On cleaning the chimney. And a couple other questions.

[bentring]

So, long story short is that the M-i-L heard I've started getting firewood ready for the winter and immediately freaked out to the wife about chimney fires. Two winters ago the heat went out in the house. Why couldn't it have been last year when it was warm...

We weren't able to get it fixed immediately but during the day it was not a big deal since there are windows that get the winter sun about 14 ft tall and the width of the room in the living room. We had to use a couple of electric heaters in other parts of the house but I used the fireplace when the sun went down. I'll also add I have no idea the last time the chimney was cleaned, but that year I had it roasting every night with no issue. Always built a top down fire, packed that sucker full ( ~7 cubic feet) and kept it blazing. The fireplace is in the middle of the house and has a vent that draws cold air from the crawlspace and has metal walls and heat pipes with fans to help push out the heat. Not as efficient as an insert or wood stove, but it did the job good enough.

So fast forward to now and we're wanting to mainly use the fireplace to keep the heater from coming on as much on the cold nights and for atmosphere, thankfully not having to depend on it. Anyway, the wife called the chimney cleaning folks (I think there's exactly one to choose from in this area) and has been given a price in the $200 range and not sure how soon they can get here. Haven't taken a tape measure to it so I'm not sure the distance from top to bottom, but it's a two story so I'm guessing 20 ft or so. :msp_confused: Would you be worried about having a fire before it gets cleaned? And should I just have them come do the work or just buy the tools myself and only pay once rather than have them come over and over?

Also, I'd like to replace the fans for the heat pipes. I'm pretty sure I could find some that do a better job since these are likely 35 years old. They aren't the sideways blower style found in home units so would any similar sized fan work? They are on the far sides of the hearth under some built in cabinets so I'm sure it doesn't get extremely hot where they are located but the stone is only about 13 inches from the inside of the fireplace so I'm not sure. They are situated lower and away from the area where the fire is though. The pipes come from behind the fire area and blow out from above it, if that makes any sense typed out.

The last question is concerning a grate. I originally used the one that was sitting in it which is the standard table style that hold a couple of logs. It didn't do well at all. Seemed purely for looks so I took it out and just started building them with the top down method on an inch or so of ash and lots more wood, which did a lot better with heat production. I read on here a couple of weeks ago about a grate that holds the fire close to the back and is best used with a metal plate to bounce the heat back into the room. Would that even help since the fireplace is metal already? And I would think the larger fire without using any grate would produce more heat overall. What seemed to work best was half closing the glass doors so some heat could come out of the fireplace into the room but it kept the air pouring in to the keep the fire blazing rather than just burning. I would fill it up before bed and shut the glass doors and the vents under the doors would keep it going strong during the night.


Sorry for the rambling, and I'm sure pics might be more helpful for some things so I'll try to get some taken tomorrow but what do you guys think?

 

[Mac88]

Re: Chimney Cleaning

You should be able to do the chimney cleaning yourself, unless there's something about it that would require special tools. The topic comes up on here a lot around this time of year. Do a search for "chimney cleaning". Sorry but I can't help ya on your other questions.

 

[Ayatollah]

Chimney sweeping isn't a hard job, but it is dirty and can be dangerous. If you have any doubts about your balance or agility, I'd pay someone else. If the roof is steep or otherwise difficult, you may need to lay out some lines and harness. Roofs that are steep, coupled with loose shingles or other perils are a recipe for broken bones or worse if you don't have back-up. All that said, if you have a fairly average roof in good condition, and your health and agility is ok, I'd do it myself. Actually I do it myself. Size up the chimney and rent some brushes and rods from just about any rental yard, or.....buy you a set, cause they'll last you a lifetime and they aren't that costly. Just make sure you have the right size brush. Slightly bigger than your chimney so it actually puts a little pressure on the wall. I also recommend you don't do the work when no one is around. If you fall or something, maybe no one starts looking for you on the side of the house until you don't show up for dinner.
Also, if you do it yourself, make sure to seal up the hearth real good, 'cause that soot is fine and blacker than the ace-of-spades. I have an insert, and even with the door closed there was some fine residue fanning out a couple feet after it was done. I also recommend a vacuum with a filter that you are going to toss away when done, 'cause that soot is so fine it just plugs it up real soon. Vaccuuming is best after you get the major soot shoveled out. After that, the less contact with anything the better. Sweeping just rubs it in to the floor, carpet, and still spreads more dust as you do.


The fireplace grate is something you'll have to experiment with, but a grate is most helpful when the ash starts to build up and the bottom of the fire doesn't get good air. It also makes it easier to start a fire when the ash is built up a bit. Beyond that, I don't see it having much of an effect on the heat output via convection or radiant. That is, unless you were to get one of those type that have tubes that cause heat to barrel through them and out into your room.

the fans I'd be careful with. Fans are designed to move maximum air without getting too hot themselves. You can put a set of fans in there that have too much pitch or rpm's and then they work against themselves constrained by the space they're in. that could cause them to overheat and then you have a fire that you don't want. Just be sure to do a little engineering when you replace the fans. They';; usually have the wattage and rpm's on them, and also be mindful of the rotation direction. some spin clockwise, some counter
Fan motors do wear out too, and at that age it is quite possible and even likely they aren't working at their fullest. If you get all that info from the existing motors and take it and the motor to the parts house...something like Standar Appliance Parts, You can get new ones. If the blades are good, be careful with them and you can re-use them. If you tweak them though, it's harder than hell to get 'em straight again, and usually it's never perfect, so you hear that offset noise when they operate

 

[thepheniox]

I used to sweep mine. Now the insurance company wants proof a certified sweep cleaned it.

 

[bentring]

Well we ended up deciding to just have somebody else do the cleaning this time, since there's no telling how much or even what they'll find in it since the last cleaning date is unknown. :jester: It also won't hurt to have someone who knows what to look for to just check out the thing. Their price also includes the chimney cap screen, which I wasn't aware that she had mentioned to them about so I guess it doesn't seem so bad.

I'll do some further research on the other stuff but knowing our weather, by the time they show up in a week it will be shorts weather around here again.

 

[aarolar]

Your MIL sounds as bad as mine, she told us to make sure the fire was out before we left or went to bed everytime or the house would burn down. :msp_rolleyes:

 

[bentring]

This does happen to be her place so I can't just ignore all of her ramblings. :bang:

The wife's been trying to talk her into selling it to us, since she's always loved it, but keeps getting the runaround. Oh well, M-i-L doesn't live here with us :so whatever.