Despite the variety of modern heating systems, stove heating in Russia is still in demand. Plus, wood-burning fireplaces are now being installed in many cottages, bringing a unique comfort to the dwelling. However, the owners of such hearths have to decide sooner or later how to clean the chimney in their home. After all, it gradually becomes clogged, which inevitably affects the quality of firewood burning.

What caused the clogging of chimneys

Clogging of chimneys occurs due to:

• using raw and / or resinous firewood;
• insufficient draft in the chimney and firebox;
• burning garbage in a kiln.

Chimney before and after cleaning

Ideally, the firewood in the firebox completely burns out, and only carbon dioxide, water vapor and a minimum amount of fine ash go into the chimney. But with incomplete combustion of wood, resins and large volumes of soot also get into the chimney. Moreover, together with the condensate, all this mixture settles on the walls of the chimney and gradually narrows it. These layers have to be removed regularly by cleaning the chimney.

Why is the chimney clogging dangerous?

It does not matter if the chimney is made of metal (stainless steel or ordinary steel), brick or asbestos-cement. Even if this is the now fashionable sandwich option, the soot inside will settle in anyway.

You still have to clean the chimney. The material of its manufacture affects only the frequency of these cleaning works. Soot builds up faster on brick than on a smoother stainless steel surface. But cleaning any chimney in a private house will sooner or later need to be done.

Consequences of overheating of the chimney

If the chimney is not cleaned in time, it will narrow too much in diameter. And this threatens to reduce the draft with its possible fall down and smoke the room with the furnace, increase the condensate in the pipe and reduce the efficiency of the furnace. Plus, unburned particles often remain in the soot, which, with a large accumulation, can ignite in the chimney and lead to burnout of its walls. A fire in such a situation is inevitable.

How often to clean the pipe

Chimney pipes should be cleaned of soot at the first sign of their narrowing. For this, constant channel checks are carried out. Depending on the purpose of the stove and the material of the chimney, they must be checked at a minimum:

• for heating boilers - once a year;
• for cooking and heating ovens - three times a year;
• brick - quarterly;
• from asbestos cement - once a year.

Chimney cleaning tools

It is recommended to carry out one of the chimney checks just before the heating season. Plus one more additional one will not hurt during this with intensive use of the oven in severe frosts. In this respect, smoke evacuation is similar to ventilation and air conditioning. The same split system will stay similar to regular inspection and cleaning. Moreover, it is also recommended to check and clean it before the season of use and during it with a high intensity of equipment operation.

Chimney brush design

How to clean a chimney

If problems are identified, you can independently clean the chimneys using both professional and folk methods. To do this, it is enough to use mechanical devices, special chemicals and just household salt or starch. But much here depends on the degree of clogging and the amount of soot inside. Often, with such cleaning, you have to resort to several methods at once.

How to properly clean the chimney yourself

Mechanical methods

The most effective way to clean the chimney is mechanical. Chimney sweeps have been using it for centuries, the entire technology of this process has been worked out during this time to the smallest detail. This method can be used to clean the chimney from the bottom of the stove (fireplace hearth) and from the top from the roof. But there are nuances.

From above, this method will only be able to clean the vertical section of the chimney duct.

How to clean a chimney with a telescopic brush

Places of pipe bends should be cleaned from soot from inside the house through the firebox or special doors (holes) in the oven masonry.

As a tool for mechanical cleaning, the following is used:

1. Ruff on a stick or rope with a sinker at the bottom.
2. Ruff on a flexible cable (similar analogs are used by plumbers).
3. Metal scraper for particularly stubborn soot stains.

How to clean the chimney from below

The ruff can be metal or plastic. It is recommended to clean stainless steel chimneys with the plastic option. And it is better to scrape off the soot from the brick with a brush with “hairs” made of iron.

How to make a plastic bottle chimney brush

Chemical methods

If you don't want to try on the role of a chimney sweep on the roof, then you can use specialized chemistry. Now there are a lot of products based on copper chloride and ammonium sulfate with phosphorus oxide. At first glance, how to choose an air conditioner for an apartment, it is difficult to understand the range of such chemicals. But everything is quite simple - you are allowed to take any option.

How chemical chimney cleaning works

These chemicals, when burned, give off smoke, which travels up the pipe and looses the soot, causing it to fall down. Then it only needs to be collected with a scoop from the bends of the chimney and the stove or fireplace.

Similar chemistry is produced in the form of powders in sachets and logs-briquettes. The main nuance of their use is the need for thorough ventilation of the home during cleaning and immediately after.

Unfortunately, quite often people think about cleaning the chimney when the draft disappears and the reverse appears - the smoke simply goes into the room. But this is already an extreme degree of clogging of the chimney. But even at the beginning of the problem, you are already breathing not only smoke, which seems to be safe (we all go to barbecues), but also dangerous carbon monoxide gases. And the soot that accumulates on the walls of the chimney can even catch fire and lead to a fire!

That is why the profession of a chimney sweep has long existed and is honored. And today's owners of private houses and baths are not at all afraid of cleaning the chimney - today a wide variety of special brushes are sold for this purpose, with a long handle or telescopic, round in the form of a brush with a load on a cable or more intricate. And believe me, there is nothing tricky in this matter!

When is the cleaning time?

It will not be possible to completely do without cleaning the chimney, no matter what material and what design it may be. Indeed, over time, due to soot, the passage in the chimneys narrows and the so-called reverse draft effect arises, when the smoke no longer enters the street, but into the room. If you wait a little longer, then any stove will simply become unusable. Not to mention the fact that reverse thrust is dangerous even for people living inside the house!

When approaching the issue of cleaning the chimney, the following factors must be taken into account:

1. Downtime, namely how long there has been no cleaning.
2. What is the design of the chimney, how smooth are its walls and what are the lines of its operation.
3. What kind of fuel was used, whether plastic bottles or similar rubbish were thrown into the firebox.
4. Damp firewood has not been used.
5. Was there pine or spruce among the firewood? from them resinous substances settle on the wall of the chimney.

You can notice that your chimney needs cleaning, you can on your own by the following signs:

• Change in smoke color. It is ideal if an almost transparent, inconspicuous white smoke comes out into the street and it is bad if it becomes dark - this indicates the presence of a large amount of soot.
• Flame color change. The color of the fire in the firebox also signals problems: if it is light orange and the wood crackles, then everything is in order. And if the flame turns dark orange, almost orange, this is a sign that the chimney needs to be cleaned.
• And, finally, the simplest and most logical way remains - a preventive inspection of the chimney. It's good if a professional handyman can do it, but even you can spot problems. For example, professional chimney sweeps put a special load into the chimney along the diameter of the pipe, and if it passes easily, everything is in order, if it rests, it means you have to clean it.

Moreover, the situation with soot can reach such a critical point when pollution completely blocks the chimney and ice plugs appear. And even worse - coking, when soot accumulates on the bumpers and burns out there to coarse solid fractions, similar to coal. Such fractions clog the chimney and block the draft. And in order to remove all this, just a brush with a load will not be enough, you will have to raise the chimney with a special jack and clean the stove. That is why it is so important to keep all sections of the chimney straight. And on rare bends, install tees with a cleaning system.

In total, today three types of methods are practiced for cleaning the chimney: mechanical, with the help of special devices that need to penetrate the chimney, biological, when natural ingredients are used, and chemical, when cleaning is performed using industrial special preparations. Let's dwell on each of them in more detail.

Mechanical cleaning of the chimney: only in the warm season

As a rule, ordinary owners of stoves and fireplaces clean their chimney once, before each heating season and it is good if this is enough. And the mechanical method is the oldest and even today it makes sense:

You can manually clean the chimney both from inside the house, from below, and from above, directly from the roof. And for each of the methods there is a tool.

If you chose the brush that is used from above, you need to tie a rope to it and hook a load on it, and after that run it into the chimney through the roof. This will go along the entire chimney and catch the soot from the walls with it. It is only important to lower the brush at the same time carefully and gradually, slowly, so that the soot collects efficiently and at the same time the load does not damage the chimney itself. In the same way, lower and raise the ruff several times until it becomes noticeable that the soot is cleaned and the blockage is broken.

Usually, such a brush is enough for up to three heating seasons. But this method has its drawbacks:

• Firstly, you will need a lot of time for all this, at least an hour;
• Secondly, if you need to clean the chimney, you will not always be able to get out onto the roof, especially when it snows and the wind is strong;
• And, finally, it is rather difficult to clean the chimney elbows and hard-to-reach places with such a device, or the chimney itself is designed in such a way that it is generally impossible to clean it from the outside, through the roof.

And the method of cleaning the chimney from below, from the room, is much safer for humans. You can calmly do all the necessary work and not risk your life. Just take the brush, place it on the flexible holder and push it through the heater or through the special inspection hole.

In addition, from the bottom, with the help of long flexible holders, the soot can be easily cleaned even in high bends:

So, for example, a brush with a telescopic holder is good because it is convenient to use it on the roof: you just need to insert one part into another, gradually lowering the brush down, and disassemble in the reverse order when going up:

Here is a step-by-step illustration of what is needed to mechanically clean the chimney with a brush and a load:

Cleaning with folk methods: both in the snow and in the rain

Today, many are asking the question: how to clean the chimney from soot with folk remedies in the middle of winter, without the need for mechanical cleaning, safely and reliably?

The most famous biological methods (they are usually called folk) are potato peelings. This method avoids rough mechanical removal of soot from the walls of the chimney and is ideal for those areas where the heating season is long enough, because then you do not have to stop the furnace for a long time.

The second method is dry aspen wood, which burns so fast and hot that it burns all the soot in the chimney. But you need to use this method carefully so as not to actually lead to a fire.

The third relatively cheap and reliable method to extend the life of the chimney during the heating season is to sprinkle salt on the wood. With every kindling, the salt binds the soot and prevents it from settling on the walls of the chimney.

You will be surprised, but even the usual, long-known in Russia, chimney cleaning with potato peelings is actually a rather effective method:

Just a little tip: if you want to peel raw potatoes from your chimney, you need to peel at least half a bucket. When the peel is burned, starch will remain from it, which will corrode the soot, and it will simply crumble down. After that, all the ash will just need to be removed from the oven.

Dry Cleaning: Caution Needed!

But it so happens that soot is difficult to clean, especially if old wood was used, and then you have to resort to the chemical method. The advantage of this method is that it does not take up your time or your energy.

A variety of special products for chimney cleaning today pleases the eye: liquids, briquettes, special powders. Their secret is that such substances are ignited in a heating device and they emit active gases, which soot is afraid of. Under their influence, it becomes fragile and begins to fall away. Moreover, some of the small particles simply fly out with the smoke, and the rest falls down and is already removed along with the ash.

Powders are simply thrown into the firebox without unpacking, right with the firewood, and there should be a lot of firewood itself. You only need to drop one packet every two to three weeks. The only limitation of this method is that it makes sense to use a powder product only if the soot on the walls of the chimney is no more than 2 millimeters. But, if you use such a powder constantly, you will not need to clean the chimneys at all:

But if you have a deeper problem, then you will have to use a log - this is a chemical substance in the form of a briquette, which is enough to put in the firebox once every two months, also in a package. It is used when the wood has already burned out in order to set it on fire separately. In the composition of such a log, wooden saws, urea, sodium sulfate, carbon wax, ammonium sulfate and amorphous silicon.

Such a composition of active substances is able to remove all accumulated soot in the chimney in just one time. After you burn the chemical log inside the firebox, for another two weeks, soot will fall off the walls of the chimney, and it will simply need to be removed.

Very convenient: just put the log in the fire, and the chemical gases corrode the soot not only on the surface of the chimney walls, but also inside the heater itself, even on the heat exchanger and the internal chimney. And in its own way even prevents the appearance of new soot. It is this method that removes soot from the most difficult to reach places of bends and knees. And, most importantly, such cleaning can be done at any time of the year - even with an active winter firebox. The only point: if the chimney has not been cleaned for a long time, there is clearly a blockage and there is almost no draft, then first you will still have to use a brush.

Here is a good example of how to clean a chimney with modern chemicals:

Professional chimney cleaning: fast, reliable and expensive

Strange as it may sound, the profession of a chimney sweep exists all over the world and is still appreciated. It will be interesting for you to know that the traditional chimney sweep cylinder has always been the privilege of the master only. And to become such, it was necessary to serve as an apprentice for more than one year - this specialty is so difficult.

In recent years, the profession of a chimney sweep was on the verge of extinction, and only relatively recently has it become sharply in demand. It's all about fires due to poor-quality installation of chimneys and their operation. A modern house is so expensive today that it is wiser to hire a specialist than to rely on "maybe". Indeed, it is much more logical to call a professional chimney sweep before the start of the heating season, and not a fire engine in the middle of winter.

For a long time, the All-Russian Voluntary Fire Society was engaged in cleaning the chimney, but today such services are already offered more by private companies. After all, the correct operation of modern chimneys requires periodic revisions, cleaning and prevention. So there was such a thing as professional chimney cleaning, when special equipment is brought for such a purpose. For example, a special vacuum cleaner that simply sucks soot out of the chimney through the firebox. And then there is no need to drag it through the whole room (and the soot is volatile and poorly washed from furniture).

Therefore, to this day, professional cleaning simply cannot be done in the most advanced cases, when:

• the chimney is covered with a dense layer of solid soot (especially from wet firewood);
• chimney walls are old and damaged, and soot clings tightly to them;
• you do not have the slightest desire to do such a dirty job.

In practice, it looks like this:

For example, in the professional cleaning of chimneys of private houses, the following special devices are used:

Modern high-speed installations, which completely clean the chimney in just an hour, cope with their task quickly enough:

How to make DIY cleaning tools

Special devices for cleaning the chimney from soot are sold in an ordinary building supermarket or specialty store, or you can make it yourself.

Let's compare a metal brush with a plastic one. To begin with, the metal brush, of course, will retain its working shape longer, but with particularly intensive cleaning it can scratch the chimney from the inside. Modern plastic brushes are soft, they scratch the chimney much less, although they do not last long and at the same time they easily wrinkle, losing their working shape. That is why there is an unspoken rule among summer residents: take a metal brush for a brick chimney, and a plastic one for a metal one. Basically, these are such devices:

Plastic brush: short-lived, but gentle on the chimney

Making a plastic brush is as easy as shelling pears:

If you are going to build such a brush for cleaning the chimney, then all the work will take you no more than 15 minutes.

So, an ordinary chimney brush is a sturdy base with a brush threaded through a metal wire with a load on a chain. To all this, you will need a rope along which the brush will need to be lowered into the chimney. Instead of a load and a rope, it is also sufficient to use a special holder. At least then the brush will not get stuck in the chimney and then you will not have to pull it out of there.

Plastic bottle brush: no cost

Moreover, you can even make a homemade ruff from a regular plastic bottle (at least several). Just 2-3 of these brushes are enough for one season. So, here's how to make such a bottle brush:

• Step 1. Make round holes in the center of the cover.
• Step 2. Cut the walls of the bottles into strips lengthwise, about 1.5 or 2 centimeters wide.
• Step 3. Make a hole in the bottom of the bottle with a heated nail and pass a 5 mm wire through it.
• Step 4. Now simply insert one bottle into the other through the cut strips and attach a thick wire to one end.
• Step 5. Place two plastic bottles, press and fix them so that it is convenient to tie them with plastic wire.
• Step 6. Spread the cut plastic strips evenly around the circle and secure the steel cable as done.

The only difficulty of such manufacture is to make sure that the load and the rope (cable) are exactly in the center, and the ruff does not twist during use.

Hard round brush: the use of scrap materials

Another great option is to make such a brush from a disc grinder brush. This brush is much stronger than the previous options and will cope even with soot itself. It is only important that the diameter of the brush is equal to the diameter of the chimney, because its bristles are stiff and bend poorly:

To such a brush, you need to hang a load with a weight of about 5 kg on a steel cable, behind which you will pull the brush down the chimney. Just in case, attach another cable to the load to help another person from inside the room to stretch the stuck brush. It is important that the load is at least a third less than the chimney, otherwise it will catch on and if you have to tinker.

You need to clean the chimney with similar homemade devices like this:

• Step 1. Climb onto the roof, remove the damper from the chimney and lower such a brush into the chimney to the very end.
• Step 2. Now start pulling the brush back.
• Step 3. Lower the brush down again and pull it out again.
• Step 4. All this needs to be done within a few minutes, keep in mind that below, inside the room, soot will be poured abundantly and it must also be removed.

As you can see, everything is simple!

Asymmetric wire brush: for difficult chimney sections

If your chimney does not have a large length, knees, bends and is not very clogged (for example, we are talking about a chimney in a seasonal bath), then such simple devices are also suitable for its one-time cleaning:

Telescopic brush: for indoor use

Usually, as a gesture, flexible meter sticks that twist into each other and are also called telescopic, otherwise - prefabricated, go well. Working with it is quite simple:

• Step 1. Twist the brush onto the first handle, push it straight through the heater, push and clean one meter this way.
• Step 2. The next step to the end of the handle, which you are still holding and which sticks out of the chimney, screw the second one and push the brush another meter up the chimney.
• Step 4. Repeat this entire process until you have completely cleaned the entire chimney.

See how simple everything turns out to be in practice:

The telescopic brush can penetrate very deeply into the chimney:

Such a brush is significantly more expensive than the previous version, but the advantage is that such sticks usually do not break, and they serve for a long time. It also makes it easier to push through the blockage in the chimney with such a rigid handle. In addition, this method is quite difficult to clean the soot in the knees of the chimney bends.

As for the choice of the size of the brush, everything is simple here: you need to select one according to the diameter of the chimney, preferably equal to it or 12 cm larger, so that the brush can safely hook on, and not slide along the walls, slightly missing them:

Let's summarize: no matter what device you use to clean the chimney yourself, the main thing is to do this cleaning regularly.

Any fireplace requires maintenance, regardless of its size and design. One of the main maintenance methods is cleaning the chimney from soot. The question of how to clean the chimney with folk remedies worries many owners of fireplaces and stoves, and most turn to specialized services. However, you can perform such an event as cleaning the chimney in the bath on your own in various ways.

How to heat to avoid the appearance of soot? And how to determine that it is necessary to clean the chimney?

The degree, speed of clogging and the need to perform an action such as cleaning the chimney with your own hands depends primarily on the fuel being burned. The better the fuel and the higher the quality of the technology for erecting a fireplace or stove, the less often cleaning is required. It is better to refrain from burning synthetic materials, plastic and plastic elements (garbage, bags) in the hearth. Firewood for fuel, regardless of the breed, must be dry. It is better to refrain from using coniferous wood as fuel. They usually contain a large amount of resinous substances, which settle on the walls of the chimney with each furnace fire. You can stop your attention on deciduous trees - this is the most suitable fuel. You should also avoid colored paper and cardboard boxes - they also leave behind a lot of soot. The same applies to low-quality coal.

Chimney sweep cleans the chimney from soot and soot

High quality fireplaces, if properly used, can be costly for the first few years of cleaning. However, even if the fireplace is relatively new, but the following symptoms have been noticed, it is better not to tighten it with cleaning.

Chimney clogged symptoms:

• deterioration in traction;
• the fireplace (or stove) has become worse to heat the room. As a result - an increase in the required amount of fuel;
• the appearance of smoke in the room;
• change in smoke color. A normally functioning heating device should have a white or light gray smoke. The darker the smoke, the worse, and the sooner you need to start clearing the chimney from soot;
• change in the color of the flame. With a normally functioning oven, the flame is light orange, and with a large amount of accumulated soot, it turns dark red;
• the appearance of sparks flying out of the pipe.

The best time of the year for holding an event is considered the beginning of autumn and the end of spring, but any cloudy, cool day will do. It is necessary to clean the chimney about twice a year, even if there is no obvious reason for this.

Chimney cleaning methods

How you can clean a chimney is a question that causes stupor for most stove owners. There are three main cleaning methods:

1. Cleaning by folk methods. How to clean the chimney from soot with folk remedies? Simple enough, but it would be more accurate to call this method not cleaning, but prevention of chimney blockage. Some folk methods will be available to everyone, and some of them are risky, so they should be treated with caution;
2. Mechanical cleaning is a surefire way to get rid of heavy soot layers that you can do yourself. Requires special equipment, time and effort;
3. Chimney cleaning with chemicals. Similar to traditional methods, chemical will be an excellent option for preventing soot accumulation. However, some preparations can cope with small (a few millimeters) layers and save the owner of the oven from the hassle of mechanical cleaning.

Chimney cleaning with a brush and handle extension

What happens if you don't clean the chimney?

Consequences of neglecting cleaning:

• the likelihood of fire. No matter how incredible it may sound, in some cases it is the neglect of the timely cleaning of the chimney that causes a fire. In large quantities, soot on the chimney walls can ignite when exposed to high temperatures. Even if it is possible to avoid a fire, the fuming soot will cause the chimney to crack, and over time it will begin to collapse;
• poor draft and smoke penetration into the room. An obvious consequence of a poorly cleaned chimney. The settling soot, which becomes larger and larger with each use of the fireplace or stove, gradually fills the chimney and the space intended for the passage of smoke narrows.

Chimney cleaning methods: folk methods

If it is obvious that it is time to clean the chimney, then you can try folk methods - it is inexpensive and affordable for everyone. So, about how to clean the chimney in simple ways:

• rock salt. An unexpected option, but nevertheless popular. Rock salt is generously sprinkled on fuel during combustion. Salt should be poured regularly, at each firebox of the hearth. In the process of combustion, a chemical reaction will be formed, due to which the soot deposited on the walls of the chimney will be destroyed. This method is not suitable for long-uncleaned chimneys, but it is a good and inexpensive way to prevent pollution;
• naphthalene. Quite an effective option, but in a certain sense risky. Before starting to clean the chimney with naphthalene, check that the pipe is intact, does not have obvious cracks on the outside and inside. If there are any defects, they must be patched up and the insulating materials allowed to dry. If any defects are missed or the chimney cannot withstand the high temperature, then, possibly, its complete destruction and / or fire. In addition, there should be no foreign objects in the chimney, and the soot layer should not exceed ten centimeters. After the precautions have been taken, you can throw naphthalene into the melted hearth. Important: use no more than one tablet at a time! Naphthalene is an explosive substance and you need to be very careful when using it. When cleaning with naphthalene, soot will fly out of the pipe in the form of white particles, and the fuel will emit a characteristic unpleasant smell when burning. Perhaps cleaning the chimney with mothballs is the most unsafe option, but quite effective;
• use aspen or alder as fuel. The difference between the type of fuel is small: alder burns a little hotter, the flame flares up brighter, the draft works better, but it will also be more difficult to cope with such a fire. It is also important to observe safety measures here: not every pipe will withstand cleaning from soot with aspen or alder. Before applying the method, it is necessary to verify the durability of the pipe at very high temperatures. The consequences of not observing safety measures are unpleasant: a destroyed pipe and a fire. It is worth noting that although soot burns well, and this method is considered one of the most effective, it is fraught with fire at home and neighboring buildings. Therefore, before lighting it up, it is worth closing the valves;
• the use of potatoes or potato peelings is an original method, known for a long time. You will need about a bucket of potatoes (or potato peels). Potatoes or cleaning are poured into a well-burning flame: the released steam will clean the chimney well, while the remaining soot will fall into the hearth itself - cleaning may be required after the procedure. Just like rock salt, potato peelings are more of a preventive measure, but relatively safe. In addition, it is convenient not to throw away potato peels after each potato preparation, but to use them - a kind of waste-free production; and the chimney will be fine;
• shells from walnuts. In large families, such shells can accumulate in bags, and now there is a way to use it. The shell burns perfectly, but in this matter it is important not to overdo it: it is better not to use the husk as the main fuel, but to throw no more than one and a half liters at a time to the burning wood;
• birch logs. Less effective than aspen, and more suitable for preventing chimney clogging. To get the desired result, you will have to remove the bark and throw the logs only in the "naked" form;
• canned food cans made of aluminum. Nowhere to put the tin cans? No problem. Now they can also be used for preventive work.

The most popular and effective folk way is to clean the chimney with potato peels

Self-service manual chimney cleaning: tools and technology

Manual chimney cleaning is a difficult but effective method. Devices that will allow you to clean the chimney are very diverse and can be found in every home. Among them:

• scrapers;
• chimney brush (sandwich type);
• brushes and a brush for cleaning large chimneys;
• rope weights - can be used for particularly tough blockages to clear chimney pipes that cannot be cleared by anything else. Care must be taken during use so as not to damage the integrity of the pipe.

It is worth noting that all any tool for cleaning the chimney (brush, special firewood) is best bought in special stores. Making, for example, a brush or a brush for cleaning a chimney with your own hands is not easy. How to clean the chimney to remove soot and how to clean it will be discussed below.

Cleaning the chimney from soot, the main steps and how to properly clean the chimney in the bath:

1. Before direct work, you must make sure that the position of the ladder on the roof is stable and that there is insurance. Do not neglect the means of protecting the eyes and respiratory tract: a respirator will do, or at least arm yourself with gauze. The most suitable weather is a cool, cloudless day. It is unsafe to be on the roof in the rain, and heat or sunstroke in hot weather;
2. The doors of the stove or fireplace are tightly closed, but the dampers, on the contrary, should be as open as possible. Otherwise, part of the soot will accumulate on the dampers, while the rest of its volume will stain the room, and getting rid of it is not easy. The fireplace is covered with a thick cloth, which is pre-soaked in water (it will be impossible to clean the cloth after use). This will maximize the protection of the area around the fireplace from soot. The head of the chimney is removed while the chimney is being cleaned;
3. Chimney cleaning is where to start. The removal of soot from chimneys is carried out from top to bottom: starting from the end of the pipe, gradually moving downward. The soot is first scraped off with the available tools for cleaning the chimney, then the space is cleaned with brushes and brushes.
4. If the tool gets stuck, a chimney weight can be used. It must be sharply, but carefully, lowered so as not to touch the walls of the stove chimney;
5. Similarly to cleaning the chimney, they begin to clean the chimney through the oven doors in order to remove soot from the chimney;
6. The fireplace or chimney hearth is cleaned last. If possible, it is convenient to use a suitable vacuum cleaner - this will allow you to get rid of soot as quickly as possible;
7. Cleaning the chimney from soot is over, now you can check the draft. If the draft is still not very good during the fire, and the room is filled with smoke, then the fire must be immediately extinguished and an experienced specialist must be consulted - here you cannot do without his help.

Chimney cleaning with chemicals

A more convenient and practical way than a mechanical one is a chemical chimney cleaner. These can be chimney cleaning powders and fluids, which are usually used during fuel combustion. Often, if you use a chemical-type soot cleaner, the flames will take on an unusual color - green or blue. This is normal. Such a change in the color of the flame is evidence of a chemical reaction taking place.

Before proceeding with the cleaning of the chimney with chemicals, it is necessary to check that there are no foreign objects in the pipe and the hearth.

How to clean a chimney with chemistry? The most popular and effective chemicals:

• cleansing logs. Such firewood is simply thrown to the main fuel, together with which it burns. When a log burns, it releases substances that provoke a chemical reaction. The burned soot is not thrown out with the smoke into the street, but falls into the hearth. When using this chemical composition, the fireplace or stove is heated for several hours in order to obtain the desired effect. Chemical firewood is mainly used to prevent chimney blockages; they will not cleanse a serious layer of soot exceeding two millimeters. For prevention, it is enough to burn one piece of such a log every six months. Ideal for brick stoves and fireplaces;
• PKhK - anti-flammable chemical composition - is perhaps the most popular chemical composition for pipe cleaning. It is a powder mass that can be burned either separately or together with wood. Has strict dosage indications, which are usually indicated on the package;
• powder "Kominichek" is a Czech-made chemical pipe cleaner with a charming name. One package of the product is enough for a long time of use.

So, it is obvious that you can clean the chimney with folk remedies yourself. The main thing to remember is that the better you take care of the stove or fireplace, the less often it will require radical cleaning, which will require a lot of effort, time and money. Properly maintained ovens with regular blockage prevention (twice a year) may not require cleaning for several years, and their owners do not have to think about how to clean the pipe and why it got clogged at the last moment.

The patency of the smoke ducts is critical for the normal operation of heating systems. This is especially important for solid fuel heating units. Chimneys tend to get clogged with combustion products, while fuel efficiency decreases and the likelihood of situations that threaten not only the integrity of property, but also the lives of people living in the house increases.

How and how to clean the chimney from soot

Heating in a private house is a vital system on which not only comfortable living depends, but often the property and life of residents. A special role is played in this case by the system for removing fuel combustion products from the room - the chimney. Its inner surface is gradually contaminated with condensate and soot, while the cross-section of the chimney channel decreases, the draft decreases, and the full-fledged extraction of smoke from the room is disrupted.

Over time, the chimney becomes clogged with soot, and its ability to remove combustion products decreases

Why is the chimney dirty

The clogging of the smoke channel occurs during the combustion of fuel, when vaporous and solid products are released from it, carried out by the flow of furnace gases. But under certain conditions, they fly out into the pipe not completely. This happens under the following circumstances:

Signs of a clogged chimney

When the flue gas duct becomes clogged, it will be immediately visible. The main signs of a clogged channel will be the following phenomena:

What to do if the chimney is clogged

Before the start of the heating season, it is imperative to inspect the inside of the chimney for blockages. In the warm season, birds with a nest can settle in it or garbage can appear, blown into the chimney by the wind. To avoid this, the chimney should be equipped with a head with a mesh at the installation stage to prevent such situations.

In such a case, the house should always have a backup heating unit in the form of a heater or an electric heater built into the heating system.

Providing yourself with heat with its help in the cold season, you can thoroughly consider the situation and think over options for getting out of it.

The presence of a draft in the firebox must be checked every time the stove is fired up - the flame must deflect towards the chimney

How to clean a chimney

The meaning of this operation is to timely clean the walls from soot layers and debris that got inside (during the off-season). When cleaning, you need to check all sections of the chimney and the oven itself. The ash pan and firebox are cleaned last. Timely chimney cleaning reduces fuel consumption and makes the operation of the stove safe.

In practice, three main cleaning methods are used, two of which are preventive:

1. Chemical and biological methods. They are used as prophylaxis using compounds that soften soot and lead to its partial removal from the smoke channel.
2. Mechanical. It is produced by direct action on the soot layer with various tools in order to remove it.

If you use such products correctly and in a timely manner, you can avoid involving a third-party specialist in cleaning the chimney.

Biological methods of chimney cleaning

All biological methods are based on the addition of any substance to a burning furnace. Common products include the following:

• potato peelings. This is an old folk remedy for the prevention of the formation of soot deposits, the simplest and always available. The rind must be prepared in advance, accumulating at least half a bucket. It must be dried and brought into the furnace at the end of the burning of the bookmark. Burning, potatoes release starch, which softens the soot layer well. It happens that it simply falls down in layers or pieces, part of it is carried out along with the furnace gases. It is also recommended to perform this operation before performing mechanical cleaning;
• rock salt. The method is used when firing up the furnace. The compound formed when the salt is heated softens the soot layer well. A tablespoon of salt should be poured over the fuel fill;
• aspen firewood. Firewood made from wood of this species has a high combustion value, so they are laid at the end of the firebox. Hot furnace gases simply burn soot directly on the chimney walls. The danger of this method is that large soot deposits during combustion at a high natural temperature can destroy the chimney and cause a serious fire. Therefore, this method should be used regularly, laying aspen firewood in small portions. For the same purpose, you can use birch firewood peeled from bark;
• shell of walnuts. The use of this agent is also associated with a high combustion temperature. Therefore, they can serve as an alternative to aspen firewood. But the shell can be used in an amount of no more than two liters at a time. Otherwise, the chimney may overheat with predictable consequences.

Photo gallery: folk remedies for chimney cleaning

Walnut shells should not be burned in large quantities - it can overheat the chimney Burning dried cleanings destroys the soot layer due to the release of starch Rock salt, when heated, releases substances that soften the carbon deposits on the chimney walls Aspen wood burns soot on the chimney walls due to the very high combustion temperature

Chemicals for removing soot deposits

There are several such products, and they can be divided into two groups: household products and special chemical products. The first group includes:

1. Naphthalene. This is an effective and completely reliable tool. Under its influence, the soot is stratified and carried into the furnace. It is placed in the stove on the burning wood. A significant disadvantage is the pungent unpleasant odor that remains in the room.Therefore, it is not used in open hearths and fireplaces.
2. Blue mixture. It's easy and easy to make yourself if you have a few common ingredients on hand. You need to mix:
   • five parts of copper sulfate;
   • seven parts of saltpeter;
   • two parts of medium fraction coke.

Special chemical agents are used to clean chimneys also for preventive purposes. Given the current demand, the industry is producing a variety of formulations designed to specifically target soot. The form of release can be briquettes, logs, powders or solutions. Their action is based on the decomposition of smoke into components that do not form soot while still in the furnace.

Convenience is that the methods of their use are detailed in the instructions for use, and they are divided into portions. You can burn these products together with the packaging, which is also very convenient. The following products are popular:

There are quite a few soot remedies on the market, so by sampling you can choose the best option for yourself.

Photo gallery: chimney cleaning chemicals

Tablets "Cheerful chimney sweep" will help get rid of soot in the chimney no worse than a professional chimney sweep master Blue mixture must be prepared independently from three not the most common components This product is recommended to be used only in closed combustion chambers Naphthalene leaves behind an unpleasant odor that will disappear within a few days

Video: cleaning the chimney with special chemicals

Mechanical cleaning methods

Mechanical methods are radical and are recommended for use at least twice a year. They are produced from the top of the pipe with various brushes or nozzles for the power tool, and the final cleaning is performed from below from the hearth, fireplace or furnace.

Chimney sweeps use special long-cable ruffs

As a preparatory measure, before cleaning a thick (from two millimeters) layer of soot, potato peelings or other listed products are burned.

In this case, the following materials and tools may be needed:

To clean the pipe from above, you need to use a roof ladder, well fixed to the roof ... A reliable safety rope is needed in all conditions.

Work at height can only be carried out in dry, calm weather. Before going to the roof, you must not take drugs that reduce the reaction, and even more so alcoholic beverages.

The oven must be cooled before starting work. Clean the combustion chamber from unburned fuel and ash residues. Close the firebox door, blower, and hob covers tightly and hang them with a wet cloth to prevent soot from entering the room. The gate must be fully opened to avoid re-clogging of the channel with loose soot.

The chimney pipe must be freed from the head, after which:

Video: cleaning the chimney from the side of the room

Do-it-yourself ruff

If, for some reason, there was no brush at hand, it can be made “on the go” from a plastic bottle. To do this, you need to cut several tiers of strips up to 12-15 millimeters wide on the body so that they bend vertically. Sand can be added to the bottom to make the device heavier.

A good chimney brush can be made from a plastic bottle.

Cleaning stainless steel pipe

A feature of the product is the high quality of the inner surface of the chimney. This prevents a significant amount of soot from settling on the walls. Naturally, this is true for a properly made chimney, subject to the rules of the furnace. If a stable carbon deposit has formed, it is necessary to clean it urgently. To do this, use the following methods:

In order not to carry out additional "experiments", you need to heat the stove only with suitable fuel - well-dried deciduous wood. At the end of each firebox, you need to add one aspen log for prevention.

Video: cleaning stainless steel pipe

Cleaning stainless sandwich pipes from soot

Cleaning the inner sandwich pipe is very rarely required if it is used correctly. Nevertheless, if such a need arises, you can use an elongated fine-bristled brush. The flexible compound hose is rotated by an electric drill, cleaning is done through the tee from the bottom. The fine fluff of the ruff does not damage the pipe surface, effectively cleaning the surface.

Such a chimney is easy to dismantle and clean each chimney separately.

Special cases of chimney cleaning

Some chimney cleaning situations require separate consideration.

How to clean a chimney in a private house

Briefly above, the entire process of cleaning the chimney has already been described. To what has been said, it is only necessary to add that in case of strong clogging of the smoke channel, the first operation is to pierce the carbon with a core without additional devices. Only then are brushes of various sizes and designs consistently used.

When performing work, care should be taken to create a safe working environment.

When working at height, be sure to fasten with a safety rope.

Video: how to clean a chimney in a private house

Chimney cleaning in the bath

The chimney in the bath is usually simpler. And most often it is made from stainless steel pipes, which requires special attention to its cleaning. In order not to negate its main advantage - high quality of the inner surface - you should clean only with soft plastic or brushes made of natural materials. The easiest way to handle straight pipelines, and in the presence of elbows - remember that there should be no more than two of them - you may have to dismantle the chimney, if it does not have special windows for cleaning during installation.

Otherwise, preventive measures and cleaning are done in the same way.

Cleaning the chimney from tar

Considering the composition of flue gases, you need to pay attention to two main components - water vapor from fuel and vapor of hard-to-ignite creosote. Mixing and settling on the walls of the smoke channel, they form a resin that is difficult to remove due to its viscosity and good adhesion to various types of surfaces.

The only effective way to combat resin deposits is to prevent its formation. For this, various means are used, produced specifically for this case.

HANSA effectively protects chimney walls from tar formation

For example, the known composition of HANSA is a fine crystalline substance. Part of it turns wood into resin and water vapor, and the second, reacting with the resin substance, promotes its decomposition and combustion at the temperature in the oven. Residual resin on the walls turns into a brittle crystalline composition that crumbles inside the furnace.

This composition is placed inside a burning firebox. The frequency of use at the beginning of the operation of the heating unit is daily, then you can switch to use once a week.

Cleaning a bent chimney

Bending of the flue duct is always a forced measure due to the structural features of the building. However, periodic cleaning is necessary. For this, elements are provided in the pipeline design, using which this operation can be performed easily and simply. These are special hatches, when opened, it becomes possible to access the straight section of the bend. It is not recommended to make the length of inclined sections more than a meter in size. The number of bends on one pipe should not exceed two.

If there is no window for cleaning on the outlet bend, then the chimney will have to be disassembled

How to clean the chimney of a gas column

The reason for cleaning the chimney of the gas column is its banal clogging with a deterioration in draft. In a city apartment, this is all the more dangerous because the threat arises for many people at the same time. One of the signs of a deterioration in thrust is the "flapping" of the column igniter.

The process of cleaning the chimney from the gas unit is practically no different from such an operation with conventional chimneys. The same brush is used. Recently, vacuum cleaners of a special design are often used, which reliably clean the pipe surface and collect pollution products. In difficult cases, when the layers cannot be removed with a brush or vacuum cleaner, special chemicals are used to soften and remove them. Considering that the use of prophylactic agents on the column pipe is impossible, urgent measures should be taken if signs of clogging are detected.

It must be admitted that the success of the use of solid fuel furnace equipment to the greatest extent depends on the correct operation of the units and the careful selection of fuel for it. In addition, it is necessary to regularly use preventive measures and know how to get rid of problems with clogged chimneys. Then stoves and fireplaces will delight you for a long time with gracious warmth in the house. I wish you success!

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How to clean a chimney pipe on your own and at no extra cost

In the old days, cleaning the chimney was a common, ordinary thing for any owner. After all, a wood-burning stove was in every home and the subtleties of this process were passed on from generation to generation. Now these skills are known only to a narrow circle of professionals, whose services are quite expensive. However, there is nothing particularly difficult in this lesson. In this article, I will talk about how to clean up the chimney with your own hands using traditional tools, as well as the available grandfather's cleaning recipes.

Indirect signs of a clogged chimney

You should not be negligent in cleaning the chimney, because a chimney overgrown with soot or even a clogged pipe can lead to the fact that at a certain moment carbon monoxide, which has neither color nor smell, will go into the room. And this is no longer just a mild poisoning with a headache, but a real mortal danger for you and your family.

• The first thing to look for is cravings.... Anyone who regularly had to heat a stove or kindle a fireplace knows that in addition to the firebox itself, the stoves have a blower that provides air flow and a damper on the chimney. This damper is needed to adjust the cross-section of the chimney, without it the lion's share of the heat will literally fly into the chimney.
  The flap position is usually determined by eye, empirically. So, if you need to open the damper more than usual to ignite the stove, then the pipe section has become smaller and it needs to be cleaned;

• Another indirect sign of the need for such cleaning may be the color of the smoke.... When wood is burning, the smoke is usually light, almost white, and at high burning intensity it can generally be transparent. If dark smoke poured out of your chimney, and shreds of soot appeared on the roof and in the yard, then it's time to get down to business;
• You can also determine the blockage of the system by the color of the flame.... Under normal conditions, the fire will be light yellow. If the intensity of combustion drops, and the flame turns bright orange, it means that the fuel does not burn out completely, therefore, the stove needs to be cleaned.

Chimney cleaning methods

For thousands of years of existence of stove heating, many different ways have gathered in the treasury of folk wisdom. Modern science also did not stand aside; at the moment, a number of compounds are being produced designed to solve this problem.

What the modern market offers us

The simplest, albeit not very cheap, way to clean fireplaces and stoves is to use a variety of chemical mixtures that, to one degree or another, actively destroy soot layers in chimneys and furnaces:

• The domestic company "Dymovoy" produces a number of such devices. The cleaning box is considered a serious preventive measure against soot. This is an ordinary cardboard box with a flammable chemical inside, which must be placed in the furnace and set on fire.
  The whole process takes about an hour and a half. After that, within 2 weeks, the soot will actively fall off and fall into the furnace or burn inside the channel, poured out through the chimney;

• If the cardboard box did not help, there is a more radical remedy, the so-called "Smoke" log. This is a briquette of compressed chemicals, decorated to look like a regular log. The developers claim that this is one of the most powerful tools. In addition to the practical benefits, the burning of such a log is accompanied by interesting visual effects, it gives an original flame with a pronounced turquoise hue, children will simply be delighted with such cleaning;

• The product line of this well-known manufacturer also includes special cleaning pellets designed to prevent clogging of pellet heating boilers and stoves. To maintain the normal operation of the boiler, the instruction prescribes to mix a ten-kilogram bag of the product with a ton of ordinary pellets. To clean conventional stoves with such pellets, it is necessary to burn a kilogram of this chemical in the firebox for 5 days;

• Approximately the same line of products is offered by the concern operating under the common brand "Chimney sweep". This brand is the result of cooperation between our manufacturers and the famous German company "Hansa". If you believe the advertising, then their products are capable of destroying not only soot layers, but also reacting with creosote, which is the basis of a dense and viscous substrate under a layer of this soot;

• The products of the Czech company Kominichek have gained popularity among Russians for a long time. One package contains 5 sachets of the mixture, 14g each. It is used at the rate of 1 sachet per 1 kg of firewood.

The advantage of this mixture is considered to be an acceptable price, as well as the ability to decompose soot even at relatively low temperatures. But the product has a pungent odor, which is why it can only be used in tightly closing fireboxes, it is not suitable for open fireplaces;

• In addition, one of the most affordable means is an anti-agonist chemical composition or PCA. The compound is effective, but quite aggressive, no more than 150 g of powder is used for 1 ton of fuel. It is sold and used in the same way as Kominichek, in paper bags that are burned without printing.

All this powerful arsenal of modern chemistry, according to the manufacturers themselves, is more designed to prevent chimney overgrowth. If the thickness of the carbon deposit in your pipe does not exceed 20 mm, then the chemistry will cope with it. Large blockages can only be removed mechanically, that is, by hand.

Folk ways to clean pipes

Fortunately, not all of the grandfather's recipes were irretrievably lost and in the treasury of folk wisdom, there are still many effective recommendations. Personally, I trust folk methods more than aggressive chemistry:

• The simplest remedy is regular table salt. It is poured over burning coals and upon evaporation, it gradually destroys the soot layer. There are two opinions on when to add salt. I was taught to sprinkle salt on embers in a dying oven.
  At the same time, I have met masters who, on the contrary, argue that salt should be poured over high heat. Apparently the truth, as always, is in the middle. After all, whatever you pour, at the moment of maximum combustion and the thrust will be maximum, therefore, most of the composition will simply fly out through the pipe;

• In parallel with salt, I use the softening and destruction of the soot layer with potatoes, more precisely potato peels. They are thrown closer to the end of the furnace and, according to the rules, should completely burn out. Destruction occurs due to the absorption of starch into a loose layer of soot. The method is completely safe and requires almost no costs;

• One of the common in the past antiquated ways to prevent the chimney was to periodically heat it with dry wood from aspen, alder or birch, and this wood must be cleared of bark. During such a firebox, the flaps should be periodically gradually closed and opened completely.
  As a result, when you close the valve, the temperature rises, and when you open it fully, you get maximum thrust. Such "swing" leads to complete burnout of the layers. But for old stoves this is dangerous, as the walls of the chimney may crack;

• Light soot deposits can be destroyed by mothballs. According to experienced cleaners, it is supposedly enough to burn one tablet for 3-4 days in a row, and within two weeks after that all the soot will burn out and the channel will become clean.
  But I have doubts about the safety of this method. Firstly, naphthalene is a rather harmful and smelly compound, and no matter how hard you try, some of the vapors will get into the room anyway. And secondly, at a high concentration, naphthalene vapors are considered explosive;

• There is another radical method, this is cleaning the chimney with boiling water. As a rule, it is used for serious blockages, as a temporary measure, until the hands reach it mechanically. It's simple, three liters of boiling water are poured into the pipe of the melted furnace, from a steam shock, the cork simply knocks out, plus the structure of the entire layer is disturbed and part of the soot burns out;
• If we talk exclusively about cleaning furnaces, then here you can use a mixture of crystals of copper sulfate (5 parts) with nitrate (7 parts) and coal or coke powder (2 parts).
  Such a product is burned at the time of the highest possible temperature in the firebox. For 100 kg of fuel, 20 g of powder is enough. But keep in mind that this tool is not suitable for fireplaces;

• I don't know how true this is, but I was assured that the periodic burning of aluminum cans in the firebox, for example, from under the beer, perfectly cleans the chimney. Only thin aluminum should not melt, but burn. This effect can be achieved only if you heat the stove with good coal or coke, you will not get such a temperature with firewood.

All traditional methods of cleaning are good only as a preventive measure or preparation for general mechanical cleaning with your own hands. So there is no need to place high hopes on them.

We clean the pipe ourselves

Cleaning pipes and chimneys by chemical or old-fashioned methods is certainly a good thing, but as I already mentioned, with large blockages, you can only put things in order manually. And the first thing to take care of is the tool.

What you need to clean the pipe yourself

The most common, one might say classic, chimney sweep tool is a wide brush. To be honest, despite the development of scientific and technological progress, as chimneys in private houses were cleaned with brushes and Serbians 100 years ago, they are still being cleaned to this day.

Of course, in fairness, it should be noted that in addition to metal brushes, their plastic counterparts are now actively used. By the way, chimneys made of stainless steel can be cleaned, only with plastic brushes, metal bristles, you completely ruin the structure, and such pipes cost a lot of money.

The design of this device is extremely simple. A round core weighing from 2 to 5 kg is fastened to the brush with horizontally oriented bristles from below with a carabiner, and from above all this miracle of design thought is suspended on a cable or rope. These brushes can be round or square, but in any case, in size they should be at least 20% wider than the chimney.

The lower core does not have to be round, it can be conical, oval, in general, whatever, the main thing is that the weight is well centered, otherwise it can jam in the canal. That is why you cannot hang sports weights or dumbbells here.

Another useful device is a scraper, in itself it resembles an ordinary chisel screwed to a long stick. Honestly, when I was faced with the problem of cleaning the chimney in the country, and there were no special devices at hand, I did just that, screwed a wood chisel with a wire to a long pole, in my case to a bamboo rod.

A complete set for high-quality chimney cleaning consists of three main accessories. I have already told about the brush with the core. In addition to it, you will need about the same brush, only fixed on an elastic metal or fiberglass cable. With the same device, only with a different nozzle, sewer pipes break through.

The fact is that a straight chimney, that is, going straight up from the combustion chamber, is rare. Usually, between the chamber and the vertical pipe in stoves and fireplaces, a so-called "rough" is arranged, it is needed to increase heat transfer.

In this segment, the gases heated in the furnace move along a broken path, in other words, like a snake. So, at all problem points of this snake, technological windows are made through which the chimney channel is cleaned. A flexible, but resilient cable with a brush is just needed in order to clean the hard-to-reach places of the chimney, from below through the technological windows.

In modern private houses with low storeys, the chimney or chimney turns out to be quite long and with a strong blockage one brush on the cable may not be enough. In order for you to be able to scrub the chimney along its entire length with a scraper, it will not be superfluous to purchase a set of stackable meter rods made of fiberglass.

Of course, a factory specialized tool is a convenient thing. And although the price of this set is relatively affordable, our person allocates funds for such purchases in the last place, and before that he will definitely try to make something with his own hands.

Here are a couple of recipes for such homemade products from my own experience. At first I tried to make a bristle brush out of millimeter steel wire. I chopped up pieces of wire a little wider than the chimney and wrapped them in one ring in the middle around a stud with an 8 mm thread. Then, through the washers, he pulled all this with nuts.

Of course, such a device scrapes off soot quite well. But a steel wire of 1 mm is a rather tough thing and not every brick pipe can withstand such a test. At home on the new chimney, this issue still passed, but the old chimney in the country house almost crumbled from the steel bristles. Therefore, I do not advise you to step on this rake, it is better to use the following recipe.

Plastic brooms are now on sale. So I decided to make a second brush from such a broom. Most of all I had to tinker with the disassembly, because those who did it apparently did not expect that it would be disassembled.

Then everything is simple. The broom rim turned out to be a soldered monolith. In the center of this monolith, I drilled a hole in the diameter of a metal stud, after which I put on wide washers on both sides and tightened them with nuts. Under the pressure of the washers, the durable synthetic bristles parted and took a horizontal position.

The cargo was smelted from lead. I made a clay mold, inserted a hairpin with a ring at the end into the center and filled the mold with lead. I also screwed rings on a homemade brush on both sides. And all these segments were connected with carbines.

One of my acquaintances "fished" from the network a scheme for making a brush from plastic bottles. There, at two bottles, you need to cut off the bottom and, before reaching the neck, along, cut the walls of the bottles with petals. Then, towards each other, so that the necks "look" in different directions, these two segments are pushed onto the hairpin and pulled together with bolts.

All this was beautiful, cheap and attractive while this brush was being made, but when they tried to clean the dense soot with it, it turned out that there was not much sense from this device. Such a "brush" is too weak to scrape off old carbon deposits.

There is another scheme for assembling a homemade brush. It will work well, but you will have to tinker with its creation. A thick steel rope disassembled into wires is used as bristles.

The hardest part is to disassemble the rope itself. Such things are knitted with special machines and disassembly can take a lot of time. You need to work slowly, in thick mittens, otherwise you will prick your fingers. The threads are tied there tightly, so that it is unlikely to be disassembled with bare hands, it is better to act with pliers.

When the rope is disassembled, a nut is screwed onto a threaded steel stud, a wide metal washer is put on it, on top of which the same washer is put on only from thick, dense rubber.

The wire is laid out from the center in a circle, after which, on top, another rubber gasket with a wide iron washer is put on. The fabrication is completed by tightening these two washers on both sides.

Chimney cleaning technique

First of all, remember that all work at height is dangerous. Believe me, it only seems from below that there is nothing terrible on the roof of a two-story house, in fact, a fall can lead to serious consequences, up to and including death.

The first thing to take care of is insurance, the more reliable it is, the better. In addition, it is customary to clean pipes in calm dry weather. It is up to you to decide whether to wear tight overalls and gloves, but a respirator and glasses will not be superfluous for sure.

Before starting work, clean the firebox first. In general, before climbing on the roof, I “steam” the pipe using folk methods for a week. Usually, potato peels and table salt are sufficient.

Immediately, before starting active cleaning, the doors, blowers and technological windows of the oven must be closed and, preferably, covered with a damp cloth. We simply cover the fireplace opening with a dense, damp cloth.

Before you run a brush with a weight or a scraper into the pipe, make sure that there is nothing but soot there. If the stove has not been heated for more than two weeks, then birds' nests or bats can settle in the chimney. In addition, old brick pipes can crumble from the inside, and it is better to notice the shifted brick and try to fix it, rather than turn it out with a brush and drop it down.

I warn you right away, cleaning the chimney is hard work and you will have to sweat a lot. First, lower one core on a rope to the full depth of the pipe, without a brush. Make sure it runs freely and does not cling to anything. After that, you can fasten the brush and back and forth, from top to bottom, slowly clean the chimney.

If the core does not pass, then you need to act with a scraper. In general, it is believed that the core diameter should be at least 2/3 of the cross-sectional dimensions of the pipe.

Of course, the brush can also be screwed to the type-setting long rod. But if with the core you will only expend effort to lift it up, it will go down by itself, under the weight of the core, then in the case of the barbell you will have to spend twice as much energy.

All the soot you clean off will naturally fall to the bottom. So don't wait for the pipe to fill up with debris. From time to time you need to climb off the roof and clean out the soot through the technological window.

When you are done with the pipe, start cleaning with a flexible cable with a brush at the end, “rough”. The firebox and the blower are the last to be cleaned, despite the fact that you already cleaned them at the beginning, by this time they will be dirty again.

Blockage prevention

Cleaning of chimney pipes will be needed much less often if you adhere to the elementary rules for operating stoves and fireplaces. First of all, forget about burning raw wood, especially softwood. Coniferous trees contain a large amount of resin.

These resins, dissolved in water vapor, are heavy compounds, so they will immediately settle on the walls of the chimney, forming a dense, hard to remove plaque. At the same time, dry wood, even conifers, does not pose a great danger to stoves and fireplaces.

Another problem with modern stoves is waste disposal in the furnace. Of course, old rags and paper do not pose a big danger, but synthetics and plastic bottles, sooner or later, can lead to the fact that you will have to completely shift your oven. And I’m not talking about those harmful carcinogens that will literally irrigate you and your family in the yard.

The table below summarizes some standards for the operation of furnace equipment.

Name of the event and type of equipment	Preventive maintenance frequency
Inspection of furnace structures and equipment for them	Immediately after commissioning. And also after carrying out any preventive measures
Checking stove structures, boilers and fireplaces operating seasonally	Once before the start of the heating season
Checking chimneys in gas and solid fuel furnaces and boilers	Within 2 years after commissioning, it is checked at least 2 times a year, then the frequency of checks can be reduced
Inspection of brick pipes, regardless of the type of fuel and system design	Visual inspection once every 3 months
Inspection of smooth-walled metal, heat-resistant concrete, asbestos-cement, and ceramic chimneys	Once a year
Heating or heating and cooking stoves, as well as solid fuel boilers	Checked 3 times a year. Before the beginning and after the end of the heating season, as well as in the middle of the season at the discretion of the owners

Naturally, the above standards are valid for regular use of stoves, boilers and fireplaces. During periodic operation, for example in a country house, bird nests and plugs from fallen leaves pose a great danger to the chimney.

Output

As you can see, although self-cleaning of the chimney pipe is physically and quite difficult, it is not particularly difficult in technical terms. However, do not forget that regular prophylaxis can significantly reduce the frequency of DIY cleaning.

July 30, 2016

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