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Small Cabin Forum / Off-Grid Living / Cleaning crooked stovepipe
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Grizzlyman
Member
# Posted: 22 Sep 2024 19:58
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My stove pipe has a jog in it- 45* for about 4 ft, then vertical again.

What’s the best Way to clean this. I’m really hoping the word ”disassemble” doesn’t show up here. Lol
IMG_1172.jpeg
IMG_1172.jpeg


Nobadays
Member
# Posted: 22 Sep 2024 20:28
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My neighbor has one of these flexible cleaning kits. I think it works pretty good for him.

LIKE THIS

Grizzlyman
Member
# Posted: 22 Sep 2024 20:37
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I thought about I have one for my dryer vent.

Honest question- don’t you need a steel brush for stovepipe?

scott100
Member
# Posted: 22 Sep 2024 21:09 - Edited by: scott100
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Sooteater chimney brush. With enough extensions you can go up the whole chimney from inside with a garbage bag taped to the bottom of the pipe and a small hole in it for the extensions to go through.

ICC
Member
# Posted: 22 Sep 2024 21:12
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Quoting: Grizzlyman
don’t you need a steel brush for stovepipe?
Nylon or polypropylene brushes are recommended by many metal chimney manufacturers. That is what I have always used for metal pipe.

The flex kits do work. I tried one out this year and it did very well. Depending on the stove you may be able to work right through the firebox. One of my neighbors can. At the cabin my stove's design prevented cleaning from the firebox up. I had to remove the straight telescoping pipe that runs from stove top to ceiling.

ICC
Member
# Posted: 22 Sep 2024 21:14
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If this is to be used with the Intrepid stove mentioned in another thread......
Does the Intrepid stove have that big cast iron flap inside that allows smoke to go directly up the chimney or forces the smoke to bend through a secondary burn path?

If that is the stove I remember from the '80s, then you may be able to clean from the firebox.
It depends on the flexibility of the rods. Mine are fairly thick; I never tried bending them since I had a straight-up pipe.

Grizzlyman
Member
# Posted: 22 Sep 2024 21:19
Reply 


Yeah it does, and yeah I’m certain I could. I can’t fit a steel brush through, but I’m pretty sure this would work. I can access through the roof too if need be but stove would be better. The only benefit of the roof would be keeping the soot contained easier.

I imagine run a vaccum at the same time?

Nice guys. Easy peasy! I’ll look into that sooteater.

scott100
Member
# Posted: 22 Sep 2024 21:40
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Bag it from below. See my edit above.

Brettny
Member
# Posted: 23 Sep 2024 19:39
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You can use a weight and a rope on the brush from the top. I never clean from the bottom. By the time the chines needs to be cleaned so does the stove and dont forget the chimney cap where most of the creosote is.

All the SS stove pipe manufacturers suggest a poly brush not steel. I believe it can damage the lining.

gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 23 Sep 2024 21:36
Reply 


Fwiw
When I cleaned our last wood stove pipe the run up from the stove had hardly anything, it was the cooler upper part that had some build up.

Grizzlyman
Member
# Posted: 24 Sep 2024 01:27 - Edited by: Grizzlyman
Reply 


Cool. Thanks. I will Definitely be doing the top too.

When I bought this stove last year I disassembled it for the guy. The amount of creosote that came out as I disassembled the pipe for him was staggering. Huge flaky chunks. Probably enough in their pipe to loosely fill up 1/2 5 gallon bucket.

Not the best picture but here’s just a little bit from the pipe section connected to the stove itself.
IMG_6389.jpeg
IMG_6389.jpeg


gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 24 Sep 2024 02:06
Reply 


Ohhhh
Might be my old inefficient antique store burned up the stack way more than a nice VC with great air control.
And we had pine to mix with oak for start up and mostly oak thereafter. Never saw stuff like that come out on a cleaning.....

ICC
Member
# Posted: 24 Sep 2024 13:56
Reply 


yep. Shiny black corn flakes. Stage two creosote. Better than stage three, when it is more like tar that melted on the pipe surface.

My chimneys have usually been small flakes or powdery dust.

gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 24 Sep 2024 15:18
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Yeah, powdery dust was pretty much mine.

ICC
Member
# Posted: 24 Sep 2024 16:10
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IME, burning pine is no big deal if it is well seasoned and kept out of the rain. DRY is key. Of course, I would rather burn a hardwood such as oak, maple, ash or birch, but those are not available in my part of the mountain west.

Pine is most common, also some white fir and doug fir. I use some aspen if a good size aspen falls over in a spot that is convenient to reach.

The wood I may burn this winter was cut in or before 2022. I am fortunate to have the space to store wood for as long as I desire.

Brettny
Member
# Posted: 27 Sep 2024 12:11
Reply 


2yr old pine is prety dry stuff. I would burn that too.

What I do in my stove is let the chimney burn out about once or twice a week. I leave my VC Defiant damper open and let the fire rip up the stove pipe. Been doing this for over a decade. I only clean the chimney once a season. I burn 4 cords of wood and generaly nov-april.

Grizzlyman
Member
# Posted: 7 Oct 2024 21:07 - Edited by: Grizzlyman
Reply 


Got the sooteater- $70 on Amazon. Tried it this weekend. Worked Like a charm. Went right up from inside the stove all the way to the chimney cap. Fet like it Did a pretty good job of cleaning the pipe

I use the stove maybe 15 nights per year so it wasn’t bad at all- just soot. But it’ll be nice to have it to clean it every year from now on.

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