Soot Eater - Yay or Nay?

[woodflamer]

Yay!

 

[fire_man]

Guess I'm the scrooge - I do not like the Sooteater. (come to think of it, the sooteater looks like a Dr. Seuss toy).

I miss my old simple way of pulling a brush down the flue and I may go back to that method. The simple brush took 15 minutes and I was done.
The sooteater rods are a pain to connect/disconnect and there is definitely more mess and more gadgets to handle (multiple rods,drill adapter,drill, brush,rod clip tool) - and it takes MUCH longer.

 

[BrotherBart]

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger fire_man. I used the thing twice and went back to the brush and rope.

 

[fire_man]

I got the sooteater to avoid climbing the roof - but so far I miss the rope and brush.
I'm thinking about spending the big bucks for one of these Vipers, especially since I added a second stove with a 25 foot flue.

 

[DanCorcoran]

Guess I'm the scrooge - I do not like the Sooteater. (come to think of it, the sooteater looks like a Dr. Seuss toy).

I miss my old simple way of pulling a brush down the flue and I may go back to that method. The simple brush took 15 minutes and I was done.
The sooteater rods are a pain to connect/disconnect and there is definitely more mess and more gadgets to handle (multiple rods,drill adapter,drill, brush,rod clip tool) - and it takes MUCH longer.

My guess is that you don't have a 12/12 pitch metal roof, with a chimney that extends 8 feet above it, so you'd need to put a ladder on the 12/12 slope...just a guess.

 

[fire_man]

Ouch - with a setup like that I'd go nuts. It would be worth the $$ for the Viper.

 

[Sprinter]

The sooteater works fine for lighter material like soot and fluffier creosote. Don't expect it to bust through glazed or gooey creosote, though. Hopefully, you won't have to anyway...

 

[Mrpelletburner]

Mine busted the first time I used it!

 

[fire_man]

Can you tell us more about the failure mode? was the drill spinning on the fastes setting and how many extensions were you spinning?

 

[Mrpelletburner]

Can you tell us more about the failure mode? was the drill spinning on the fastes setting and how many extensions were you spinning?

Sure... Corded drill connected to 4 extension rods, did not have the drill spinning at the fastest setting, would say half speed. Snapped right at the bend for the tee snout.

Prior to the rod snapping, system was working smooth. Appeared to do a good job.

 

[fire_man]

ok so you were making a 90 degree turn. I know lots of users do that so you must have just been unlucky.

 

[Rickb]

Works great on my BK through the bypass but the angle is like 60 - 70 degrees. I would not want to try a real 90 with then while spinning at high speed.

 

[bholler]

Sure... Corded drill connected to 4 extension rods, did not have the drill spinning at the fastest setting, would say half speed. Snapped right at the bend for the tee snout.

Prior to the rod snapping, system was working smooth. Appeared to do a good job.

What size pipe was it in?

 

[Mrpelletburner]

Just tried again and snapped another rod only 3 deep. Clean break.

 

[moresnow]

Are they actually designed to make a 90? Don't believe I'd be comfy trying a 90 with mine! It just doesn't strike me as 90 friendly? To stiff.

 

[bholler]

Just tried again and snapped another rod only 3 deep. Clean break.

What size pipe are you running through?

 

[Mrpelletburner]

6” stove pipe

 

[bholler]

6” stove pipe

I dont use a sooteater i use a pro one. But i know guys here have run through 6" tees

 

[SuperJ]

Is a sooteater good enough to be your only brush, or do you need to use a "real" brush once a year too?

 

[bholler]

Is a sooteater good enough to be your only brush, or do you need to use a "real" brush once a year too?

I dont use the soot eater but i use a pro version which is about the same only more durable rods. And quite honestly i only use an actual brush a couple times a month. The rotary cleaner does a better job faster and easier than a brush and most of the time i can do it without going on the roof.

We still carry some regular brushes in the van but they rarely leave the shelf

 

[BIGChrisNH]

I spent money on one and have had no luck using it. I was hoping for bottom up cleaning but the rod and brush get stuck a little way up the flue, there must be an offset in the way or something. I was very disappointed in mine and losing significant skin on my knuckles trying to get the brush to go up the chimney. Probably one of the more frustrating "simple" projects I tried last year. I invented some new curse words, gave up, climbed on the roof and used my regular brush. But, if you have a straight flue maybe they do work.

 

[Ashful]

I miss my old simple way of pulling a brush down the flue and I may go back to that method. The simple brush took 15 minutes and I was done.

Define “simple”. Here’s my chimney, and that’s a 12/12 pitch raised-seam metal roof:



My 40 foot ladder does not even reach the top of the chimney, the only access is to put a 28 foot ladder to the soffit, then scurry up a chicken to the peak, and try to straddle the peak while removing that flagstone topper to insert a brush.

Any volunteers? I think I’ll just stick with the soot eater, up thru the bypass door. [emoji38]

 

[Calentarse]

I have a soot eater and I love it. On rancher, I still went on the roof and used it up there. I would burn the creosote within the firebox afterwards. Now that I have a two story home, I use it from the bottom and don't even use plastic. I have worn my head down on it I use it so much I need a replacement!

 

[electrathon]

Mine busted the first time I used it!

I had a set of the black rods I used with the old brush I had. I bought a set of the white rods when I got my soot eater. Way more flexible. Much faster and easier than the brush and it seems to clean a lot better.

 

[Highbeam]

Are they actually designed to make a 90? Don't believe I'd be comfy trying a 90 with mine! It just doesn't strike me as 90 friendly? To stiff.

It's not the 90 degrees that kills you. It's the bend radius you use to get that 90 degrees. I do not think you could shove a sooteater through a 90 degree tee or 90 degree bend in a 6" pipe but you can go into the door of a stove and up through a top exhaust just fine which is also 90 degrees but a much larger bend radius.

I've snapped one rod while trying to push the sooteater through the stove and up the chimney from across the room with like 4 rods attached, I was getting lazy. Pushing towards the stove bent the rod too sharply and it snapped.