# I say Clean your chimney, why do people not listen



## HDRock (Apr 12, 2013)

I told them over and over ,clean your chimney is dangerous. Paying a chimney sweep is cheap insurance
I got a message the other day from a family member, why am I getting smoke in the house from the stove , is the chimney plugged up?
Me: I thought you were going to have it cleaned. Her: we were but we didn't .

They have a lopi answer stove that was there when they bought the house, they only use it occasionally but have never had it cleaned or checked.
The good thing is they did not have the fire and now that it is so plugged up they are not going to use it until they get it cleaned.
I guess some people just don't think it can't happen to them, but_* I told them how dangerous it was, *_I think there is one certain person in that household that thinks, I don't know what the hell I'm talking about .
This is frustrating to me and I am not going to be nice now , they are going to get an as$ chewing now.


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## arngnick (Apr 12, 2013)

Some people need a wake up call! Git Em...

[Edit] Some people don't get the luxury of a wake up call.


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## begreen (Apr 12, 2013)

Same folk probably never get their septic tank pumped until the toilets back up. Send them over here with questions. We will let them know that chimney cleaning is not optional.


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## arngnick (Apr 12, 2013)

begreen said:


> Same folk probably never get their septic tank pumped until the toilets back up. Send them over here with questions. We will let them know that chimney cleaning is not optional.


 
Good point!  What is a good rule of thumb for frequency of pumping a septic?


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## USMC80 (Apr 12, 2013)

arngnick said:


> Good point! What is a good rule of thumb for frequency of pumping a septic?


We do ours every three years, thats with one bath and only two people


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## arngnick (Apr 12, 2013)

USMC80 said:


> We do ours every three years, thats with one bath and only two people


 Thank you...Looks like it may be time for me to think about doing that myself.


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## begreen (Apr 13, 2013)

It depend on how you treat the system, the solids buildup and how much water you use. We have low flow toilets and water conserving washer, no garbage disposal on the kitchen sink.  Our septic company has us on an every 5 year cleanout schedule. based on our usage for 4 persons. YMMV, so try to be present when they do the cleanout and ask questions.


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## Wood Heat Stoves (Apr 13, 2013)

I sweep my chimney at least twice a year but have never had my septic pumped. Go figure.


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## JustMike (Apr 15, 2013)

I sweep mine every 4 weeks during the burn season. I empty my septic tank every 3 to 5 years .


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## Locust Post (Apr 15, 2013)

Chimney several times a burn season and pump every 2 to 3 years.


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## mywaynow (Apr 16, 2013)

JustMike said:


> I sweep mine every 4 weeks during the burn season. I empty my septic tank every 3 to 5 years .


 Septic tanks have to be emptied???


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## begreen (Apr 16, 2013)

Yep, twice as frequently if one is full o' poop.  Seriously, they need to be pumped before solids build up too high and start overflowing into the distribution box and fields. Failure to do so could wreck the field and be quite costly to retrench.

How frequently will depend on one's lifestyle and the tank size. If you are on lots of antibiotics for an extended period of time or on chemotherapy drugs, it may need to be pumped every 6-12 months. If your water usage is light and the tank is healthy you might be able to go 5 yrs between pump outs.


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## Prof (Apr 16, 2013)

I feel your pain. I have a cousin who has not ever swept his chimney, which is a 100 yr old single brick job without a liner of any kind. He has lived in the house for 6+ yrs and is feeding an old smoke dragon a couple cords of green wood a year. The kicker is that the local fire department will sweep it for a $20 donation. I'd do it for free. He makes fun of me for having a moisture meter and a thermometer on my stove pipe. I bought him a smoke/Co detector for Christmas. I want to keep him around even if he is an idiot.

With regards to septic stuff--I always crack up when I see a septic service truck from Straight Flush septic company. Their logo is "A straight flush beats a full house!" Thank goodness that my cousin has city sewer.


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## begreen (Apr 17, 2013)

Prof said:


> With regards to septic stuff--I always crack up when I see a septic service truck from Straight Flush septic company. Their logo is "A straight flush beats a full house!" Thank goodness that my cousin has city sewer.


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## HDRock (Apr 17, 2013)

Picture this,  my brother went right through the rotted floor in the out house.
What is it ,they call those trucks ? TH ?


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## begreen (Apr 17, 2013)

Eww, I'd rather not picture that.


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## WeldrDave (Apr 18, 2013)

arngnick said:


> Some people don't get the luxury of a wake up call.​


 


HDRock said:


> Paying a chimney sweep is cheap insurance​


 It's not put any clearer than that!  I think an A$$ chewing is in order..........
Burning season done for me and I just did mine so it's ready for the fall. I usually do it again right after Christmas when we get a decent day before January and February kick in to gear.


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## webby3650 (Apr 19, 2013)

begreen said:


> you might be able to go 5 yrs between pump outs.


Or 40 years, depending. It has a lot to do with your soil type actually.  No pun intended.
 Many people around here have never had theirs pumped. We bought this place a few years ago, i'm not even sure where the tank lid is, there is no evidence that it has ever been pumped and there is no record on file with the county that it has ever been replaced.


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## webby3650 (Apr 19, 2013)

JustMike said:


> I sweep mine every 4 weeks during the burn season


Why? do you have creosote in your chimney or something? If you do, we can help you figure out why!


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## billb3 (May 1, 2013)

mywaynow said:


> Septic tanks have to be emptied???


 they should at least be inspected to make sure your tank isn't getting full of solids left over from the decomposition process or fat solids - you don't want them in your fields.

Even if you have an old style beehive scouring the bottom and lower sides of scum will reopen pores and increase percolation.


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## mywaynow (May 2, 2013)

My statement was sarcastic.  Sometimes I forget there are people that never deal with these systems.


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## begreen (May 2, 2013)

Looks like this one has played itself out. The main forums are for helping others. Sarcasm is best kept in the can or Inglenook.


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