# Creosote Remover Advice



## Todd W (Dec 15, 2009)

Getting ready for one of my winter brushing and thought maybe this time I could burn something to help aid in the creosote removal.

What is the best thing to burn to help loosen anything that may be stuck up there ???


(Tall 2 story, with 5' above the roofline)


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## Todd W (Dec 15, 2009)

Also, what's a high quality 8" brush setup? 

My old one is about dead, and I have no idea who makes it.


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## Todd W (Dec 21, 2009)

No one can help


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## savageactor7 (Dec 21, 2009)

You can ball up a chain and drop it down the chimney with a rope...that should have the weight to bash through it. Then finish it off with a brush.


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## aandabooks (Dec 21, 2009)

In my opinion, the creosote removers that they sell at the stores don't work. I've tried several in years past and gave up on them. For 3-4 days before you plan on brushing the chimney, run a good hot fire at least once per day or an extended 500-600 degree flue fire and the creosote will be nice and dry when you go to use the brush.


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## ray benson (Dec 21, 2009)

I used Rutland Creosote Remover last year . A scoop( about a tablespoon) per week. Seemed to keep the buildup dry and flaky which the brush removed easily. Lots of reading on chimney brushing.
http://www.arboristsite.com/search.php?searchid=3240322


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## 7hpjim (Dec 21, 2009)

*rutland*

I used the powdered creosote remover last year and the spray this year, the spray seems to do a bit better but, still needs brushing.


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## blackdogon57 (Dec 21, 2009)

aandabooks said:


> In my opinion, the creosote removers that they sell at the stores don't work. I've tried several in years past and gave up on them. For 3-4 days before you plan on brushing the chimney, run a good hot fire at least once per day or an extended 500-600 degree flue fire and the creosote will be nice and dry when you go to use the brush.




:agree2:
Totally agree. Why waste $$ on products that may not work. Having a good hot fire is fun too !


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## logbutcher (Dec 21, 2009)

aandabooks said:


> In my opinion, the creosote removers that they sell at the stores don't work. I've tried several in years past and gave up on them. For 3-4 days before you plan on brushing the chimney, run a good hot fire at least once per day or an extended 500-600 degree flue fire and the creosote will be nice and dry when you go to use the brush.



*Best adv*ice....*BUT*, once you get glazed, hardened creosote, it's time for serious removal, perhaps by the chimney sweep pros who have the gear. Brushes work only when the creosote is not hardened and done routinely each season.

*IF* you can quickly shut down the sir to the stove and flue, then try a *CONTROLLED* chimney fire to burn off the creosote. Be sure that you can completely shut down the air. Or, have a method to douse the fire in the stove---many ways of doing this. 

JMNSHO 

Each morning we burn the fire hot ~6-700 F for a short time.


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## flotek (Dec 21, 2009)

save your money ...nothing will come close to replacing a good brushing 
its kinda like using scope to clean your teeth


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## yooper (Dec 21, 2009)

flotek said:


> save your money ...nothing will come close to replacing a good brushing
> its kinda like using scope to clean your teeth



very true! Most powders for creosote are aluminum oxide. cheaper to just burn old pop or beer cans in the stove as that will create aluminum oxide.


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## wkpoor (Dec 21, 2009)

If your chimney has runny wet sticky kind of sreosote then you are burning your stove to cold period. My stove temp on the surface is always 500-600 degrees and when I sweep its very light dry airy creosote that won't even black my hands. and easy comes loose with the brush. Light it up real hot for a while or better yet burn it at 600 for several hours and brush it out. Thats all there is too it.


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## Ductape (Dec 21, 2009)

Well...... burning dry wood hot with a sweep once or twice per year works for me.

But........ the guy who installed my chimney liner swears the Rutland stuff works great. I tried to tell him it was snake oil...... but he argued up and down that it worked. Not sure i believe it.


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## Hoister (Dec 21, 2009)

I use these : http://www.cleanyourchimney.com/







Last year and this year ..

When i bought the house last year I hauled out 3 1/2 - 5 gallon pails of cresote from the flue ..
I burned one of these before any wood after the brushing .one half way through the season 

this year I got late and burned oned a few weeks ago ..saw this thread and decided to have a look at the bottom of my flue again ...nice crunchy ..dime sized flakes and bit's have fallen down since the log ...

I do burn my stove hot about twice a week ..for an hour or so ..

I have a mason flue so I tend to watch the meter quite closely as not to crack it up ..


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## RacerX (Dec 21, 2009)

I'll make the assumption that all of the responses here are for stoves and not fireplaces. A brush seems rather useless on a fireplace where the area just above the damper is several feet wide. Am I correct?


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## RCR 3 EVER (Dec 22, 2009)

Also how, do you get the brushes and poles down past the 2-30 degree elbows that are between fireplace and ceiling above the fireplace. I have a double wall stainless steel chimney that is physically impossible (weigh too heavy) to take off the fireplace insert or above the elbows. The total length of chimney including overheight chase is about 18ft and 9 ft above the roof.


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## Mike Van (Dec 22, 2009)

RCR 3 EVER said:


> Also how, do you get the brushes and poles down past the 2-30 degree elbows that are between fireplace and ceiling above the fireplace. I have a double wall stainless steel chimney that is physically impossible (weigh too heavy) to take off the fireplace insert or above the elbows. The total length of chimney including overheight chase is about 18ft and 9 ft above the roof.



Can you drop a good weight down from the top with 25' of good rope, the brush tied to it, then pull it down from below? Nobody said this wood business was easy


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## RCR 3 EVER (Dec 22, 2009)

Mike Van said:


> Can you drop a good weight down from the top with 25' of good rope, the brush tied to it, then pull it down from below? Nobody said this wood business was easy



Good idea, I asked the installers how to clean the vent pipes as they installed them, but they did not have a clue. But, then again I would not anything more than that as they were clueless for most of the job and made numerous errors that I caught them on.

Again thanks for the tip. Maybe a rope tied from the top to control rate of drop?


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## injun joe (Dec 22, 2009)

lol i knew a guy that would start an intenional chimney fire to clean the chimney. but when he would do this he would wait for the first snow then load his stove up and get the fire roarin and when all the sparks and stuff would shoot out they couldnt burn the house because of the snow. probably not the safest but it worked for him.


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## Mike Van (Dec 22, 2009)

I've had a few chimney fires, it's not something I would do on purpose. Brick chimney with tile liner, split the top 2 ft one year it burned so hot up there. Also a 'myth' about it cleaning them out, as the tar like creosote expands as it burns to an almost pumice like stuff. After it was all out, I was on the roof with a 16 ft 2x4 to ram enough of a hole down through the crap to be able to get a brush in. Some the pumice like stuff comes out kind of like a volcano as it burns, the smoke is incredible, it looks like a plane crashed on your roof.


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## RCR 3 EVER (Dec 23, 2009)

*chimney fires not the way to clean vent*

Our neighbor that we had reported a possible chimney fire on in a previous thread: http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=113636 
Did indeed have a very serious chimney fire.He has had insurance repair crews fixing his house all month long and they installed a new chimney last weekend. I am not looking forward to all the smoke again when he starts to burn rotten,wet wood.
Since it was a very old rusty chimney I was told it had spread beyond the chimney into attic and 2nd floor spaces. He was lucky his house did not go up. He should have known better and should have been the best equipt to put the thing out quick since he sells fire extinguishers and his trucks are full of the equipt. 
But then again his brain power is not really up to par either.


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## carvinmark (Dec 23, 2009)

Mike Van said:


> Can you drop a good weight down from the top with 25' of good rope, the brush tied to it, then pull it down from below? Nobody said this wood business was easy



Great idea, sending you some rep.


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## MJR (Dec 23, 2009)

First, log chain and then send a rope all the way down. Bring your brush down to the stove and tie brush to rope. Pull brush up. Repeat till clean...

Good luck.


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## sbhooper (Dec 23, 2009)

I have a 6-inch chimney pipe that comes off the furnace and goes straight up for about 27 feet. This is my second year of burning with it and when I brushed it pre-season, I got very little creosote out of it. I have to burn it pretty hot all the time to get enough heat to kick on the blower fans. In a previous house, I had a fireplace that was also a twenty-plus foot run. I have found that over all, a brushing once a season takes care of your problems. I don't think there is an issue except in chimneys that have not been brushed in a long time. 

I cannot get to the top of my chimney without removing the last sections of pipe. I brush mine from below with the brush and the joined fiber poles. I am going to go to a 4-inch brush so that I can scrub the pipe easier and not have to force it so much. 

As long as you can get to the top of your chimney, I would try dropping a rope with a weight that would pass through to the fireplace. Tie on a brush that is smaller than the size of the pipe and pull it through. If that works OK, then maybe do it again with a brush the size of the pipe. It will depend on how tough it is to pull. It seems to me that the brush that is the same size as the pipe can be tough to pull/push through.


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## hunter h (Feb 5, 2011)

*Cleaning*



Todd W said:


> Getting ready for one of my winter brushing and thought maybe this time I could burn something to help aid in the creosote removal.
> 
> What is the best thing to burn to help loosen anything that may be stuck up there ???
> 
> ...


 
Todd
I have not used any of the products. I had never had any problem with creosote in my chimney when using the stove. After I installed the owb and tied it into my chimney I was concerned I would havemore of a problem. My dad told me that burning dry cedar will hel ceap it clean. so far it is working.

hubter h


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## jasult (Feb 5, 2011)

After I installed my 8 inch ss liner with insulation wrap, fabricated my insulated block off plate, the stove performs like a totally new stove and burns much hotter from the better draft. Now every time I pull off my clean out T which is once a week just too inspect it it just has a dusting in there. Prior to the liner, I was having gobs of creosote falling and stunk. Prior to the liner,I just had a 5 foot chimney connector stuck in damper and ended in the flue about a foot. It worked all those years but it did not work right. Now it works right. Of coarse the 8 inch liner install consisted of me cutting out the damper frame and chipping out some of the firebrick to allow for 8 inch pipe to slide straight down and install a nice clean out T at stove. Now when I want to brush the liner, I dont have to remove stove but just remove clean out cap at bottom and tie hefty bag around and brush from top.


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## laynes69 (Feb 5, 2011)

Once you see stage 3 creosote, its important to chemically alter it to remove it. If its bad, it can take a couple of times to remove. There are chemicals that act as a catalyst and along with heat will break down and soften the deposits so they can be removed. Trying to burn them out is dangerous and should not be done. Deposits only an 1/8th of an inch thick can expand many times when burning, resulting in a blocked flue and a house full of smoke. Also temperatures can exceed 2,000*. If there was a crack in the flue it could expand and ignite combustibles around the chimney or deposits behind the liner. Having a proper sized flue, preferably insulated stainless and burning good seasoned wood will help eliminate dangerous deposits and chimney fires. Here is a product that I hear works that has been recommended by sweeps.

http://www.northlineexpress.com/item/5SS-ACS-POWDER/Cre-Away-Creosote-Remover


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## pook (Feb 5, 2011)

TSP [trisodiumphophate} is main ingredient for flaking the creoglaze--------still gotta brush = brush wont remove the glaze,eh?


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## laynes69 (Feb 5, 2011)

I do believe the government is cracking down on the use of phosphates. I don't know if they have been outlawed, but now most TSP's are substitutes. I know that one of the active ingredients in the liquid form of creosote removers for third stage removal is sodium hydroxide, or lye. Very dangerous stuff and thats one reason why those products are sold to professional sweeps only. Its a much stronger form to change the glazing. After removal, they spray another solution to neutralize the flue.


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## J.W Younger (Feb 5, 2011)

I heat the house with an owb,stack fires are no issue.The shop has a wood stove and burning 2-5 alu cans a week seems too work but it takes a lot of heat too make them go away so it may just be the flue temp and the cans are'nt doing it.
That probabley did'nt help but its all I have.


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## johncinco (Feb 7, 2011)

I pull mine through 33' of stack and two elbows with a rope, as mentioned. I have a clean out spot and bought a flexible rod that you connect a drill to one end and your brush to the other. It spins and cleans while you work it back and forth. I saw it on a tool show and thought it would work really well. Its more work than what its worth, if you can pull a brush through at least twice its just as clean.


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