Show us your chimney sweepings!

[Dalmatian90]

Last year I just cleaned from the bottom up, this year I went up on the roof:

Despite burning way too green wood, I knew my old stove didn't clog up the chimney. I had no idea how the new-to-me but much more efficient stove I got last year would do.

The creosote definitely likes to condense at the cap when it hits cold air.

Then I looked down...

This the BEFORE! Basically, nothing. I don't think my iPhone could capture the little bit of improvement after sweeping.

Got maybe a quart of dust that was almost entirely at the bottom cleanout already.

This remains my favorite tool I've ever made myself -- makes for a quick easy time cleaning the stove, I just scoop and carry the scoop outside to dump. Far less dust. Just grain scoop with a threaded bar handle.

Sometimes wish I had a roof deck

 

[GVS]

Some (most) of those caps are nothing but creosote traps!

 

[lindnova]

I have a 27 ft tall chimney. I get a little coating on the top of the pipe and cap but almost un-measurable soot in the bottom after sweeping. I don't run mine very much though compared to some of the 24/7 people here. This is from the cleaning last spring. I thought I was getting ahead of myself, but then the birds got in over the summer and I had to go up and check for any nest remnants (none found) out. Saved one bird last spring, but found 3 dead bluebirds in the stove this fall. Too bad. I wonder what I can to do avoid this problem.

 

[Dalmatian90]

Interesting -- only bird I ever found dead in my stove was a bluebird too.

 

[Iska3]

Nice View from the roof.. Not much to clean there if not for the cap. Looks good..

 

[babybart]

View attachment 455713 View attachment 455714 View attachment 455715 I have a 27 ft tall chimney. I get a little coating on the top of the pipe and cap but almost un-measurable soot in the bottom after sweeping. I don't run mine very much though compared to some of the 24/7 people here. This is from the cleaning last spring. I thought I was getting ahead of myself, but then the birds got in over the summer and I had to go up and check for any nest remnants (none found) out. Saved one bird last spring, but found 3 dead bluebirds in the stove this fall. Too bad. I wonder what I can to do avoid this problem.

My cap came with a screen to prevent critters from getting in but that sucker would clog sure as s**t! Screen sits in the shed on the shelf now, don't know why I kept it though..

 

[Marshy]

The screen on the cap keeps the birds out. If you're not using it then I don't know of any other way to keep them out other than putting a bucket over the pipe when not in use. Maybe search the Internet for a better cap..?

IIRC I swept before the start of the season and then again half way through. I'm about to get up there today to sweep an will take some pics.

 

[Deleted member 83629]

i swept mine out at the end of burning season but only got a little black soot i brush it every 2 months when im burning constantly in the winter.
standard block chimney with a 8 inch wide 1 inch thick well casing pipe.

 

[jr27236]

I have the same cap as Dalmation90, last year I had no issues with birds, this year I swept the chimney (not too bad except for the typical creosote on the cap). Then after I swept it, I got a sparrow, then another, then another and after chasing the third bird through my house after he escaped my genius net trap lol. I sat on the couch exhausted only to hear fluttering come down my stack 5 minutes (if that) later. I left him in there, bought 1/2" hardware cloth, cut it 4" x 33" and installed it on the outside of my cap, THEN released the last little pain in the a**. (I think it was the same bird every time)

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[woodchipper95]

Boy I should have taken pictures when I got done with my moms... she called me at college and said she had gotten stuff to clean the chimney. I said ok I'll do it instead of paying someone. Well I was to lazy to get on the roof which has a nice pitch and the chimney extends 8 feet from the roof so I was more than happy to do it from the bottom. So that's what I did, I swept it twice and man does that thing get dirty. I could only imagine using wet or pine wood. A clean chimney is a happy mom.

 

[aheeejd]

I lined my chimney with a stainless liner, put cap on, & along about January or February I had to get up there & tear cap off, clogged right up, I was using semi green though. I just don't use a cap at all now, cover it with a can. This year will be interesting, I'm burning 2 year old wood, allot of popcorn type stuff. Had problems here in new england getting wood, can't even get grapple loads, so I am burning what I could get. Next year should be better as I'm going to cut my own trees for firewood. Actually picking up new saw tomorrow morning. Husky 550xp,

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[Wood Doctor]

My chimney sweep comes in every year and scrapes for one-to-two hours. He carries out about 10 pounds of stuff in his power vac that was all ready to ignite and scare the pee put of me.

In my book, he's worth every penny and I pay him in cash.

 

[stihly dan]

I get nothing so I don't clean the chimney. Been burning a bit so maybe for this thread I will clean it with pics.

 

[Wood Doctor]

The flue on the far right is the only one that exhausts smoke from wood. The stove was running full bore when this Pic was taken:


Hard to see the smoke, isn't it? Regardless, I scrape every year.

 

[jr27236]

Well full open fire, burning that hot shouldn't produce much smoke, it's when you damper it down to prolong for the night or day that starts to produce the smoke and creosote.

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[Wood Doctor]

Well full open fire, burning that hot shouldn't produce much smoke, it's when you damper it down to prolong for the night or day that starts to produce the smoke and creosote. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Perhaps, but this stove has no damper. The air intakes control the fire's burn rate. I seldom change those settings.

Most of the visible smoke this stove (Federal Airtight 288) produces is during the startup, prior to closing the block off plate. Closing the block off plate sets up the secondary combustion that burns the flue gases before exhausting them up the chimney.

 

[chipper1]

The only thing in mine is in the cap. I pull it twice a season and tap on it with a screwdriver handle.
Total for the yr is about a half an ash shovel full.
I am of the thought that you should have small daily chimney fires(burn it hot before choking it down). Rather than one large one.
If the inside of my stove is black or the window is dirty I'm not burning hot enough or my wood is not dry enough.
I want the inside of the stove to be nice and white while running on the lean side with no smoke coming out the chimney.
BTW I have never started my furnace in the 7 seasons I've been here.(I love my Pacific Energy).
Maybe I will get up there tomorrow and get some pictures.
Is it legal to say this about your own post.