# How often do you guys clean your Chimney?



## Seanm (Dec 9, 2012)

I had a PE Heritage non cat epa stove installed in early October and am already wondering when its time to scrub. I burn Larch and Lodgepole Pine with MC well below 20% and mostly around 8-15% and have been burning on a regular basis since it went in (zone 3.5). My last stove was in a different house and if I recall correctly it was a pre epa blaze king that came with the home (we purchased that house in 96). I hadnt discovered hearth.com back then so my knowledge about burning dry wood was not what it is today. I used to clean that one every three months but now ive been told that if I practice good burning habits it can wait until spring, even the insurance company seemed ok with my once a year answer on the wood burning questionare. This doesnt seem right to me but I want to know from you epa non cat burners if this is the norm or not. Thanks for any help you may be able to provide.


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## burnt03 (Dec 9, 2012)

Might depend on your chimney.

I burn fairly dry wood (below 20%, never have dirty glass, etc) but I have an oversized (6x10) outside chimney. I swept the other day for the first time since I started burning (about 1 1/2 months worth) and got a dustpan full of creosote out of a 25' chimney.

Wasn't a ton but I don't know if I'd be comfortable leaving it for the whole burning season


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## PapaDave (Dec 9, 2012)

I like to check every couple months, but I've got a pre-EPA stove.
Checking every month or 2 for a while will give you a good idea how _*your*_ setup is burning.
Mine won't help you.
I can get to mine very easily (as soon as my brother brings my ladder back), so I probably check more than I need to.


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## Seanm (Dec 9, 2012)

PapaDave said:


> I like to check every couple months, but I've got a pre-EPA stove.
> Checking every month or 2 for a while will give you a good idea how _*your*_ setup is burning.
> Mine won't help you.
> I can get to mine very easily (as soon as my brother brings my ladder back), so I probably check more than I need to.


 i should get up there and do a scrub and see what i find. It might turn out that I find very little and that will give me an idea how long to go before checking it again. Thanks for the reminder about the ladder. One of my tenants has mine to put up his Christmas lights. Guess I should get that back before to long!


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## rdust (Dec 9, 2012)

When I had my non cat I would sweep 2-3 times a season and try to practice the same now.  I usually try to sweep once I feel the shoulder season is done which usually happens around Christmas since I usually travel to see family, when I return home the stove is cold(perfect time to sweep) and usually one more time around the Feb./March time frame.  The third time is usually at the beginning of the season(if I was lazy at the end of the last season) or end of the season.


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## BrotherBart (Dec 9, 2012)

I normally sweep it on the first semi warm day in January and then at the end of the season. Last year I went the whole season. Ain't happening this year. I was up there the other day and am not liking the accumulation I saw so I will sweep next week sometime. Something went goofy in the November burns.


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## Dustin (Dec 10, 2012)

I sweep about once every three months. I got about two ash shovels full on my recent sweep. Better to be safe the sorry...


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## blacktail (Dec 10, 2012)

Last year was my first year with the stove in my new house and I cleaned the chimney twice. Did it once on January 1st and again in spring near the end of burning season. 
When it's time to clean the chimney, my insert lets me know by puffing a little smoke out the door on reloads.


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## firefighterjake (Dec 10, 2012)

I personally recommend at least inspecting monthly to be on the safe side . . . and sweep when needed (a quarter to half inch of creosote and it's time to sweep).

That said, I personally try to sweep every month since I can do mine from the ground-up, outside so it's a quick and easy job . . . just a bit messy. This year I have been slacking though . . . only did it twice so far a month or so in and then just this past weekend . . . not much to sweep out . . . but it gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling knowing it is clean . . . well that and in my career I would never hear the end of it if I had a chimney fire.


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## firewoodjunky (Dec 10, 2012)

I just swept my chimney yesterday. I didn't get a heck of a lot out of it, but I am a big believer in an ounce of prevention...

Chimney sweeping iinformation for me

25 foot interior chimney, insulated stainless liner
Early EPA stove, which has seen better days 
Sweep chimney in September
I usually start burning off and on in late Sep, early October (I refuse to use my furnace, except for hot water)
Sweep chimney in December
Sweep again at the next good thaw, generally Feb, sometimes early March
Burn through April or early May


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## Freeheat (Dec 10, 2012)

once per season at the end of the season , now that being said I dont burn 24/7 3-4 fires per week when it decides to get cold


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## ohlongarm (Dec 10, 2012)

Seanm said:


> I had a PE Heritage non cat epa stove installed in early October and am already wondering when its time to scrub. I burn Larch and Lodgepole Pine with MC well below 20% and mostly around 8-15% and have been burning on a regular basis since it went in (zone 3.5). My last stove was in a different house and if I recall correctly it was a pre epa blaze king that came with the home (we purchased that house in 96). I hadnt discovered hearth.com back then so my knowledge about burning dry wood was not what it is today. I used to clean that one every three months but now ive been told that if I practice good burning habits it can wait until spring, even the insurance company seemed ok with my once a year answer on the wood burning questionare. This doesnt seem right to me but I want to know from you epa non cat burners if this is the norm or not. Thanks for any help you may be able to provide.


 I cleaned my chimney ,stainless 8in liner in Oct for the first time since running the new stove almost 2 years it was clean and really didn't need cleaning.I checked it over the weekend when a couple weeks ago, I saw hot embers hitting the underside of the cap,followed by a fireball clean as as can be,never did figure out what happened but everything is fine,my wood is primo so maybe that helps.


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## BurnIt13 (Dec 10, 2012)

I'm on the paranoid side...and I'm an over analytical engineer. I did the install myself and routed the chimney pipe through my sons room. There is a 30 degree offset inside the chase which is a good a place as any for creosote formation. Everything was done per manufacturer spec and was inspected by the building inspector.

Last year my wood was around 25% moisture content and I burned about 2.5-3 cords. Since it was my first year with the new stove and knowing that I had less than ideal wood I swept the chimney about once per month from the bottom up.

I got about 2 cups of soot/creosote each sweeping and its 22ft of chimney and stove pipe. I figure a total of about a half gallon of soot/creosote for the entire season.

If my calculations are correct.....even if I didn't sweep, a half gallon of creosote is the equivalent of .023" equally spread across the 22ft of chimney pipe. Not bad actually. That's less than 1/32 of an inch!

But of course the nature of creosote is it usually accumulates more in one particular spot and that's where the chimney fire usually is. That is why I will continue to sweep once a month...just because it makes me feel better.


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## bag of hammers (Dec 10, 2012)

firefighterjake said:


> I personally recommend at least inspecting monthly to be on the safe side . . . and sweep when needed (a quarter to half inch of creosote and it's time to sweep).


 
Still a weekend burner here - I sweep at the beginning of the new season, and I don't think (after just a few seasons now) that I've ever seen more than a "film" on the inside of the pipe - a half a cup or so falls down with a couple passes of the brush.  I am up on the roof a few times a year, and always have a look at the chimney, flashing, etc.  But the 1/4" as a kind of a warning line / threshold makes me feel really good about where I'm at now.


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## aansorge (Dec 10, 2012)

I sweep once a year: in the summer.  I don't get much of anything, even after a full 6 months of burning.  Dry wood rules!


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## ohlongarm (Dec 10, 2012)

aansorge said:


> I sweep once a year: in the summer. I don't get much of anything, even after a full 6 months of burning. Dry wood rules!


 You are 100% correct dry wood alleviates 90%of problems encountered in burning amen!


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 10, 2012)

Seanm said:


> I had a PE Heritage non cat epa stove installed in early October and am already wondering when its time to scrub. I burn Larch and Lodgepole Pine with MC well below 20% and mostly around 8-15% and have been burning on a regular basis since it went in (zone 3.5). My last stove was in a different house and if I recall correctly it was a pre epa blaze king that came with the home (we purchased that house in 96). I hadnt discovered hearth.com back then so my knowledge about burning dry wood was not what it is today. I used to clean that one every three months but now ive been told that if I practice good burning habits it can wait until spring, even the insurance company seemed ok with my once a year answer on the wood burning questionare. This doesnt seem right to me but I want to know from you epa non cat burners if this is the norm or not. Thanks for any help you may be able to provide.



Seanm, we can't tell you how often your chimney needs cleaning and you can't go by how often others clean either. There is only one way to know and that to check your own chimney like everyone should. As for what we do, with our old stove we used to clean 3-4 times every season. With the new stove we cleaned after 2 years to get almost a cup of soot and no creosote. We have not cleaned since then and that was 3 years ago. We do check the chimney but so far it just does not need cleaning. Most are very aware of how I preach about good dry wood and I'll continue on that because after posting on this forum for quite some time I thought this was the biggest mistake people make with burning wood. We usually give our wood 3 years after being split and stacked before we burn. This along with a top notch stove is why we don't have to clean our chimney as often as most.


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## westkywood (Dec 10, 2012)

I've got a PE Super 27. Flu goes straight up about 14 feet I believe. Insulated pipe ( through the roof). I burn 24/7. Went to clean it this past spring and I got about 1 cup of creosote. That was after burning a full season. I burn Oak, Hickory and Maple. All well seasoned.
 First couple years, I'd recommend checking every couple months anyway until you see how yours does. Dry wood and burning good hot fires is the key.......


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## ScotO (Dec 10, 2012)

I clean my chimney (well, now chimnies) every other month during the burning season, and at the beginning AND end of the burning season. Not that they even need it (as is the case) but more for piece of mind. Also lets me 'inspect' the internals of the pipe AND the stove.  Nothing wrong with a little 'Overkill' from time to time.

I didn't get that name fer nothing, you know!


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## corey21 (Dec 10, 2012)

I clean mine once a year.


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## milleo (Dec 10, 2012)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Seanm, we can't tell you how often your chimney needs cleaning and you can't go by how often others clean either. There is only one way to know and that to check your own chimney like everyone should. As for what we do, with our old stove we used to clean 3-4 times every season. With the new stove we cleaned after 2 years to get almost a cup of soot and no creosote. We have not cleaned since then and that was 3 years ago. We do check the chimney but so far it just does not need cleaning. Most are very aware of how I preach about good dry wood and I'll continue on that because after posting on this forum for quite some time I thought this was the biggest mistake people make with burning wood. We usually give our wood 3 years after being split and stacked before we burn. This along with a top notch stove is why we don't have to clean our chimney as often as most.


Like Dennis said check your chimney, ride your own ride.....


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## Treacherous (Dec 10, 2012)

Once a year during the summer...


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## DuckDog (Dec 11, 2012)

Before I switched stoves, at least 4 times a season.  Now only once a year and I only get about 2 cups of soot out of my 15' chimeny. Good stove and good wood makes for a happy chimney.


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## Got Wood (Dec 11, 2012)

Once a year, in the early fall


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## argus66 (Dec 11, 2012)

i do it 2 times a yr  to be on the safe side i get maybe 2 cups of black soot.


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## hilbiliarkiboi (Dec 11, 2012)

"when a couple weeks ago, I saw hot embers hitting the underside of the cap,followed by a fireball clean as as can be,never did figure out what happened"

I love those thunderdome fireball thingys!

I call'em trippinderries.


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## Seanm (Dec 11, 2012)

Thanks for the advice guys. My gut was telling me to do it at least 3 times a season as I had been doing with my old stove, I just wanted to hear what everyone else experiences. So I went up and cleaned it today and got 6 cups of powder out of it. Even though I never measured it in the past it seems like alot. My wife thought it was odd that I was grabbing a measuring cup out of the kitchen. Not sure why its so much, I burn seasoned dry wood and check it often with a moisture meter. I was told that maybe I need to get my fire hotter from time to time.  From the get go Ive tried to keep the smoke to a minimum. FYI I have 20 feet of outside piping. Ever hear of Kathite chimney cleaner? I picked some up today and plan on using it in between regular sweeping.


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## Chopslide (Dec 12, 2012)

Glad to hear reading this thread that I'm not the only one sweeping a couple times a year...... sometimes reading on this forum would lead me to believe that something is horribly wrong if I have to sweep once in the middle of the season and actually have a little build up...other bk owners even..... thanks made my night


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## Lumber-Jack (Dec 12, 2012)

Seanm said:


> Thanks for the advice guys. My gut was telling me to do it at least 3 times a season as I had been doing with my old stove, I just wanted to hear what everyone else experiences. So I went up and cleaned it today and got 6 cups of powder out of it. Even though I never measured it in the past it seems like alot. My wife thought it was odd that I was grabbing a measuring cup out of the kitchen. Not sure why its so much, I burn seasoned dry wood and check it often with a moisture meter.* I was told that maybe I need to get my fire hotter from time to time.* From the get go Ive tried to keep the smoke to a minimum. FYI I have 20 feet of outside piping. Ever hear of Kathite chimney cleaner? I picked some up today and plan on using it in between regular sweeping.


Yep, the hotter fire thing is the key, even if you have good dry wood you can still blacken your glass and soot up your chimney by choking off the fire too quickly, especially on cold start ups. I find the rule of thumb is if I am keeping my glass clean then my fires are hot enough and I'm probably minimizing the amount of creosote that is building up in my chimney. Of course there are other factors, like whether your chimney runs inside the house or outside, is it insulated, and stuff like that.
I'm also a lodgepole pine burner, I usually clean my 25 ft interior chimney a couple times a year, maybe get a couple cups full every time.
Only takes me a minute.


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## Hickorynut (Dec 12, 2012)

I only clean mine once a year usually in the fall before burning season starts.  That is all that is needed.  Maybe a quart total and it is all in the top of the chimney above the roofline.  I have an insulated interior chimney liner and burn only seasoned well, dry wood.


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 12, 2012)

Seanm said:


> Thanks for the advice guys. My gut was telling me to do it at least 3 times a season as I had been doing with my old stove, I just wanted to hear what everyone else experiences. So I went up and cleaned it today and got 6 cups of powder out of it. Even though I never measured it in the past it seems like alot. My wife thought it was odd that I was grabbing a measuring cup out of the kitchen. Not sure why its so much, *I burn seasoned dry wood and check it often with a moisture meter*. I was told that maybe I need to get my fire hotter from time to time. From the get go Ive tried to keep the smoke to a minimum. FYI I have 20 feet of outside piping. Ever hear of Kathite chimney cleaner? I picked some up today and plan on using it in between regular sweeping.


 


Seanm said:


> chimney


 
There is a lot of difference between one man's "seasoned" wood and anothers. There can also be a wide variance in readings of a MM. Even two people using the same MM will many times get different readings. It must be done right also else it is a total waste of time using one. To me there is only one good way and that is to get yourself ahead 3 years on your wood supply. Get it split right away and stack it out in the wind to dry. Once folks try 3 year or older wood they are really amazed at the difference it makes with the stove and how much heat they get from their wood. Simply put, you get more heat from good dry wood so use less to heat your home. In addition, it does away with almost all stove and chimney problems and you won't have creosote issues. We have never owned a moisture meter and have never seen a need for one but we do read on this forum over and over about folks who use them....and still have creosote problems. Something is wrong there....


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## ansehnlich1 (Dec 12, 2012)

Good thread here  Every stove setup has a different 'personality'.

I have a good sweep that lives nearby, he checks my chimney 1x each year, but sweeps every other year.


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## Lumber-Jack (Dec 12, 2012)

Backwoods Savage said:


> There is a lot of difference between one man's "seasoned" wood and anothers. There can also be a wide variance in readings of a MM. Even two people using the same MM will many times get different readings. It must be done right also else it is a total waste of time using one. To me there is only one good way and that is to get yourself ahead 3 years on your wood supply. Get it split right away and stack it out in the wind to dry. Once folks try 3 year or older wood they are really amazed at the difference it makes with the stove and how much heat they get from their wood. Simply put, you get more heat from good dry wood so use less to heat your home. In addition, it does away with almost all stove and chimney problems and you won't have creosote issues. We have never owned a moisture meter and have never seen a need for one but we do read on this forum over and over about folks who use them....and still have creosote problems. Something is wrong there....


Poor burning practices can lead to creosote build-up just as easily as burning wood that's not properly dry, this is likely why some people with dry wood still have creosote problems.
Pretty simple to use a moisture meter correctly, just make sure you measure inside a freshly split chunk of wood. And yeah, they can be out a few point one way or the other, but they are still more accurate then guessing, or banging two pieces of wood together which is really just guessing as well.
But I agree with you Dennis, if you can get 3 years ahead that would be great, but not everyone is in a position to do that, especially not in their first couple years of burning. Til then, a moisture meter can be a pretty useful tool, and I can't think of many firewood tools that are much cheaper.


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## DeerHunter (Dec 12, 2012)

I just swept mine last weekend.  Mine is a fresh install in August, 18' SS double-wall insulated full liner.  I started burning in mid-September, and know the combination of using less-than-great wood (Cottonwood for shoulder season) and 30% maple will cause me some issues.  I have built up about 6 cords of red oak, but know that is a 2-3 yr prospect, and will keep accumulating until I can get 3 yrs ahead.  However, I got to heat the house this year , so I will clean more often.  I actually don't have a problem getting the wood to burn, and haven't kicked the oil furnace on at all this year , and after all, you gotta burn what you got.  I posted some pics of what I saw before sweeping, and what I got in the stove after sweeping.


Pre-sweep, looking down:





Post-sweep, looking down:





what came out:


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## Seanm (Dec 14, 2012)

Carbon_Liberator said:


> Poor burning practices can lead to creosote build-up just as easily as burning wood that's not properly dry, this is likely why some people with dry wood still have creosote problems.
> Pretty simple to use a moisture meter correctly, just make sure you measure inside a freshly split chunk of wood. And yeah, they can be out a few point one way or the other, but they are still more accurate then guessing, or banging two pieces of wood together which is really just guessing as well.
> But I agree with you Dennis, if you can get 3 years ahead that would be great, but not everyone is in a position to do that, especially not in their first couple years of burning. Til then, a moisture meter can be a pretty useful tool, and I can't think of many firewood tools that are much cheaper.


Im pretty sure I will get it right and have wiped the slate clean of what I thought I used to know (that was before I had help of the internet). Measuring how many cups come out will help me check my progress for my next few sweeps. Ive learned how to use my moisture meter on hearth.com and follow those instructions to the letter, and yes my wood is dry (not hard to get with standing dead beatle kill lodgepole) also you can feel it in your hands when you hold it. My wife picked up a IR thermometer (intended to be a Christmas present) and its helped me understand what my stove top temps really are. I burn soft woods with Larch being my fav, our summer was very hot and I was an_l about drying. I could be wrong and only time will tell but im thinking its because my fires arent all that hot. I agree with the posts here, if my wood is wet or green then I will have problems, if I smoulder I will have problems. Either way I in no way blame my stove ;-) Its me who needs the fixin! I guess I just have to learn how to use it. Im off to look outside to see if there is any smoke! FYI Im almost 2 cords of Larch/Pine into next season stacked in my little yard.


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## simple.serf (Dec 14, 2012)

I check mine every 2 weeks if burning questionable stuff, and clean once a month. For us, It's so easy to do, I'd rather spend the 20 minutes than to have anything happen if the stove runs away on my wife (or me, it finally acted up for me now once).


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## Mo Par (Dec 26, 2012)

I clean mine at the beginning of the season (October) and check it again just after new years.​


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