The stove is a universal device that is in one form or another in every home. It not only heats the living space during the cold season, but also serves as a place for cooking, a source of hot water for domestic needs. A failure in the operation of the furnace jeopardizes the comfort of living conditions, so the importance of its repair and timely maintenance cannot be overestimated. A remarkable property of the Russian stove is that its device is quite simple and every person can restore the normal mode of operation, even if they do not have special skills and knowledge.
Features of furnace repair: when it is needed
To approach the repair of the furnace with skill, you need to familiarize yourself with its device.
There are many options for the design of brick ovens
There are a great many varieties of furnace design, but each of them contains three main components: a furnace, a heat exchanger and a pipe. All other devices and devices are designed to ensure the coordinated work of these three components. Special attention should be paid to them when diagnosing the working condition of the furnace.
If everything is working properly, there is no cause for concern. But sometimes there can be failures:
- there is smoke or the smell of smoke inside the dwelling;
- the surface of the furnace wall is covered with cracks;
- there is no draft and it is difficult to melt the stove;
- the stove, although it burns, does not heat the house well.
So, it's time to pay attention to the repair and maintenance of the furnace.
The durability and efficiency of an oven depends on how it was built, how it is used and how it is maintained.
Let us consider in more detail the circumstances under which it is necessary to repair furnace equipment.
Varieties and description of furnace repair methods
According to the level of scale, the repair of the furnace is conditionally divided into three categories: current repair, medium and capital.
Minor, ongoing repairs
This is the elimination of minor breakdowns, which can be carried out immediately, without interrupting the operation of the furnace. This should be done as often as possible, as all major troubles start small. But in and of themselves, they can lead either to a fire or to an accident.
Replacement of the grate
Quite often, the need to replace the grate arises when the furnace regime is violated. Creating too strong draft in the furnace leads to an inappropriate increase in temperature. The temperature can rise above 1000 o C, especially when the stove is fired with coal. If such an impact on the grate is prolonged, they can melt and change their geometric shape. Deformation or cracking leads to the fact that fuel and ash spill into the lower compartment under the firebox - the ash pan. This entails a reduction in air flow and an inefficient use of combustible material.
Installation of the grate and furnace door is a critical stage in the construction of the furnace
Replacing the grate is simple, and should not be put off indefinitely. After the firebox has cooled down, it is cleaned of ash and ashes, a cast-iron grate is taken out and a new one is installed in its place. There is no need to fasten it with anything - it is quite massive and lies under its own weight. Leave a gap of 5 mm around the entire perimeter of the grating. This gap is covered with sand or ash.
Replacement of oven door and ash pan door
The firebox and blower doors play an important role in regulating the combustion process. It has been experimentally established that a loosely fitting firebox door with a gap of only 2 mm reduces heat transfer by up to 25%. Therefore, the efficiency of the entire operation of the stove depends on its serviceability. The firebox door must tightly close the combustion chamber; for this, it provides for additional fixation of the closed position using a valve or latch. If the valve is out of order (the frame is deformed or the hinges on which the door is attached are damaged), it is necessary to replace the door.
The firebox door frame can be fixed with metal wire
To do this, it is carefully removed from the oven masonry along with the frame. Brute force should not be used. The bricks to which the door is attached must remain intact. There are several types of door fasteners. The most common of them:
- fastening with metal paws (clamps);
- installation of anchors;
- fixation with wire.
In old stoves, you can most often find fastening with a wire, which was tied to the frame at one end, and walled into the masonry at the other. Such a fixation is quite reliable, but over time the wire burns out, and the door falls out. In more modern stoves, anchoring is used - there are special holes in the frame for transverse installation of anchoring. But the most convenient (including when replacing) is the use of special "legs" that will securely fix the frame in the desired position. Before installing a new door, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the opening, remove crumbling brick chips from the sides. Installation is carried out on a cement or clay mortar of a dense consistency. An asbestos gasket is preliminarily laid in the gap between the frame and the bricks and the plane is leveled with a liquid mortar.
The final stage of replacing the doors - puttying the joints with cement mortar
Crack repair
It is very important to ensure that cracks do not form on the walls of the furnace. Smoke can enter the room through them, endangering the health and life of people. Cracks can be of two types. The first - the least dangerous - when the damage affected only the outer lining of the stove. It can be plaster, ceramic tiles or tiles.
Carbon monoxide can enter through cracks
The stove, decorated with tiles, will decorate any interior
Often, under the cracks of the cladding, you can find deeper destruction - bursting bricks, which, in fact, caused damage to the outer layer. This type of crack is more dangerous, since through it smoke and carbon monoxide will surely seep into the living space, although this is not always noticeable. Faced with such a problem, you will have to temporarily suspend the operation of the furnace and repair the damaged area.
Cracked bricks must be replaced entirely
The order of repair work in this case will be as follows:
- It is necessary to remove the broken brick, clean the place where it was well.
- Pick up a new brick in shape and size - it should easily fit in the resulting opening, without protruding beyond the plane of the wall. Then everything is done in the usual manner, as when laying.
- Moisten the new brick, moisten the site of its landing well.
- Install a new brick on the mortar in a prepared place.
- After drying (if necessary), apply a layer of leveling plaster. Grouting must be done with a liquid solution, filling all the cavities formed during the repair. The correct result will be a flat plane of the wall without protruding corners of the brick.
Replacing the pre-furnace sheet
Sheet steel, from which the pre-furnace sheet is usually made, wears out over time. Ragged holes or rust may appear in it. All this complicates cleaning and increases the risk of fire. The coals that fall out of the stove can get on the wooden floor and cause a fire. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to replace the protective sheet with a new one in a timely manner.
The pre-furnace sheet of the sauna stove provides fire protection
The procedure for this is as follows:
- Using a mount, tear off the damaged metal from the floor.
- A replacement is installed in its place. Under the pre-furnace sheet, it is customary to put a felt pad impregnated with a liquid clay solution, or an asbestos plate 2–3 mm thick.
- A new sheet of iron is firmly attached with nails or screws to the floor.
Medium repair
Under the average repair is meant the elimination of more serious defects in the operation of the furnace. They require partial disassembly of individual units or special measures associated with a complete shutdown of the operation of the fuel unit.
The furnace hearth is called the bottom surface of the furnace furnace. Over time, it wears out, the clay mortar between the bricks burns out, and the underside can sag.
The procedure for replacing the hearth does not take much time, but requires accuracy
For repair you need:
- Partially or completely (according to the situation) remove the brickwork through the mouth.
- Before laying a new hearth, the sand cushion must be leveled to the required level.
- Then, from the hearth to the back wall, lay out a new under.
- Fill the gaps between the bricks with a liquid clay mortar or sand-cement mixture.
- If necessary, grind the plane, eliminate protruding bumps, and fill the cavities with fine sand or screened ash.
Repair of the furnace roof and chimney head
The vault of the combustion chamber withstands the highest temperature during combustion. Not surprisingly, over time, bricks can begin to crack and crumble. Gradual precipitation leads to the formation of deep cracks, which can extend up to the outer side of the wall. The repair consists in dismantling the ceiling and replacing the masonry of the vault with a new brick. It is necessary to strictly observe the geometry of the masonry and perform the correct dressings.
It is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the bricks of the furnace vault
The head of the chimney is exposed to atmospheric phenomena on the one hand and the destructive effect of hot smoke on the other. This leads to the fact that the upper part of the brick pipe loses its strength. Chemically active condensate formed from mixing soot and water corrodes the bonding mortar, and individual bricks begin to fall out, sometimes into the inside of the chimney. Therefore, periodically it is necessary to monitor the condition of the head masonry. If defects are found, the pipe is dismantled, cleaned of the outdated solution and shifted again. The upper part is laid out with a bevel outward to drain water.
The head of the chimney can be protected from destructive factors with roofing iron
A good addition that extends the life of the head will be a pipe-shaped case made of sheet or roofing iron. When repairing the head, it is very important to observe the correct dressing of the brickwork (at least 50% of the surface of the brick block).
Plastering the outer walls of the furnace
If the number of chips and cracks on the surface of the furnace walls is widespread and there is no certainty that their formation will be stopped in the future, the plaster is completely changed. This is justified in cases where the lining is physically outdated, has a nondescript appearance, and the cracks grow menacingly.
The order of work is as follows:
Repair of blockages in chimneys
A sure sign of this problem is a sharp decrease in thrust and heat transfer of the furnace. Blockages occur due to the use of low-quality materials in the construction - bricks or mortar. In addition, an important role in the durability of the masonry is played by the correct dressing of the seams and compliance with the operating standards of the unit. Too large and frequent loads lead to the fact that the materials are destroyed prematurely.
The chimney sweep is still a sought-after profession
Blockage is determined using a long metal cable, which is run through the pipe and cleaning holes. Sometimes the blockage can be removed by lowering a heavy weight into the chimney, fragments of broken bricks are removed through the cleaning doors. But if the debris is in an inaccessible place (in the horizontal ducts of the chimney), you have to disassemble the wall masonry.
A cable for cleaning a chimney with a weight at the end is sometimes enough to eliminate blockage
It is very good if, at the same time, an experienced stove-maker can determine the location of the moves and the destruction will be minimal. After removing the blockage, the stove is restored: a part of the wall is assembled, plastered and painted.
Fire cutting
According to SNiP 11.17.78, which regulates the general rules for conducting stone work, the places where furnace equipment adjoins the building structures must be equipped with fire breaks. The rules for the production of work and repair of furnaces, in turn, provide an explanation:
- 3.2.1. In places where combustible and slow-burning building structures (walls, partitions, ceilings, beams, etc.) are adjacent to furnaces and smoke channels (chimneys), cuttings from fireproof materials must be provided.
- 2.2. Distances from the inner surface (from smoke) of furnaces, channels and chimneys to a combustible or slow-burning building structure should be provided not less than those indicated in Table 1.
- 2.8. The distance from the overlap (roof) of the furnace to the ceiling should be 350 mm to the unprotected and 250 mm to the protected.
- 2.9. The outer surfaces of brick chimneys when they are installed through the roofs should be removed from combustible structures (beams, battens) at a distance of at least 130 mm.
Table: dimensions of cuttings for furnaces and smoke channels
As a rule, cuttings are subject to destruction over time - the shrinkage of the building and the furnace, blows, and shaking affects. To restore them, not only bricks are used, but also concrete block structures, metal and other non-combustible materials. The cutting can be a metal mesh stretched over the frame, on top of which plaster is applied (from a thickness of 30 mm). The advantage of this option is the speed of installation, low cost and a smooth surface.
Vertical fire cutting furnaces:
1 - heating furnace; 2 - felt or asbestos; 3 - brickwork; 4 - metal sheet
Particular attention should be paid to cutting in the attic, insulated with sawdust or other combustible materials. It is recommended to periodically cover them with whitewash, on which all defects are clearly visible, especially traces of soot. When repairing the cutting, it is necessary to lay all the places of contact with wooden structures with felt in two layers or asbestos. To reduce the combustibility of felt, it is impregnated with a clay solution. The smell of smoldering felt is caustic and signals danger.
Video: inspecting the furnace and determining the necessary repairs
Overhaul
If the restoration of the furnace requires more than 25% of the disassembly of the brickwork, such repairs are considered major. During such repairs, the furnace is not in operation.
Pipe damage repair
The chimney is one of the key components of the furnace design. A malfunction of the pipe entails a violation of draft and leads to the release of smoke into the living quarters. If it is not possible to solve the problem with an average repair, the pipe is completely shifted.
For this:
Repair of the fuel chamber and lining
Firebox repairs are usually combined with chimney repairs. After dismantling the front wall of the furnace, full access to the combustion chamber opens. To restore the refractory layer, it is dismantled, the condition of the lining bricks is assessed and, if necessary, replaced with new ones. If the chimney does not change, then it is necessary to disassemble the wall of the furnace from the level of the blower to the height of the furnace.
Fireclay brick - the best material for a firebox
Fireclay bricks planted on a refractory mortar with the addition of fireclay chips are considered the best material for a firebox. The space of the fuel chamber is thoroughly cleaned of debris and ash. New masonry is carried out without being tied to the main brick mass, building a stable independent structure of the furnace department. In order to avoid reducing the volume of the furnace, the thickness of the lining is kept in the same dimensions. In small and household stoves, fireclay bricks are placed on the edge, in large stoves - flat. The gap between them should not exceed 3 mm.
The lining is placed on refractory clay
Video: analysis of typical mistakes when laying a brick oven
How to disassemble the stove without affecting the chimney
Sometimes there are situations in which it becomes necessary to disassemble the stove (or part of it) without affecting the chimney. For example, if the house has several stoves with a common pipe. The solution of such a problem is best entrusted to an experienced stove-maker. But if there is none, then technically the operation is carried out by mounting the supporting structure.
Why does the oven heat poorly
There can be many reasons, but the most common are:
- defects in the design or masonry of the furnace;
- low quality fuel (raw firewood, for example);
- improper operation of the oven.
In the first case, it is necessary to conduct a thorough audit of the entire unit in order to detect blockages in the chimney, cracks in the plaster of the walls, bursting bricks. If found, eliminate.
In the second - to check the quality of firewood or coal. Firewood must be dry, and coal must be low in impurities. Of great importance is the method and place of storage of fuel. Any fuel stored outdoors will have high humidity, which adversely affects the combustion process. The fuel depot must be under a canopy, protected from rain or snow from above and at least from two sides. Firewood after sawing and splitting reaches the required dryness (20-25%) after at least a year of storage, so they need to be harvested in advance. Coal, peat, wood chip briquettes and other types of fuel are also stored under a canopy, protected from precipitation.
Firewood must be stored and dried under a canopy
First of all, the lack of preventive maintenance of the furnace can be attributed to improper operation. If the chimney is not cleaned of soot, this leads to the fact that the draft in the combustion chamber decreases sharply and the combustion process becomes slow and inefficient. If this is not the reason, perhaps you should take a closer look at the basic rules for firing furnaces. Here is some of them:
- When kindling, the blower closes completely and the door of the combustion chamber opens. After laying the combustible material, the furnace door closes tightly, and the ash pan door opens slightly by 50%.
- As the fuel burns, the intensity of the fire is regulated not only by the blower door, but also by the chimney damper or view.
- Straw-colored fire has the best heat dissipation. A too bright white flame has a high temperature, but all the heat goes into the pipe, not having time to warm up the walls of the furnace.
- The optimal duration of the firebox is 1.5–2 hours when using firewood and 5–6 hours when using coal.
- To clean the chimney from unburned soot, it is recommended to clean the chimney for 15-20 minutes before the completion of the furnace. open the blower door as much as possible - this will increase traction.
- For the best preservation of heat, at the end of the firebox, the chimney damper and the view are completely closed. But this is done only when only burnt coals remain in the furnace.
- To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, the stove is heated 3-4 hours before bedtime. Some craftsmen drill holes with a diameter of 0.5 cm in the view in order to maintain a minimum draft in the pipe. It is believed that such a measure guarantees the release of residual gases and at the same time does not reduce the temperature of the furnace.
Soot cleaning
Preventive maintenance of the furnace is the main condition for its reliable operation. It consists not only in timely repairs, but also in the regular cleaning of the furnace and chimney from ash and soot.
At least once a year, before the start of the heating season, it is necessary to inspect the pipe.
If the soot layer in it exceeds 3 mm, the pipe is cleaned with special brushes, which are lowered from top to bottom through the top hole. In addition, there are simpler methods, with regular use of which you can achieve the same results. It:
Video: cleaning the chimney from soot
In each case, it is necessary to approach the repair of the furnace individually. You should carefully study the condition of the furnace as a whole, if possible, consult with the masters in matters of its restructuring. When performing work, be careful and use personal protective equipment.
Safe and comfortable use of stoves and fireplaces is impossible without good draft, which, in turn, depends on the condition of the chimney. How to clean the chimney from soot and prevent it from clogging, you will learn from this article.
At first glance, it seems that after burning firewood, the smoke disappears without a trace, but this is not at all the case. In addition to the gaseous products of combustion, the smoke contains solid particles, it is they who settle on the walls of the smoke channel, forming a gray or black coating. Water vapor, which is also contained in the smoke, holds the soot together, and the plaque becomes dense and hard. Narrow places, turns of the smoke channel, as well as rough walls of brick pipes are especially prone to clogging.
Soot deposits in the pipe
In addition, mechanical blockages are possible: garbage accidentally falling into the pipe, tree leaves, bird nests or bricks that have fallen out of the masonry. Even a small blockage can worsen traction, and soot deposited on a foreign object quickly clogs the chimney, making further operation of the furnace impossible. There are several ways to clean the chimney from soot and blockages, which are described below.
Chimney cleaning methods: which one to choose?
Methods for cleaning chimneys and chimneys are quite diverse, from folk methods, proven for centuries, to modern ones based on scientific developments. Let's take a closer look at all of them.
Folk remedies
Our ancestors knew well the characteristics of different types of wood. Coniferous firewood contains a large amount of resins emitted along with smoke. Poorly dried, damp wood smolders, gives off little heat, and at the same time emits water vapor, which settles on the walls of the pipe, fastening loose soot into a monolith. Best of all, dry hardwood firewood is suitable for burning stoves: birch, alder, aspen. They burn with increased heat transfer, practically do not give soot and soot and do not clog the pipe.
To clean the chimney in the old days, aspen firewood was used, burning with the formation of a high hot flame. When the walls of the chimney are heated, the soot loosens and burns out, and its remnants are carried out through the chimney along with the smoke. Many modern pipe cleaning methods are based on the same principle, which are described below. For the prevention and periodic cleaning of the chimney, you can use this old method by throwing several dry aspen logs into the heated firebox. At the same time, it is necessary to observe fire safety and prevent overheating of pipes.
Another interesting folk method for cleaning a chimney is to burn dried potato peels. When they are burned with smoke, substances are released that loosen the soot and make it easy to remove it through the cleaning holes.
Video - a folk method for cleaning the chimney
Folk methods are interesting, but sometimes ineffective, especially when a blockage has already formed. In this case, it is more reasonable to resort to chemical cleaning of pipes.
Chemical cleaning of the chimney
Furnace stores offer a large selection of various products that allow you to clean the chimney from soot without any hassle. These products come in the form of powders, tablets, liquids or briquettes that mimic logs or pellets. Their use is quite simple: you need to place the package in a stove or fireplace and burn it, together with firewood or separately. Detailed instructions are usually indicated on the package, as is the dosage.
Powder cleaners are usually packaged in single-dose sachets, depending on the degree of contamination of the pipe and chimney, one or more bags may be needed. They are thrown into the fire after kindling the furnace, without opening. The appearance of a blue or green flame indicates that the product is working and releasing chemically active substances that break down soot and plaque.
Means for chemical chimney cleaning
Cleaning pellets or logs are more convenient to use, they are simply placed in a fireplace or stove right in the package and set on fire, after which they continue to burn the stove for one to two hours. During this time, the resins and creosote that hold the soot in the chimney decompose, and small particles are carried out with the smoke, and large blockages fall down. Therefore, after cleaning and cooling the furnace, it is recommended to inspect the smoke channel through the doors specially designed for this.
Cleaning the chimney to prevent blockages is carried out several times a year. If the oven is used no more than once a week, it is enough to use these products a couple of times a year. With the daily burning of the stove or the use of low-quality firewood, prevention is carried out more often, once every two months, without waiting for the chimney to become overgrown with soot.
Mechanical cleaning of the chimney
In case of serious blockages caused by a strong narrowing of the lumen or debris entering the pipe, chemical agents may be powerless. The operation of the stove becomes impossible and very dangerous - deposits on the walls of the chimney ignite when overheated, and together with the smoke, sparks or even flames burst out of the chimney. In dry weather, this can cause a fire. If there is no draft at all in your stove, and the smoke goes inside the room, it must be cleaned mechanically, using a special tool.
Devices designed to clean the chimney from soot and soot are very diverse: these are brushes, scrapers, ruffs of various configurations and sizes, as well as cores on a strong cable that break through dense blockages. They can be purchased at specialized stores or made by hand.
Video - how to make a ruff for cleaning the chimney with your own hands
Chimney cleaning is usually carried out from top to bottom: they break through blockages in the chimney, clean it with scrapers, ruffs and brushes, after which they clean the smoke channels through the cleaning doors, and lastly clean the dampers and the firebox itself, as well as the ash pan. Chimney pipes of a simple configuration can be cleaned from below, with the help of ruffs on a long handle. How to clean the chimney mechanically is described below.
Chimney cleaning technology
1. Before taking on the role of a chimney sweep, take care of your own safety. It is necessary to install a convenient ladder on the roof and take care of insurance that will not allow you to fall. When cleaning the chimney, use a respirator.
Work Safety Measures
2. The dampers are open, otherwise soot will accumulate on them, which can lead to even more clogging. But the doors - furnace, ash and cleaning - must be tightly closed so as not to stain furniture and floors with soot. It is better to hang open fireplace inserts with a damp cloth, which is not a pity to throw away - most likely it will not work to wash it off.
3. Cleaning starts from the top, from the chimney. Before cleaning, remove the head from the pipe, remove soot with a scraper or a stiff brush at an accessible distance. The tool can be extended with an extendable handle.
Cleaning starts with a pipe
4. Inaccessible parts of the chimney are cleaned using a flexible brush - a cable with a nozzle at one end and a handle for rotation at the other. The diameter of the nozzle should exceed the diameter of the pipe by 1.2-1.3 times. The cable is inserted into the chimney and begin to gently advance by turning the handle.
Flexible brush for cleaning pipes from soot
5. If the ruff gets stuck, it means that a serious blockage has formed in the chimney, and it can only be broken through with the help of a core. The core on the cable is sharply lowered into the chimney, trying not to touch the walls so as not to chip the brick. Having eliminated the blockage, continue cleaning with a ruff.
Pipe cleaning core
6. After cleaning the pipes, they begin to remove soot through the cleaning doors. In a complex furnace, as a rule, there are several of them, and they are located in the places where the smoke channel turns. First, the soot that has fallen from above is raked out, then the smoke channel itself is cleaned with scrapers and a ruff. At the same time, they move from top to bottom, to the firebox. In fireplaces with a direct chimney, there may not be any cleaning doors at all, and all the soot immediately falls into the furnace.
Cleaning of smoke channels from soot
7. The furnace and ash pan are cleaned last. Final cleaning can be done with a vacuum cleaner. If your vacuum cleaner is equipped with a fabric dust bag, it is better to buy a disposable paper bag for this purpose, since it is impossible to clean it of soot.
Removing soot from the furnace with a vacuum cleaner
8. Melt the stove and check the draft. If cleaning has eliminated the blockage, then after the furnace has cooled down, the head is put back on. If the draft has not improved, the smoke channel may be clogged in a hard-to-reach place, and you can no longer do without the help of a qualified stove-maker.
9. In the future, when using the stove, do not neglect the prevention of blockages using the folk or modern methods described above.
To prevent the chimney from overgrowing with soot, you must follow a few simple rules:
- It is better to use dry firewood from deciduous trees as fuel, and at the end of the firebox, periodically place aspen or preventive measures in the furnace.
- Do not burn garbage in the oven, especially plastic, polyethylene, wrapping paper.
- To reduce moisture condensation, the chimney must be insulated, especially if it is made of metal. Usually, ready-made double sandwich pipes with a layer of non-combustible insulation are used.
- It is imperative to put a cap on the pipe to protect it from accidental ingress of debris or precipitation.
With proper use of the stove, the question "how to clean the chimney from soot" will arise very rarely, and you will be able to fully enjoy the bright flame and heat.
Residents of private houses heat stoves and fireplaces during the cold season. During the operation of heating appliances, soot accumulates in the chimneys. Because of this, the exit of smoke is difficult, there is a danger of ignition of the room and intoxication of the people living in it.
From burning and black soot in the pipe, you need to know how to clean the chimneys in the oven with folk remedies. Many people think about solving the problem when the smoke is already going into the room.
The need to clean the chimney
In winter, stoves and fireplaces are stoked almost continuously. Over time, traction deteriorates. Soot settles on the walls of the chimney. It narrows the existing gap and does not allow the smoke to pass fully, it enters the room.
Due to the high temperature in the chimney, the accumulated soot can ignite. This leads to its destruction. Sparks flying out of the pipe become a source of fire. Or lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. The owners have a question about how to clean the chimney pipe.
It is necessary to inspect the condition of the pipe at least twice a year. Before the start of the heating season and after it.
When to Clean
Whether the chimney needs cleaning can be determined by eye. First of all, pay attention to the color of the smoke. If the stove is intact and the chimney is clean, then the clouds of smoke are light gray or white. Dense black smoke signals the need for preventive measures: soot has accumulated in the chimney.
The color of the flame in the furnace also matters. If the light orange hue changes to dark orange, you need to clean the structure.
soot deposits
Smoke contains mechanical particles. They stain the surface of the channel. Soot accumulates in the pipe, a black coating appears. Deposits harden as a result of saturation with water vapor. The pipe is clogged. Channel bends, transitions, surfaces of brick pipes are covered with a layer of soot.
The volume of deposits depends on various factors:
- The stove or fireplace is not installed correctly.
- The technology of laying the product nodes is violated.
- Building materials are of poor quality. Cracks appear on the surface of the chimney.
- The exhaust system is cluttered with debris.
- There is no umbrella on the pipe. Depending on the humidity, the type of fuel and the features of the fireplace, the rate of accumulation of deposits depends.
Folk ways of cleansing
The quality of the stove or fireplace is affected by a layer of soot on the walls of the chimney. Ugar enters the living quarters, and the soot that has settled on the chimney ignites. Troubles can be avoided if you do not forget about cleaning the chimneys of stoves and fireplaces from soot.
Do-it-yourself cleaning methods:
If the soot lags behind badly, you can knock with a stick on the wall of the chimney. But potato peelings do not always succeed in cleaning the chimney with high quality. This is just a tool to help soften the soot so that the latter lags behind the walls of the pipe. After cleaning with potatoes, it is desirable to carry out mechanical cleaning.
A good way is to burn aspen wood in a stove. But it's not entirely safe. Soot ignites and flies out of the pipe in flakes. They cover the roof and the area near the building. Therefore, you first need to make sure that the roof can withstand such a load and examine the condition of the chimney.
If there is a lot of soot in the pipe, it is better to use another, safer method.
Tools and materials
First you need to prepare the tools. In order to clean the chimney, you will need:
The core is used not only to remove blockages. To make cleaning effective, you can make the brush and brush heavier thanks to it.
The length of the device can be changed by connecting the elements with carabiners and a cable.
mechanical cleaning
This method is also popular. In the old days, chimney sweeps used cannonballs fixed with a cable. They punched through dense growths of soot. Ruffs of various shapes and scrapers were also used.
Cleaning process:
Sometimes the pipe is high and you can’t get close to it from the roof. Then clean underneath.
If the chimney is metal and there is a cleaning glass, it is unscrewed, and a ruff on a bending rod is inserted into the pipe. If not, clean through the cleaning hole.
Cleaning the chimney through the firebox is long and inconvenient. Cleaning a metal pipe with a brush is not effective. Soot remains on the walls. In this case, the brush is replaced with a rag.
Homemade ruff
From polypropylene pipes make a ruff for cleaning. Pipes are cut by one and a half meters. Threaded fittings are placed at their ends. A metal brush for a grinder is fixed to one of the fittings. Fluff the wire on the brushes with pliers or pliers. It turns out a telescopic cleaning rod for the chimney.
You can use small mechanization. The method consists in the fact that a nozzle is made on the impeller of the chainsaw, which allows forced ventilation of the pipe.
This method is extreme., it can be used in agreement with neighbors
Special store preparations
Stores sell a variety of cleaners. You can buy them in the form of a powder, a log or a briquette. Before buying, study the instructions. Preparations can be for fireplaces, saunas or closed heating stoves.
Popular means:
Work safety
Work on cleaning the chimney from soot requires safety precautions to avoid accidents.
Safe chimney cleaning:
- Do not produce from soot in wet weather, with high humidity, with strong winds.
- You cannot climb onto the roof without a safety belt. You can tie the belt with a strong rope.
- It is forbidden to take alcohol and drugs that slow down the reaction before work. The measures taken will help to avoid risks when cleaning the chimney.
Professional chimney sweeps know how to clean soot from a chimney pipe. You can take their advice. They will help increase the life of the fireplace.
Undesirable:
Sauna stove chimney cleaning
The Russian banya is always associated with wet steam and a stove. There is a chimney that needs to be cleaned periodically.
If this is not done, the bath will heat up badly, there will be no traction. There may be a fire.
Causes of blockage in the chimney of the sauna stove:
- Condensate.
- Soot and soot.
- Ingested foreign objects.
For quick and easy cleaning of the chimney pipe with your own hands, you can use special briquettes with chemicals. When burned, they destroy the soot. The briquettes are burned in the furnace and the dirt itself will collapse into the furnace in a day. But it is not recommended to use such preparations for cleaning the bath pipe.
You can use a special brush, ruff. They are hung on a weight and lowered into a pipe.
Sometimes the smoke goes back when kindling. Probably a foreign object got into the chimney. It can be a masonry brick or a bird's nest that has fallen from trees growing nearby.
It is more difficult to get rid of such blockage. You can take a stick or a long pole and try to push the object inside. At the end of the stick, a hook is made from a nail to hook the object. A good result is the heating of the stove with aspen wood.
It is desirable to make a removable visor on the bath pipe. Snow and rainwater will be prevented from entering the chimney.
Attention, only TODAY!
Those who have stoves or a fireplace in their house or apartment know how important it is to maintain and clean them regularly. After all, no matter how thorough and perfect the oven is, if you don’t take care of it, it can break sooner or later. Few people know, but the operation of the device depends on the design of the furnace, its quality, type of fuel consumed and operating conditions. But, even if you comply with all the conditions prescribed in the instructions, then in a year you will have to think about how to clean the chimney.
You can get rid of pollution in the form of soot both on your own and with the help of a chimney sweep - it all depends on your desire and, of course, on material wealth. So, first you need to understand why soot is emitted from the chimney and is it really so important to clean it on time? In any furnace, during the combustion of fuel, soot is always released. Under the influence of hot air, soot and soot rise up and settle on the walls of the chimney.
If this soot is not removed, it gradually accumulates, and after a year the soot layer is several tens of centimeters. As a result, this can lead to quite unpleasant consequences. The chimney opening narrows and the draft becomes much less. And this phenomenon already leads to wear of the walls of the chimney, as a result of which the chimney can ignite. Cases of fires that occurred as a result of blockage of the chimney are repeated. It is necessary to get rid of soot in the chimney at least for basic safety purposes.
Smoke channel cleaning is divided into 3 main groups:
- Self cleansing;
- Chemical means;
- mechanical cleaning.
How to clean the pipe in the apartment with the so-called home remedies? One of the most common methods is regular table salt. According to experts, this method is more suitable as a prevention of soot formation in the chimney. Before adding fuel, mix it with a few glasses of salt and then you can forget about cleaning the chimney for several years. Remember that salt will not help clean a stove with a lot of soot on the pipe.
The second popular way is to use potato peels or ordinary raw potatoes. In this case, the number of potatoes is taken from the calculation of the diameter of the chimney pipe. On average, to get rid of soot, you will need 2 buckets of potatoes.
So how do you clean your oven? Take a potato and pour it directly into the fire. The effect is that starch is released from the vegetable and begins to soften the soot, which as a result begins to exit the chimney. After you burn the potatoes, clean the oven. Otherwise, all the smoke will go back again and there will be a large amount of burning in the apartment.
We influence chemistry
How to clean the chimney in the apartment with a chemical agent? This is the second way to clean the chimney from soot. You can get rid of soot and blockage with the help of a special anti-scale chemical composition, for example, "Cominicek" of a Czech company. This powder must be laid along with the fuel, observing the dosage at the rate of 200 grams of the product per 1000 kg of fuel.
How does the powder work? During heating, the soot begins to gradually burn out, while the temperature of this reaction should not be high. Such powders work with both liquid fuels and solid fuels.
If you can’t get cleaning powders, then pay attention to the log called Chimney Sweep. This tool is quite economical and you only need one briquette for 6 months, but this is provided that you light the fireplace twice a week.
Before using any of the above means to clean soot in an apartment, you need to make sure that there are no foreign objects or debris in the pipe.
Do not be afraid that after using the Chimney Sweep log for two weeks, soot will pour out of the chimney, this is normal and indicates that the product is working effectively.
mechanical cleaning
Soot can be removed mechanically. But, here it is important to follow the correct sequence of actions. If you are doing this for the first time, then it is better not to risk it and call a chimney sweep. Those who are confident in their abilities are advised to follow these rules:
- Close the openings through which smoke exits the apartment. If you do not do this, then all the soot from the chimney will fly into the house.
- Close the firebox door tightly. An open fireplace will need to be hung with a damp cloth.
Now you can climb the roof, but follow the safety measures. In no case should you clean the chimney in windy and rainy weather. - Open the channel that is designed to remove smoke and look at the soot layer. If it is insignificant, that is, less than 5 mm, then go down home and start cleaning with the help of chemical or home remedies.
- If the soot layer is more than 5 mm, then carefully inspect the chimney for debris. If you find any, push them down with a long stick to remove them already in the apartment.
- The soot layer must be cleaned with a scraper or a ruff.
- In order to clear the congestion, you need to use a small metal ball that is attached to a cable.
- After cleaning the chimney, you need to slightly open the cleaning holes and remove soot from them.
- In the last move, you need to clean the firebox.
If you have a fireplace with a direct chimney, then it is best to clean it through the firebox, that is, from below.
Cleaning a chimney is actually quite simple, the main thing is to know what and how to do. You can choose from three oven cleaning options. Before cleaning, be sure to look at the amount of soot that has accumulated on the chimney over the entire period of operation. Most owners of fireplaces and stoves clean the chimney on their own mechanically. But, you must understand that this is a very dirty job that will take several hours of your time.
If you clean the chimney from soot, you can safely forget about problems with the fireplace for a long period of time. To reduce the amount of soot that accumulates on the walls of pipes, try not to burn various garbage in the firebox in the form of plastic bags and plastic bottles. It is also not recommended to put raw spruce or pine wood in the oven.
By the color of the smoke, you will be able to understand that it is time to clean the chimney. If the pipes did not have time to accumulate soot, then transparent smoke will come out of them. If the soot layer exceeds a few centimeters, then black and thick smoke comes out of the chimney.
Heating a house, cottage or bath is rarely complete without a stove or boiler. For our winters, this equipment is optimal: it can produce the required amount of heat. But both stoves and boilers require maintenance, and one of the mandatory procedures is cleaning the chimney.
Why is the chimney overgrown with soot
The process of burning fuel is an oxidation process, and this requires oxygen and high temperature. If at least one of these conditions is not met, soot appears - this is the result of insufficient carbon oxidation. Externally, the presence of soot can be determined by the color of the smoke - if it is black, then it contains particles of soot, but most of it settles in the chimney, especially at the corners.
Now a little about what can cause active soot formation:
- Raw firewood. If undried firewood is thrown into the fire, it dries first. This takes a lot of energy, which greatly reduces the temperature in the furnace. We get carbon underheating, a large cloud of black smoke and, after some time of using raw fuel, we will have a clogged chimney.
The use of damp firewood leads to the accumulation of soot deposits
The rate of overgrowing of the chimney with soot also depends on the type of firewood. Resinous spruce and pine are not the best choice in this regard, but not everyone has the opportunity to drown with expensive oak or other hardwoods. In any case, you can make sure that the firewood is dry. To do this, it is worth building a more spacious firewood shed so that it can hold a supply for 2-3 years. Then you can use the most seasoned and dried logs, and let the fresh ones lie, reach the standard.
How to clean the chimney from soot
There are three ways to clean the chimney:
Cleaning the chimney with a chimney sweep
- Mechanical. A ruff is thrust into the chimney, with the help of which they knock soot off the walls. The disadvantage of the method is that it is necessary to have access to the pipe, which is not always easy. Not everyone is able to climb onto the roof, and flexible rods and access are required for cleaning from below. Another unpleasant moment: all the contents are poured down, you have to collect and take it out, and then wash the stove or fireplace from soot for a long time. Therefore, before cleaning, put some kind of container into which everything will be poured.
- Chemical cleaning of the chimney - powders and briquettes (logs). When the system warms up, the powders are poured into the fire, the logs are placed at the firebox. The substances contained in them soften the soot, it gradually flies into the pipe, but can fall down and clog the passage altogether. So these funds are best used for prevention, when there is still a little soot.
- folk methods. The problem of overgrowing chimneys with soot is not new, and our ancestors were able to cope with it without chemistry. There were, of course, chimney sweeps, but they worked in cities, and their services cost a lot. Nevertheless, they coped with the problem, and with very simple means - salt or potato peelings.
There is another cardinal decision - to go to the firemen and call specialists. They are no longer called chimney sweeps, but perform the same functions, however, by other means. The decision is not bad, they know their job, since soot is explosive, if only someone is not given permission. The only negative is the cost of such services.
Mechanical chimney cleaners
Cleaning the chimney with ruffs has been used for centuries, and they still exist today. A ruff brush is tied to the end of a long elastic and flexible cable. Diameter - individually for the size of the chimney. A small metal ball can be tied under the ruff - in order to make it easier for the tool to go down. This structure is lowered into the chimney, raised, lowered again and raised again. So until the passage is cleared. Everything works simply - soot is knocked off the pipe with bristles.
Chimney brush
Such cleaning of the chimney has one feature: in the presence of good traction, most of the chipped soot flies into the chimney. Therefore, firstly, you need to become attached so that you don’t fall off the roof from involuntary movement, and secondly, put on goggles and a respirator. Gloves will not interfere either, but they are needed so that the cable does not injure your hands.
If you decide to make a chimney brush yourself, hang the ball below, and centered. Weights or wrenches are not suitable - sooner or later they become at odds in the chimney. You will be lucky if the gun can be removed without dismantling the pipe.
Below you can hang a ball
Not always the chimney is such that it can be cleaned from above - a sandwich pipe can rise several meters above the roof. You can’t attach a ladder to it, you can’t get up in any other way. In this case, the chimney is cleaned from below. To do this, there are ruffs on flexible rods. Fragments of the rod are connected to each other, the ruff moves along the pipe. In this case, part of the soot is also carried away by the draft, but some of it falls down and this must also be taken into account. Professional chimney sweeps use special vacuum cleaners for collection (not household ones, since soot is explosive); if you clean it yourself, you will have to collect everything manually.
Chimney cleaning from below
If you have a fireplace, everything is simple - access is free, but if it is a boiler or a sauna stove, the matter is more complicated. If the chimney has a glass for collecting condensate, removing it, you can easily run the ruff into the pipe. If there are no revisions, you will have to try to get to the pipe through the firebox. If this is not possible, the chimney will have to be disassembled. Then it’s better to immediately redo it by putting a tee with a glass.
Means for dry cleaning of the chimney
You can clean the chimney with chemicals before it is too clogged. If the pipe is brick, these products help make mechanical cleaning less frequent. As an independent agent, they can be used for ceramic chimneys or those made of stainless steel. All these powders or logs for removing soot from the pipe are preventive. It is not always possible to clean the chimney from a large amount of soot with them. There were cases when the soot that fell down after burning the powder clogged the chimney tightly. I had to take a ruff and clean it by hand.
Despite these shortcomings, the products are used and here's why: during processing, the soot that is in the boiler, sauna stove or in the smoke channels also softens. Shaking them by hand is a bit of a pleasure, but regular use does a pretty good job.
There are plenty of products for cleaning chimneys from soot in stores, but here are the most popular:
- Kominichek. This is a Czech product. The package contains paper bags with granules packaged in them. This soot remover is placed in a well-heated oven without breaking the bag. A whole paper bag is placed on firewood, it is not necessary to tear the product out. According to reviews, it works fine. It is most effective while the soot layer is not more than 2 mm - it cleans the chimney to clean walls.
Powder for cleaning chimneys "Cominichek"
Log for cleaning chimneys
After using all chemicals, the room must be ventilated, the stove or fireplace cleaned. Please note that after processing, the soot may crumble for a couple more days - the remnants fly off.
Folk chimney cleaning methods
The easiest way to prevent the formation of soot is to heat an already heated stove with aspen wood. They burn with a very hot flame, soot burns in the chimney. The action is effective, but dangerous - if a lot of soot has accumulated, when ignited, it explodes and can break the pipe.
Lay a couple of logs when heating the furnace and preventive cleaning of the chimney from soot is done
There are safer folk remedies with which chimney cleaning is both effective and safe. In a melted and well-heated oven, add half a kilogram of salt or about a bucket of potato peelings. It is better to dry the cleanings or add raw ones little by little - so as not to bring down the temperature in the furnace. The action is approximately the same as when using chemicals, only a little softer - soot flies from the pipe for another three days.
Chimney cleaning: methods, means, folk methods
What methods are used to clean the chimney, how the procedure takes place, what are the ways to clean the chimney from soot, how to use them.
How to clean the chimney from soot with folk and chemical means without disassembling: an overview of methods and means for cleaning
Everyone who has a stove, fireplace or boiler inevitably faces the problem of cleaning chimneys. Over time, the passage of any chimney becomes narrower due to the accumulation of soot in it.
In addition to narrowing the cross section of smoke and ventilation ducts, deposits do not allow the chimney to warm up. And most importantly, a blockage of soot and dust significantly reduces traction and contributes to the accumulation of carbon monoxide in the room. The most unfavorable option is the ignition of the sediment, which contributes to the destruction of the structure. Sparks from burning deposits can also cause a serious fire.
If nothing is done, the stove or gas boiler will become unusable over time. The cleaning of chimneys in private and apartment buildings is usually carried out by a chimney sweeper from an appropriate company authorized to service chimneys. He has special equipment for removing cleanings, mainly using a special brush or a metal brush. You can call a specialist by calling the service company.
Even if there is an agreement with the relevant organization, every owner of a house or apartment must definitely know how to check and clean the chimney and ventilation pipe from soot and other more difficult blockages with their own hands at home. Often it is necessary to clean these structures not only from soot, but also from large debris, cobwebs or bird nests.
When to clean your chimney
Regardless of the quality of the stove, the chimney will still need to be cleaned someday. It is the matter of time. With proper laying of a stove or fireplace, you can do without this procedure for many years, especially if you use dry firewood and refrain from burning household waste. Firewood before consumption should lie for at least a year and a half. The type of wood is also important. When using pine or spruce wood, cleaning will be required faster (due to the presence of resin).
The first signal of clogging of the stove (chimney) chimney is dark smoke from combustion products. If hardwood firewood or pellets are used, the smoke is clear, sometimes white. Its darkening indicates the accumulation of soot, soot and dirt. The second sign is that the firewood does not make noise during burning, the flame becomes dark orange. When these signs appear, it's time to think about calling a chimney sweep or prepare yourself for cleaning.
But, before you clean the chimney yourself, it is still better to examine the pipe first.
A cleaning weight with a diameter corresponding to the size of the chimney should be in every home. If it easily passes into the pipe, then the reason for the poor performance of the stove is something else. If the weight stops in one place, then the pipe is clogged and the duties of a chimney sweep cannot be avoided.
However, there are folk remedies that allow you to delay this work. The most ancient folk way is to put raw potato peelings (or chopped raw potatoes) into the heated oven.
When they burn, starch is released, which softens the soot deposits. One part of the deposits flies out through the pipe, the other falls into the stove (fireplace). To prevent the formation of soot deposits, it is also possible to burn rock salt at the same time as firewood.
The most reliable, but also dangerous method is to put a good armful of aspen logs into a heated stove , without closing the door. The stove will begin to hum, the soot will light up, a flame will appear from the chimney. This method can be used if the chimney is really very reliable.
Devices and rules for cleaning
The stove flue (chimney) pipe is cleaned if the layer of soot and soot reaches a thickness of 2 mm. Sequence of work:
- for a pipe with a circular cross section - a metal ruff with a diameter that is 20% larger than the size of the pipe;
- for a pipe with a square section - a brush with metal bristles;
- scraper;
- for punching blockages - a metal core.
If the soot layer is too dense, then before using the brush it must be cleaned with a scraper. Only after that you can use a ruff (or brush). The ruff should move up and down with smooth movements. The brush should be provided with holders that will connect when moving down. If a blockage (garbage or fallen off brick) is found that does not let the ruff through, you need to use a metal core with a diameter of 2/3 of the pipe section, which is fixed on the cable - throw it into the center of the structure, trying not to hit the walls so as not to destroy the structure. In addition, the core can be used to weight the brush or brush.
If the house has an open fireplace , connected to a straight pipe, it is quite possible to clean it with a long-handled brush directly from the firebox. After cleaning the pipe, it is also necessary to clean all the windows for cleaning, blowing, the door and the firebox itself.
Chemistry for soot control
To make the need for chimney sweep services less frequent, you can use chemical agents to prevent the formation of soot - liquids, powders or briquettes that must be added to burning wood. All these tools contribute to the destruction of the soot layer and its shedding down the walls of the chimney.
The most popular means:
You can buy all of the above chemicals at any household supermarket.
Perhaps the most common remedy, according to consumer reviews, is Kominichek. Under the influence of Kominichek, a chemical process occurs that turns soot into oxide, which burns without a flame at a low temperature.
According to the instructions, one bag is enough to clean the stove or fireplace, two are required for a wood-burning heating boiler. The bag should be thrown onto the burning firewood without opening it, and the firebox door should be closed. The dose cannot be increased.
If the soot layer is very thick, it is better to repeat the procedure. For prevention purposes, it is advisable to burn one sachet every two weeks. In addition to removing soot, this tool increases the efficiency of wood-burning heaters and saves money when purchasing fuel.
The second most popular tool is the Chimney Sweep log - a bar (briquette), during the combustion of which substances are released that act on soot deposits and contribute to their shedding down. The main purpose of this chemical cleaner is to prevent narrowing of the chimney section due to soot and soot deposits.
"Chimney sweep" is suitable for use in any stove, in any fireplace, heater, stove, boiler. If the heater is used daily, four logs will be required for the season (six months) (one briquette for two months). For a fireplace that is used only occasionally, one briquette per season is enough.
The "chimney sweep" consists of sawdust, coal wax with coal dust, ammonium sulfate, urea, zinc chloride, sodium sulfate, silica and phosphorus oxide. This tool is especially effective for brick chimneys.
Before using the Chimney Sweep for the first time, you must make sure that there are no loose bricks, debris, bottles or bird nests in the chimney. The most efficient burning of briquettes is on hot coals. Additives entering the pipe affect its inner surface for up to two weeks. All this time, soot falls into the furnace from above. After two weeks, it is advisable to clean the knee and the smoke damper.
Why does the stove smoke with a clean pipe
Smoke from the stove can also occur with a clean chimney, there may be several reasons. In addition to soot deposits in the chimney, smoke obstruction can cause:
If there is too much moisture in the chimney, then you need to put thin sticks or dry alcohol into the cleaning window and set it on fire. At the same time, the stove should be flooded, and after the restoration of traction, close the window.
Prevention to avoid blockages
You can avoid mechanical cleaning of the chimney if you follow a few simple rules:
If it does happen that the chimney is clogged, the best option is to call a professional chimney sweep. He will not only clean the chimney, but also identify other shortcomings and advise how to eliminate them.
How to clean the chimney pipe from soot and soot with your own hands
Due to the accumulation of soot, sooner or later any chimney needs to be cleaned. How to properly clean it without resorting to the help of professionals and what is needed for this.
How to clean the chimney from soot
Safe and comfortable use of stoves and fireplaces is impossible without good draft, which, in turn, depends on the condition of the chimney. How to clean the chimney from soot and prevent it from clogging, you will learn from this article.
How to clean the chimney from soot
Why do soot deposits and blockages appear?
At first glance, it seems that after burning firewood, the smoke disappears without a trace, but this is not at all the case. In addition to the gaseous products of combustion, the smoke contains solid particles, it is they who settle on the walls of the smoke channel, forming a gray or black coating. Water vapor, which is also contained in the smoke, holds the soot together, and the plaque becomes dense and hard. Narrow places, turns of the smoke channel, as well as rough walls of brick pipes are especially prone to clogging.
Soot deposits in the pipe
In addition, mechanical blockages are possible: garbage accidentally falling into the pipe, tree leaves, bird nests or bricks that have fallen out of the masonry. Even a small blockage can worsen traction, and soot deposited on a foreign object quickly clogs the chimney, making further operation of the furnace impossible. There are several ways to clean the chimney from soot and blockages, which are described below.
Chimney cleaning methods: which one to choose?
Methods for cleaning chimneys and chimneys are quite diverse, from folk methods, proven for centuries, to modern ones based on scientific developments. Let's take a closer look at all of them.
Folk remedies
Our ancestors knew well the characteristics of different types of wood. Coniferous firewood contains a large amount of resins emitted along with smoke. Poorly dried, damp wood smolders, gives off little heat, and at the same time emits water vapor, which settles on the walls of the pipe, fastening loose soot into a monolith. Best of all, dry hardwood firewood is suitable for burning stoves: birch, alder, aspen. They burn with increased heat transfer, practically do not give soot and soot and do not clog the pipe.
To clean the chimney in the old days, aspen firewood was used, burning with the formation of a high hot flame. When the walls of the chimney are heated, the soot loosens and burns out, and its remnants are carried out through the chimney along with the smoke. Many modern pipe cleaning methods are based on the same principle, which are described below. For the prevention and periodic cleaning of the chimney, you can use this old method by throwing several dry aspen logs into the heated firebox. At the same time, it is necessary to observe fire safety and prevent overheating of pipes.
Another interesting folk method for cleaning a chimney is to burn dried potato peels. When they are burned with smoke, substances are released that loosen the soot and make it easy to remove it through the cleaning holes.
Folk methods are interesting, but sometimes ineffective, especially when a blockage has already formed. In this case, it is more reasonable to resort to chemical cleaning of pipes.
Chemical cleaning of the chimney
Furnace stores offer a large selection of various products that allow you to clean the chimney from soot without any hassle. These products come in the form of powders, tablets, liquids or briquettes that mimic logs or pellets. Their use is quite simple: you need to place the package in a stove or fireplace and burn it, together with firewood or separately. Detailed instructions are usually indicated on the package, as is the dosage.
Powder cleaners are usually packaged in single-dose sachets, depending on the degree of contamination of the pipe and chimney, one or more bags may be needed. They are thrown into the fire after kindling the furnace, without opening. The appearance of a blue or green flame indicates that the product is working and releasing chemically active substances that break down soot and plaque.
Means for chemical chimney cleaning
Cleaning pellets or logs are more convenient to use, they are simply placed in a fireplace or stove right in the package and set on fire, after which they continue to burn the stove for one to two hours. During this time, the resins and creosote that hold the soot in the chimney decompose, and small particles are carried out with the smoke, and large blockages fall down. Therefore, after cleaning and cooling the furnace, it is recommended to inspect the smoke channel through the doors specially designed for this.
Cleaning the chimney to prevent blockages is carried out several times a year. If the oven is used no more than once a week, it is enough to use these products a couple of times a year. With the daily burning of the stove or the use of low-quality firewood, prevention is carried out more often, once every two months, without waiting for the chimney to become overgrown with soot.
Mechanical cleaning of the chimney
In case of serious blockages caused by a strong narrowing of the lumen or debris entering the pipe, chemical agents may be powerless. The operation of the stove becomes impossible and very dangerous - deposits on the walls of the chimney ignite when overheated, and together with the smoke, sparks or even flames burst out of the chimney. In dry weather, this can cause a fire. If there is no draft at all in your stove, and the smoke goes inside the room, it must be cleaned mechanically, using a special tool.
Devices designed to clean the chimney from soot and soot are very diverse: these are brushes, scrapers, ruffs of various configurations and sizes, as well as cores on a strong cable that break through dense blockages. They can be purchased at specialized stores or made by hand.
Chimney cleaning is usually carried out from top to bottom: they break through blockages in the chimney, clean it with scrapers, ruffs and brushes, after which they clean the smoke channels through the cleaning doors, and lastly clean the dampers and the firebox itself, as well as the ash pan. Chimney pipes of a simple configuration can be cleaned from below, with the help of ruffs on a long handle. How to clean the chimney mechanically is described below.
Chimney cleaning technology
1. Before taking on the role of a chimney sweep, take care of your own safety. It is necessary to install a convenient ladder on the roof and take care of insurance that will not allow you to fall. When cleaning the chimney, use a respirator.
Work Safety Measures
2. The dampers are open, otherwise soot will accumulate on them, which can lead to even more clogging. But the doors - furnace, ash and cleaning - must be tightly closed so as not to stain furniture and floors with soot. It is better to hang open fireplace inserts with a damp cloth, which is not a pity to throw away - most likely it will not work to wash it off.
3. Cleaning starts from the top, from the chimney. Before cleaning, remove the head from the pipe, remove soot with a scraper or a stiff brush at an accessible distance. The tool can be extended with an extendable handle.
Cleaning starts with a pipe
4. Inaccessible parts of the chimney are cleaned using a flexible brush - a cable with a nozzle at one end and a handle for rotation at the other. The diameter of the nozzle should exceed the diameter of the pipe by 1.2-1.3 times. The cable is inserted into the chimney and begin to gently advance by turning the handle.
Flexible brush for cleaning pipes from soot
5. If the ruff gets stuck, it means that a serious blockage has formed in the chimney, and it can only be broken through with the help of a core. The core on the cable is sharply lowered into the chimney, trying not to touch the walls so as not to chip the brick. Having eliminated the blockage, continue cleaning with a ruff.
Pipe cleaning core
6. After cleaning the pipes, they begin to remove soot through the cleaning doors. In a complex furnace, as a rule, there are several of them, and they are located in the places where the smoke channel turns. First, the soot that has fallen from above is raked out, then the smoke channel itself is cleaned with scrapers and a ruff. At the same time, they move from top to bottom, to the firebox. In fireplaces with a direct chimney, there may not be any cleaning doors at all, and all the soot immediately falls into the furnace.
Cleaning of smoke channels from soot
7. The furnace and ash pan are cleaned last. Final cleaning can be done with a vacuum cleaner. If your vacuum cleaner is equipped with a fabric dust bag, it is better to buy a disposable paper bag for this purpose, since it is impossible to clean it of soot.
Removing soot from the furnace with a vacuum cleaner
8. Melt the stove and check the draft. If cleaning has eliminated the blockage, then after the furnace has cooled down, the head is put back on. If the draft has not improved, the smoke channel may be clogged in a hard-to-reach place, and you can no longer do without the help of a qualified stove-maker.
9. In the future, when using the stove, do not neglect the prevention of blockages using the folk or modern methods described above.
Helpful Hints
To prevent the chimney from overgrowing with soot, you must follow a few simple rules:
- It is better to use dry firewood from deciduous trees as fuel, and at the end of the firebox, periodically place aspen or preventive measures in the furnace.
- Do not burn garbage in the oven, especially plastic, polyethylene, wrapping paper.
- To reduce moisture condensation, the chimney must be insulated, especially if it is made of metal. Usually, ready-made double sandwich pipes with a layer of non-combustible insulation are used.
- It is imperative to put a cap on the pipe to protect it from accidental ingress of debris or precipitation.
With proper use of the stove, the question "how to clean the chimney from soot" will arise very rarely, and you will be able to fully enjoy the bright flame and heat.
How to clean the chimney from soot - instructions and videos!
Learn how to clean the chimney from soot with your own hands, without the extra cost and involvement of specialists
How to clean a chimney
Cleaning the chimney is one of the key points in the care of the heater, contributing to its many years of effective work to the delight of the owner and his family.
Timely cleaning of the chimney is the key to the efficient operation of stoves and fireplaces
The efficiency of a wood-burning stove or fireplace has a certain dependence on the cleanliness, serviceability and general condition of the chimney. Every owner must know how to clean the chimney, even if he prefers to use the services of third-party specialists and organizations.
According to experts, if the chimney is properly arranged and equipped, it will be able to keep clean for a long time with careful use of the device for heating.
For example, if you use dry firewood that does not contain a large amount of resins for the fireplace, clean the ash from the blower, do not burn household waste in the fireplace, then the care will consist only in cleaning the cleaning holes located in the room from soot.
However, even with this option, the general condition of the chimney should be checked every 6 months to ensure that it remains good. After all, pipes and chimneys are cleaned not only from soot, but also from debris, cobwebs and other blockages that accidentally get there. As for the question of when and how to clean the chimney pipe, it must be decided upon the fact of its partial clogging with soot, the remains of firewood and other types of fuel, and all kinds of blockages.
Why clean your chimney?
To improve traction
Settling on the walls of the chimney, soot narrows the existing gap over time and interferes with the free passage of smoke. In addition, a dense coating of soot does not allow the walls of the chimney to fully warm up, which is fraught with a decrease in traction, a decrease in the efficiency of the fireplace, and the penetration of smoke into the room.
For safety when using the fireplace
There is a risk of soot burning in the chimney due to high temperatures. Such a development of events is fraught with the onset of cracking of the walls of the chimney, which will gradually lead to its complete destruction. But that's not all. Sparks that will fly out of the chimney can become a source of fire, which is extremely serious. Poor traction performance can also have bad consequences. For example, they can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Ways to clean the chimney
Folk ways
Many owners are looking for ways to clean the chimney with folk remedies at home.
Cleaning the chimney pipe is quite unsafe (to carry out such cleaning you need to climb onto the roof) and very dirty (cleaning the pipe from soot will definitely leave marks on both clothes and body).
The most popular way to resolve the issue is to sprinkle firewood during burning with rock salt. This action is preventive and is used to reduce soot deposits.
To remove existing plaque on the walls of chimneys, you can use potato peels. First you need to heat the fireplace well, then pour potato skins into the fire in large quantities. You can also use potatoes, cut into small pieces (you will need half a bucket-bucket of potatoes). The steam that is released as a result of this action will decompose the soot flying into the pipe. Large accumulations of soot will then fall into the furnace, which must be cleaned after the cleaning process is complete.
It should be noted that such a tool as potato peels is not a full-fledged chimney cleaner, but is one of the tools that help soften soot, contributing to its lagging behind the pipe walls. After the above procedure, it will be necessary to mechanically clean the pipe.
If the farm has aspen firewood, then the question of how to clean the chimney from soot with folk remedies will disappear by itself. It is necessary to take a few armfuls of such firewood and simply burn them. It is worth noting that this method is not absolutely safe. Cleaning the chimney from soot occurs due to a significant increase in temperature in the chimney pipe. Under such conditions, the soot ignites, as a result of which white flakes fly out of the pipe, which cover the roof and the surrounding area near the house. Before you clean the chimney in this way, you should make sure that it will withstand such a temperature load and will not collapse. If there is a large amount of soot in the stove pipe, then it is better to clean it in a way that is safer.
Pipe cleaning mechanically
Meeting a chimney sweep on the streets of the city is a rarity, but this does not mean that the number of representatives of this profession has significantly decreased.
The profession of a chimney sweep in our time is quite in demand. Not every owner has the tool necessary for cleaning the pipe, and even more so, not everyone agrees to do this difficult and unpleasant work on their own. Yes, and only a small percentage of owners of fireplaces, stoves, and boilers have theoretical knowledge on how to clean a chimney pipe.
The chimney sweep is a professional in his field. He will not only perform such work in an excellent way, but will additionally inspect the chimney, identifying possible damage and cracks in it. In addition, only a specialist will be able to adequately assess the level of functioning of the heating device and check the draft.
However, many owners of heating appliances prefer to take care of them on their own. It is extremely important to know how the pipe is cleaned from soot and various contaminants. After all, the work of the fireplace should not be accompanied by constant anxiety and inconvenience.
What to consider when cleaning a chimney
It is important to close all cleaning holes in the room before climbing onto the roof. This is necessary so that soot does not get inside the premises (houses, baths, etc.). The fireplace / stove door, the boiler outlet should also be closed or curtained with a damp cloth.
The chimney pipe should be cleaned only in dry weather with no wind at all. This condition must be observed to ensure your own safety. It is mandatory to use insurance when working on the roof.
If the fireplace or stove has not been used for a long time, then you need to make sure that there are no bird nests. If they are present, then they must be removed through the top of the pipe, and if this is not possible, then pushed down with a stick.
Major cleaning of the chimney is carried out only if the soot layer on its walls is more than 2 mm. If the layer is thinner, then it is recommended to use other cleaning methods described below.
Special attention should be paid to those devices and tools that will be needed to clean the pipe.
The main tool of a chimney sweep is a metal brush, with its diameter exceeding the diameter of the chimney by approximately 20%. It is also possible to use a brush with hard metal bristles designed for cleaning the chimney. It is advisable to use such a brush when working with structures that have a rectangular or square section.
If during operation the ruff is attached to the cable and falls down on it, then the brush is attached to strong and flexible holders, which are connected to each other as the brush is lowered down.
As an additional tool for cleaning pipes, a scraper and a heavy ball-shaped core are used.
Provided that a dense layer of soot is formed in the chimney, it is initially necessary to clean it off with a scraper, and only after that use a special ruff or brush.
It is likely that during the cleaning process, a blockage will be found in the chimney, making it difficult for the tool to pass further. The role of such an obstacle can be an accumulation of debris or a collapsed piece of brickwork. Such a blockage is removed by punching with a heavy shot of steel attached to the cable with a carabiner. The core must be carefully thrown in the center of the chimney hole so as not to touch the walls with it.
An important clarification: previously, a core with a diameter of 85 mm was used as standard, but today the circumstances have changed. Due to the fact that chimneys can have a fairly large cross-sectional area, it is recommended to use a core with a diameter that will cover more than 2/3 of the chimney cross-section.
Also, during the cleaning of the chimney, the core can be used not only as a means to eliminate blockages in the chimney, but also as a load for a ruff or brush. The core, ruff and cable can be connected using durable carabiners that have the ability to change the design by removing an unnecessary section from it.
It is worth remembering that the use of sports weights and similar items as the core is strongly discouraged. The fact is that they have a displaced center of gravity. They can get stuck in the chimney, turning over while flying. And to remove such items from the chimney channel is an additional cost of time and effort.
Vlad Zhitin, expert
Open-type fireplaces with straight chimneys should be cleaned from below - from the side of the firebox. For this purpose, metal brushes on an extendable (composite) handle are used.
After cleaning the chimney, carefully open all the cleaning holes in the house and remove the dirt that has accumulated in them with a dustpan and brush. You can also do this with a special spoon for cleaning soot. It is advisable to remove soot residues with a vacuum cleaner.
The final and final touch is the cleaning of the firebox itself.
Chimney cleaning with chemicals
Periodic preventive maintenance is encouraged to prevent soot from settling on the chimney pipe. Such prevention is carried out with the help of chemicals added to the firebox at the time when firewood is burning there. The form of release of such funds is very different: briquettes, liquid, powder. The principle of their operation is quite simple. During combustion, gas is released from these substances (it is absolutely harmless to humans), which destroys the structure of blockages and deposits on the walls of the chimney and contributes to their shedding down already in crushed form.
Below is a brief description of the most common chimney cleaning chemicals.
Anti-scale chemical composition (PCC). Available in powder form. It is necessary to burn the product along with the packaging, adding it to the firewood during their combustion. It can also be burned separately from firewood. PHC has a clearly defined usage rate - 150-200 g per each ton of fuel.
"Comic". This is a chemical agent for cleaning chimney (stove, fireplace) pipes, developed by a Czech manufacturer. The form of sale is packages, each of which contains 5 bags weighing 14 g. One such package is enough for prophylaxis for three months. The tool demonstrates the greatest efficiency when cleaning small layers of soot (the layer thickness should be no more than 2 mm). The removal of soot and soot occurs due to the conversion of soot into an instantly combustible oxide (catalytic reaction and its consequences).
The method of application is quite simple. "Kominichek" (one bag) must be thrown on burning coals or firewood and the door closed. High temperature promotes the release of a chemical substance from the granules that dissolves soot in the furnace and chimney.
Log "Chimney sweep". The tool is a small briquette or bar, which, when burned, releases substances that dry out deposits on the walls of the chimney pipe. As a result of this impact, the deposits crumble into the furnace.
Chimney Cleaner Chimney Sweep is the most popular chemical chimney cleaner. Its main purpose is the regular cleaning of smoke channels for the purpose of prevention. The use of this product helps to reduce the risk of creosote deposits, reduces the risk of soot fire. Thanks to these effects, the service life of the chimney is significantly increased.
Log "Chimney sweep" can be used in any type of built-in heaters, stoves, boilers that operate on liquid and solid fuels. It is also possible to use it in fireplace inserts and stoves operating on coal and wood.
When using the fireplace up to two days a week for prevention, you will need to burn only one log every 6 months. With daily use, the number of logs will have to be doubled. When using a wood-burning stove for a long period of time, it is recommended to burn one Chimney Sweep log in it every two months.
In fireplaces and stoves that have serious dimensions, it is necessary to burn two logs in turn (before putting a new log, you need to wait until the previous one is completely burned).
This tool demonstrates the greatest effectiveness during the fight against soot deposits in brick chimneys.
Before you start using the tool, you should make sure that the chimney is not clogged with various debris and third-party objects. It is best to burn the Chimney Sweep log in this way: take it out of the package (leave the wrapper) and put it on the coals left from the previous fire. You can set fire to a log, or a wrapper. The essence of that will not change.
Active additives, which are components of the log, continue to act for one to two weeks after the log has been burned. All this time, soot will continue to fall into the firebox without remaining on the walls of the chimney. Two weeks after using the log, it is necessary to clean the elements of the fireplace and separately the chimney.
When using any chemical product intended for cleaning the chimney, it is necessary to follow the instructions that come with the product exactly.
Cleaning quality control
Chemical methods for cleaning chimneys often do not inspire confidence in people. There is an understanding that the quality of such cleaning is noticeably inferior to the quality that a professional chimney sweep can provide. In addition, upon completion of his work, the specialist always conducts a quality control of his work and a general analysis of the state of the chimney. For this, special tools are used, for example, mirrors.
There are certain rules for using a stove or fireplace that help extend the period of their full operation.
- Do not use firewood obtained from coniferous trees as fuel. The reason for this is the high content of resin in them, the deposits of which remain on the walls of the chimney.
- Do not heat the stove or fireplace with damp wood or firewood from freshly felled trees. High humidity promotes increased deposits of soot and water vapor.
- Do not burn garbage. This is especially true for products made of plastic and other synthetic materials. Items intended for that purpose should be used as fuel.
- Among all types of firewood, dry deciduous firewood is the best option for a firebox. After the firebox, it is desirable to additionally burn a small amount of aspen firewood. They help burn soot out of the chimney.
Now you know the basic options for cleaning chimney pipes. It should be remembered that additional inspection is necessary during such work. And don't forget about prevention.
How do you clean your chimney? In the ways described above or do you use something special? Leave your answers in the comments!
How to clean a chimney with folk remedies, cleaning chimneys from soot
Cleaning the chimney is one of the key points in the care of the heater, contributing to its many years of efficient operation to the delight of the owner and his family.