brush down and it worked fine. The anchor only weighed like 10 or 15 pounds.

 

[dodge man]

Another option is a device, kind of shaped like a coke bottle that is made out of heavy wire, maybe a little bigger than a coat hanger. Collapsed it is smaller than the flue when you drop it down with a rope. Then you pull it back up with a second rope and this expands the device to clean the flue on the way up. Hope this makes sense.

 

[Scooby074]

I do ours once a year. Use the 6" round brush and the fiberglas poles. Not a bad job really.

The worst part is the section from the main vertical stack to the stove. The 90* with the congregations is a PITA to get around so you can clean right down to the stove.

Like Lloyd says there was a company making a winch system to clean the chimney. I cant find a link though. But IIRC it was quite convenient, plus you would likely keep your flue cleaner due to the ease of the system.

Unfortunately, i dont think the system would be able to clean the black pipe that drops down to my stove, in my install, so it would be of little use to me. Most of my creosote buildup seems to be concentrated in the black pipe sections just after the stove.

Edit: I found a similar cleaning system to the one i was talking about Swift Chimney Cleaner - Why Risk A Chimney Fire?