Chimney Cleaning

I still have not purchased a chimney cleaning kit but knocked something together today as it was pleasant enough outside and I needed to clean the chimney. I took the clean-out plug off the bottom of the chimney and it was full of stuff but it all looked dry. I looked up through the chimney using a torch and could see a lot of soot hanging on the walls. I cleaned the chimney but there is still a layer of stuff on the inner liner that I am guessing should be removed; possibly creosote. For those that have used a soot eater, how clean is your final results; post photos if you can. The brush kit and the soot eater kit are about the same in cost and I just want to get what works the best. Below are the photos from today. It is hard to see more than a little way into the chimney. Remember that I have a through the wall kit and you can see the tee in the photos. I did not clean the flue pipe today or the through the wall section of Class A as I ran out of time. These short days are difficult for working.

 

Doesn't look to bad to me.

 

From what I can see in the pictures it looks pretty clean Kimberly.

 

Dunno what you cleaned that with, but judging from these pictures, thats's about as good as you are gonna get it...and if this is your first cleaning since installing, it doesn't look too scary, could be better, but its not terrible...
Oh, and I'd be inspecting your uncleaned chimney with something besides a torch!
They make these new very portable flameless and cordless things called flashlights...pretty handy, ought to check 'em out!

 

I was expecting it to be more shiny; this is the first time in cleaning the chimney.

 

But doesn't the flashing light make it harder to see?

 

You really can't see much pass the tee. The flash on the camera phone isn't that great. Wish I could afford an inspection camera. I still have to take the flue off the stove and clean it. Warm weather is coming next week so maybe then.

 

I’ve had several similar setups and most creosote builds in the flue and the tee so those might look much different. I wouldn’t wait too long to sweep the rest.

 

If there is any shiny stuff it will more likely be at the top...because that's where the temp would be the coolest.

Not if you blink your eyes at the same speed

 

You stuck a "torch" in the chimney???

 

Some people use the term torch for flashlight. Even on my cell phone it says torch when what it really does is light up the photo flash so you can see in the dark.

 

All jokin' aside it does look like whatever you used worked well from what the pictures show.
I'm not a big chance taker. Calculate the risk versus the reward, Kimberly . Please, as funds allow, make that chimney a priority. No chimney fires in Virginia!
Sorry in advance if what I commented is offensive, but any of us could lose our whole world if it were not for what we have learned on this site. Dry wood, check your setup, clean your chimney...

 

Yeah, that is Brit.- speak for flashlight in US- speak. Same item, different name.

Brian

 

Yeah, what the others said- that looks pretty good at the bottom but cannot see the top in the photos.

For whatever this is worth, the chemical product Anti- Creosoot (I believe that is how it is spelled) is around $32 / gallon, is sprayed on a fresh load of wood or sprayed into the chimney, and is a mild acid that actually works very well to break down creosote. I use it quite a bit and generally find the chimney clean enough that it does not need mechanical cleaning. I would not run the stuff past a catalytic combustor but otherwise, it seems pretty safe. I actually use a 'flavor injector' (big syringe), fill it with the chemical and 'inject' it into a 1/8" hole drilled in the center of the elbow above the stove. That way the stuff goes up the chimney with the hot flue gasses but is introduced above the combustor so it cannot poison the cat.

Just a thought.

Brian

 

Here's an ultra cheap inspection camera on Amazon- $10.00 with a 22 foot cord....wouldn't expect it to be super high quality but for the price it may be worth a gamble. The cost savings is in that you use your phone as the camera, the cord just plugs into your phone.

 

Where's me link?

 

Just click on the shop now in the picture, it will take you to it.

 

No worky...