Flexible liner cleaning

[shiest]

I recently had a flexible liner installed. As you know the surface is ribbed not smooth. Are these hard to clean? If there is creosote build up, is it hard to get out? Also, My chimney cap is brown/black is this normal?

 

[Gooserider]

I recently had a flexible liner installed. As you know the surface is ribbed not smooth. Are these hard to clean? If there is creosote build up, is it hard to get out? Also, My chimney cap is brown/black is this normal?

They aren't hard to clean, you just need the right equipment.

1. Use a polyester / nylon brush of the right size to match your liner, and the appropriate rods, everything else is like cleaning any other sort of chimney / flue.

2. In order to keep the brush from melting, make sure everything is OUT and stone cold before cleaning. I know this can be a challenge in the winter, but hopefully if you are using good burning habbits you won't need to clean in the winter months.

3. Even the cleanest of modern stoves still puts out some creosote, and unfortunately it WILL tend to condense and collect on your cap. If you are lucky, it will just be a bit messy, but some folks have had it build up to the point where it caused combustion problems. If you start seeing any loss of draft, back puffing when you load wood, or other signs of a restricted flue, the cap is the first thing to check. Some folks have had decent luck burning it off with periodic hot fires (reccomended in any case) Others have found that they were able to reduce the problem by enlarging the holes in the cap spark arrester screen (this may not be legal depending on where you live) others just have to figure on climbing up to the chimney top a few times a season just to clean the cap... This has caused some folks to decide not to use a cap, which has it's own risks, but.

Good Luck,

Gooserider