Cleaned the chimney this weekend

[vatmark]

My husband and I cleaned our chimney this weekend. You would think being that this is our 7th year with a wood stove we would have the procedure down pat. Nope. I pretty much looked like Dike Van Dyke from Mary Poppins before all was said and done. We use the Sooteater and clean from bottom up. We put a bag around the pipe to catch the soot. The bag got twisted 3 times and I could see soot floating through the air and particles falling all over the stove and hearth. After we got the chimney clean we went to put the pipes back on and couldn't remember which way they went. At first we thought one was upside down. I had taken pictures last time we cleaned so had to go find them to see if it was on correctly. Cleanup of the room took a while. And after all that we only got a couple tablespoons of stuff that was very fine. But chimney is clean and I am thinking maybe next time we go 2 years between cleanings. We do not burn to heat our house.

 

[bholler]

My husband and I cleaned our chimney this weekend. You would think being that this is our 7th year with a wood stove we would have the procedure down pat. Nope. I pretty much looked like Dike Van Dyke from Mary Poppins before all was said and done. We use the Sooteater and clean from bottom up. We put a bag around the pipe to catch the soot. The bag got twisted 3 times and I could see soot floating through the air and particles falling all over the stove and hearth. After we got the chimney clean we went to put the pipes back on and couldn't remember which way they went. At first we thought one was upside down. I had taken pictures last time we cleaned so had to go find them to see if it was on correctly. Cleanup of the room took a while. And after all that we only got a couple tablespoons of stuff that was very fine. But chimney is clean and I am thinking maybe next time we go 2 years between cleanings. We do not burn to heat our house.

Run the rods through a piece of pvc just big enough to fit the rods through. Tape that to the bag and hold onto it. That keeps the bag from twisting. Also what stove do you have? Most of the time you can simply clean through the stove and not mess with the pipe at all

 

[kborndale]

I just stick a shop vac in there and leave it running while I use the sooteater. Never have had a mess.

 

[vatmark]

Run the rods through a piece of pvc just big enough to fit the rods through. Tape that to the bag and hold onto it. That keeps the bag from twisting. Also what stove do you have? Most of the time you can simply clean through the stove and not mess with the pipe at all

Thank you. That's a great idea. We will do that next time.

We have a Jotul F500 V2. Can it be cleaned right through the stove. How would you do that? Do you have to take the entire top off?

 

[vatmark]

I just stick a shop vac in there and leave it running while I use the sooteater. Never have had a mess.

It would be difficult for us to do that due to the set up.

 

[bholler]

Thank you. That's a great idea. We will do that next time.

We have a Jotul F500 V2. Can it be cleaned right through the stove. How would you do that? Do you have to take the entire top off?

No those aren't worth the effort to pull the baffle to clean through them

 

[vatmark]

No those aren't worth the effort to pull the baffle to clean through them

I didn't think so. But we will definitely will try the pvc next time.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

Very nice looking hearth and room. Just curious, why the box above the stove pipe and where does the pipe go?

 

[vatmark]

Very nice looking hearth and room. Just curious, why the box above the stove pipe and where does the pipe go?

Thanks. I am not completely positive about what caused them to build the box. It is a vaulted ceiling. The chimney was going to come out right in part of the roof valley. An elbow was needed to have the chimney not in the roof valley. I thought the guy doing the installation mentioned it was a 30 degree elbow. I am not sure if the wood box was due to it being a vaulted ceiling, the elbow or due to both. It might have been for esthetics. The pipe goes up through the roof.

 

[stoveliker]

Probably to hide the metal cathedral ceiling support box.
Makes me wonder how it looks behind the wood....

 

[vatmark]

Probably to hide the metal cathedral ceiling support box.
Makes me wonder how it looks behind the wood....

I wish I would have paid more attention. We knew nothing about wood stoves at the time. I have learned so much from the people on this forum.