Chimney Sweep just left.

[Renovation]

I also note that it's sorta scary that a "Senator" uses an Avatar of John Belushi! (lol)


-Soupy1957

Then your life is not complete.

You need to watch Animal House post haste. Then all will become clear.

"Hey, you f***ed up--you trusted us!"

 

[ansehnlich1]

From a business perspective, why on earth would a chimney sweep recommend sweeping every other year?? I found that kind of funny.

My sweep does exactly this, because he is honest.

 

[EJL923]

I dont see why anyone would go every other year in cleaning. Sometimes you get a bad match of wood or conditions change in your house to affect the burning. Like furnace maintenance, its cheap annual maintenance and your not guessing how dirty it is.

Something i noticed about flexible SS liners, they are sort of self cleaning. Growing up in a house using a clay lined chimney, all the creosote stuck to the walls and was much more difficult to clean. With the SS liner, the slight expanding and contracting breaks off and drops some of the creostore, not that i get a lot anyway. Next time your up cleaning the liner (from the top), bang on the pipe a few times and listen to the particles drop. Clean it at least once a year. Unless you have a good history with your setup, maybe mid winter as well. I feel comfortable once a year. Whenever im outside, i take a look at my cap. If i can see daylight through the screen, all is good.

 

[98dingo]

From a business perspective, why on earth would a chimney sweep recommend sweeping every other year?? I found that kind of funny.

I may tell my customers a sweep can be done every other year or accordingly to their burn habits, but always recommend atleast an inspection every year.

 

[firefighterjake]

I'd like to see the brushes you folks use to clean from the bottom up if anyone has pictures. My chimneysweep is expensive - he's good, but very expensive, and if I can do some cleaning on my own, that'd be great. Assuming I can figure out how to remove the pipes and bricks!

www.northlinexpress.com . . . I use the 6 inch poly brush and rod set they ahve for sale there.

 

[maverick06]

I use brushes and dont get much. The pellet guys seem to use the leafblower method.... anyone do that for woodstoves?

 

[sickle]

I knew i need to sweep but didnt have rods or brush, and i am cheap. So i set off to menards with some advise from a previous post and built my own rods from electrical conduit. The rods and brush cost me 20.00. And thats for 40' of rod. I just swept the chimney from the top and it was so easy. Very happy with who ever thought of the idea in the first place.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I use the Soot Eater bottom up (I like it and do not get much cresote), but it is not getting the cap. I had to climb up a 32 foot ladder that barely reached the top. The cap did have alot of crap in the spark arrester mesh. Some taps with a stick cleaned it up, but I was afraid to take off the top. I would have had to go up another 4 feet on a ladder that was almost straight up and down and nothing to hold onto. I do not mind just tapping it but working up there is a scary thing at that height and super steep roof. I think I really need a 40 foot ladder. It may be better to get a sweep who will do it top down . The top is where the problems are and the bottom up cleaning really does not get the cap properly. I have to get my installer out since he did not install my cap properly anyway, and may have helped lead to my issue. That is another issue with bottom up that it might knock the cap off.

 

[polaris]

I just climb the hill behind the house and shoot at the mesh with a 22 anytime I notice any build up. I was going to use my 45/70 or 12ga. slug gun but was afraid of enlarging the mesh.
Joe

 

[Cate68]

HAHA