With the relatively warm nights we've had we haven't been putting much wood in the stove before going to bed. This means by morning the wood has pretty well burned down and the stove top may be as low as 200 when we get up. So, I figured this morning might be a good time to clean the cat. Ha! Wasn't a whole lot to clean except an extremely light coating of fly ash. It really was not worth the effort to clean it but then, peace of mind is worth much. Sorry no pictures. Yesterday my camera batteries died and I have to get more batteries before more pictures. Also for those wondering, we cleaned the cat last fall using a spray vinegar rather than a bath. All has been well ever since. We should be good to go until the annual summer cleaning.
I used the spritz technique, 50/50 vinegar/distilled water, last year on my cats and was happy. This year I found a container that would hold the cat and simply poured the v/dt mix to cover the cat. I left it there for a couple of hours and occasionally swished the cat and flipped it over. I thought this should work. It certainly did. Don't forget to rinse with some plain dt and let dry. Works like a charm.
Did same dennis, also pulled cap on bottom of chimney tee no pics this time less quarter cup loose brown in chimney and fly ash over cat and radiator in stove. should be good til spring cleanings.
I had a warm day about two weeks ago so I made a point of cleaning my flue. In January I'd expect not to have another chance for a while. Turns out I was wrong, and there is a whole string of suitable days happening right now. If I had a cat I would clean it too.
