# How To Clean Creosote Off The OUTSIDE Of My Chimney ??



## Ductape (Dec 2, 2008)

I need some expert advice here to save me some aggrivation and time. We had a new stainless liner installed in our 130+ year old chimney. It has a mortar / vermiculite insulation mix poured around it. Now i need to clean and re-point the outside of the chimney, inside the house. Unfortunately, i've asked everyone who gave me an estimate on the liner, as well as the local masonry supply place how to go about this....... and everyone has come up with a different answer. I am concerned about the "look" of the brick in our kitchen, so anything that would ruin the appearance of the original brick is not an option. I'm less concerned about the appearance of the brick that doesn't show, up in the attic space........ so a faster, more agressive method might be used up there. The guy who installed the liner suggested muriatic acid, but the masonry supply place says i'll be wasting my time with it. For the record, i tried using my Paint Eater on a small section with less than satisfactory results. This is basically a small electric grinder with a composite 3M disc on it used to remove paint without harming clapboards. I know with the wealth of information here, someone has the RIGHT way to do it. That 3M disc hardly made a scratch in it. I've attached a couple pics to show what i'm trying to remove.













P.S. Before you jump on me, this crap was all over the chimney looooooong before we ever bought the house.


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## trimmmed (Dec 2, 2008)

Is it creosote or maybe tar that dripped down from the roof?


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## sdt7618 (Dec 2, 2008)

Try brushing it with petrol or paint thinners. should work on the unseen stuff. as for the stuff you can see try brick acid. you should be able to buy that from your local merchant.


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## wkpoor (Dec 2, 2008)

Seems like a wire brush on a grinder should take it off. Like one of those big cup brushes. Too bad its on the outside as weather and time will renew the brick. Seems to me that must be fairly fresh or some or most of the heavy stuff would flake off.


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## Ductape (Dec 2, 2008)

trimmmed said:


> Is it creosote or maybe tar that dripped down from the roof?



Definitely not roofing tar. Most of the stuff which is now exposed in our kitchen, was hidden inside a wall. We are removing the wall to make the kitchen larger. The chimney is just a single layer of brick and original to the house, made long before flue tile. Judging by the rest of the house when we bought it, I'd be half surprised to find out it was ever cleaned. Ever.


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## Ductape (Dec 2, 2008)

The guy that installed the liner actually suggested i just mortar the whole outside of the chimney in the attic space. Its not that i'm terribly worried about the stuff igniting since the liner was put in, but my towns fire inspector needs to inspect the install before i can fire up the woodstove, and the chimney guy assured me it would not pass inspection with the fuel (creosote) stuck to the outside of the chimney. One estimate i got to do this was $1500, which i thought was excessive.


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## trimmmed (Dec 2, 2008)

Yes $1500 is a lot. Maybe just wrap it in wonderboard or hardi-board and then a cement parge coat. What about just painting it?

If it's a single brick thick and you have that much creosote, that means it's pretty much saturated through the whole brick thickness, so pointing up/ wire wheeling will only get the outer surface anywho.


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## 4492011 (Dec 2, 2008)

I have used hot water and soap on galvanized pipe before and it worked.


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## skid row (Dec 2, 2008)

Some acetone in a spray bottle and a wire brush and rags. Work small areas at a time.


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## savageactor7 (Dec 2, 2008)

Hummmm a lot depends on what color your roof is. I'd try burning it off with a propane torch...maybe start at the top and work down for control...as it burns off maybe you can dress the bricks up with a wire brush. 

That or muriatic acid would be my 1st approaches. Good for you for wanting to clean that up.... I would do whatever it would take even if I had to parge over that beast.


edit....

Whoops I just looked closer and saw this is inside your attic so forget what I said above for some reason I thought I was looking at the top the roof.

Wire brush what you can then parge it over...seeing it's inside the finish product willl out last all of us.


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## Soby1 (Dec 2, 2008)

I wonder if paint stripper would take it....Some of that stripper you can get does not dry up brush it on and let soak in for a day or so.Just my 2 cents good luck.


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## Ductape (Dec 2, 2008)

TreeCo said:


> What was your impression of the thermix and liner install? I've got a stone chimney I'm like to use for a second stove and have been considering thermix.



After being involved in two stainless liner installs, and seeing how straight forward they are, i would now just do it myself in the future. It is definitely a two-man job (at a minimum..... three would be even better). I'm impressed with my installer, he did a nice job. I also wanted my thimble relocated lower, so i could vent right out of the stove into the chimney, with no real stovepipe to speak of. My chinmey guy bought a few bags of vermiculite(i think thats how is spelled) and mixed in a small amount of mortar . I mixed (and lugged the buckets up the ladder) while he poured. He had made a steel plate with a hole for the bottom of the tee to fit through..... and had to remove some bricks to get it into the chimney just above the cleanout door. The steel plate was supported from below (using bricks) while the first batch of insulation was poured in. It was mixed a little thicker than normal, and we let it set up a little before the second batch. This obviously provided support for the rest of the pour. In this case, i was willing to pay someone to do the install, since he said he'd have no problem getting involved if the Fire Dept. did not approve for any reason. The reason it needs to be inspected is we had a bit of a fire outside the original liner that was installed (that got outside the chimney). If i weren't dealing with the town...... and just doing a simple update, i'd do the liner install / insulation pour myself.

Alot of the black crap on the chimney oozed out during our insulation pour..... though not the thicker stuff. That was already there. The estimate i got for $1500 to clean the creosote and re-point what needs touching up was more money than i paid for the whole liner job......... that is why i opted to do it myself. It was clear it was just something they were not interested in doing, so it was priced accordingly (apparently)  .


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## Ductape (Dec 2, 2008)

skid row said:


> Some acetone in a spray bottle and a wire brush and rags. Work small areas at a time.



I'll try the acetone first.... since its readily available. I did pick up a gallon of muriatic acid at the masonry supply place...... even though the guy at the counter told me i was wasting my money. I'm still listening if anyone has actually had success at this.


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## savageactor7 (Dec 2, 2008)

Using muriatic acid in that confined space is not a good idea...you could seriously mess yourself up.


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## brisawyer (Dec 2, 2008)

If the acetone or the muratic acid wont clean it try to find a cleaner with sodium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide (lye) is a caustic (base) really good at breaking down oily materials. Try some Greased Lightning or Castrol Super clean. Be sure to use some ppe with any of the above they are rough on skin and eyes


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## chugbug (Dec 2, 2008)

I get alot of black build up above the door on my OWB from opening it up and the smoke rolling out and also some creosote juice running down from the pipe , the outside of my owb is all stainless but everything I tried wouldn't touch it , so I called the manufacture and they suggested spray oven cleaner , well they were right on it takes the stuff right off , looks like new again !!! Not sure if it would cut the stuff your talking about .


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## jerry wayne (Dec 2, 2008)

*old brick*

if you have an old brick of the same vintage,rub them bad boys together and see if that works,ive tried it to take off old paint and did pretty good if its not real pourouse.If nothing works ,sand blast that crap off there and puc toint it :monkey:


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## pinemartin (Dec 2, 2008)

get a couple of them chimney sweeping logs and set them on fire in your kitchen then the creosote will just fall off  the grinder with wire brush will probably work the best


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## chowdozer (Dec 2, 2008)

Try WD40 and some scrubbing. You may have to scrub with a mild detergent afterwards. Dish soap or liquid Tide. Wear gloves.


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## chowdozer (Dec 2, 2008)

chugbug said:


> I get alot of black build up above the door on my OWB from opening it up and the smoke rolling out and also some creosote juice running down from the pipe , the outside of my owb is all stainless but everything I tried wouldn't touch it , so I called the manufacture and they suggested spray oven cleaner , well they were right on it takes the stuff right off , looks like new again !!! Not sure if it would cut the stuff your talking about .



Oven cleaner does work. I used to use it on my woodstove glass. Wear a respirator.


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## Ductape (Dec 2, 2008)

pinemartin said:


> get a couple of them chimney sweeping logs and set them on fire in your kitchen then the creosote will just fall off





This is the best idea yet !


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## pacman (Dec 2, 2008)

Make sure you get the chimney cleaned too. If it come down the out side it is inside too. For the out side try a wire brush first if it is not wet or gooy. Second I would try the brick acid. Use a all plastic long handle brush and gloves eye protection. If you feel a buring on your skin any where wash it off.


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## Signoflife (Dec 2, 2008)

Oven cleaner works, I have used BBQ cleaner as well and some of the stuff is even biodegradable. Last time I was at Canadian Tire (its like a hardware / car / walmart store in one here in Canada) I saw a product in the fire supply aisle...wait here, I'll be back...

here it is

http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/p...4443293001&assortment=primary&fromSearch=true

I haven't used it but it might be worth a shot, with some plastic taped to the brick below to catch some of the mess???


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## Signoflife (Dec 2, 2008)

Looks like they sell it at Lowes as well

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=63686-85334-CH0126&lpage=none


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